VittlesVamp

Sweet on Paris

I am in the City of Light. I have gone to Pierre Herme on Rue Bonaparte in Saint-Germain. I have had macarons.

That is all.

To Market in Bordeaux

You might imagine that my recent weekend sojourn to Bordeaux was jam-packed with trips to grand chateaux for exquisite wine tastings.

You'd be wrong.

I skipped wine country in favor of time in the city. My favorite part? The food market. Marché des Capucins.

It was breathtaking in its range of offerings. Birds freshly plucked and those still feathered, cheeses the likes of which I had never seen, ripe, fragrant produce that beckoned...

Pates, rillettes, and any number of other magnificent terrines...

And, then there were the fishmongers...

Then there was the small sit-down market bistro Chez Jean-Mi, where I ravenously tore into fruit de mer, starting with six plump, intensely briny oysters...

Followed those up with a bowl of pink, pudgy prawn, ripping off the heads, peeling them with abandon, and dunking them into aioli.

After a few, I felt particularly indulgent. I began plopping peeled shrimp and a schmear of aioli onto some of the crusty baguette on the table. We're talking shrimp salad sandwich on crack.

Washing it all down with some dry white table wine and a chateau tour seemed like frippery.

Market lunch.

That's what Bordeaux is for.

Lunch in London

Sleep was at a premium during my recent weeklong stay in London. What can I say? Conference in Europe and clients in NYC and Silicon Valley. My daily walks across Westminster Bridge, through Parliament Square to the Queen Elizabeth Centre was a joyous respite from the week's 16 - 18 hour workdays.

Food? Except for one fantastic gourmet Indian dinner in Chelsea with a colleague, room service was my friend.

But, sneaky me, after a business meeting in Islington, I popped into one of London's most heralded culinary landmarks - St. John.

The crowd was casual. The room, a stark white, blank canvas with wooden chairs and white tablecloths. The menu, filled with offal and other British delights. My pick? Roast Bone Marrow with Parsley Salad...

Decadent, to say the least. Is there anything more gloriously gluttonous than spreading fatty beef bone marrow on toast, sprinkling on a few grains of sea salt, topping with some bright green parsley and slivered onion, and then taking crunchy, rich bite after bite?

Thankfully, I am no longer tempted. I left London.

OK, temptation still abounds. I am in France. Think butter. Think foie gras. Think I will have to diet after this trip...