mmm-yoso – Page 147

San Francisco – Kin Khao

December 19, 2018 mmm-yoso San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Thai Restaurants

I wanted something interesting for our last meal in San Francisco. We'd had dinner at Mourad the night before, so I thought following that up with a Michelin Star Thai Restaurant might make a nice pairing for this trip. To make it more interesting; the owner of the restaurant is former uber blogger Pim Techamuanvivit; who ran the super popular food blog Chez Pim. The restaurant claims to create Thai Food that is seasonal, sustainable, and yet stays true to its roots.

The rather tiny restaurant is located in the Parc 55 Hotel. The place was pretty packed when we arrived; luckily, we had made reservations.

There's a certain "hipsterness" to the place and the menu. Our Server was wonderful, sweet, friendly, and while not quite displaying what we'd call Michelin Star service, was very nice. She helped us make some decisions on dishes. We were looking for items with some spice….when we mentioned enjoying Issan-style dishes, she told us she is from Issan and helped us select items for our meal.

Instead of going with some of the heavier or entrée dishes; we kept it rather light and tried four different items.

Starting with the Yum Kai Dao ($12).

To be perfectly honest; we were drawn to the "Wok Fried Duck Egg" in the description and it definitely delivered a perfectly runny, richly flavored yolk. We both enjoyed this elevated Yum Kai Dao; basically a fried egg salad. There was a nice variety of sliced and torn vegetables; cilantro, mint, shallot, kale added a mild bitterness, and there were a few slices of sneaky sliced Thai Bird Chilies. This was very lightly dressed which suited us just fine as we could make out all the ingredients.

Next up was a dish I'd read about, being a fan of Nam Tok (I still make Neua Nam Tok on occasion); we both thought the Nam Tok Beans ($14) would be worth trying.

The earthy flavor of the Rancho Gordo Cranberry Beans came through nicely, but was quite dry. This dish really lacked the savory-sweet flavors along with having not enough herbaceous (mint-lemongrass-cilantro), nor enough spice and lacked enough nutty rice powder to suit our tastes.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Chiang Mai was the nam prik; basically dipping sauces for your sticky rice. So I just had to order the Nam Prik Ong ($18) a take on the classic Tomato and Pork dipping sauce. We also got sticky rice to have with this; sorry no photo….sadly the rice was too soft and wet.

The pork rinds were nice; crisp, light porky goodness. The nam prik was much too thick for our taste and just had too much pork. The acidic tomato goodness was missing……along with having enough spice. This really did seem to taste more like a "ragu" we had in Emilia-Romagna than a nice spicy-garlicky-tomatoey nam prik ong.

If you've read our little blog long enough; I think you'd be able to predict what our last dish would be; the Sai Ua and Nam Prik Noom ($19).

Finally, there was something that brought on the heat (I'm glad we weren't asked how spicy we wanted things – this place served items the way they thought it should be)…..the fruity-fragrant and spicy chili paste – nam prik noom; had a nice variety of chilies. Our wonderful Server told us that this would be the dish we should order and she was right. It actually tasted great with those pork rind strips. This version of Sai Ua was very dense with a definite porkiness to it. It really didn't have as much herbaceousness as other versions we've had, but was quite good. The perfectly ripe cucumber was just the right foil to cure the richness of the sausage and temper the heat of the nam prik.

Overall, while kind of a mixed bag, it was a fun meal. The dishes try to keep a modern edge and a Thai soul, while creeping close to being fusion. While I don't think we'll return the next time we're in San Francisco, I'm glad we tried Kin Khao.

Kin Khao
55 Cyril Magnin St. (In the Parc 55 Hotel)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Phuong Nga Revisited

December 18, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Happily, at least for me, it's been "soup weather" recently. Which had me wondering how the Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga 2 was holding up. So, I recently decided to check them out again. It does seem like the place is doing some pretty good business. Heck, Bun Rieu is now #7 of seven item on the menu; the other six are variations of Banh Cuon and Uot Gio Chien.

Of course I got the Bun Rieu.

The accompanying herbs were sparkling fresh; rau kinh goi (Vietnamese Balm), banana blossom, a rarity at many places these days, shaved rau muong (ong choi), along with a fragrant and funky mam tom (fermented shrimp paste).

The actual Bun Rieu was colorful and consistent with what I'd had before.

