Cookies at City Bakery and Rocco's in NYC, New York

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I guess this past week end was a cookie discovery, in the sense that we got to try some cookies for snacks. The first joint we went to is City Bakery; not that we went there for their cookies, but more for their hot chocolate. The second one, is Rocco's on Bleecker street.

City Bakery is supposedly known for their hot chocolate and I read recently an article ranking it best hot chocolate in the US. It said: "Made from pure melted chocolate bars and topped with homemade marshmallows, this thick hot chocolate is F&W editor in chief Dana Cowin's favorite version in the country". 

So, here we are at City Bakery: the place is packed! We can see lots of people with a cup of hot chocolate, food and cookies. As we ordered, we could not miss the chocolate room behind us...Promising!

As well as the rack full of freshly made cookies in front of us!

That was so tempting that we decided to get a chocolate chip cookie!

It was a nice size and you could definitely see that there was a lot of chocolate! Not the type of cookies where you are looking for chocolate chips! This cookie was one of the best I ever tried! It was not too sweet, was chewy and heavenly buttery. The photo below will show you that they do not cheat their customers when it comes to chocolate:

The hot chocolate however was a bit disappointing...

It started well though! Imagine a cup full of melted chocolate with a homemade marshmallow in it. I was so expecting something scrumptious...It was not the case. I am not sure what chocolate bar they use or if it is because I ate some cookie before, but I found it just ok. It is not like the hot chocolate at Max Brenner where I drink a bit and then will finish it in few minutes. In fact, I left some of it, that is very rare with me. 

The second bakery is Rocco's.

We were just walking in the street when we saw all these big cookies at the window!

Look at the size of the cookies next to the Linzer tarts! They had plenty of them: s'mores, twix, chocolate chip, dark chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate peppermint... And inside, it was as if we found heaven for sweets!

I ordered a twix cookie and Jodi a chocolate chip one. I took a photo of each of them next to a lemon, so you can see the size of it!

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Twix Cookie

I love twix and was pretty excited to try a twix cookie! Unfortunately, you could barely taste the twix. The cookie was not soft and not chewy, too sweet and lacking butter. The chocolate chip one was not better and tasted more like a crumbled vanilla cookie than anything else. They were disappointing. 

I think the mistake with Rocco's is that it is an Italian Bakery, so we should have tried some Italian specialties such as cannoli or Napoleons. As for City Bakery, I would go back to try their other cookies or just get again their chocolate chip cookie!

City Bakery - 1

Rocco's - 0

Enjoy (I did)!

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Fabulous treats in Paris, France

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I could not end the posts on our trip to Europe without mentioning two fabulous treats you can find in Paris!!!

The first one is Angelina! If you like pastries and love hot cocoa, this is your place. Their most known location is across the street from the Louvre Museum, but it seems that they opened several other places, that might be good to know considering the line you can find in front of their main store.

If I go to Angelina, it is definitely for their hot chocolate, whether it is Summer or Winter! It is divine! It beats any hot chocolate you find at Max Brenner or La Maison du Chocolat and is literally melted chocolate. Trust me, you will need whipped cream to lower the strong chocolate taste and there is no need to order anything else, because it is so satisfying. I think I just drooled...

Angelina

226 Rue Rivoli

75001 Paris, France

http://www.angelina-paris.fr/en/

The second one is the merveilleux de Fred.

We were invited for dinner by some close friends and, for dessert, they served some cookies that were fantastic! These cookies are meringue coated with whipped cream and shaved chocolate sold at Aux Merveilleux de Fred stores (addresses below). We tried two flavors:

• The Incroyable: meringue, speculoos biscuit whipped cream coated with shaved white chocolate.
• The Merveilleux: meringue, chocolate whipped cream coated with shavings of dark chocolate.

The common element is that these cookies were very, very light. It is bad in fact, because they are so good and light that you would eat tons of them! Between the two, I preferred the while chocolate one (the incroyable). Surprisingly, it was not too sweet (white chocolate is often) and had a more delicate taste compared to the dark chocolate one. However, I would not have guessed there was speculoos in it (people are crazy about speculoos in France!). 

