weinoo

After our visit to Florence, our second and final stop was Paris. We've stayed in the same apartment a couple of times; it's located on Square du Temple Elie Wiesel, with a view of the square from its windows. It's around the corner from Rue de Bretagne, home to any number of fine food shopping establishments. There's the Marché des Enfants Rouges, established sometime in the 1600s. Fun to walk through, maybe grab a bite or a quick glass of wine. Nearby are a couple of groceries; I wish my grocery here at home did something like this... Lots of oysters! To take home!! (Here on the lower east side, they're more likely to be selling weed...https://www.instagram.com/p/Clt3VDTOlsU/?hl=en) There's an amazing cheese shop, which we take advantage of... Chocolate, butcher, patisserie, etc. all within a stone's throw - it's great. Our first night in Paris, we met an old friend for dinner. L'Attache All the tableware reveals itself as you finish up the dish. The food was good (wine great); the plates are...interesting.

Needed a simple, easy to put together dinner last night. Almost-composed salad. Castelfranco, vinaigrette. Artichoke heart marinated. Avocado sliced. Olives rinsed. Shrimp poached. Cheese ravioli tossed in butter and Parmigiano.

Appears as if you're using leg/thigh combos. Any special chicken? Love the dry rub!

Actually, I think the opposite...simply called gouging.

And this surprises anyone...why? All one has to do is look at the profits of a cartel like Cal-Maine.

Sar-Cilian?!

Oh stop.

Good question - I like the Matiz because the clams/cockles are whole, as opposed to most of what I see from Snow's/Bumble Bee, which (at least what I can buy easily) tend to be a chopped, larger sea clam product. A side-by-side taste test might be the only way to really figure out which taste better. In these pasta preps however, I think it's all about the actual clam juice providing the flavor, as opposed to the clams themselves?

Stir-fried shrimp with broccoli. A paean to Eileen Yin-Fei Lo. Though she undoubtedly would have been aggravated by my over cooking of the broccoli (but only a little).

Of course, but allow this to refresh your memory first!

This almost looks Sardinian, with the fregola (if that's what I am seeing?).

Don't fall - you might bust a hip. Just teasing - but why off guard? (I should've used Snow's/Bumble Bee Clams?????)

Bitter greens salad. White beans, with olive oil, herbs, Parmigiano, topped with bread crumbs and Parmigiano, baked - anointed with more olive oil at table. Served with toasts. Spaghetti with red clam sauce. (Matiz clams from a can).

AT 85. RIP. Long ago and living in California, I was teaching myself to cook; starting with Chinese food. This was mid-70s (yeah, I'm old). I took lessons, bought cookbooks, my first wok and Chinese cleaver, etc. Lo's books were always a great resource, and as I started to explore more regional styles, this one (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) was especially useful... Published 1988. From the NY Times:

The thing about pizazz is you don’t get pizazz…without adding some salt.

There was another meal; I almost forgot about it. Probably because we hit up a bar, in Piazza Santa Spirito, pre dinner. Pizza Santa Spirito, named as many piazza are, after the resident church; in this case the Basilica di Santa Spirito (designed by Brunelleschi). I love this piazza, and this church, which we explored intimately. There was no one else there except guards and someone to take your money - specifically to see Michelangelo's crucifix, one of his earliest works. Pictures aren't allowed, but there are some on this web site! After exploring and aperitivo-ing, dinner. Trattoria la Casalinga Check out that menu, @Duvel - I think it's right in your wheelhouse! Casalinga is old school, classic - the kind of place you really wish was in your neighborhood - but isn't, and never will be. Cause you don't live in Firenze. But if you did... Another great time was had, but not a lot of pix taken. Lotsa beans. They bring the olive oil and pepper grinder over to your table...season to your liking. In between the pepper and olive oil, our other app was raw artichoke and Parmigiano. Primi were great... Pappardelle with wild boar sauce. More of this... When in Tuscany. We both had secondi, we both had dessert. We flew off to Paris the next day - well sated.

Pizza and salad last night. This was the Lahey no-knead pizza dough recipe. Probably a bit over fermented, but still good. Made 3, and we ate them all.

On the same day we ate at Trattoria Sabatino for lunch, we went out for a lovely dinner as well, also on the Oltrarno side. So while we didn't cross the river, we walked up the hill. Osteria Antica Mescita San Niccolò Osteria Antica Mescita San Niccolò is right next to, and was at one time part of, or belonged to, Chiesa di San Niccolò Soprarno. The building is like 1,000 years old. Or something. Starting off, as we generally did, with a wee platter of assorted salumi. These people were having a Christmas party, secret Santa gift giving, etc... Which we eventually became a part of, as they started pouring us wine and more. We were taking pictures with them, of them, for them - it was a great deal of fun. We both had primi, though Significant Eater may have had hers as her main course. My memory is fogged up. Fantastic pici. Minestrone. I don't remember if there was a written menu (though there must've been), or if we were just told what was available. Maialino forno for shared secondi. Cheese cake for dessert. House wine by the carafe. Pours from our friends. Etc. Fantastic place.

@Duvel would like this, at our favorite local restaurant last night (Cafe Katja just happens to be Austrian inflected). Magret duck breast cooked properly (i.e. not ridiculously rare, as so many places do), served on a bed of braised red cabbage, and Semmelknödel! Baked in a bain marie, as opposed to either poaching or baking exposed. The Semmelknödel are really great.

Right?! I think our lunch bill was under €45. And we ate a lot.

Another day meant another bunch of walking...but this time I did want to try a place I'd read about ...for lunch. Old school, outside the actual city walls of Florence, yet still walkable. So off we went. Trattoria Sabatino Located practically underneath the historic Porta San Frediano, Sabatino is a working people's trattoria. Check out the prices on the website. You wait on line to get a table at peak time - fortunately, it was only about a 20 minute wait, as I was starving. Plastic tablecloths abound. The head chef, a woman of a certain age, comes out of the kitchen occasionally to bus some tables and give dirty looks to certain staff members. It's awesome. People are here to eat - no bullshitting around. The salad that I am currently obsessed with at home. s Great tortellini in brodo. Half a roast chicken - good enough, but not Paris. I think we had some fruit for dessert. And a half carafe of wine. You pay at the register on the way out. Like I said, old school. Perfect.

I am jealous of the above post.

Though I kind of understand "expresso." After all, he grew up in Queens!

Agree on all counts. And I've actually had a few personal interactions with him (at a restaurant of his, at Eataly, etc.)...trust me, he's even worse in person!!

Yes, they totally destroyed it. I mean... . How DARE them!!!!