Broth on the sweeter side, with mild savory tones. The "meat and crab cakes" were lighter and fluffier than I recalled, the tofu cubes did well dipped in the mam tom. There was a nice and tender piece of pork rib; which easily came off the bone. The tomato was meaty, but lacked the nice tanginess I appreciate. The noodles were the appropriate thin "bun" and were slippery, with a nice chew to them. The dried shrimp added a nice umami touch to things.

The older couple working are very nice. And this, at least for me, while not being the best Bun Rieu ever, is perhaps my current favorite in San Diego. And of course, I'll always mention "Elle" who recommended I try the Bun Rieu here!

Phuong Nga 2
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

Mastiff Food Truck and Mastiff Kitchen at North Park Beer Company

December 17, 2018 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sandwiches

Here's a post that was going to "die"; that is, if the place is local, and I, or we, do only one visit and aren't inclined to return, I'll delete the photos after about a year. However, for some reason, I just decided to return to North Park Beer Company last weekend, so I now have enough for a post.

The Mastiff Food Truck was parked near our office earlier in the year and I was running between meetings, so one of my coworkers was nice enough to grab something from the Mastiff Food Truck while I finished up my conference call. Before my next call, I was able to quickly eat.

First up; the Bratwurst with the House Kraut ($9):

Though Mastiff's sausages are quite popular; I wasn't too impressed with this as a whole. The sausage wasn't hot and was sort of flaccid, it was very mild in flavor, there was little color on the sausage and the sauerkraut was also very mild, lacking in a nice slightly funky fermented flavor. I guess all of that sauerkraut in the Czech Republic and Charcroute in Alsace might have ruined us. The roll was on the chewy side for my taste. Granted; there was about a five minute wait from when this arrived on my desk and my call finishing; so it definitely wasn't sitting around.

I also got the Mastiff Fries ($4).

These potatoes were on the dry side and had lost any crunch. While the harissa mayo had a tiny (I wish it was more spicy) bit of zip, it did add to the flavor, making this rather rich. This was also on the salty side.

And that would have been about it; until a couple of months later; when the Missus had Her hair appointment in North Park. I'd usually wait for the Missus at Toronado and we'd hit up Tribute or Tiger Tiger. However, on this occasion I hung out an had a beer at North Park Brewing and the Missus met me there.

We just decided to have dinner.

We both really like the space; high ceilings, you hang out with the beer tanks. Mastiff Kitchen is located at the rear of the place. You order and pay for your food there; then head on over to the bar to order your beverages.

I'd warned the Missus about the sauerkraut, but really wanted to try the Bratwurst again; so we just got a sausage ($6).

Having been married over 20 years must have an effect…..the Missus's verdict? Pretty much the same as mine. Though this time the sausage was nicely browned and hot. Still, it was somewhat underwhelming overall.

What wasn't underwhelming, at least in terms of richness were the "Pig Fries" ($12).

The potatoes were more thinly sliced than what I'd had before; they were hot and crisp; if on the dry side. There was a bit too much cheese and sauce for our taste and this was too salty for us.

We did like the pork belly and the chicharrons, the carnitas were on the greasy side and the al pastor sausage was too mild to be enjoyed.

We really didn't enjoy the beer at NPBC and this was fairly soon returning from all that fried food in Alaska, that the Missus really couldn't see Herself returning anytime soon. So, I put this in my "to delete folder" and was fully expecting to delete the photos at the end of the year.

Instead, I found my self with an entire day off this past weekend, after having worked like 18 days in a row. The Missus however, had to work. So, after shopping, cleaning up things, doing some food prep for the Missus's meals at work, prepping Frankie's meals (we get the most use out of the Instapot making his food), then giving him an overdue bath, I found my self with some time on my hands. And it was only noon!

I figured most of the places I'd want to check out in KM were crowded and decided to head on up to North Park….where most of the places were also packed. But not NPBC.

So I decided to give them another try. Though they were serving a rather limited brunch menu.

I decided to do this by chance; removing the items I didn't think I'd like (I don't like sweets and decided against anything too "simple" for some reason), then removed the Benedicts, because I'd just pass out after that. By coin toss, the Hungry Man Hash ($13) won out. Looking back, had I stared at that menu enough, the hash would have seemed very close to the "pig fries" and I might not have chosen it. But I did.

