What Satisfaction Canst Thou Have Tonight?

My sweet just made me a dessert that left my oft-neglected sweet tooth happily satisfied. This got me to thinking about how although I enjoy dining out in Italy, one of the things I miss most about the food scene back home is all the wonderful cafes, diners, restaurants and whatnots where you can go specifically for dessert. Going out for dessert (besides gelato) is just not done here.

One of my favorite spots "just for dessert" was right down the road from my apartment in Houston. And while everything shone brightly on the Ruggles menu, I always ordered my entree with dessert on my mind. As is often the case with me, choosing was never a one-two closed door. How could it be with choices like molten chocolate cake, carrot cake, Reese's pie, crossiant bread budding, red velvet cake, brownie a la mode, German chocolate cake, tiramisu..... about 40 tasty treats, brilliantly displayed in all their frosted, whipped glory just beckoning you from the moment you walk in.

Hello peanut butter crunch pie

Besides the quality of the little gems, what always put Ruggles head and shoulders above the rest for me was the care that went into plating up your selection. Always a sprig, swirl, or chocolate trellis that made going out just for dessert a little celebration each time.

Ruggles Cafe Bakery
2365 Rice Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005
713-520-6662

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Gelato!

I know this isn't necessarily the right season to write about mind-numbingly cold foods (Spring. I thought you had arrived at long last, but then it SNOWED for two hours today. Where are you??), but let's be honest here, is there really a right and wrong season for ice cream? I mean gelato?? Absolutely not. Oh and for all those Italians who boast that their gelato is much better than ours in the U.S., well ice cream and gelato are not the same thing, so let's set the record straight. Ice cream has more dairy fat in it than gelato, which accounts for the harder, less creamy factor (thus more cream ≠ creamier ice cream), while gelato has more sugar in it than ice cream. And today my dears we are talking about gelato.

I have eaten a good deal of gelato over the past three years and my taste ranges from high quality chocolate shop specialty flavors to "kiddie" flavors like an ultra smooth Nutella gelato. Yum. But in narrowing down my choices for best Italian gelato I come up with Giolitti in Rome and Grom which is, well, everywhere.

For anyone who is up on Italian gelato, Giolitti might seem like a boring, obvious choice, but I have to say that the first time I went there I knew nothing about it the place and it really was one of those, "AhHAH!" moments. I was blown away and in fact have subsequently planned overnight stays in Rome on my way through that area of Italy just for their gelato. Hands down, every time pistacchio with whipped cream on top. The pistacchio is mind-boggingly good: the perfect combination of the sweetness one expects in gelato with the slightly savory flavor of the toasted nuts. And the cream is of course the real, fluffy, light as a feather stuff. Sigh. Love.

Then there is Grom which has become a gelato chain of sorts. Unlike the quality you expect from a chain of anything, Grom really takes great care to only put the best ingredients into their gelato: lemons and pistachios from Sicily, vanilla from Madagascar, hazelnuts from Piedmont. You get the idea. Plus they use several Slow Food presidia ingredients, like coffee from a Central American project as well as the vanilla.

Once I was with a friend who was enjoying his Grom gelato when an overly zealous lick tipped the guy right off its cone onto the rather nasty Turin street. Without hesitation he scooped it right off the pavement, karate chopped off the dirtied part and went on his happy way. That's the kind of unwavering devotion this gelato inspires.

Love all the creamy flavors, love how they have a special flavor of the month and love, love, love how the sorbets can really save a melting soul come mid-July.

They started off in Turin and have since expanded throughout Italy, Europe and oh yes, that is a New York City taxi cab in the photo. I've been told that it is just as good in the Big Apple as it is in Turin's mother Grom, though apparently you do pay a pretty American penny for it.

Giolitti
Via Uffici del Vicario, 40
Rome, Italy
+39 06 699 1243

Grom
www.grom.it

I love dough, II

You know what I could really go for?

Y'all just try and tell me that Krispy Kreme isn't the best doughnut ever.

