Menchie's - Culver City

You say Menchie's, I say Munchies. In the battle for the Frozen Yogurt market in Los Angeles, "Menchie's" has come out a winner for a lot of reasons.

First of all, this place is any Stoner's paradise. When other stores will offer you a free sample of your choice, Menchie's lets you pick up as many miniature sampling cups as you desire and you could technically "taste" every flavor there and fill up with frozen yogurt for free if you're not inclined to add toppings. But if you're still hungry after giving every flavor a proper try, gaze at the incredible variety of toppings they offer from fruits to peanut butter cups and grated coconut, and start making you own "Best frozen yogurt" ever (Try not to eat too many topping because I'm not sure you're really allowed to "sample" them. Even if you don't want to eat any yogurt because of your intolerance to lactose, you can still hit the toppings bar and fill your cup with some delicious treats and a variety of chocolate.

Now the sugar rush is not the only thing that's appealing to the average stoner: The pretty vivid colors in the store and the smooth colorful plastic spoons that we get to keep as a weird souvenir of our foggy trip to the ice-cream parlor all enhance this childish but rejuvenating experience.

You say Menchie's, I say: "Let's roll one so I can try to fill my cup with as many toppings as I possibly can and still manage to finish it all".

In other words: Menchie's is where we all hope we end up after we die. After meeting at the crossroads, maybe we should hit up the "Menchie's" by the heaven's gate....Duuuude!

http://www.Menchies.com

"Cinco De Mayo" in September - Culver City

Whether it's for Monday football, Taco Tuesday or Hump day...whether it's to celebrate end of the week for the 9-5ers or fearlessly treat ourselves with some of the most decadent comfort food, every day ending with a "Y" is a good day to eat Mexican food.

So after a few beers at a local bar I decided to stop by one of my favorite Mexican restaurant in Culver City: "Cinco de Mayo" to get my usual fish tacos and Carne Asada tacos but that night I decided to be even more daring and I tried their Seafood cocktail on a tostada. It was a refreshing mix of shrimps, octopus, calamaris, and fish with the essentials (chopped Cilantro, tomato and onions). It was fresh and delicious and I actually ended up going back to get more the following night on our way to the Hollywood bowl to see B.B king with my friend from France. We ordered a side of Ceviche to make sure we weren't go hungry while sitting on our asses listening to music, and the tostadas were so crunchy that the people sitting in front of us during the performance weren't too happy about our choice of picnic, but after opening a few beers and focusing on the amazing music coming from the amphitheater, I quickly forgot that I was annoying them, and resumed enjoying the show....with a few breaks to the bathroom.

The Ceviche was covered with fresh avocado and it was ridiculously cheap but incredibly savory. If you were on your way to the way overrated "Tito's Tacos" but don't feel like waiting in line or ordering crap that looks like crap... then go next door to "Cinco de Mayo".

"Back on the beach" Café - Santa Monica

Sometimes it doesn't really matter what you eat as long as you're enjoying some good company with you feet in the sand. "Back on the beach" Café is one of the few restaurants in Los Angeles where you can actually take off your sandals and feel the warm grains of sand massaging the bottom of your feet. It had always been a crowd pleaser even though the food is nothing to rave about, but their newly acquired liquor license which allows customers to enjoy a beer or some wine with their meal, just turned this loungy eatery into a not-to-be-missed destination for tourists and Angelinos alike.

We tried their fish Tacos and their "Deluxe Veggie" Burgers which were both satisfying but far from memorable, but the view on the ocean and the instant tan (or sunburn) made it all worthwhile.

Couscous Salad and Merguez Sausages

Sometimes traveling to an exotic destination only takes a typical meal from another country and a lot of imagination. Since I don't lack imagination, the only thing I needed to feel like I was spending a summer day in the south of France was a typical Summer BBQ meal. A few days ago, a friend surprised me with this delicious diner: Merguez Sausages and a savory couscous salad (A.K.A Taboule) and I was overwhelemed with joy and gratitude.

A Merguez sausages is a spicy blend of lamb and beef with mediterranean seasoning, cilantro and harissa. They are hard to find in Los Angeles but most French people have their favorite spot they like to go to when they want to get their Merguez fix. However, if you've never tried them before and want to give them a try I would highly recommend: "Payless Internation Market" on Venice Bld and Westwood Ave (10817 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034). This store is a little gem in West L.A, offering a variaty of Halal meat (don't plan on buying any pork there"), Feta cheese from various countries, and cheap but flavorful fruits and vegetables.