Unlike the "fries" this wasn't over sauced and there wasn't too much cheese, just a touch of light spice and milkiness. The carnitas had a mild crunchiness to them and combined with the pork belly, made a nice, porky, "one-two" punch. The breakfast potatoes were typical, but at least weren't over-cooked or dry. The eggs were over done for my taste and the yolks were hard. I could barely finish the eggs and about half of the rest.

I brought the rest home and heated it up with two perfectly easy-over eggs and the Missus thought it was pretty good.

Also, the young lady working the counter on this day was a total joy; efficient, friendly, and just plain nice.

So, even though the food might edge on being a bit "too much"; the Missus and I might return and perhaps share a breakfast.

Mastiff Kitchen (at North Park Beer Company)
3038 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Anchorage – 49th State Brewing Company

December 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, Beer, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

After having the “first half” of dinner at Yamaya Seafood we headed on down H Street to a place we’d seen earlier in the day; 49th State Brewing Company.

We arrived to find the place pretty busy.

After a short wait we were taken upstairs to a very nice patio area. The views were lovely.

I started with the “Into the Mild” on nitro. A lightly hopped, easy to drink ale with a nice creaminess was quite a pleasant beverage.

We also ordered two appetizers. Starting with the “Award Winning Smoked Wings”. They went a bit too far with the paprika on this as the “rub” was quite bitter. I was also not a big fan of sprinkling on all that gritty rub after the wings had been smoked. The wings were also on the dry and rubbery side. The quality of the product itself was decent.

We also ordered the Elk Meatball.

As expected, the elk was on the dry side and rather tough.The meatball itself was really bland; while the marinara was super acidic and over-salted. This just wasn’t very good eats; and not cheap at $9.99.

Service was professional, the beer good, and the views…..well, that was probably what we were paying for.

49th State Brewing Company
717 West 3rd Ave
Anchorage, AK 99514

The sun didn’t set until after 11pm at night; which we strangely found more disconcerting than Polar Winter. So we walked around a bit more and headed back to our supposedly haunted hotel. After a full day; I needed some rest.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine Revisited

December 13, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Kroran has closed

I'm not sure if it's because of how I was raised, a cultural thing, or what……but even the Missus makes fun of how important "keeping my word" is….of course I've forgotten things and such….but I also remember stuff like promising to return for a revisit to a place in a few months. Such was the case with Kroran. Right before our latest trip, having some time for lunch, I drove down Genesee and had lunch at Kroran.

What was quite interesting on this visit was how quiet the place was. I was the only customer, which was in total contrast with my previous visits.

And while the Big Plate Chicken (Dàpánjī ) was tempting, it's not a dish for a solo diner. I started with the "House Laghman" ($14.99).

Which was provided in two parts. The stir fried lamb and vegetables in one bowl and the noodles in another.

The noodles were wonderfully prepared; such nice pull, just the right amount of "doughiness". Unfortunately, the lamb was really tough and dry and the stir fry really lacked flavor…I'd expected some tanginess; but this was so bland. It really could have used salt, white pepper, and that all important Uyghur flavor enhancer, cumin.

I also ordered the Lamb Kawab (yang rou chuanr -$11.99), which I'd had on my last visit. This was even worse than what I'd had before.

Tough, dry, and cold, this was too salty and didn't have enough cumin and spice. It was quite disappointing. Kroran Rev 07

While the service was quite nice, having spent over 25 bucks for a very unsatisfying lunch, I don't think I need to return. Unless one of you…my intrepid readers can compel me to do so. It's kind of sad; because I've had good Uyghur food in China.

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine
4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Izakaya Masa Revisited

December 12, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Well, it's been a pretty busy couple of days for me and I'm getting older, so it ain't getting easier…..even though they say you need less sleep as you get older, which I'm finding to be true. Anyway, these 4am mornings and long days…… Since the Missus was working until late on this day, and it was close to 6pm, I decided to head up to Izakaya Masa. It had been a solid fours years and change since I last visited. And there was a line out front five minutes before opening. They don't open until 6pm these days; though I remember when I used to work close by and they served lunch. Heck, I used to stop by when they used to be Teriyaki Cowboy. One thing was certain, I'm not a huge fan of the ramen at Izakaya Masa; so I'd be passing on that. At least on this visit. Maybe one day in future if I'm feeling especially curious……

On this evening, I was beat and wanted a nice variety of items. I started with my favorite little appetizer here; the Chuka Kurage; jellyfish salad.

