Tucked away on a barely-there side street between the Quai de la Douane and Place Saint-Pierre is Porte Quinze, bistro gastronomique of Ivorian Chef Gilbert Okoin. With its modest capacity of just 20, the ambience is intimate, and the interior as discreet as the location. Light wooden surfaces, touches of taupe, grey and white here…
Our Assumption Day long weekend got off to a patchy start this year. Too tired after the wedding to plan any big adventure, we decided on a peaceful retreat in the Pyrenees. Ben picked the spot, a spattering of lakes in the Néouvielle National Nature Reserve. We prepared our packs for one night of camping…
On the hottest day ever recorded in the history of Bordeaux, two friends and I made a reservation at a pint-sized pizzeria where the dining area is about 1 meter from a 350° C wood fire burning oven. After some hesitation and a few longing glances in the direction of Aphrodite, a breezy Greek terrace…
It’s been a year now since our hike up to the base of Vignemale, the highest peak in the French Pyrenees. A morning that started out gloomy due to rain and fog (and the realizaton that we had left at home some of the instant meal packets we had so carefully prepared the night before)…
Ahh the wonders of rue Notre-Dame… The precious little brocade (antique shops), a very special bridal boutique, and historical facades overgrown by florals gushing forth from every terrace, the heart and soul of the trendy Chartrons neighborhood of Bordeaux. Get a beer at Zhytho or sit out on the terrace of the Halle de Chartrons,…
Three former colleagues at a new restaurant each month or two, chatting over the world of Bordeaux fine wine over a bottle of non-Bordeaux. Such is the nature of what’s becoming a regular kind of dinner club, meetings of which I look forward to with enthusiasm every time. Our June pick was Cent33, a gastronomic…
A few weekends ago, Ben and I drove out to Arcachon to spend the night at the Thalazur Thalassothérapie Spa and Hotel: a much-needed pause from the stress of planning a destination wedding with “Level: High” difficulty logistical organization. We spent the afternoon soaking in the massive salt-water pool, taking turns roasting and steaming in…