Unfortuinately, the stash of charcoal bricks and our supplies of gas were both gone and we had to grill the sausages on the stove instead of the BBQ, which was a bit of a disappointment but roasting the merguez in the oven for about 5-10 minutes after cooking them was a perfect way to get the sausages crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside.

We enjoyed this diner with some good wine, we had a digestive spliff and I was esctatic when I had the chance to eat the leftovers the day after.

Healthy with a Dash of Tasty

Stoners sometimes have a bad reputation for being lazy and eating horrible food to cure their munchies....and like most stereotypes, there is some truth to it. Ordering a pizza while waiting patiently on the couch is a stoner's favorite sport and since I had already worked my finger out on the phone's keypad the night before to order pizzas that took an hour and thirty minutes to be delivered, I decided to make my way to the fridge to see what was hiding in there.

Since my girlfriend and I recently started eating a little healthier, our shopping carts mainly get filled with fruits, vegetables, and natural juices and cigarettes.....which is (mostly) great for our health, but not so great for nibbling on finger food in front of "Workaholics".

Champagne was already flowing by 5pm, and after enjoying the summer weather by the pool, I wanted to celebrate this fabulous day with an unforgettable meal.....or at least with a meal that would make my munchies go away. After combining things I wanted to eat with things I actually had in the fridge, I started cooking our snack.

I once learned from a chef that the first thing to do when you're about to cook is boil some water: You can use it to boil vegetables, make a broth, cook pasta or drink tea during the process...And if you don't end up using it,throw a few eggs in the boiling water and you'll have a few hard broiled eggs for the next big salad you will be making. So....I boiled some water.

Here's what I ended up making: "Fried Zucchinis with bacon on top of a Rice and Carrot patty" baked in the oven with a slice of mozzarella cheese on top.

Recipe:
- Rice & Carrots Patties:
- 1 1/2 cup of Rice
- 8-10 Carrots
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of milk
- Chives
- Onions
- Garlic
- 2 eggs

- Cook the Rice.  Peel and boil Carrots until tender. Strain the carrots and mash them with the butter and the milk over low heat. Mix the rice and the mashed carrots into a big bowl. Add the chopped onions, garlic, pepper and chives. Add 2 eggs and mix it all together.

Make small patties out of the mix and fry them with olive oil until golden.

- Fried Zucchinis
- 3 Zucchinis
- 1/2 onion
- 1 strip of Bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 Tomato
- Italian Herbs
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive oil
- 1/4 cup of red wine

Cook the onions in olive oil until golden, add the bits of bacon and the Italian herbs and let it cook on low while you cut the zucchinis in thin slices (leaving a little bit of the skin will help). Stir the zucchinis in the pan with the rest, add the chopped tomato and the salt & pepper and add the red wine to the mix. Let it simmer until slices are soft in the center and a little crunchy on the outer edge.

Add the Zucchinis on top of the Rice Patties on an oven safe dish and top it off with a slice of mozzarella cheese. Bake everything in the oven on "Broil" at 425 degrees 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is golden.

Enjoy this with a good bottle of red wine.

The summer of smores

Summer is the time we all like to go camping for a weekend, to get away from the city, breathe some fresh air and roast some marshmallows. After the tent is pitched and the fire started, there is nothing like gathering around the warm fire with a beer and some smores.

Trying to roast a marshmallow to perfection is a skill and not setting it on fire is always a challenge, but taking care of your munchies with the most devilish treat is always a great way to spend some time outdoor.

However, when the fun is over and you have to drive back to reality, smores can still be enjoyed indoor with the leftovers from the trip. They make a great last minute dessert and are easy to bake in the oven. Just prepare your sandwich, throw it in the preheated oven at 375 degrees, wait 10 minutes, and grab yourself the drink of choice that will help you chase down the sugary cement.

You will still make a mess at home and you better be ready to lick caramelized sugar off your fingers and be equipped with a lot of napkins, but every bite is worth the trouble and this sinful "sandwich" never disappoints.

You can see and buy some "Smores" pictures on my Istockphoto portfolio and I invite you to take a look at my "Food and Drinks" lightbox.