The flavors are not as strong as Chinese style Jellyfish salad; not as salty, not as sour, not as sweet. But I enjoy the nice crunch, the light touch of sesame oil, it makes for a good start to a meal.

Being a fan of "neba-neba"; the rather gooey-slimey texture of foods like natto and soft egg; things I raised on. I ordered the Maguro Yamakake; raw tuna with grated Yamaimo (mountain yam).

I had seen folks ordering sashimi and other stuff; which had me wondering what the quality of the fish was. Well; it was really low quality maguro; on the hard and crunchy side, lacking in the wonderful, buttery texture of good quality fish. I should have known better.

One item; which for me, has always been one of the signature dishes at Masa has been the restaurant's version of chicken karaage; Masa's Fried Chicken. So I had to order that.

Back over a decade ago, the chicken used to have a slight funky, fermented spice, along with the typical soy flavors of karaage, it had gotten less so over time. It was also a lot less crunchy and dry the last few times I ate the chicken here. Well, even though I still think the pieces here are too large; reducing the batter to meat ratio; there was some crunch to be had, the dark meat chicken was very moist and juicy and the seasoning, though milder than before, combined with how it was cooked this time around, made this a very satisfying dish. This was not bad at all.

I needed something to finish things off; to balance out the fried foods. Growing up; we didn't have much money and a simple dish of natto-gohan or chazuke was often a meal for us. Feeling a bit worn down and in need of something comforting; I went with the Ume Ochazuke. Growing up; my mom made chazuke with Genmaicha and dashi-no-moto. It wouldn't be strange finding a slice of fried Spam® topping my rice.

With that in mind; this was terrible; from the hard rice, to what tasted mostly like boiled water; could they have made this any more bland? I used the entire lump of "wasabi" to try to bring some flavor to it and ended up dumping some soy sauce (my mom is rolling over in her grave right now) in it for some flavor. For $7 I expected better.

Overall; this meal, while being a bit of a roller-coaster ride, was fine….the jellyfish salad and chicken made up for the the other two dishes.

It was amazing to see how busy Masa is. This was the crowd waiting outside as I left.

So Izakaya Masa isn't doing too bad at all.

And as I always say….I'm sure the food here tastes much better after 3 or 10 beers…..

Izakaya Masa
928 Fort Stockton Dr
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Tues – Sun 6pm – 1am

Anchorage – Yamaya Seafood

December 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel

Once in a while you'll have a meal where perhaps the food wasn't extremely good; but the experience itself is like something out of one of those food-travel shows, the characters or in this case character is somewhat unforgettable. Thus was the case with Yamaya Seafood. A Japanese, yes, "real" Japanese Izakaya-ish restaurant in, of all places Anchorage.

After sleeping off lunch in our "haunted hotel"; we strolled around town a bit. Stopping at several places to browse.

When it came time for dinner; I knew the Missus needed a short respite from the fried food and such and I was curious about a place I'd read about. Located near the Downtown Transit Center is Yamaya Seafood.

It's one of those "blink and you'll miss it" kind of places. I was curious as to how a Japanese; not Americanized-Japanese, but real Japanese restaurant would do in Anchorage. The entrance to the place is located on the side of the building. We accidentally walked in the front door; into what looked like a living room; sofa, television, mats on the floor, the décor really looked like my grandparent's place. And then we were greeted by a little, but quite feisty woman, who totally reminded me of my aunts on Lana'i. I believe her name is Kazuko.

We were ushered into a dining room that really wouldn't be out of place in some little neighborhood in the Japanese countryside. All the while we were regaled with conversation and questions. Eventually, the Itamae/Chef came out; apparently he is Kazuko's son. We placed our orders; this being a one man operation; with Obaachan doing the dining room work, I expected things to take a while. And they did. But man did we enjoy ourselves.

We just sat back had a couple of Sapporo, all the while chatting with Kazuko-chan.

And boy did we have a lot of questions…..and oh my; did she have some answers:

As to why she moved to Alaska – "the clean air and the clean water…….the beautiful mountains"

Where she lived in Japan – "Tokyo; but it is too dangerous and the too much crime" ??????

The cold? – "it's when the air is the cleanest…."

