Paris: Day Three (Tables des Anges)

January 6th, 2014 § 1 comment § permalink

Happy discovery. A small restaurant with distinctive decor, a warm and welcoming staff and food that is an elegant riff on old time French classics. That’s Table des Anges on Rue des Martyrs jut south of Pigalle. Yan Duranceau, the chef, has worked with some of the greats. Yan’s technique is flawless and his ideas are original. BSK and Beautiful Granddaughter Sofia loved their entrees of smoky room temperature cauliflower puree adorned with thin slices of speck (for another note of smoke). For mains, HG/BSK dipped into lighter than air quenelles. These were served in appetizing cast iron casseroles that included, besides the quenelles, spinach, carrots, potatoes and leeks. Rich sauce nantuä (thoughtful chef eliminated the crawfish from allergic BSK’s serving). Carnivore BGS had a steaming braise of unctuous ox cheeks stewed in red wine with mushrooms and other good things. Dessert was pistachio creme brulee. Drank a dry and tingling Macon-Villages white and Fleurie, one of HG’s favored reds. Lovely dining. Don’t miss Tables des Anges when you’re in Paris.

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Paris: Day Two (Le Vaudeville)

January 5th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

Day Two in Paris was New Years Day. Most restaurants closed. Brasseries open. HG made a dinner reservation at long beloved Le Vaudeville, an old, art deco establishment opposite the Paris stock exchange, Le Bourse. While most Paris brasseries have gone downhill, HG has always loved Vaudeville’s great oysters, bustling waiters, the signature dish of grilled cod with truffled potato puree, the exuberant Ile Flottante dessert. And the atmosphere was always very chic and Parisian. Well, the 2014 Vaudeville was a disaster. Avoid it when you are in Paris. Dinner started badly with the maitre d’ unable to find the HG reservation even though it had been made by the head of the Flo Group (owner of Vaudeville and many other once-good brasseries) PR department. Finally gave us a table in a dark hole, worst table in the house. HG would not accept it. Got another table which proved to be the target of cold winds. Finally got a comfortable table. Service was ludicrous. Didn’t pour wine. Didn’t provide carafe d’eau after being asked three times. Food was just okay and prices were astronomical. Special (bad) holiday menu and none of the old time favorites were available. Ambience? The restaurant was 100% tourists from Germany, Italy and Japan — plus many louts in dirty sweatshirts. Looked up at the ceiling and the paint was flaking (just ready to fall on an unsuspecting diner). That about sums up Le Vaudeville.

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Paris: Day One (Bourgogne Sud)

January 4th, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

HG/BSK (plus enchanting Beautiful Granddaughter Sofia) arrived in Paris Dec. 31. The weary trio shopped for some basics and then snoozed for a few hours (HG rented a two bedroom apartment in the Quartier d’Europe, a neighborhood in the 8e that borders the 9e, 17e, 18e and is close to many metro lines). Showered, refreshed and hungry, the destination for New Year’s Eve dinner was Bourgogne Sud on nearby Rue de Clichy. This is a bistro that features cooking from the Burgundy region, a cuisine that is rich, flavorful and makes good use of the region’s wonderful white and red wines. The holiday menu (a steal at 38.90 euro a person) started with a plenitude of escargots. These had been removed from their shells and cooked in a special metal plate that had indentations to contain the escargots and the lush garlic-parsley-butter sauce in which they were bathed. The best snails HG ever tasted. Big. Plump. Juicy. And, not overwhelmed with garlic. There was also a big platter of excellent (reminiscent of New York’s Russ & Daughters) smoked salmon and gravlax. A good baguette to soak up the escargot butter and Poilane bread with the salmon. And, before this gala beginning, the warm and welcoming host, Gilles Breuil, plied our party with flutes of champagne and slices of lovely Rosette salami. Pouilly-Fuisse was the ideal wine to drink with the entrees. For mains, BSK had a generous plate of perfectly grilled scallops. BGS had the signature dish of boeuf bourgignon and HG dove into a big quenelle de brochet in a rich sauce nantua with abundant crayfish. Wine was Moulin-a-Vent from Beaujolais. A trio of pleasant desserts including a chestnut Mont Blanc. Digestif was marc (from Burgundy, of course). The atmosphere in Bougogne Sud was happy and jolly. Gilles Breuil keeps the great traditions of Parisian bistros alive . He is to be thanked. If you are in Paris, don’t miss Borgogne Sud.