"Yen Sushi" - Culver City

Located in one of the most notorious malls of Los Angeles lies a new sushi restaurant that offers a variety of fishy dishes with a beautiful view on their parking lot. "Yen Sushi" is a great way to end a shopping spree at the mall with a fantastic happy hour menu.

The menu is not only full of creative rolls and sushis but it also offers a variety of options for those who don't eat fish such as the "Tornado potato" and Asian dishes. The quality of the fish was outstanding and the presentation of the plates was elegant and original. Their happy hour menu includes a plate of sashimis (or sushis) including five sorts of fish with your order and they have Sapporo on draft for those who enjoy a large pitcher of beer with their meal.

We ordered a few different rolls including the "Rock n' Roll" "The lobster roll" and the "Spicy tuna on crispy rice" and they were all fabulous. Even their side of Wasabi was a visual delight.

The friendly staff made our drinks stronger when we kindly told them that they were a little weak, and finishing the meal off with a perfectly battered "Green Tea Ice Cream Tempura" was a real pleasure.

After a few beers and a few glasses of sake, you might even be inclined to give Karaoke a try since they also offer this service.

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"Cousins Maine Lobster" Food Truck - Los Angeles

This weekend we went to the "Street Food Cinema", a celebration of great food, good time with friends, booze drinking in public, and a chance to experience the summer by watching a movie in the fresh smoggy air of downtown instead of sitting on a couch.

The park is located right across from the famous Los Angeles Coliseum near USC which they turn into an outdoor theater during the summer. After setting our blankets and coolers on the grass at the very end of the park, as far away from the screen as we possible could, we started roaming around the venue to decide what food truck was going to feed us. After wandering around and bumping into people carrying food, we decided to go to the "Cousins Maine Lobster" truck to order one Maine Lobster Roll and three California Lobster Tacos. We started waiting in the absurdly long line and gazed at the menu on the side of the truck. We added a side of Truffle Mac & Cheese from another truck and went back to our spot to enjoy our meal.

Contrary to a lot of other "Lobster Rolls" trucks, this one had a lot of meat and wasn't laced with stupid ingredients like Celery or mayonnaise.. There was a lot of meat in the rolls, it was just seasoned enough and lightly buttered and it was delicious. The lobster Tacos with he creamy cilantro sauce were tasty too and after we were done swallowing our dinner, we tried to get comfortable for the movie were were about to watch.

The movie they were screening that night was the funny comedy "Bridesmaids". It was a good thing I had already seen the movie because the screen was far away, the sound system was weak, and to top it off, we had a birthday party happening right in front of us with balloons filled with Helium blocking our view and chatty inebriated friends.

It was a beautiful summer evening and a great way to see "Bridesmaids" again and laugh with the rest of the crowd.

Meatballs and Rice Pasta

Last night I felt lazy but still wanted to have a decent meal. I opened the fridge and after staring at the pack of ground beef laying in the middle of the empty fridge I decided to cook some meatballs with tomato sauce and rice pasta.

Here's my recipe (3 people):
MeatBalls Mix
- 1lbs of beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of flour
- A bunch of Freh Cilantro
- Italian Herbs
- Pepper
- 1 Strip of Bacon cooked and cut in tiny pieces
- Grated Swiss cheese
Other ingredients
- Tomato Sauce
- Red Wine
NO SALT (add salt only at the end before you serve)

Wash your hands, put all the ingredients in a giant bowl, mix the ground beef with all the other ingredients listed above and put the mix in the fridge to rest for at least 15 minutes.

While you wait, grind some weed, roll a joint and pour a glass of the red wine you're about to use later in the process.

After waiting and getting baked, pour some olive oil in a pan and let it heat up as you start making small beef balls with your clean hands the size of a small apricot, their size will reduce as you start cooking them. Throw all of them in the pan at the same time and cook all of meatballs thoroughly. Once they are medium, add a little bit of red wine to glaze the balls. Proceed to open the can of organic tomato sauce and add the content in the pan with the meatballs and turn down the heat to let the meatballs simmer for at least 20 minutes.

Add some grated swiss cheese and a little bit of salt on top of the meatballs before serving and enjoy this delicious comfort food with some of your favorite pasta.

