Everything But the Kitchen Sink - I Miss Paris Style!

Well, I have returned from the land of wine, cheese, more wine, and more cheese, and I think it's safe to say that I ate my way through Paris (and Corsica)! My brother did a phenomenal job of picking restaurants for us to dine at and buying great food for us to eat on our picnics. I couldn’t have been happier that a) the decision-making was out of my hands for a change, and b) that we didn’t waste any time roaming around from restaurant to restaurant reading menus trying to decide where to eat. As I mentioned in my first post, I always ran into that problem when I lived in Paris 6 years ago, and it was because of this that I learned the fine art of restaurant researching. I guess I have that experience to thank for the creation of Miss Menu, though!

So, I’m not going to go into detail about each of the restaurants we went to since this is Miss Menu NYC, and not Miss Menu Paris. But, for those of you who have been to Paris, are planning on going in the future, or just love the city like I do, then I figure you may appreciate a quick “best of/favorite” list.

Best falafel (IN. THE. WORLD.) – L’As Du Fallafel
I have had some really great falafel in New York and all over Israel, but this one is the best one I’ve ever had…and plenty of bigtime food critics couldn’t agree more. The name translates to "The Ace of Falafel," and they aren't joking. The falafel itself was absolutely perfect, but what made this sandwich really stand out were the toppings: grilled eggplant, seasoned cucumbers, pickled cabbage, and a really flavorful, spicy (but not too spicy) harisa.



Best salade de chevre chaud – Page 35
This salad appears on every single café/bistro/brasserie menu, but the one at Page 35 really blew me away. This one had a unique dressing (most French salads have the same generic, bland dressing) and goat cheese that was served warm on the most delicious, garlicky round toast/croutons.


Best soufflé – Le Cigale Recamier
Even though the word is clearly French, I never really thought of soufflés as being a French dish. My brother took me to this soufflé restaurant where there were 10 savory and 6 sweet soufflés on the menu (along with regular appetizers and entrees as well). I ordered a cheese soufflé for my entrée, and we shared a chocolate soufflé. Both were absolute perfection. Making soufflé is a true art form because not preparing and cooking it precisely can cause the entire thing to collapse.


Really good (but hard to pick a best!) Nutella crepe – crepes stand at Place Odéon
You have to look for a crepes stand where they are making the crepe itself to order and in front of you. Some busy crepes stands in touristy areas have a stack of already-made crepes so all they have to do is put it back on the griddle and add the toppings. This crepe was prepared fresh and the guy added ample Nutella…mmm. Sure, they have Nutella crepes in NYC. They appear at every single street fair, but you should know that the Nutella made in the US doesn’t even compare to the Nutella made in Europe. Different oils, different amounts of chocolate and hazelnut…all of these things make Nutella from Europe so much better. And that, my friends, is why I had to bring a jar home with me!


Best beer - Pietra from Corsica
I'm by no means an expert beer connoisseur, but I always love finding a beer that I really enjoy the taste of. Having had plenty of wine over the past week, I decided to order a local beer while we were sitting at a cafe on the marina in Calvi. It was really good, and came in a really cool glass too! I have no clue if they sell Pietra in the states, but I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for it now.


Best soupe a l'ognion (French onion soup) - Cafe on Rue de Buci
This dish is one of the things I lived off of my first time in Paris, and even though they have it at every French restaurant in NYC, it was great to have an authentic bowl of it while I was there. There's always usually a good amount of gruyere or emmenthal cheese melted on the top, but this bowl literally had the equivalent of an entire package of cheese on it. Good to the last drop.

Favorite new cheese - Cantal
I have close to zero knowledge about cheeses or cheese-making, but I will tell you that this one was delicious. We bought it at an outdoor market for only 1€50 each (along with 4 others), and we ended up having it at three of our wine & cheese "pique-niques" in different parks around Paris. A piece along with a fresh baguette and a bottle of wine made for the perfect lunch or snack.


So that's my post-France wrap-up. It was an incredible trip, but it's good to be back. Don't get me wrong, I love Paris so much, but there was a lot I missed about NYC too. Au revoir, Paris...je t'aime! Good to be back, New York!

Everything But the Kitchen Sink - Paris Style!