"When we first built our restaurant, you could see the beautiful mountains; but then they built the Marriott and bah, you can't see the mountains anymore…."

"There one cruise ship from Japan that comes in every year; that is our busiest week. We have to open up the dining room upstairs. But people who eat there have to come down and pick up their own food. I'm too old to be walking up and down the steps."

"Japan is too dirty (?????), here the air is so clean and the water is so pure; I want to live a long life…."

At one point the Itamae said "Ma; you need to stop talking. You are repeating yourself and sound senile!"

But we just loved listening to her.

About forty five minutes later the house cold smoked salmon arrived. It was amazingly good.

Rich and oily (in a good way); a nice mild smoked flavor, perfect salt, the texture was nice and meaty. The onion did a good job of cutting the richness.

Unfortunately, the mixed sashimi wasn't so good.

The salmon was excellent as expected; after all; this is Alaska. The hamachi and tako were still slightly frozen, the maguro had a metallic finish; the shrimp was mushy and watery. The shiromi was fine if edging on the fishy side.

Perhaps we should have ordered something else. But heck; I'd pay twenty bucks just for the conversation. Sometimes the experience tops the food and we were learning a bit about life in Anchorage (it ain't easy) from one tough and feisty Obaachan. At, of all places, a Sushi Bar cum Izakaya in Anchorage. Travel is amazing.

Yamaya Seafood Restaurant
825 W 6th Ave
Anchorage, AK 99501

Revisits – Mien Trung and Cafe Dore

December 3, 2018 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of early weekend meals since returning from vacation.

Mien Trung:

MT was actually my first meal after returning from our trip. Our flight arrived quite late; the Missus had to work the next morning, the weather had cooled and I was craving some Bun Bo Hue from Mien Trung.

The fellow….we've been coming here so long, I remembered when I used to refer to him as the "young man", made me feel quite guilt when he said: "it's nice to see you….you only come by once a year these days…."

Anyway, I got the #1; the regular sized bowl.

Scalding, spicy broth, bright lemongrass flavors, a slight funkiness from the shrimp paste; slippery noodles with a nice "pull" to them. I do wish they'd start adding banana blossom back to the veggies; though it was fresh and plentiful. The thinker sliced meat was flavorful and toothsome; I did wish the pork hock had a bit more meat and connective tissue and perhaps the tendon was a bit more tender. But this did hit the spot.

As usual, I wore dark clothing to hide the red dots on my clothes from slurping those noodles. And without fail; I always think about our good friend; Ed from Yuma, who would without fail always wear some light colored shirt when we ate here. He's always leave, smiling, happy, and with a nice little scattering of random red dots from the broth on his shirt. We miss you Ed!

This was a nice bowl on a chilly, damp day.

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Café Dore:

**** Cafe Dore has closed

Ah yes, one place that's still "old school"; Cafe Dore. Man, remember those days when they had the "video game" machines in the back? Except there were older Vietnamese Gentleman "playing" on those "video machines"…..hmmm…. Well, those days are long gone. I recall when the older men used to smoke in the place. On one visit, somebody came to "inspect" and pointed at the "No Smoking" signs posted…..and the guys all looked confused and acted like they didn't understand….and since the signs were posted in English….well, maybe that hasn't changed as two guys were smoking in the place when I arrived. Though I did notice when folks start coming in; the smokers will head outside.

And neither has the about 12:1 ratio of men to women customers in the place. Most women just come in to do take-out orders…..though perhaps this is because I usually visit rather early in the morning? Perhaps most of the old-timers finish up and leave by lunch?

One thing that hasn't changed is the 7am opening and with the Missus having to work early on a weekend morning and waking me up…..well, I was hungry and wanted some noodle soup. Also, my Dry Cleaning Lady, had mentioned that Café Dore had started serving Mi Quang, so I wanted to check it out.

I arrived, sat at a table and was given a menu….right on the top was "Mi Quang Dore"…..I guess their version of Mi Quang.

The broth wasn't bad; it had a nice tongue feel, though it was on the "sweeter" side. I made good use of the nuoc mam to bump up the flavor.

I really enjoyed the veggies….finally, some banana blossom! It was fresh through and through. Though the cracker was on the stale side.

Unfortunately, the noodles were on the overcooked side and there were quite a few smaller pieces of noodle floating around.

