French Restaurants – Page 2

Road Trip – A Revisit to Madeline’s (Cambria)

March 22, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Dog Friendly, European Restaurants, French Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

Another one of the reasons for us returning to Cambria was to dine at Madeline's once again. We first dined here back in 2020 and enjoyed it so much that we returned a year later. I big plus is that the wine shop by day, restaurant by night has several outdoor tables and allowed dogs. I made sure to request our favorite, known as "patio 1".

After shopping and lunch, we drove over to El Colibri, it was before the published check in time, but our dog friendly room was ready! Lucky us. So we managed a short nap. When JJ woke, while the Missus relaxed and read, I took him for a stroll along the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk which I've posted on before. The boardwalk is basically right out the hotel's doors!

JJ enjoyed the walk and made some new "friends" and the view is just a lovely as I remembered.

And I don't recall seeing deer around here before!

I think that it is a "seasonal" thing?

After returning and freshening up; we were ready to head out for dinner a bit early.

Also close to the hotel, right down the road is Shamel Park. We love walking along the beach and the sunsets here are lovely, though on this evening we had to get to dinner.

We headed on back up Windsor Road and crossed over Highway One onto main street. West Main was very sedate on this evening.

As we passed Mushrooms on Main, this friendly gal popped up!

We gave her a treat and the friendly owner invited JJ in for a "play date". Unfortunately, we had to get to dinner, so we took a rain check. We'll definitely return here on our next trip.

We arrived at Madeline's and were directed to our table. The Server was quite friendly to JJ. The Missus looked over the wine list and immediately ordered a Sauvignon Blanc.

We looked over the menu which is seasonal and ever changing. It did have several items that we'd enjoyed on our previous visits.

And there seemed to be so many mushroom based dishes….it was our lucky day! We placed our order and then bread service arrived.

Sadly, the bread, while nice and warm was not ready for prime time. It had been smushed down and the middle was still wet. It was probably pulled out before it was ready.

In keeping with our usual ordering at Madeline's we went with all appetizers and a salad. This way we get a nice variety of dishes that tend to be more interesting.

The only real "clunker" of the meal arrived with the first three dishes; the Bruschetta ($20).

With the sweet balsamic glaze, the sour tower of goat cheese, this was a bit too much for this dish. You really couldn't make out the eggplant which had been breaded and fried, but got soggy quite quickly.

The ship was quickly "righted" as the Baby Spinach Salad ($13) arrived.

As I mentioned before, we love the Bacon Vinaigrette here! It adds a wonderful smoky-savory component to a salad.

Another item we've always enjoyed have been the scallop dishes, and the Scallops Saint Jacques ($20) was no exception.

I had thought that the duxelles would be a bit too much for this dish; but as usual, the scallops were perfectly cooked, perfectly rare the way we like it. The lemon buerre blanc added a nice refreshing note to the dish.

We ordered two additional mushroom appetizers, both of which were quite hearty.

The Duck and Wild Mushroom ($20) featured two of our favorite ingredients. But man, combined with the cream sauce it edged on being a bit too much!

And the Tartine Forestiere ($20), featuring both local and smoked mushrooms was a study in umami.

Even the goat cheese and balsamic glaze could not temper the wonderful flavors of the mushrooms!

I finished as always with a Tawny Port.

Overall, this was yet another wonderful meal at Madeline's. And since we can always bring JJ….and get "Patio 1", I'm sure we'll return again, Hopefully soon.

Madeline's Restaurant & Wine Tasting Room
788 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

The next morning, the Missus decided to sleep in, so I took JJ for a walk to Cambria Coffee which I've posted on a couple of times before and had a cold brew and just relaxed.

Cambria Coffee Roasting Company
761 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

And soon enough we headed back home.

This short road trip was a test to see how JJ would handle things. He always seemed to enjoy riding in the car. And he did enjoy Morro Bay and our stops in Ojai and Cayucos. He did well in Cambria and on the drive home. So, you could say he passed with flying colors. And since we can't really travel Internationally….we want to wait until JJ is a bit older before leaving him with his Aunty, this meant more road trips were in store!

Thanks for stopping by!

COMC – Mad For Cheesecake Revisited, NYE Dinner at Et Voila, Dinner with Friends, and an Update on Zion Market’s Move!

January 19, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Desserts, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, yoso-silly

Just doing some cleaning of my photo folders here…so it’s time to C(lear) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard). Just short posts…

NYE Dinner at Et Voila:

The Missus wanted to something special for JJ’s first New Year, so we decided on going to Et Voila for the NYE dinner. We had NYE dinner there before Covid and they have an small outdoor area with heaters. The one thing being, you can’t make reservations online for that. So, we took JJ and dropped by to make reservations in person. Not wanting to be out on the road too late during the eve, we made reservations for the first seating at 430pm.

We ordered every item available, one of each when there were a choice of two courses.

Et Voila NYE 01

We didn’t think much of the amuse and the first course and were quite disappointed that they didn’t serve the typical baguette either! Et Voila NYE 02
Et Voila NYE 03

Et Voila NYE 05

That “faux” foie gras was very disappointing as it was mushy, metallic-too livery in flavor.

