The Great Parisian Plate Debate

We went to Pizza il Naturale for the wine, but let more impressed with the pizzas. They were doing brisk business with the lunch crowd, but we were quickly shuffled over to a table and delivered a loaf of bread which only minutes before had been hanging out in the open ovens at the rear of the restaurant.

Read more →

As soon as we sat down, we were each served a tiny square of an amuse bouche that looked to me like some kind of terrine. Trying to cut it with a knife, I damn near sent the thing flying into my neighbor’s lap. Ignoring her scowl, I picked it up with my fingers, and it pretty much tasted like a dense Cheez-It. A fond memory for an ex-pat, but I think Kellog’s recipe is better.

Read more →

If the great metropolis of Paris had resisted the urge to institute a smoking ban in January 2008, then Le Bidou is an establishment where I would have been overjoyed at the prospect of lighting up a decadent three euro cigar. I simply cannot help it – the dark wood paneling and open street side window provided an atmosphere which required the smug self-indulgence that only a slightly below average cigar can provide.

Read more →