People love the Merveilleux de Fred and it seems that there is often a line in front of the stores, but it is worth it based on what we tried! I hope the Chef, Frédéric Vaucamp will have the great idea to open a store in the US!!!

http://auxmerveilleux.com

Paris

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

7 rue de Tocqueville, 17th arrondissement

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

129 bis rue Saint Charles, 15th arrondissement

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

29 rue de l’Annonciation, 16th arrondissement

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

94 rue Saint-Dominique, 7th arrondissement

Belgium

Aux Merveilleux

Lippens Laan 99

8300 Knokke

UK

Aux Merveilleux de Fred

88 Old Brompton Road

SW7 3LQ London

(South Kensington)

Opening 2013

Enjoy (I sure did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

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Last dinner in Paris at Le Franc-Tireur

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Our last night in Paris, it was pouring outside, so we decided to find a restaurant close to our hotel. As we wanted something reasonable, we wandered around and found a brasserie called Le Franc-Tireur. What I like about brasseries is the casual atmosphere you will find inside: casual with an eclectic crowd (business people, students, retirees, tourists...). And usually, the wait staff is shouting the orders...

So, we sat in the dinner area and they brought us the ardoise (slate) with the items of the day, as well as the regular menu.

Jodi went for La salade du pere Olivier, a salad made with grilled vegetables and fresh goat cheese on a toast.

It was good and fresh, different from the usual goat cheese salad.

On my side, I got the rumsteak (rump steak) with French fries and bearnaise sauce.

I asked the steak to be cooked medium-rare. It was not the best piece of meat I ever had, but it was pretty decent. The fries, although made from frozen ones, were good: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

We, of course, wanted to end the meal with a dessert and got the mi-cuit au chocolat avec de la creme anglaise.

It is a chocolate fondant cake with a vanilla bean sauce that would please any chocolate lover! It had the bold taste of dark chocolate, that paired well with the delicate taste of the sauce. Loved it!

This last dinner was delicious and simple. A good address to know only if you are close by as this food is typical brasserie food and you can find it all over Paris. 

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Le Franc-Tireur

34 Rue d'Armaillé

75017 Paris, France

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Crepes at Le Petit Josselin in Paris, France

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I promised Jodi that, as we were in France, we would go to a Crêperie to eat a crêpe. We ended up at Le petit Josselin, located rue de Montparnasse. This street is quite interesting as it is full of Crêperies, as if we were in Bretagne, although I have never been there...

So, here we are, entering the place; immediately on the left is the area where they are making crêpes. Of course, I cannot miss the piece of butter sitting there...very promising...

And, in the back of the photo, you can see a crêpe, with a darker color indicating that the flour used is buckwheat, making it slightly heaver and tastier. In fact, the crêpe is called a galette.



Jodi ordered the three cheese crêpe, stuffed with emmental, roquefort and goat cheese.

On my side, I ordered the savoyarde, made with reblochon cheese, potatoes, cream and chives. It had prosciutto on top.

I could also taste the campagnarde:

It was stuffed with eggs, cheese, potatoes, cream and chives, and topped with bacon. A bit similar to the savoyarde.

The galette itself was crispy and from the three crepes, I preferred the three cheese one. But overall, it was very good!

Of course we could not leave without any dessert! We ordered the crêpe avec de la creme de lait that is in fact a crêpe with dulce de leche.

The batter for the sweet crêpes was different from the savory one. It was of course sweeter. It is possible that for the sweet ones, they used milk in the batter, whereas for the salty ones, they may have used beer (it also makes the batter lighter).
This crêpe was very good; this is how I like to eat dulce de leche: not too thick and not too much so it does not overpower the entire dessert.

I also tried the Grand Marnier crêpe that was flambee...

I can tell you that after that, we were full and we did not need to get a treat anywhere...Le petit Josselin is a good address to know. In fact, when we arrived, only couple of tables were taken; but when we left, the restaurant was full and people were waiting outside!!!

