The important stars

You might remember this guy

Car tires used to be white!

His name is Bibendum.  (Possibly the worst name ever.)

He is the mascot of the French tire company Michelin

If you know fine restaurants.  You will know that Michelin is also the name of the holy bible of French fine dining.  A very big thing that grew out of a very small guide for travelers over 100 years ago.

 

Getting a Michelin Star is not such a simple thing. (There are only 3 to get).  Michelin is said to have a very small team of critics who are advised to not even tell their families what they do.  They work for 18 months, repeatedly visiting restaurants throughout France (and now other countries) and rate them based on quality, service, ambience, originality and consistency.  Chefs wait years to get 1 star.  And a 3rd star holds the promise of a 60% increase in business.

You might have just said "Who cares about fancy restaurants and expensive food?"
You should.  At least once. 
Once put your fancy adventure shoes, and have 4 people watch over your meal. 
Start with the amuse bouche (am-uze beu-oosh. "amuse mouth"). 3 small spoons that can only be described as flavor and texture "parties in your mouth".
Then the entrée (ahn-tray), The plat (plah) and Dessert (dehs-zehr) all delicately designed to marry and evolve one to the next.
Then Mignardises (miñ-yar-deez) the unexpected small chocolates and bite size sweets to finish your meal, and coffee, if you drink it.  
You should plan on 2 hours for a lunch. And you should go for lunch since it is less expensive and if you are taking 2 hours for lunch, you are most likely on vacation anyway. 


Dining at a starred restaurant in France is expensive.  But this is your French experience.  And you will not regret it.


A Michelin 1-star lunch. (my apologies for the Iquality of these photos)

Party. in. your. mouth.

Entrée: Veal Tartare with baby greens on a bed of mille feuille with citrus foam, and tomato sorbet.

Plat: Rognons de lapin, polenta, lima beans. 

Dessert: Panna Cotta, champagne granita, fresh berries and gold leaf.

SURPRISE! I don't even know where to start.*

After dessert, dessert?  Raspberry tuiles, Chocolate pops filled with Passion Fruit liquer, Green apple mini pastry

Coffee

*It is common in very nice restaurants that they have many cheeses.  During the cheese section of the meal, they wheel over a large wooden cart of those cheeses and serve you your choice.  
That thing.  The Housemade Candy cart? That is a first.  Suckers, Chocolate Suckers, Marshmallow, Mini Candied Apples, Sugared Macadamia Nuts, Sugared Pistachios, Homemade Sorbets & Ice Cream Cones, Macarons, Caramel Popcorn, Large Gel Dots,  Chocolate Bars in White, Milk or Dark, etc. 
I know because I asked, 
about all of it.
And they will just keep putting everything you ask for on a little mini plate. 

Pastry Tuesday

 

These are Cannelés (Kan-eh-ay).  

Chewy, with a slight burned-rum taste, these cakes are made from custard.  

If you have a nice boyfriend who goes to Bordeaux (Bored-O) for the day, he might just bring them back for you on a nougat shell.  

Happy Tuesday.

Did you say tomato?

Since I know you have been dying to know, this is how my miracle is doing. 

 

In the end, I just dumped all the seeds that I tried to sprout into a planter and I am pretty sure they ALL sprouted.
But I kept them alive!  

Do you have a significant other that does things that make you go hmmm (i.e. idiocy)? Mine tries to cut tomatoes with a non serrated knife.
Why don't you just smash them into the cutting board and then rip them apart with with your fingers. 

In other tomato news, I had one of these the other day

Delightful.  And completely worth 1€50
And I stumbled on this website: seedsavers 
 
I wish my seeds would make fruit.

Grafitti in my neighborhood...

To know how to SAY NO is to respect your time and to value to your life & priorities.  And so also to yourself.

Route des Vins in Alsace

Does it sound like I am on vacation all of the time?  I feel like that is all we talk about.  Or I mean, all I talk AT you about. Because let's be frank:  You don't call me in the middle of the night  OR bring me flowers anymore.  And I try not to be a downer. 

And so here I am on another mini-vacation.  But this was a girl's weekend.  More like an American ladies road trip! 
B said "4 hours from Paris is too much for a weekend".
I said "If I thought like that I would have never gotten my tramp stamp in Vegas"! 
And who would have wanted to miss that.
Or this...

because every trip involves a cathedral

Strasbourg Cathedral at night.

miles and miles of green vineyards.

Market time

Cathedral: check. Château: check. 

Front page May 8, 1945

Mini Statues of Liberty everywhere since the designer is from Colmar.

Enguisheim

Looking back on the city of Munster.  And of COURSE we ate the cheese in 8 different ways.

A Franco-Roman Wedding

We have been to about 15 weddings in the last 3 years, this last one was in Rome.
Yes, please torture me, make me go to Italy for a wedding.

I had to re-learn about weddings.  Where I grew up a wedding meant going to a reception at the local church house for fruit punch and cake.  And being home by 10p.m.
Now I go to weddings that begin at 2pm with a 1 hour mass,  4-9pm.heavy hors d'oeuvres & cocktails, 9h30 to midnight dinner, and then dancing until 4a.m. Bring back-up shoes.  And DO NOT wear a fitted dress.

So for Italy our friends rented a villa.  Yes an entire 4 story house.  We were puni (punished) and got stuck in the dark and damp maids room on the basement level.

the marble staircase

Our new dog.  Who leaves their dog with their rental guests?!

 

our rooftop terrace

Luckily I saw this bathroom at the end.  Or I would have put up more of a fight!

And the wedding...

Fried Zucchini Blossoms at the cocktail

Italy being its beautiful self. 

Back to the hot box

We are back in Paris.
The weather was perfect and it was sad to leave.  But we did.
B pouted.
Yes, grown men pout.  And they are not just French.
If you think you are all grown up and above having temper tantrums, you are wrong.
If you think you don't get cranky when you don't eat, or when you don't get enough sleep, or when you don't get any physical exercise - you are wrong.  You're little body did not change its needs as it got bigger and taller.
Be kind to your body and give it what it needs so it can serve you back.  


You're Welcome.