To my loyal readers - So sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been way too preoccupied with preparing for my big trip to France!! Can you blame me?! It's been 6 years since I was there as a student, and now I'll be visiting my brother who is spending the semester there. Six days in Paris and five in Corsica = my personal heaven.

I'm very curious to see how I'll view Paris dining now that I have thoroughly fallen in love the NYC restaurant scene And even more so now that my palate has expanded since I was there last.

I am off to the land of some of my food favorites: fries, crepes (especially the egg & cheese kind I mentioned in my Midtown Lunch'er profile!), cheese, wine, and onion soup. I'll definitely be skipping the frog legs and escargot though! I'd love to one day have a Miss Menu Paris, but until then, I'll be sure to update you once I return on some of the great meals I'll have had.

Au revoir et bon appetit!

Tres,Tres Bon...Almost

If you've ever watched (or just flipped past) the Travel Channel on TV, there's a good chance you've heard of Anthony Bourdain. Also an author, this chef seems to be everywhere right now. I was always enthralled with hearing about his exotic food experiences. I recently saw an episode of No Reservations in which he went back to his alma mater after not having cooked in a restaurant for 8 years. It was at that point that I decided it was time to finally try this notorious restaurant where he serves as Chef-at-Large...Brasserie Les Halles.

A friend of mine had a few out-of-town visitors and we were brainstorming places that we could all go for a Sunday brunch. Of course, picking a restaurant never comes without some restrictions. That Sunday was Easter Sunday, so it made getting reservations for our party of five a little trickier. We also wanted to go to a restaurant that was central to all of us. It was the perfect opportunity to head to Les Halles for its Revolutionary Brunch.

Upon entering, you really get the sense that this is an authentic French brasserie. The ambiance is lively and the dark wood walls are almost completely covered by antique French posters, giving it a great feel. We were seated at a round table, which is always nice for a larger group.

We all decided to order off the Revolutionary Brunch menu, although the full lunch menu was available as well. This prix-fixe menu includes fresh-squeezed orange juice, a croissant, and your choice of a variety of egg and crepe entrees. I ordered the Omelette Savoyarde (an omelette filled with gruyere cheese - one of my favorites), which came with the infamous French fries. Anthony Bourdain has touted them as the best in the country...and as a wannabe fry connoisseur, it was my turn to put them to the test!

Les Halles is a little pricier than your greasy spoon diner, but the quality is light years better. The eggs were all cooked to perfection...light and fluffy, and not one brown spot to be seen. The omelettes I've always gotten at diners have been overcooked, brown, and dried out. The croissant was melt-in-your-mouth good. It was flaky on the outside and buttery on the inside. So, now to the fries. They were good. Very good. The best I've ever had? I'm not so sure. But, you could tell they were made fresh and in-house, and from what I could tell were fried in peanut oil, which I always think gives fries a much better flavor.

My friends got the Ouefs Poches a l'Ecossaise (eggs benedict with smoked salmon) and the Omelette Forestiere (wild mushroom omelette). It was hysterical hearing them try to pronounce these dishes. But, I give them credit for trying!

So, my experience sounds close to perfect right? Well, here's the bad news: the service was miserable. I cut them a little slack because it was peak Sunday brunch hour and it was packed. But, these are all experienced waiters and waitresses who know what it takes to handle a rush and be a good server. Unfortunately, our server was hoping we were just stupid tourists who didn't know better (like most of the patrons that day) so he could turn the table quickly. He was rude, abrupt, and MIA most of the time. It took us 3 requests and 30 minutes to get water. But, after he put the bill on the table, he was stopping by to check up on us every 5 minutes.

All in all, I'm glad we chose Les Halles to see what all the hype was about. I did love the omelette, the fries, the croissant, and the ambiance. I just think next time I will try to go at an off-peak time in hopes of more attentive, friendly service.

Les Halles
411 Park Avenue South
b/t 28th & 29th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

Get on the L'Express Train

Similar to Pigalle, L'Express is part of the Tour de France restaurant group, which owns eight French restaurants around the city. This group gets it right...simple, French cuisine in an authentic bistro atmosphere, and L'Express is no exception.

L'Express is open 24 hours a day, and seems to be busy at any given time. It's just as crowded for a weeknight dinner as it is for a weekend brunch, as it is for a latenight snack. This versatility makes it a reliable standby in my book. And the food itself doesn't hurt either.