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

Le Petit Josselin
59 Rue du Montparnasse
75014 Paris, France

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Fondue at L'Assiette aux deux fromages in Paris, France

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What I really enjoy in the Winter is a cheese fondue. Not sure I would call it a Fondue Savoyarde or une fondue aux fromages as there is a debate between France and Switzerland as to who made the first cheese fondue...In New York, my favorite places for fondue are Artisanal and for a low key and a rustic atmosphere, Kashkaval. 

In France, a lot of people like fondue and it is not rare to be invited to a fondue party, because it is easy to prepare, fun (if you drop the bread in the cheese, you should have a dare) and delicious. The most common mix of cheese is Comte, Beaufort and Emmental. But, sometimes, people go to the fromager (cheese store) and ask for some cheese to make fondue,  ending up with various ones as the combinations are endless. At home, I have in fact a fondue pot that is electric and sometimes buy a fondue mix that is convenient and pretty descent! 

So, back to my trip: Jodi and I wanted to eat a fondue! We went to one of our favorite spots in Paris: rue Mouffetard. It is a narrow street made of cobblestones. At night, it can be crowded as people go there for the multitude of restaurants you can find: traditional French to Iranian! Looking around, we decided to go to L'Assiette aux fromages. It was not the first time and the last time we went, we had a pretty good meal!

I like the place: warm with its wood all over that reminds a bit of a chalet in the mountain. The big blue cow in the middle of the main dining room is surprising though...

We decided to order a traditional cheese fondue.

We were three people to eat it and there was enough for four! The fondue was perfect: unctuous with a hint of kirsh. When you eat fondue, you are always dipping your bread few times to make sure you catch a maximum of cheese...

Besides the bread, they had the great idea to give us some lettuce, potatoes and cured ham.

I was surprised that they served potatoes and cured ham as it is more for another specialty based on cheese called raclette. This was a very good idea! That way, we could make combinations such as potatoes and cheese or potatoes and ham and cheese, etc...And clearly, these potatoes were fantastic! They had a bit of crunch from the roasting that was delicious.

If you do not like fondue, the restaurant offers other specialties such as the reblochon tart:

or a bavette (flank steak), served with shallots, that was descent.

Definitely, the food and the atmosphere gave the impression we were at someone's place, until they brought the check...

If you are in Paris and would like to have a nice diner or enjoy some cheese, L'assiette aux fromages is for you!!! 

Enjoy (I did)!

And remember: I Just Want To Eat!

L'assiette aux fromages

25 Rue Mouffetard

75005 Paris, France

website unavailable at the time of this post.

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Fantastic Lunch at Le Train Bleu in Paris, France

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Who would have thought that you would find such a nice restaurant in a train station??? Le train Bleu is a fancy restaurant that I always suggest to people visiting Paris and who want to enjoy a nice dinner in a fantastic decor. It is pricey but worth it if you are looking to treat yourself!

The place is incredibly beautiful! These photos speak for themselves!

The paintings on the walls and ceilings attest of the history of the site and are the result of the work of famous painters who did a magnificent job. So going there is not only about food!

Another particularity of the restaurant is polo the cat.

According to a wait staff, the cat came one day and never left. You see him wandering around the restaurant quietly, without bothering at all the customers and not begging at all. I guess that he is probably well fed there!

So here are some of the fantastic dishes we tried:


I started off with foie gras.

It was a homemade foie gras served with a red onion marmalade. The foie gras was delicious: rich and unctuous. Paired with the onion marmalade that had a nice sweetness, it was a perfect appetizer.

For the main dish, Jodi ordered the grilled filet of beef, served with Béarnaise sauce, mashed potatoes with fresh Tomme cheese.

This was very good! The meat had a nice sear and was very tender. The mash potatoes were to die for! Very creamy and cheesy.

On my side, I ordered the Piece of beef of Salers that is a highly graded steak.

