Coolest Job Ever?

While Mike is in San Francisco for business, I've been catching up on all the good shows that have been recorded on my best friend, the DVR.  These shows include Gossip Girl, Project Runway, The Real Housewives, Tori and Dean, and The Rachel Zoe Project.  Basically these are shows that Mike won't let me watch in his presence, except Project Runway. Whatever, that topic could be an entirely separate blog post.  I digress...

Watching the Rachel Zoe Project recently has made me so happy and has been really inspirational.  With the fall season approaching, I am super excited to bust out all of my chunky sweaters and high boots, leggings and long tops, and my little leather Tory Burch bomber!

Seriously though, Rachel Zoe's job is fantastic.  Think about it.  She deals with beautiful clothes and accessories for a living!  I know that being a stylist isn't easy, but boy does she (and the show) make it look cool.  Hanging out with celebrities, going to all the fashion shows, being able to try on clothes from new collections, the list goes on and on!

My favorite part about watching the show is seeing what Rachel and Bradley wear.  Their style is so amazing.  I love how Rachel morphs into different style asthetics based on where she is.  For example she wears a lot of hats when she's in London, and a lot of couture when she's in Paris at the shows.  I also love that Brad loves bowties. Awesome.

Anyway, I think she may have the coolest job ever.  What do you think?

How Annoying Are: People Who Groom Themselves at Work

I was sitting in my office yesterday having a chat with a co-worker, when all of a sudden we heard the sound of a nail clipper.  Clink, clink!  I don't know about you, but that is a big NO in my book.  How gross is that!?

I have also recently run into a woman in the ladies room flossing her teeth after just having brushed them.  She had all her tooth grooming utensils sprawled out on the counter like she was in her own home.  The only difference was, that she was in a public bathroom AT WORK!!  Another big NO.

What's up with this?  I'm all for being clean, healthy, and hygenic, but this is too much.  Enough with the nail clipping, tooth flossing madness!  Just wait until you get home.  Is that to much to ask?  I think not.

Spring Menu

Ok, so here goes with what we ate at Spring.  I don't have the exact menu in front of me, so I can't describe everything in the detail I want, but this will have to do...Oh, and the wine pairings were out of this world good as well!

Amuse bouche 1 - Potato croquettes that were round balls of goodness.  Sounds simple, but they weren't.  Each was so light and airy, yet super flavorful and melted in your mouth.  I could have eaten dozens.

Amuse bouche 2 - Sashimi style salmon with mustard seeds in a light sauce. Amazing little bite of fish. So fresh and clean.

Entree 1 - Tête de veau, which is calf's head, but it wasn't your traditional tete de veau because it had to have been made in a terrine with foie gras in the mix.  It was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten.

Entree 2 - Ecrevisse or crayfish which came in a light broth with the same mustard seeds we had in the 2nd amuse bouche

Plat Principal - Le Canard (duck), which was cooked to perfection. Extremely tender, melt in your mouth delight. I'm still not sure if it was roasted or sous-vide, but it was amazing.

We then had three desserts which were all heavenly, and we split a cheese course with the couple sitting next to us.  That's what I love about Paris!  Our sommelier suggested that we share the cheese and "get to know each other."  He totally wanted us to become friends, and by the end of the evening, we were!

It was such a great meal and a fantastic night.  I would definitely return to Spring the next time we're in Paris, which I hope is very soon!

Au revoir for now!

Paris Fashion

I wanted to post quickly about the fashion scene in Paris.  In one word: alive!  Everyone, well maybe not everyone, but 9 out of 10 people we saw walking around in Paris had great style.  They weren't all wearing Chanel or Dior either!  They were just ordinary people, school kids, business men, professional women, students, etc. and they all had great style and were so fun and interesting to watch and get ideas and inspiration from.  As you can see, Mike and I tried desperately to fit in...

There's a great post on one of my favorite Paris blogs about Fall fashion in Paris, which we were there to see the beginnings of....

Read more about it here! Très chic!

Run, don't walk, to Spring!

What can I say about our experience at Spring in Paris that hasn't already been said?  Everyone knows that chef Daniel Rose is a super talented, young American chef with a super cool restaurant in Paris called Spring.  Everyone knows that Spring is a small place with an open kitchen and hosts one seating per night and that Chef Rose offers a set three course menu that incorporates French flavors, amazing technique, and aesthetically lovely dishes that tantalize all the senses.