"Thomas Hill Organics" Market Bistro - Paso Robles

This week I had the chance to spend some time in the Redwoods National Park near Big Sur and enjoyed every second of this short vacation. On the way down, I took the scenic route from Cambria to Palos Robles to stop at a restaurant for my girlfriend's birthday. 

Paso Robles is like the mini "Napa Valley" of Southern California. It's somewhat of a small city but it's full of inviting wine tasting rooms and charming restaurants with local flavors. It was already late when we arrived there and most of the places were closed, but we ended up falling upon what ended up being one of the best culinary experiences I've ever had: "Thomas Hill Organics" Market Bistro.

When I went on their website to check the menu before walking in, I was delighted to learn that their menu changed every day depending on what the cook found at the local organic farms and markets. That was a good sign.

We walked in and I immediately apologized for wearing what I had been wearing at the campsite which consisted of black sweat pants, sandals and a "Smurf" T-shirt with firewood scent...but that's what I also loved about this restaurant: they didn't kick us out. We sat down in their outdoor patio that was simply but elegantly decorated and we started salivating at the menu that was full of creative dishes made with fresh local produce.

We started with some local white wine from the Paso Robles Bodegas Winery, and we ordered the appetizer that we were going to share: "Braised Beluga Lentil Tacos, Carrot Ginger Purée, Candied Jalapenos, Chews & coconut, Watermelon, Cilantro"

These Tacos were by far the most delicious and inventive tacos I had ever had. The mix of the flavorful organic vegetables and the sweet fruits was the best way to get a taste of this incomparable restaurant. 

We then shared two entrées (I love to share all the dishes on the table to get a taste of everything). The first one was: "Pan Roasted Alaskan Halibut Cheeks, Roasted Baby Beets, Macerated Strawberries Pickled Watermelon, Coconut Cream, Mint Leaves, Citrus Vinaigrette". Here's the thing, I'm usually not a fan of beets but this restaurant's chef changed my view on beets that night. Every bite out of this original dish was heavenly, the presentation was sophisticated and enticing, the fish was perfectly cooked, and the staff was incredibly friendly.

Our second Entrée was a thin crust pizza with THO apples, Bacon, Mon Brie Cheese, Roasted Red Onion and Cremini Mushrooms. We had ordered a glass of red wine from their fabulous wine list at this point and I had to take a picture of the wine list because this wine was one of the boldest and tastiest red wine I had drank in a long time. (Our incredible red wine was: "Thomas Hill Vineyards 10' Miscela Delle Colline"). Eating the pizza while munching on this crispy and savory pizza was a perfect way to finish the meal.....before dessert of course.

I tried to be sneaky and I pretended to go to the bathroom to ask our waiter to bring a dessert with thirty candles. That was the only time they manged to disappoint me because they had run out of candles, and I think our waiter was also a little shy so he didn't even try to sing "happy birthday", but the "Chocolate Fondant (flourless chocolate cake) with Dulce de Leche and Honey Frosting" made up for it. We cleaned off the plate and shared coffee brought to the table in a French press. They apparently create their coffee blend themselves by picking some of their favorite beans and mixing them together.

They had a few baskets full of fresh fruits from the farm by the front door and we bought a pound of a medley of fruits and headed back on the road to Los Angeles. At this point, you understand that I highly recommend this restaurant if you drive to San Francisco, from San francisco, or if you ever get remotely close to Paso Robles while you drive on the 101 freeway. Even if you're a little far from it, it is definitely worth the drive. 

"Awash" - Los Angeles

 

I love to cook.

I love to open the fridge and wonder what ingredients I'm going to use for the next meal, I love picking the spices that will add flavor and colors to my gourmet concoctions, I love cooking with wine because it gives me an excuse to drink it during the process, I love creating new recipes and try them on some of my most daring friends, I love the surprised look on my guests' faces when they walk in the apartment and smell the delicious particles of goodness emanating from the stove and I love not having to wonder if the restaurant I'm in should be featured in the "Kitchen Nightmares" Series....However I do get lazy at times (or courageous) and after a long day of inhaling THC, I didn't feel like peeling, cutting and stirring....so we headed out to one of my favorite comfort food restaurant in Los Angeles: "Awash"