It had a delicious wine sauce and was served with a fabulous gratin dauphinois (potatoes au gratin). The meat was also very tender, but I would have liked it a bit more cooked.

I also tried the Scorpion fish (rascasse) and white flesh of scallops à la plancha, creamy shellfish risotto, cuttlefish ink dressing.

This dish was incredible! I did not have Scorpion fish for years and I have to say that this was very good! Silky and flaky. Each of the components of the dish gave another dimension to the dish: the risotto was so creamy and hearty and the scallops perfectly cooked. There was definitely an explosion of flavors that made me regret to have picked steak instead of this remarkable dish.

Then came the time for dessert. I ordered their Baba au rhum that I tried few years ago.

Baba au rhum is a yeast cake that is saturated with rum and served with whipped cream. It all started with this put on the table:

Some rum from Martinique.

Then came the cake. It was a cylinder that they cut into two and they then poured a large amount of rum...

This was a wonderful dessert and imagine that they left the bottle of rum of the table, in case we wanted to add more!

Jodi ordered their lemon and lime tart.

It was served with some homemade meringue cookies. The cake was very buttery and the lemon and lime part was very tasty and creamy, not too sweet that is often an issue with lemon tarts.

I finished the meal with an expresso that served with a meringue cookie and a homemade madeleine.

I can tell you that we were full after this feast! Le train bleu will always be in that special place that is...my stomach...

Enjoy (I surely did)!

Le Train Bleu
Gare de Lyon
1 Place Louis Armand
75012 Paris, France
http://www.le-train-bleu.com/uk/index.php

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Couscous at Chez Bebert in Paris, France

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Couscous and tagines are North African dishes that are very popular in France, not only because they are good, but also because it is the type of specialties that you cannot make easily at home as they require some special pots. For instance, a couscous is made in a double chamber steamer, called couscoussier, that you can also use...for dim sum...Some people cook the semolina by bringing water to a boil and then pouring it on it, but I can ensure you that it does not have the same taste and the grain is not as light as when steamed. There are plenty of restaurants serving couscous and tagines in Paris. One that is popular and has few locations in the city is Chez Bebert.

We went to the restaurant Porte Maillot as it was close to our hotel and therefore very convenient. The place was packed for a Wednesday! I could not believe it! 

The decor was traditional and there was a certain ambiance, although I was glad that no belly dancers popped up and asked me to join them dancing!

After we ordered some nice wine, they offered us some aperitif.

It had different components, some spicy, some not. For instance, there were carrots cooked with cumin, olives or some brick a la pomme de terre (in the center, it is a feuille de brick similar to phyllo dough, stuffed with a denser version of mash potatoes).

Then, Jodi ordered a tagine de kefta aux oeufs et petits pois.

Tagine is a moroccan dish that is cooked covered in a clay pot. So it was a meatballs (kefta), eggs (oeufs) and peas (petit pois) dish, smothered in a light tomato sauce. It came extremely hot! This dish was fantastic! The meatballs/Kefta were very tasty and not dry at all. The sauce definitely absorbed some of the taste of the meat. A great dish!

On my side, I ordered the couscous Bebert, served with merguez (lamb sausages), lamb and chicken. 

First, they brought us the veggies in a big tagine pot made of copper.  They lifted the lid and we then discovered the vegetables (carrots, potatoes, beans and chickpeas), the sauce and the hot sauce called Harisa. Then, came the meat:

I really enjoyed the merguez that were not spicy and the lamb kebab that was extremely tasty. The chicken was perfectly cooked and very moist.

With all this came the semolina or couscous. What you do to assemble the dish is that you put some couscous in your plate, then the veggies, the sauce and hot sauce and then the meat. It is a very hearty meal, with nice bold flavors thanks to the strong taste of the lamb. I loved it!

We finished up with a delicious mint tea served with a little show on the video below.

This was a great dinner and there was a lot of food! Definitely a good address!

Enjoy (I did)!

Chez Bebert

277 Boulevard Pereire

Paris

chezbebert.com

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