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Unlucky Gardens and Delightful Hemenway’s: A Tale of Two Rhodey Restaurants

January 1st, 2014 § 0 comments § permalink

HG here wishing all of his readers and followers a Happy New Years!! HG would like to extend his hopes that everyone has a 2014 filled with delicious edibles and wonderful memories!

Some time ago, HG wrote about good restaurants in unlikely places. One of those was Lucky Garden, a very nice Chinese restaurant located in a mundane strip mall in gritty North Providence, Rhode Island. It was an obligatory venue for a happy family dinner during the Christmas holiday. Since HG eats no Chinese food in Santa Fe (where all that exists is corn starch heavy, sweet, tourist cuisine of the PF Chang variety), HG insisted (though it’s a shlep) on a visit to Lucky Gardens. An error. Management had changed. Interiors had been expanded and renovated. Unfortunately, the cuisine had taken a toboggan slide downhill. Worst dumplings ever. Unfortunate pork belly. Pallid eggplant casserole. Cold tripe that made HG long for a bowl of New Mexico menudo. Passable chicken and chive blossoms did not compensate. SJ and EM, Asian food mavens, were not among the dinner party. Lucky them. Un-Lucky Garden is to be avoided.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Hemenway’s . For years, an HG visit to Rhode Island has always included a stop at Hemenway’s with its big windows overlooking some fine 18th and 19th Century architecture and a pretty little park in downtown Providence. The food, the service, the friendly welcome, the oyster bar and the comfortable dining booths are all splendid. HG/BSK had lunch in the oyster bar with SJ and Gifted Daughter Lesley R. Two dozen local oysters and six Rhode Island clams. plus crisp fried calamari with hot Greek peppers ( a Rhody specialty). Everything fresh and sparkling. It was so good that SJ and HG came back the next day. They were accompanied by Exquisite Maiko (who had been troubled with an unpleasant cold). EM had two of her favorite comfort foods: Clams Casino and French onion soup. HG/SJ knocked off Hemenway’s versions of a French brasserie “Plateau de fruits de mer.” Hemenway’s version had a bunch of New England’s finest: Oysters and clams plus a one half Maine lobster. There were also some very good jumbo shrimps from southern waters. A Delightful, and more importantly, a consistent dining experience.

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Beautiful Bivalves

December 30th, 2013 § 1 comment § permalink

HG/BSK are at the warm and welcoming Rhode Island home of Lesley and Massimo R., their daughter and son-in-law, for the family holiday festivities. And, the feasting continues. Arriving from a day at the utterly delightful New Bedford Whaling Museum, HG/BSK were greeted with glasses of pinot grigio and a platter of smoked scallops and room temperature shelled mussels (with appropriate sauces, of course). This was followed by bowls of steaming linguini with white clam sauce enriched with bottarga (dried and pressed mullet roe). Wow!! When HG is in the glorious little Ocean State, HG wolfs down many a clam–raw on the half shell; stuffed with savory garlic infused bread crumbs and topped with bacon (clams casino); in clear and briny clam chowder (no cream) and, of course, enriching al dente linguini. HG is convinced that Rhode Island clams (sorry, Long Island) are unsurpassed.

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Day After Christmas Feasting

December 29th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

There are idiosyncratic dining customs in the HG/BSK family. Christmas eve dinner, of course, is a Feast of the Seven Fishes (done Eastern Europe/Jewish style). On Christmas Day, after a mad, 5-hour present opening session (it is a generous family), cooking doesn’t seem like a good idea so it is a time for enjoying the smoked fish wonders left over from the Christmas Eve feast. Thus, the big time dinner takes place on the night after Christmas. And, at this event Gifted Daughter Lesley R. strutted her stuff. Read and be envious: LR made a brandade that was the ultimate. Creamy. Garlicky (but not too). Popped in the oven to give it a crisp brown crust. Served with toasted bread and (an HG innovation) endive spears. Next course was papardelle (from The Italian Corner in East Providence) in a sauce of exquisitely sautéd mushrooms (a mixture of varieties – some fresh, some dried). Brilliant LR sautés them for various amounts of time to insure their moisture disappears and their flavor remains). A reasonable family might call it quits after the pasta. Not the HG/BSK Clean Plate Warriors. LR made exquisite veal rollatini (thin scallopine rolled around prosciutto, gruyere and sage). Browned and then finished in the oven. Accompanied by ultra lush braised fennel. Dessert was flan and Italian nougat. Sheer happiness.

