This post is dedicated to those of you staying safe by isolating at home in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fresh from the CD archives of unpublished posts comes a escapist visit to the romantic Provencal coast of France and Monaco. Which, by the way, is not so romantic when you’re brought there for…
Tag: #France
The best – and most expensive – lunch I ever ate: Le Parc at Les Crayeres, Reims
Imagine eating lunch in a museum dedicated to food. The walls and soft pastel furnishings have the regal feel of a palace. The food is presented as a series of exquisite courses, each a work of art; each outdoing one another. The atmosphere in the dining room is one of pure reverence, silence as each…
Why Champagne is champagne, Part II: Demystifying from vine to label
In my last post, I dissected the cultural icon that is champagne. Not all sparkling wines are created equal. For many of us, champagne is a bit of an enigma, elitist even. The terminology may seem a bit foreign. Like an exclusive club created it like a secret handshake: a means to determine who really…
Why Champagne is champagne, Part I
Champagne. Is any other beverage so widely equated with “the good life,” social status celebrations, and special events around the world? “Champagne” has become so well-known in popular culture and yet so misunderstood. The term has become so synonymous with sparkling wine that it is easy to forget that it is really a brand, a…
The best plat I ever ate: Parisian seared foie gras ravioletti
It is a rare moment in life when you experience something so spectacular you know you’re going to remember the rest of your life. Whether it’s people, a natural wonder, a concert, a work of art, or food, you typically know soon that the moment will remain with you for years – if not a…
Profile: Bordeaux’s Glouton, Le Bistrot
If I were to conceive the quintessential French bistro, it would look very much like Bistrot Glouton in Bordeaux, France. On a recent trip to Bordeaux, I had the pleasure of a lovely Saturday lunch there. A small, simple, and modern interior houses small wooden tables that place one in close proximity to fellow patrons,…
Two days in Bordeaux
If you have been looking to plan – or just dreamed about – a trip that includes hops around Europe or France, make sure to add Bordeaux to your bucket list. Wine is only a starting point. Whether or not you are an oenophile (wine lover), Bordeaux has a lot to offer visitors. A cosmopolitan…
Redefining the salade chèvre chaud
I crave salads. I adore cheese. So for me, few salads – or entrees for that matter – can top the contrasting, yet complementary mix of flavors in a salade chevre chaud (hot goat cheese salad), ubiquitous in France and, actually, much of Europe. The traditional French salad typically consists of large-leaf lettuce (like…
The Culinary Diplomat 