Ah, the “bouchon Lyonnais.” Staunch and unwavering bastion of French culinary tradition, where some of the country’s most learnèd chefs devote themselves fully to the time-tested and eternal classics of French food, fiercely proud of their nation’s gastronomic heritage. Some of them rise to considerable prominence, as in the case of Chef Joseph Viola, whose…
Named after the rue on which it can be found, just a stone’s throw from the Hospices de Beaune, is the restaurant Le Maufoux, the ‘tit bistro of Meursault institution Le Soufflot. Run by Chef Jean-Luc and his FOH side-kick Laurianne, this pint-sized eatery offers a rather reasonable lunch menu and an only slightly pared…
Where to find the best fried chicken in Burgundy? At La Lune restaurant in Beaune. I’m not sure how my friend found out about this treasure of a place, but we booked a few days in advance and arrived for a late-night snack, after drinks at Le Rouge à Lèvres bar, on a Tuesday night…
“Eating, mostly, and some wine stuff too” would be an accurate sum-up of my trip to Burgundy with a friend back in May. No messy contact list in my Notes for wineries to visit this time, although we did stop by Aloxe-Corton for a tasting and tour of Louis Latour. This was not a work…
Young, hopeful and totally carefree is how we felt as we zipped down the A6 towards the vineyards of the Côte-d’Or in our Burgundy-red Fiat 500. A cherished friend I had not seen for 3 years at the wheel, cool and at ease, and surprisingly so for a person who had not driven stick for…
Just across the River Touques from the city of Deauville, in the Calvados department of Normandy, France is the picturesque port city of Trouville-sur-Mer, dubbed “the 21st arrondissement of Paris” by Vitamin D deficient Parisiens et Parisiennes who flood its long, sandy beaches each summer. During the winter months, the vibe is a bit more…
Another neighborhood favorite of mine is Cafe Eriu, a delightful little restaurant on Rue Fondaudege serving up seasonal cuisine with an Irish twist. A tastefully designed coffee bar clad in dark green tile, a homey dining area, an open kitchen in the back. Brunch is great here, with both sweet and salty options. Lunch is…
A pint-sized Venezuelan joint named El Budare has opened its doors this week in my neighborhood and I couldn’t be happier about it. We met the very nice couple – Paula from Venezuela and French-Réunionese Florian – when we stuck our noses in to check the menu last weekend, as they were busy setting up.…
It’s only mid-March and already “Sleeping Beauty” Bordeaux seems to be waking from her winter slumber, shaking off confinement, curfew and coronavirus like a bad dream. Despite 3 million currently infected in France and an excruciatingly slow start to the vaccine rollout, a 20°C sunny day will send hordes of Bordelais out to the Garonne…
Well, it finally happened. After 4 years spent living just 100 meters from TentaziOni, I finally decided I couldn’t survive another day without eating there. I had heard just about every one of my Italian friends praise the restaurant’s menu with a kind of passion they normally reserve for denouncing “pâte à la carbonara à…
That Best Bite 