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Feast Of The Seven Fishes

December 27th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

Christmas Eve. Time for the Feast of the Seven Fishes. The Russian-Jewish-Italian-English-Irish-Japanese-American-Canadian HG/BSK family gives this Italian tradition a twist by focusing on smoked fish from New York’s venerable Russ & Daughters. SJ brought the goodies from New York) with a stop at Kossar’s Bialys for authentic bialys and great bagels). There were two kinds of herring (Fresh fillets from Holland and German-style roll mops). Three kinds of smoked salmon (Western Atlantic Nova, Gaspe Bay Nova and Double Smoked Danish). Two types of caviar (salmon and topiko). Sable. And, R & D’s signature chopped whitefish and baked salmon salad. Count them. Nine seafood varieties. The family believes in abundance. Olives. Capers. Three varieties of cream cheese. Sliced onions. Celeriac salad. Hearts of Palm and tomato salad. Sour cream. Creme fraiche. Gifted Daughter Lesley R. made blinis and delightful crepes enriched with buttermilk. HG drank (okay, guzzled) lots of icy vodka and ale chasers (drawing some frowns). Other family members practiced moderation. Wonderful, joyous feast. A happy family tradition.

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Rhode Island Treats: The Italian Corner

December 26th, 2013 § 2 comments § permalink

The Italian-American Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence has long been famous for Italian restaurants (mediocre, in HG’s opinion) and food shops (many good ones but Venda is the show stopper). And, given the nature of its population and the American fascination with fictionalized accounts of organized crime, Federal Hill has been featured in a number of movies and TV dramas. But, if you visit Providence (a wonderful, liveable city full of art, culture, intellect and political corruption) be sure to pick up great Italian food at The Italian Corner in East Providence. Superb Italian sausages and other charcuterie. Splendid cheese including an enticing and fragrant white truffle cheese. Fresh pasta (the papardelle is extraordinary). Big variety of dried pasta, olive oil, condiments, sauces, etc. There are about eight dining tables and you can order a gigantic sandwich of the best ingredients. The establishment does a fixed menu dinner every Saturday (it’s booked six months in advance). As the Michelin guide says about an outstanding restaurant in the French countryside, The Italian Corner is “Worth a Special Detour.”

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Panettone

December 25th, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

A holiday delight is Panettone, the Italian sweet bread/cake that makes its appearance on grocery shelves just as the happy days of Thanksgiving and Christmas occur. Panettone is a yeast cake enriched with butter, orange peel and dried citrus fruits. It is enclosed in paper and packaged in a box that has the shape of a squashed obelisk. Not too sweet. Not too rich. It is delicious and versatile. Good toasted and buttered. Delightful when gently warmed and drizzled with honey or coated with marmalade. Pleasant with a glass of chilled prosecco or moscato. Splendid dessert when topped with vanilla ice cream. HG likes it best at breakfast with a mug of steaming cafe au lait. Obligatory on a Christmas morning such as today with excited kids wallowing in the paradise of over-abundant gifts.

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Christmas Restaurant Nostalgia The Finale: Bickford’s & The Automat

December 22nd, 2013 § 0 comments § permalink

Some 60 years ago, HG was a New York journalist. There was a pleasant custom at International News Service/International News Photos (where HG was employed). Jewish journalists would volunteer to replace their non-Jewish colleagues on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so the non-Jews could enjoy these holidays with their family. And, that’s why HG worked at the news desk on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Where to have dinner? HG’s favorite dining places were closed. The shot-and-beer-chaser bars were open but populated by maudlin or surly drunks. HG’s workplace was on E. 45th, just east of Third Avenue ( at the time, the El was still rumbling overhead). Nearby Lexington Avenue had a Bickford’s Restaurant on the northeast corner of 45th and a Horn and Hardart Automat on the southeast. So, Christmas Eve HG dined (with good appetite) at Bickford’s. The special of turkey with all the fixings (and extra gravy upon HG’s request) was tasty. Dessert was pumpkin pie a la mode and HG “corrected” his coffee with cognac from HG’s concealed flask. Christmas Day found HG at the Automat. Three hot casseroles were lined up before HG (plucked from the Automat’s windowed wall of savories): Beef Pie, Macaroni and Cheese, Baked Beans (topped with a strip of bacon). Coconut custard pie for dessert. “Corrected” coffee. Well meaning friends expressed concern that these meals might prove depressing. They were not. Yes, HG’s fellow diners were not a jolly group. But, the lonely folk were quiet and unobtrusive, allowing HG the peace in which to read a bundle of newspapers while sipping brandy-laced coffee.

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