The selection of "proteins" was interesting; there was a good amount of chewy pork intestine, which was kind of bland….quail eggs; obviously canned. I didn't have high hopes for the two large shrimp; but it was cooked perfectly, very moist, and slightly sweet.

I quickly noticed that no one else was eating in the place and all eyes were focused on something.

That something was the Lottery Drawing on the screen.

As soon as that was over; half the guys in the place either left or went outside to have a smoke.

I finished up my tea, went to the register and paid for my Mi Quang.

While it wasn't bad; I don't think I'll be having this again. I'll probably go back to my old ways.

For me; Café Dore is an interesting slice of life, something totally different from hipster-rich San Diego. It just seems real and totally reminds me of Vietnam, be it ever so humble. Though without those little plastic "kiddie chairs"!

Cafe Dore
4135 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Paris – Boulangerie Nelly Julien, Musée de l’Orangerie, and Canard Street

December 2, 2018 mmm-yoso Bakery, Chains, Croissants, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

We slept a bit later than usual on our first morning in Paris. This was good since we’d be doing a bit of walking on this day. We quickly got ready and before heading off to our first stop grabbed some croissants at Boulangerie Nelly Julian which was right around the corner from our apartment.

We were kind of excited about this since Douceurs et Traditions de Nelly Julien had place in the top in the Concours du Meilleur Croissant au Beurre AOC Charentes-Poitou; basically the best butter-croissant competition in Paris over the years.

So of course it was the Croissant au Buerre we had. It was nice and buttery, great balance with salt, but we didn’t enjoy the hard and not flakey exterior and the interior was on the slightly greasy and doughy side. It might have been the wrong day.

The place is indeed popular; there’s always line as we noticed when passing during our stay.

**** This location is now Boulangerie La Parisienne

Nelly Julien Douceurs et Traditions
85 rue Saint-Dominique
75007 Paris, France

It was a quite a nice and clear day as we crossed Pont Alexandre III and walked along the Seine.

We walked past Place de la Concorde and over to Musée de l’Orangerie. I had been wanting to visit this museum for a while. A whole lifetime ago; I had to take an art appreciation class. There’s not much I recall about that class; well, at my age, there’s not much I recall about any class…..however, I remember our instructor loved Monet’s series of painting named the Water Lilies. He liken Claude Monet’s situation at the time of creating this work to Beethoven writing his 9th Symphony while completely deaf. You see; by the time work was being started on this work; Monet was suffering from cataracts and going blind.

The Museum itself is small, it was created to shelter the Orange Trees of Jardin de Tuileries.

Monet’s Water Lilies are displayed in two rooms on the first floor, the rooms have renovated to display this work to the specifications designed by Monet himself.

Monet takes us to his garden in Giverny during different times of the day; the light and reflections play off the natural light in the room. From the peaceful morning to the splashes of bright yellow at Sunset.

The second room features the other foliage around his pond.

You really get the amazing play of natural light when you view the works from different angles; which I found, especially with “Sunset” when returning to the first room from the second.

There’s also the Walter-Guillaume Collection wich features works by Cezanne, Renior, and Picasso.

And some other quite interesting work as well; from classic, to very Modern.

We also saw school tours being done almost everywhere we went; some with children quite young in age. It was fun to watch and listen…..

From the museum; we headed across the Jardin de Tuileries over to Rue de Rivoli.

So, here’s a hint about personal property security when in France. We’ve been here several times and have seen these folks in action. A group of girls; clipboard in hand will approach you to sign some sort of petition. You’ll quickly notice that they will surround you and while you’re distracted, pick your pockets, or the like. So, whenever these groups approach, I simply say, “no…thank you….” and scurry away. Our next stop was in the 3rd Arrondissement, so we walked on over to Rue Étienne Marcel, then to where it became Rue aux Ours to pick up our pocket wifi (or as the French say “weefee”) device. It works real well when you have more than 3 wifi devices.

After this…well….we needed a break. We were fairly close to Rue Montorgueil, so we decided to walk over and grab some espresso….and people watch. We saw a “good dog” doing a wonderful job walking without a leash; until it came across what must be the little fellows favorite market, it was time for a sudden detour as he ran inside.

We also saw these fellows…..