http://losangeles.menupages.com/restaurants/awash/

When I was first invited to go to this restaurant, I was a little apprehensive and I wasn't sure what "Ethiopian" food, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. The restaurant can be a little hard to spot the first time you go there but with the help of your favorite GPS system is shouldn't be too difficult. The dining room is fairly small and has little decoration but the incredible service, the outstanding food and the smile on the friendly waitress make up for it. I pretended to look at the menu because I always get the same thing when I go there but staring at the different food items on the menu is not only mouth watering but it's also inspiring. We ordered their "Vegetarian combo" (A staple dish of this Ethiopian restaurant) that includes split pea, lentils, spinash, potatoes and other goodies and we added a side of "Zilzil Tibbs" (long strips of prime tender beef seared over hot charcoal grill seasoned with garlic, black pepper and purified butter) which is one of their most delicious meat item. After adding a beer to the order, I made my way to the bathroom to wash my hands because if you didn't know this already, you eat everything with your hands in an Ethiopian restaurant (with the help of some Ethiopian bread called "Injera").

The sizzling meat came to our table a few minutes later and we devoured this entire meal in only a few minutes.

This is the perfect place to come with a few friends and share a few dishes with a few drinks.

Dear French Bakery

Dear French Bakery,

You never know how much you miss someone until they're gone....and I miss you.

You were there when I was a child, tempting me with your displays full of colorful candies and salivating chocolate croissants. I remember your crunchy baguettes waiting for me after school next to the jar of Nutella. I remember the sound of the slicing machine cutting up the loaf of bread previously picked by the gorgeous cashier. I remember staring at the rows of Kinder Eggs on the counter, wondering which one I would buy when I saved enough money to purchase one.

You were there when I was a teenager, helping me learn about life by offering me one of my first job as a cashier. You rescued me from my first hungover mornings with your fluffy croissants and strong espressos.
You fed me cheap and decent lunches with your savory sandwiches, allowing me to save money to buy important things like basketball cards and CDs.

You've been there throughout my adult life, luring me into your store with your  homemade desserts. You've comforted me during the rainy days with your tasty quiches. You've saved me from dehydration during the sunny days.  You've indulged my munchies with your filling pastries and you've managed to make my belly look a lot bigger than it's supposed to. 

You've helped me through my tough times and enhanced some of my good times. You've seen me grow up and become a man. Sometimes you're closed, but you've never been the jealous type and you never held a grudge against me for going to another bakery.

I can't wait to see you again next time I go to France and hope you will continue to surprise me with delicious creative treats.

Sincerely,

Me.

Sustainable Fish: Arctic Char

About a year ago I learned a little it about fish sustainability at one of the dive club meetings I attended. To sum it up, we're eating too much seafood and the entire world is over fishing. I was torn. The scuba diver side of me was sad because not only do I enjoy seeing sea life underwater but I also enjoy taking pictures of these sea creatures. However the gourmet stoner in me didn't want to stop eating fish. This dilemma came to an end when we were all given "Seafood Watch Pocket Guides" that will help us choose ocean-friendly seafood wherever we live or travel. My hippies side quickly became hopeful again.

You can find a "Seafood Watch Pocket Guide" for your region on this link:

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/download.aspx

At the end of the lecture, the speaker introduced us to some sustainable fish that most of us had never heard of before and actually cooked it so we could give it a try. This tender and moist fish was called "Arctic Char"

Trader Joe's carries some frozen arctic char that never disappoints and I always buy some for the lazy evenings where I don't feel like cooking a whole lot but I also have no desire to eat junky delivery food.

I took the fish out of the freezer three hours before the diner which in stoner hours is.....a loooong time!
I marinated it with olive oil, lemon, dill and black pepper. A few hours later I cooked some gluten-free pasta and made a side of eggplant and mushrooms. I then threw the fish in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes (more or less depending on the size of the fish). 


Once the fish was cooked I topped it with some grated cucumber mixed with sour cream. All my personas were happy that night.

Stack of Eggplant, Chayote and Tomato slices

Sometimes I pretend I'm on a cooking show where I try to come up with something good an creative. Yesterday was one of these days.

I had bought a lot of vegetables at the grocery store because I am trying to eat a little healthier these days and I decided to use them for my homemade appetizer. 

