Chocdoc Goes to France!

[Smithy]

It's hard to know what's best!  It's all exotic and wonderful - and I also particularly love the wookie cookies. 

[Deryn]

I now know what to do with my old pots when I remodel my bathrooms! Love that bathroom vignette.

 

I am drooling over the tapas too - especially the olives, ham and tomato bread.

[Kerry Beal]

Woke up in Spain this morning - going to bed in Paris again very shortly. Feeling a bit bagged. We only walked 24,080 steps today (10.69 miles) according to my Fitbit.  

 

The first thing we hit was the food market in Barcelona. Note the Dunkin Donuts just outside the gate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got some Frito Mixto for our breakfast along with a piece of tortilla with potatoes.

 

 

Caught a picture of a lady making the bread with tomato.

 

 

 

 

 

After leaving the market we set off for some candy/chocolate stores and pastry shops.

 

 

This one had the traditional panned chocolate almonds.  Marcona almonds caramelized (but not roasted), panned in white chocolate and rolled in sweetened cocoa.  

 

 

 

A walk down a little alley found these lovely meat cones and the realization that the obsession with the american old west is still alive and well in Europe.  

 

Escribe - a very interesting chocolate and pastry shop seems to have a few chocolate statues.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped for a tea infusion (this one called Lemon Pie) and Jess had an apple tart.  

 

 

 

Stopped for some hard torrone at his shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terrible picture - but we ran across two japanese automats with the food circling on conveyors.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

Fell asleep trying to post those pictures last night - so didn't get to it until this morning.

 

 

Lunch yesterday at Crusto in Barcelona.

 

Dome du Marais for dinner.

 

 

Campari and juice.

 

 

Kir royale

 

 

Jerusalem artichoke puree. 

 

 

 

Salmon with Forbidden Rice for Jess.

 

 

Risotto for me.

 

 

Shared mille feuille with strawberries.  

[rotuts]

Frito Mixto

 

my kind of breakfast !

[Smithy]

Maybe you addressed this earlier; if so, please forgive my inattention. Are those chocolate statues hollow? Would they be made with just any old chocolate for the fun of it because nobody will ever eat it?

What are the meat cones wrapped in? The savory equivalent of a waffle cone?

I want some of that jamon iberico, with or without the diacriticals. Was that more or less typical of the price?

[Darienne]

Wonderful photos.  Wonderful tour. 

 

Sure does not remind me of the groceries and markets in Peterborough!

[Kerry Beal]

Maybe you addressed this earlier; if so, please forgive my inattention. Are those chocolate statues hollow? Would they be made with just any old chocolate for the fun of it because nobody will ever eat it?

What are the meat cones wrapped in? The savory equivalent of a waffle cone?

I want some of that jamon iberico, with or without the diacriticals. Was that more or less typical of the price?

I suspect the really big figures would be a combination of solid and hollow in parts - perhaps even with some non food structure underneath, but I'm not entirely certain.

 

Meat cones were in a bamboo or banana leaf disposable package.  I think you'd just walk along and munch on it - at least that's what I'd do!

 

Not sure how that price compared to the by the kilo price.  Per kg price differed greatly depending on the age of the ham and it's provenance.

[Beth Wilson]

I am curious about the Dunkin DOnuts....do they have the usual donut offerings or did they up their game to compete with the local artisans?

 

Love the tour you are offering us...since I can't afford the trip I am drooling over your pictures and putting some items on my bucket list.  My list has grown since reading this thread :-)

[Kerry Beal]

Back in the room for a little break before we head out to dinner.

 

Today we went up to la Basilique du Sacre Coeur in Montmarte - lot of stairs!  I think the sheer number of stairs to get out of the subway station was worse than climbing to the basilica however.  So far the fitbit says 17,181, 7.89 miles and 62 floors!

 

 

Breakfast provided by the hotel again.  

 

 

 

After the basilica we stopped for lunch in a very touristy restaurant - we know better!

 

 

 

Crepes with ham, eggs and cheese for Jess

 

 

 

Duck confit for me

 

 

The artist on the other side of the little fence around the restaurant was making a meal of dry sausage and bread which looked very desirable.

 

 

This was on the outside of a restaurant - international symbol for tasting menu do you suppose?

 

 

 

Visited this MOF's shop and purchased a citrus tart that I neglected to photograph, as well as some bonbons and marshmallows.  

 

 

Also seen - this is the pastry case in McDonalds!  McMacarons anyone?

 

A small Salon de the La Bague De Kenza provided these middle eastern pastries for our afternoon snack.  

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2015 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I am curious about the Dunkin DOnuts....do they have the usual donut offerings or did they up their game to compete with the local artisans?

 

Love the tour you are offering us...since I can't afford the trip I am drooling over your pictures and putting some items on my bucket list.  My list has grown since reading this thread :-)

I actually didn't look inside - sorry.  

[rotuts]

You know .....

 

I just can't  follow this topic any more

 

 

it suggests to me that I do have sooooo much more than I need and want,  but  ....

 

I pretty much am a Pedestrian   Sur la Plate

 

nothing wrong with that

 

I have a few credentials    I did live in FR for 2 years  and in (E)Spain for also two

 

thats not here not there

 

but  So  Much WoW for this thread !!!

 

maybe a bit more MR might help me continue ?

