Material Archive

European Tour: Le Comptoir – the hardest reservation to get in Paris

Le Comptoir was the first restaurant we ate at when we arrived in Paris and all I can say is that it was a fantastic way to kick off our European Tour!

There wasn't anything we didn't love about it – the food , the service, the location and the price.

 

Skip ahead to 0.56 sec to see where Bourdain talks about Le Comptoir

If you keep watching the video - you'll arrive at Bourdain's visit to Joel Robuchon's L'Atelier – which we also had the amazing fortune of getting a reservation at. More on that later...



Photographing food with an iPhone is tricky – it really doesn't do the dishes justice, so I'll only post a couple images and simply say, please do yourself a favour and go here – you'll love it!

 

European Tour: Ladurée, Paris & London

If it's not wildly obvious already, I am obsessed with Ladurée. Why? Where to begin... it represents everything I love: amazing pasteries & chocolates, beautiful branding & packaging and an authentic legacy of doing it exceptionally well for 150 years.

While In London and Paris – I sought out almost every location to sample something new I hadn't tried before. My new favourite item is pictured above with the rose petal – it's called the rose & raspberry Ladurée Saint-Honorés and is every bit as delicious as it is pretty.

Of course, I shipped home all of my empty boxes so that they could assume their rightful positions on my packaging wall.

 

European Tour: First stop – Paris!

I've lost count of how many times I've visited Paris – the number is in the teens now, but even so, every visit is like my first. I never lose my sense of awe and delight. The city is just a huge advent calendar to me – every door opens to some wonderful new gift.

Coming up, I'll review four restaurants I tried there… Le Comptoir, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Les Cocottes and Chez Robert et Louise, as well as some stores and other fun stuff.

 

Louis Vuittton Travel Guides: The Perfect Gift

 

 

 

 

 

Faced with finding a fun gift for a friend this weekend, I remembered an old stand-by that always pleases. Louis Vuitton City Guides are a fool proof option for friends that love to travel in style – concise, compact, reliable, useful and so pretty.

I bought my first set in 2000 and carried the Paris edition in my handbag the whole time I lived in France.

Found some charming video excerpts here about Paris & New York:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wish I was here right now: Chez L'Ami Louis

In my humble opinion, this bistro on Rue du Vertbois with only 12 tables, is one of the most charming Parisian restaurants I have ever visited. You can get mile-high plates of match-stick frites and escargot the size of a walnut! Heaven.