I've been to L'Express for dinner and brunch, and have enjoyed my meals each time. They have a great wine list, with many selections by the glass, as well as by the bottle. The menu itself features some classic French bistro fare (steak frites, mussels, goat cheese salad), as well as some unexpected items (tripe, lamb burgers, and vegetable lasagna).

Not in the mood for a heavy meal, I went with my staple French selections. I ordered onion soup, and split a salad and French fries with my friend. The mesclun salad had a nice twist with warm pears and blue cheese. The onion soup at L'Express has a great, authentic flavor, with the right amount of cheese gratinee on the top. And the fries were really good too, brought out in a huge pile on a plate.

I'd definitely recommend L'Express to anyone looking for a lively dining experience that somehow seems equally New York as it does French.

L'Express
249 Park Avenue South
@ 20th Street
website
Menu Pages listing

A Little Farmhouse in the Big City

Until this blog really takes off and the ad money starts pouring in (a girl can dream, right?!), my experience with high-end NYC restaurants is usually limited to reading about them on other food blogs (like Grub Street or Eater). But, my visit to Mas (farmhouse) on Friday night showed me that there's a way to experience these usually unattainable restaurants without the hefty price tag.

The answer? Go for dessert. Seems simple, I know. But, I realized that even without the appetizers and entrees, this is still a great way to experience a restaurant...its atmosphere, its service, its culinary style, etc.

There's a popoular adage that says, "Life is short. Eat dessert first." Well, if it's a dessert from Mas, then that's really all you'll need! I do, however, think there should be an exception to that expression that says dessert can come second if it's following a cheese plate. Along with a fantastic dessert wine, this was shaping up to be a little slice of heaven for me. I realized during my time in Paris that I could easily live on wine and cheese alone. Throw in an apple tart with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, and you could stick a fork in me...I'm done!

Mas's ambiance only adds to the fantastic experience. Just as the title of this post suggests, Mas creatively combines the feel of a Provencal farmhouse with a sleek New York space, creating contrasts everywhere you look. There are quaint, farm-themed pillows on the booths that sit on a concrete slab floor. Authentic farmhouse wood beams form a modern bar, a wine display case/cellar, and a communal table that runs the length of the restaurant. Maybe the most surprising thing was hearing indie music playing, when I was expecting typical French accordion music!

I'm not going to cross Mas (farmhouse) off my list of places to try quite yet. Next time, I'll just have to skip dessert and go straight to the entree!

Mas (farmhouse)
39 Downing Street
b/t Bedford & Varick Streets
website

Menu Pages listing

Pigalle - c'est pas mal!

Yesterday, my old boss took a group of us out to lunch for the holidays. Earlier last week, he had asked a few of us for suggestions for restaurants. So, of course, I sent him a list of four or five choices near our office that were reasonable. It was to this email that he replied, "Ok since you're being Miss Menu, why don't you make a reservation for us? I'd try for Pigalle, sounds best to me." So, technically, I have him to thank for the original idea for this blog!

Anyway, back to the food. I mostly suggested Pigalle because I am partial to anything French. And, I had been to some of the other restaurants owned by the Tour de France restaurant group (L'Express, French Roast, Nice Matin, and others), and really enjoyed my meals at each. I also look for any opportunity to try a new French onion soup recipe (what I basically lived on when I was in Paris)!

Pigalle has a quaint bistro feel if you are able to look past two things: an overwhelming number of Christmas wreaths and accents that are not French (read Southern and Midwestern tourists). Hopefully, that will no longer be the case come January. We had a few issues with our reservation, but luckily were still seated pretty quickly.

They have a large selection of French and Belgian beers (including my favorite, but hard to find, Kronenbourg 1664), and a very creative cocktail list. Everyone really enjoyed their meals. And in case you were worrying, the French onion soup was great!

Some suggestions:
- If you have the stomach for it, they have Absinthe drinks there...usually hard to find on this side of the pond.
- Les frites (french fries) were really good, and pretty authentic
- Make sure you speak very clearly/slowly when making a reservation, as the hostess doesn't have the best English. I had made a reservation for 12:30 and she had it down as 4:30.

Pigalle
790 8th Avenue
@ 48th Street
website
Menu Pages listing