I cut an eggplant in thin slices and seared them in a pan with olive oil until they were a little softer but not quite cooked all the way. In the meantime I peeled a Chayote and let it cook in boiling water for about fifteen minutes. Once it was almost cooked, I cut the chayote in thin slices and finished with slicing the tomtato.

in a separate bowl I mixed some olive oil, sour cream, chives, salt and black pepper. I then stacked all the ingredients on top of each other alternating eggplant, chayote and tomatoes while adding a thin layer of the sour cream mix on top of each sliced vegetable. I topped it all with a slice of Mozzarella and threw it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes and finished by broiling it at 425 degrees for 3-4 minutes.

It was delicious and full of good vitamins.

 

Bagel Party

There is nothing like an easy but colorful and tasty breakfast to start the day on the right foot. After rolling a morning spliff by the sun, we threw two bagels in the toaster and waited a few minutes for the bagels to become golden. We proceeded to smoke the joint during our wait and sipped on our coffee while cutting up the delicious toppings. We covered our bagels with cream cheese, wild smoked salmon, avocado, cherry tomatoes and red onions. We added a splash of lemon, some salt and pepper and I poured myself some rosé wine before biting into this giant savory treat. It took us less than five minutes to put it all together not including the dish washing time, but I'm not quite sure how long my it takes for my dishwasher to wash the dishes

So if you have a freezer and a knife, cut yourselves a few bagels and throw them in there for emergency snacks. Sometimes it's just about having a few ingredients for our stony stomach to be happy. 

Grilled Feta

There are times when the will to cook is overpowered by the lack of motivation....especially after a few joints. Our primal stoner instinct tells us to pick up the phone and call the closest pizza place for delivery, but as long as you have a few ingredients in your fridge you can make something good and somewhat healthy in less than five minutes (which can be less than the amount of time spent on the phone with the person taking the order).

After watching Hell's kitchen on TV, I got hungry and decided to cook during the commercial break. I grabbed a big firm tomato from the fridge and cut it up in slices, I then grabbed the big block of Feta cheese that I had bought a day earlier and sliced it in the middle. I covered the tomatoes with the two thin halves of feta cheese, drizzled some olive oil on top, added salt, black pepper, basil and thyme and threw it in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes (which is usually about two commercial breaks later). I resumed watching TV and 15 minutes dumber, I got up from the couch and turned the oven to "broil" for three more minutes. when the cheese is a little grilled at the top take it out and enjoy this easy dish with some fresh bread or some naan. Make sure you don't leave it too long though, or the yummy sauce at the bottom of the dish will be all gone.

French Tapas Plate

Last night we had a few people over for diner and my girlfriend had asked me if I could put a little french diner together I agreed to took this mission seriously.

The morning of the diner I wasn't quite sure what I was going to make. We had talked about starting with a cheese fondue but the "Pizza hut dinner box" we shared during the poker night I went to the night before had left a dent in my stomach and I wanted to start with something a little healthier. I had to go to the doctor before my trip to the grocery. There are a few ways to use your time wisely in the waiting room while you wait for your name to be called: you can catch up on the celebrity gossips by picking up "Entertainment Weekly", you can pretend to care by gazing at the TV screen playing CNN with closed captions, or you can stare at the ceiling while envisioning the best diner ever.

So that's what I did, I started thinking of a fun plate of tasty but somewhat healthy french treats. It ended up becoming a Mediterranean plate but here what the plate was made of:

- Ratatouille topped with Gruyère cheese

- Skewer of Tomatoes and Mozzarella with Basil leaves

- Skewer of Merguez and Mushrooms with green peppers

- Bread with Radishes and salted butter

And that was our appetizer....I then made an olive and lemon chicken but I was too stoned and too inebriated with the delicious wine the guests had brought to take a picture of it. I was also a little tired from peeling and cutting vegetables all day long and just wanted to enjoy the rest of the night without thinking about my stupid blog. It was quite yummy though!

"La Cocotte et la Marmite" - Clichy

My friends always have the best chiropractor in the world, they always hang out at the coolest bar EVER!, and they always know the best restaurant in town...so when I get a referral I'm always giving the restaurant a background check before stepping in the money sucker.

So when the man with a glass of wine in his hand told me to check out "La Cocotte et la Marmite" in Clichy, I went online to see what some of the previous customers had thought. They all mentioned an authentic and tasty french cuisine with a welcoming owner. Since one of my favorite things to do is eat french cuisine and one of my other favorite "things to do" is try new things we decided to give it a try.