What you may not know is that Chef Rose is a really down to earth guy who spent over twenty minutes chatting it up with us and another couple towards the end of our meal.  You also may not know that Chef Rose is very serious while he's in the kitchen, and that he and his sous-chefs work really hard to make everything perfect for all patrons.  When Chef Rose says something, their answer is "Oui Chef!" which I thought was too cool...

Overall, our experience at Spring made for a fabulous meal and fantastic evening.  We were there for five hours and it went by in a flash.  I could have spent five more hours being fed and drinking the delicious wine our sommelier chose for us.

Our conversation with chef Rose was so honest and insightful.  He told us about the opening of the restaurant at its new location and how they've been faring (I think quite well!).  He also talked about the ins and outs of being a chef and restauranteur and how rewarding yet difficult it can sometimes be. 

I have to say that it was really nice to sit and be able to ask such a talented chef questions about his work.  Chef Rose was very open about his technique and the ingredients he had used to create our fantastic meal.  We were sitting next to a couple and the young man was an aspiring chef so he asked Chef Rose several questions and received detailed answers to each of them, which was very impressive.

The coolest thing was when the aspiring chef asked for a copy of the menu and was given the original menu, which had been written by Chef Rose that morning in French.  Chef Rose even signed it for him.  It made his day and made us happy and even bigger fans of Daniel Rose and of Spring.

Tout simplement parfait!  My next post will cover, in detail, everything we ate and drank at Spring.  Until then!

Aventures de manger à Paris

Dining in Paris can be tricky, hence the title Adventures of Dining in Paris.  Despite what you think, not all bistrots and patisseries are created equal, and on top of that, some are terribly expensive for what you get.  After all of the research I did on where to eat in Paris, from lavish 4 starred restuarants to tiny bistrots and cafes, here are the places where Mike and I had memorable meals.

L'As du Fallafel - Everyone knows that you can't miss a stroll through Le Marais without stopping at this place first.  The lines are crazy, but worth the wait.  The guy keeping order outside is entertaining and the people lined up are all hungry and eager.  Mike and I waited for a table inside and it took about 15 minutes.  The inside space is much larger than one would expect and there are quite a lot of tables.  We ordered two fallafel pita sandwiches and two Heinekens.  Service is swift but friendly.  The fallafel is moist but not soggy, the eggplant is super tasty, as is the spicy sauce that they place on the table.  The sandwich is huge and hit the spot.  The price is also right at 7 eur a piece. DEELISH!

Le Timbre - Highly recommended by my favorite ex-pat David Lebovitz, this tiny bistrot is definitely worth paying a visit to.  It only seats about 30 people and most of those people are sitting VERY close to one another.  I'm talkin elbow to elbow!  The service is friendly and the food was fantastic.  It's three courses and you order all three at the same time.  To start, I had wild mushrooms with Spanish ham sauteed in garlic and butter, my entree was beef cheeks with sauteed carrots and leeks and my dessert was fresh whipped cream and custard inside a waffle cone like pastry.  It was divine.  Mike started with foie gras which was perfect. Creamy and delicious with perfectly crisped toasts. His entree was pork and for the life of me I can't remember how it was prepared, just that it was cooked to perfection.  He ended with the cheese plate which was an amazing thick slice of cheddar and a tiny glass of sherry. DEELIGHTFUL!

Laduree - What can I say about Laduree? Macaron heaven and pastry paradise. Lovely store and restuarant and the macarons are out of control good. We tried pistachio, coconut, raspberry, mocha, chocolate, lemon, rose, caramel with salted butter, red fruits, coffee, vanilla, and bitter chocolate.  We also got the Le Divin pastry as well as the Saint Honore Rose Framboise pastry.  Both were incredible.  No words can describe. DEELECTABLE! See for yourself...

Last but certainly not least was our meal at Spring.  American chef Daniel Rose's fantastic restaurant.  Spring deserves a post of it's own, so that's what it will get.  Are you salivating yet?  Just wait...

We're Home!

Wow, it's been a week or so since our last post and I have to apologize about that. It's not as easy as you think to take the time to post while you are traveling. First off, it's expensive to access the internet in most hotels, and second, it's really tough to find the time and muster up the energy at the end of the day.


Anyway, in a nutshell our trip was fantastic and I have so much to report back to you in the next few days. From the picturesque Swiss Alps, to the posh Champs Elysees, everything about our time in Europe was magic.

Much more to come soon, I promise. For now, this is where I wish I was instead of at the office today.  Le Jardin des Tuileries....ahhh.