Le Meilleur, II

But of course! What trip to Paris would be complete without a fill-up at a classic bistro or two? I woke up 8 hours early to prepare (including a train, plane and bus ride) for my lunch date at Hier & Aujourd'hui. Chef Franck Dervin worked under Guy Savoy, so coming here you know you are in for a treat. The setting is typically Parisian chic - old wooden tables, a zinc bar and a large blackboard featuring the day's offerings. Stars to the terrines, lamb, scallops, braised meat and my brandade. These are straightforward classics done as you dream of them being done - perfectly.

mmmm brandade and spinach and how cute is the bread sack??

Coffee came with little bites of pain d'epices

Paul Bert was such a fun experience. Our dinner reservation was for 10:30 and the place was a hustlin' and bustlin' over our Champagne when we arrived, well til the final drop of coffee a few hours later. Again, another fantastic bistro offering brilliantly prepared classics spelled out for you in nearly decipherable French on old blackboards. Sweetbread pastry and scallops for me - they came with a tiny pot wheee!!! of mashed potatoes - entrecot with a very generous helping of bone marrow for B and K. How good is that stuff, especially when enjoyed with a big bite of mashed potatoes?? And it is supposedly very good for you. Nina Planck said so.

The crowing glory of this meal for me was the Grand Marnier souffle for dessert. When it arrived the thing looked huge, all puffed up and golden as it was. But one spoonful of the deliciously light custardy interior and I was almost sure I could eat it entirely on my own. Which I didn't, but still. Desserts like this one fill the ever lingering sweet spot void in my life and make me ask myself what in the hell the Italians are doing down here and how they just continue to get it so so wrong? (Example, my boss is a great chef, but the other day I took a bite of a cake he appeared to have left sitting in everclear over night. How is this possible?)

And then there is L'Ami Jean. Ever since I read Ruth Reichl's glowing write-up of the place in last year's Paris Gourmet issue (R.I.P. Gourmet, not Ruth Reichl) I had been itching to go. After all, Paris + Basque bistrot = true love forever, and let's just say that my love for both of those shines even brighter now. Who knew that was possible?

Prepare to cozy up to your friends and strangers in this small restaurant. Wait staff buzzes by at lightning speed and an open kitchen along the back wall keeps you abreast of what your neighbors have ordered. Though choosing was no easy task, absolutely everything we ate was gorgeous. K's root veggie starter was such a tribute to the winter crops, and all that they are and all that they can be. And B's escargot soup would make anyone who claims to not like the little critters reconsider their stance on that point. On that note, the same can be said of my sweetbreads, which were so sublimely smooth, rich and satisfying that it makes you wonder why people get so squeamish about eating them. I mean why should any part of an animal be considered grosser than another? We happily chow down on ribs, so why not the thymus and pancreas? Just look how delicious they are.

Apart from pretty much everything else going on on the menu, L'Ami Jean's big claim to fame is its rice pudding. Don't turn up your nose; this stuff is practically life changing. By far the best rice pudding I have ever had, and after living in Spain, I have eaten my fair share of it. To begin with, the rice pudding itself is eat-it-with-a-fork thick and creamy, the rice so plump. On its own it deserves a gold medal, but then when you add a sprinkling of homemade crunch (what is this? nuts? granola? totally amazing goodness? yes.) with a spoonful of thick caramel, well it just goes right on over the top and you easily eat enough to make yourself sick. You know you should stop but there the spoon goes again, right back to your mouth.

See what I mean?

***

And then it was over just as quickly as it had begun. Paris I mean, not the rice pudding. Well, yes that too. Of course I did bring home a half suitcase full of goodies, just to get me through Paris withdraw in these coming days, weeks....months.

Comte, Epoisses, butter, pumpkin seed oil, 2 pounds of mustard, brioche and 12 croissants from Poilane, macarons from Pierre Herme


Jusqu'a' la prochaine fois, manger heureux!
(Or something like that.)

Hier & Aujourd'hui

145 Rue de Saussure
75017 Paris
01 42 27 35 55

Le Bistro Paul Bert
18 Rue Paul Bert
75011 Paris
01 43 72 24 01

L'Ami Jean
27 Rue Malar
Paris
01 47 05 86 89

Le Meilleur, I

First days back to work after a little Parisian getaway and all my co-workers have been asking if I visited the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. "No," I reply, "this trip was all about eating!" (ok, maybe a whee bit of shopping too.)