The restaurant was nothing pretentious but we did feel welcome from the moment we walked in. The owner makes you feel like a VIP even on your first visit and you will start ordering items just to be able to chat with him again. Since it was a warm day, I started my meal with a cold cucumber and avocado soup with big chunks of soft goat cheese. My sister had a poached egg on top of an artichoke.

We ordered some wine that was from my mother's best friend's vineyard (Targé) and we were happy to see this familiar bottle in this cozy restaurant. The owner posed with the bottle for a few pictures with us and we resumed eating the delicious appetizers that were sitting in front of us. 

After the first course was over, our giant "Cote de boeuf" (beef rib) arrived at our table along with my sister's dish (Lamb and vegetables) and my mother's dish which was some kind of "tripes stew" which is why there shall be no pictures of her meal! ;)

The meat was perfectly cooked and tender and everything on our table was devoured in a record amount of time. I finished the meal with an orange and chocolate mousse and a delicious spliff once we got back home. I can't wait to go to this restaurant again and you have to try it on your next trip to Paris!

"La Romantica" - Clichy

Paris is full of surprises. I was recently treatd to one of the best meals I had this year. At the end of the most dreaded subway line 13,  in a prestine location in the heart of Clichy, lies an Italian restaurant full of charm. Who knew they had fancy restaurants there?

We left early to get to the restaurant because taking the awful line 13 in the subway can be quite an adventure....especially during rush hours. It is the only line in Paris where people are paid to stand on the platform all day to help push people in the packed trains before the doors close on them (just like in Japan). It also usually breaks down at least once between two stations where the air conditioning stops working for a few minutes and the the temperature rises quickly. You will most likely be touched inappropriately, you will have to hold on to everything you slightly care about (like your wallet, cell phone, Ipad), and you might not even  be able to get out the train at your preferred stop if the train is packed with douchebags. But the ride was well worth it that night.

Needless to say, if you can avoid taking this line to get to the restaurant, I would highly recommend taking a cab. Then again, if you can afford this restaurant you can probably afford the cab ride there. Note: They even have valet parking is you decide to drive.

Once we reached our destination we stopped by my sister's place to enjoy a perfectly rolled spliff before meeting the rest of our group at the Restaurant. A much needed break after the subway nightmare.

The restaurant is located inside the courtyard of a residential building. There is an outdoor patio that is covered in the unlikely event of a downpour from the sky and the staff makes you feel like a thousand bucks the minute you walk in (probably because you're about to spend that much in the restaurant). The staff was fairly young, the waiters all sounded Italian, and the atmosphere was upscale. After we sat down and ordered our drinks the waiter managed to tell us what the specials were for the evening. When he was done listing the mouth watering items, he looked at our confused faces and asked us politely if he had talked too fast. I simply answered that it wasn't his fault and that we were probably thinking too slow. Our uptight waiter looked at me and my sister, stared at our eyes, and realized what we had done a few minutes earlier.....all of a sudden he turned from overly polite to very casual, even telling jokes and goofing around.

The friend who was treating us ordered the pasta tasting for the entire table which included an appetizer, four plates of pasta, and a dessert. He also ordered a delicious wine: Gregoletto Rosso. Since it was a blind tasting I couldn't write down the items and the waiter would tell us what he was bringing every time but I was too busy eating to listen to his shenanigans. However I did manage to take a few pictures.

Mango Purée with Asparagus Cream

Caprese Salad with Tapenade

Ravioli  dello scrittoe all' astice europeo

Tagliolini with Zucchini, tomatoes, and garlic

Rigatoni with eggplant, fresh tomatoes, smoked cheese, pine nuts

The last pasta dish was the main reason we went to this restaurant. Their specialty dish is the Leggera di taglioni "Romantica" (pasta with sage cream flambéed in a wheel of parmesan). Many people had ordered it before us around our table and we had had the chance to witness the ritual a few times before this dish reached our table. We got to know a little more about our waiter as he mixed the fresh pasta around in the melting cheese and even though it tasted a little bit like "fettuccine Alfredo" it was a great way to end the pasta tasting. 

But it wasn't over yet.

  

Fruit salad, Strawberries soaked in balsamic, Raspberry sherbet and chocolate mousse

Coffee and sweet treats

After almost four hours at the table, we were the last guests to leave the restaurant with a full stomach and great memories. 

www.laromantica.fr