 

[Kerry Beal]

Off for Moroccan food tonight at Au P'tit Cahoua.

 

Internet access is painfully slow tonight - so hoping I can get this up before I drop off to sleep.

 

 

 

 

Lovely spicy veg pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

Drinks - the usual

 

 

Zucchini beignets

 

 

Eggplant 'caviar'

 

 

not pita!

 

 

Lamb shank

 

 

Chicken tagine

 

 

Chickpeas and raisins for the couscous

 

 

Veg for couscous

 

 

Couscous

 

 

 

So I shall be heading home tomorrow - Jess will be heading to Lisbon for a few days before her return on the weekend.

 

Shall try to keep track of my sad plane food and report on it when I arrive home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[curls]

Thank you so very much for sharing your trip. So many "Wow" moments! I need to travel to France & Spain. Hope you have an uneventful trip home. See you at the chocolate workshop in May!

What were your favorite things from this trip? Did you come close to seeing & doing everything that you planned?

[rotuts]

what a wonderful trip so far.  hope the wonder continues.

 

that being said, i knew Morocco would Beckon.  It always does.

 

did you get any of that Mint Tea that's soooo sweet your teeth hurt ?

 

No ?

 

you can get it in Tangier

 

still some time I think to look into this !

 

many many thanks for this and and all the  other wonderful threads.

[Tri2Cook]

This was fun. Safe trip home!

[Deryn]

I can see how you managed to keep your weight in check (all that walking) despite all the amazing food you took in on this trip of a lifetime, Kerry, but, I bet you managed to pack on a few pounds in your luggage.

 

Thank you again for taking us all with you ... for free too! I hope you can savour these memories for many years to come. Safe trip - and, I hope, little to no jetlag.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Darienne]

Deryn is correct...except that I would have packed those extra pounds around my middle for sure.  All that wonderful chocolate for one thing...

[cmflick]

Thanks for posting all the photos and the progress of your trip.  It's been a great experience for all of us!

[Kerry Beal]

I'll weigh myself in the morning and see what the result is!

 

Have done the jet lag thing again coming west - will see how I feel tomorrow morning - I was successful on the caffeine requirements - not so sure how well I did on the food part.

 

Here's part of what they fed me on the plane - 

 

 

 

 

Rather overcooked appearing duck breast - tender enough (likely cooked sous vide) - just looked kinda yucky

 

 

Missed getting a picture of the ham and smoked chicken and orange slices they provided about 2 hours before landing.  Sure wasn't as good as the Iberico!

[rotuts]

Wow

 

so many thanks again for sharing this ( and all the other trips ) 

 

with us.

 

[ElsieD]

Actually, your plane food doesn't look that bad on it's own, but it doesn't compare to what you have been eating. Nice to see they served d'isigny butter - I used to be able to buy it at a shop in Ottawa until the Feds clamped down on the poor guy. Supply management and all that. I greatly enjoyed reading about your trip and also enjoyed all the lovely photos.

[LukyJess]

Hi Kerry,

 

As per your recommendations, I am continuing this food journey - its last chapter: Lisbon.

Glad to see you made it home ok!

 

I arrived this morning and went straight to my hotel, a three-star (very cheap price-wise) hotel - they provided me with a two-bedroom brand new suite with an awesome shower and a fantastic looking buffet (have not yet tried it). This further reinforces my concerns on the hotel star-rating system in Europe... but I am not complaining at all about this hotel!

 

Anyway, I walked from the hotel (near Lisbao Central Park) to Placa do Comercio, through Baixa:

 

Then after a fair bit of Rossio, Braixa, I had lunch at Populi (http://www.populi.pt/), where I had bread served with olive oil, garlic butter and black olive tapenade.

 

I had the Arroz de polvo malandrinho com aromas de canela e coentros as my main.

 

In the afternoon I went on to explore Mouraria, Santa Cruz and Alfama. I stopped at Maria Catita for dinner (http://www.mariacatita.pt/).

To the disapproving look of the waiters, I made my dinner of appetizers: marinated olives, bread right out of the oven served with garlic butter, a soft goat cheese, what I believe may be Iberico-type of ham (Presunto porco preto 24 meses de cura... that the waitress referred to as Spanish ham), with a glass of white Chamine.

\

 

I also had the appetizer mussels served traditionally (name escapes me).

 

For dessert, I tried the traditional bean cake, Pudim do Feijao dos Frades do Covento da Horta.

 

Have a good evening!

 

Jess

[Deryn]

Thank you Jess for continuing the saga into Portugal. Have a wonderful side trip.

 

I loved Portugal but haven't been there for decades now. I am thrilled to hear that it is still possible to get much better accommodations (read, usually MUCH larger at least) there at a lower price than it is in much of the rest of Europe. And the food looks much as I remembered it - delicious.  Back then even greasy spoons had white table cloths and served what I thought was excellent fare for a very reasonable tariff.  

 

My only complaint about Lisbon was the traffic and the fact that the street 'signs' were etched into the sidewalks - with a rental car and not a clue where one is going on a Friday night, it was so scary we abandoned our car, walked to our hotel and called the rental agency to go pick up the car. The rest of Portugal however was easy to drive.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Anna N]

Jess,

Many thanks for sharing Portugal with us. Kudos for making a meal of appetizers! And those mussels just might be the second best food I've seen on this trip to France, Spain and now Portugal.