Not ones to mess around when it comes to meals, especially when time is limited, we ladies did our research and arrived hungry and armed with this itinerary:

I know, I know, seems a bit rigid for vacation, but there were just so many places to visit and so little time! And I must say that our planning really paid off. Not a single meal was disappointing, and in recounting the trip, I find myself saying more than may be acceptable for a 4 day vacation, "And then we had the best _______!"

So, if you are off to Paris and in search of the following treats, may you look no further.

Oysters

Wheee!! So French, so fun! I happened upon Huitrerie Regis two years ago when I was in Paris and instantly fell in love with the little hole in the wall. In fact I meandered by, staring longingly into the window so many times that I definitely started getting some sideways glances thrown my way. But just look at it! How could you not love it?

The crisp white interior smells rightly of the sea and seats a maximum of 14 people, so either arrive early or knock back a glass or two of Champagne at the cafe across the way and wait for a table to free up. Once seated, snuggled up to the stranger at your elbow, your dinner choices are...you guessed it, oysters! Ok, so there are clams and steamed shrimp on the menu too, but this is an oyster place people. We ordered a dozen each, (six of two varieties) and the guys come with some delish bread and butter. Once we finished off our Sancerre and coffee (there is a popular apple tart on the menu too) we left more than satisfied and poised to take on the ever-so-rich foods that awaited us further down our itinerary.

Well done Jenn.

Falafel

The next time you're in Paris, I definitely suggest heading over to the Marais for some lunch and a stroll. Located in the heart of the district, Rue Des Rosiers is a Jewish street lined with bakeries, shops and koscher restaurants (a real treat and change from country Italian life for B and me). Our mission here? L'As du Falafel.

You can either buy your falafel at the curbside window (it seems that there is always a line at lunch, but it moves quickly - don't get discouraged!) or eat inside the modest restaurant. Whatever you do, you are guaranteed what is in my book the best falafel out there. The fried chickpea fritters are smaller than usual, slightly sweet and deliciously crunchy on the outside. What puts L'As head and shoulders above the competition is what comes stuffed inside your pita - pickled red cabbage, yogurt sauce, cucumber swords, big ol' pieces of lightly fried eggplant and perfectly heated harissa on the side. Don't be afraid to slather it on, it is mild enough that you won't regret it later.

How gorgeous is that?

Stamp of approval

Crepes

One of the strongest food memories I have is when I ate my first crepe in Paris. I was 20 years old, it was my first night in Paris, and my dear friend Colleen and I had bought them from a street vendor next to the Sacre Coeur. Biting into the warm Nutella-filled blanket on that cold winter's night, with the glowing city spread out below us, it was one of those perfect moments that stays with you and continues to warm you from within, years later. Even now when I visit Paris I like to buy one from the street vendors, and for a moment revisit what will always be one of the happiest times in my life.

But, if we are going to talk about crepes, then we must speak of Breizh Cafe where we had the crepes to end all crepes.

Yes!!

The focus here is on the quality of the ingredients - organic buckwheat flour and one of my favorite butters, Bordier. The galettes are gorgeous and beg you to stick to the traditional offerings - ham, Gruyere, and a fried egg. Or as B had, a sublime Breton galette with mushrooms, bacon and creme fraiche.

As awe-inspiring as lunch was, it was dessert that left me speechless. A simple butter and sugar crepe = perfection. I know it sounds easy enough and maybe even a bit boring, but again, the quality of the ingredients shines here, as well as the artful hand of the chef. I am sure if I tried to recreate this at home, it would fall embarrassingly short and probably end up overly buttered (if such a problem does exist) or crunchy from a heavy shower of sugar.

The Cafe of My Dreams

Laduree. Few things in Paris make me happier than breakfast here. I love everything about it, from the jewel-like pastries displayed just-so, to the elegant, yet whimsical dining room. And of course the croissants.

Huitrerie Regis
3 rue de Montfaucon
Paris, 75006
01-44-41-10-07

L'As du Falafel
34, rue des Rosiers
Paris
01-48-87-63-60

Breizh Cafe

109 Rue Vieille du Temple

Paris, 75003
01-42-72-13-77

Laduree
Several locations