A few years back after having coffee at Les Deux Magots we came across Firefighters selling “hunky” calendars for charity and bought one for a friend of the Missus. So, here we were back in Paris; it was that time of the year I guess. It was a hoot watching the firefighters flirt with all the girls and especially the older women…..most of whom ended up buying a signed calendar!

While having our caffeine fix; the Missus and I discussed lunch. I mentioned a bunch of places in the area and others a mile and change away. I had a nice list from that area since we’d be staying in the 2nd on our return trip to Paris.

I mentioned this new “chain” from Lille had just opened a shop in Paris; right on Rue des Petit Champs, named Canard Street. This is basically what they call a “Street Food” concept…think fast casual; but it ain’t your typical “fast casual”. The Missus sounded quite excited; even though I told Her we’d be basically staying right around the corner from the place….She just wanted it “now”.

I know; it looks like any other fast casual restaurant on the street…..

But, think about the name….Canard Street….then think about the items on the menu; Foie Gras Sandwiches, Duck Confit “Burgers”, Magret Tartare……

And what we got; for the nice price of 18 Euros; the simply named “Planche Canard Street”…..basically a charcuterie board.

Yikes…..man, this was like I died and went to duck heaven. Actually, the items were all decent; and the foie gras terrine and the saucisson de magret were excellent. The duck rillete and Saint-Nectaire (cheese) were really good. The baguette was passable and this was a load of food.

The Missus even had a glass of wine….I got a Coke Zero.

Man, this was quite a lunch…….and you definitely got your money’s worth.

Canard Street Paris
16 rue des Petits Champs
75002 Paris, France

It was time to head back to the apartment and sleep off all that duck……

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Paris – A Revisit to Les Cocottes

December 1, 2018 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

**** Christian Constant, the original owner for Les Cocottes has retired. You can find an updated post on Les Cocottes here.

We usually have our trips planned in advance; by the time we return from one, we know where we're going two trips ahead. Thus, by the time we returned from Emilia-Romagna, we had our flights to Paris booked. From there it was just putting all the pieces together. In the end; we decided to enjoy France a bit more this time around….nothing overly fancy, just enjoy the vibe. And of course; it doesn't hurt that Paris is the Missus's favorite city by far.

The Missus still loves the 7th Arrondissement, so we decided to stay there when we arrived. We knew the area fairly well making things quite easy. Our flight didn't get in until nearly 8pm and by the time we arrived at the apartment it was almost 9. The place I picked out this time was much more spacious than on our last visit. It was farther from Avenue Bosquet and Avenue de la Bourdannaise, but we enjoy the location, it was quieter, closer to the metro, yet the Missus's favorite sight was just down the street.

Even though we had arrived late; the Missus just had to get out and take walk to across Pont Alexandre III and of course down Rue Saint-Dominique, then across the Seine for Her favorite view of the Eiffel Tower.

We hadn't expected to be hungry; we'd eaten on our flight and had a snack at the Galleries Lounge at Heathrow. But this walking had made us hungry. We did not want; however to have a huge meal. I mentioned Les Cocottes to the Missus. We'd enjoyed the nice, simple fair there before……it was, in fact, the first meal we ever had in Paris, for the same reasons.

Even though it was nearly 1030 pm, we were greeted with smiles and grabbed seats at the bar. We'd have to get our orders in quick before the kitchen closed. This was no problem as we already knew what we wanted.

I started with a Leffe and the Missus a nice glass of red.

We started with the simple country style pate. It was satisfying; not overly rich, but still substantial. A mild, pleasant liveriness, rustic in nature, just enough filler. A humble, but very pleasing dish; just what we needed.

The other dish we got was the Poached Egg with Bacon and Rocket Salad. This was even better than what we had here several years back.

The lardons had a perfect balsamic vinegar glaze; it was crunchy, yet toothsome at the same time. The egg was poached nicely, adding a rich, creaminess to the dish, and we do prefer simply dressed arugula as was the case here.

This was just what we needed; nothing too fussy or filling. The staff here was so friendly, smiling and asking us questions, and making sure we enjoyed our meal.

There was one more interesting difference from our meal here several years back; the place was filled with a mix of locals and regular tourists. The loads of Korean tourists weren't in sight. Perhaps they've moved on to their latest spot….which I think we might have run into later on.

Anyway, this was a nice; satisfying, low-keyed start to our time in France.

Les Cocottes de Christian Constant
135 rue Saint-Dominique
Paris, 75007

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