Et Voila NYE 04

But things turned around with the second course; the Bay Scallop Gratinee.

Et Voila NYE 06

And the mains were quite good.

Et Voila NYE 08

Especially the Veal Loin; you can see JJ peeking at it in the background.

Et Voila NYE 07

We took the desserts home as we were quite full.

Et Voila NYE 09a

Et Voila NYE 10a

And I think JJ enjoyed his first New Year Eve.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

Dinner with Friends:

I’ve been blessed with having some great friends like Candice, “Yummy Yummy”, and “Xiāng Jiāo”. I’ve even posted on some great meals I’ve had with friends over the years! They are such wonderful folks, thoughtful, kind, generous….

JeffP who I’ve mentioned in several posts and who even shared in doing the One Chip Challenge with me one year is such a person, as is his wonderful bride “LL”. I’ve been honored to get to know them! They are both so kind, fun, and generous. And it was in true display when they invited me out to dinner! At their “special place”. As it’s a small, intimate, setting that’s already pretty darn full, I’m not going to give it away. But since I do use our little blog as a food-travel-personal diary of sorts, I thought I’d just post the photos here.

JP and LL Dinner 01

JP and LL Dinner 02

JP and LL Dinner 03

JP and LL Dinner 04

JP and LL Dinner 05

JP and LL Dinner 06

That LL and JeffP, who both have busy schedules, their careers going full blast, thought of having dinner really touched me!

Friends enrich our lives, broaden our horizons, bring joy, and laughter to us, and create wonderful memories.

Thanks so much LL and JeffP for a wonderful, memorable, and fun evening!

And Mad For Cheesecake is still the Missus’s favorite in San Diego:

**** This location of Mad for Cheesecake has closed

So, we’ve been doing the Japanese cheesecake rounds again, revisiting several places again.

And in the end, the Missus’s favorite was still…..

Mad for Rev 01

Mad for Rev 02

Yep, it’s still Mad for Cheesecake.

Mad for Rev 03

We even got one for our neighbor, who is also from Honolulu, and she agrees with the Missus, that this is the best she has had in San Diego.

Mad For Cheesecake
1420 E Plaza Blvd Suite B-5
National City, CA 91950

One last note – news on Zion Market’s Move from Candice:

*** Yes, Zion Market has finally opened, if you’d like to see my post on the new location you can find it here.

I’m not sure folks know this yet, but our good friend Candice is now on Instagram. And just announced that Zion Market is opening in their new location on Thursday, January 23! Well, finally!

8330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Midweek Meandering – Coffee Culture replacing Hola Paris, Isa.Bella Closes, and an update on the Karaage from Tokyo Central

December 11, 2024 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Pizza

So, last week "FOY" Junichi was kind enough to let me know that Hola Paris had closed in the comments of one of my posts. Ever the thorough investigator, he even mentioned their Instagram site. Which states their last day of business was November 10th.

So, this past weekend, on the way back from my errands, I decided to drop by.

Coffee Culture replacing Hola Paris:

And it looks like a coffee stand named Coffee Culture is replacing Hola Paris.

Sad to see Hola go. It seems that the Urban Market can't sustain businesses.

2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110

Funny how random conversations can provide interesting info. I saw Nate the owner of Poseidon Project while getting my caffeine fix at Bay Park Coffee. He mentioned that isa.bella, the pizza place that used to be in the old Boll Weevil location on Avanti, off Morena (you can find my post here), then moved to the food court at Clairemont Town Square had closed.

A few days later, I was over at TJ Maxx doing a bit of shopping and decided to hop on over.

Isa.Bella Closes:

And yes, the sign is gone.

So, it looks like the they are closed. Though our friend "Google" says "Temporarily Closed".

Screenshot 2024-12-11 154735

And their website says they are looking for a "new home".

Screenshot 2024-12-11 154844

On my last visit to Main Chick, I had made a mental note to check them out….but I guess that note never got filed?

So, we'll see…..

4705-A Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Update on the Karaage from Tokyo Central:

A few months back, I noted how happy I was to have found a replacement for the "new and improved" chicken karaage at Nijiya, which I thought was pretty bad. At that time Tokyo Central was touting their chicken karaage, which turned out well when heated in our Air Fryer.

Well, on recent visits, I had noticed that the chicken karaage, at least the one's in the warmer looked terrible.

I tried this twice and was not a fan.

And then I noticed that the "original chicken karaage" in the warmer looked different.

Hmmm……

And then I went in and found both versions in the bento case. Both are called "Original Chicken Karaage" but look vastly different.

The one with the "Wagura" label costs $5.49. The other is sold by weight.

The one sold be weight is the one I get. It's much better when heated in the Air Fryer.

Like we needed more confusion?

Tokyo Central
8125 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Road Trip – Bell’s (Los Alamos) Revisited

June 22, 2024 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

When you stay at the Sideways Inn you can get a "knock & drop" breakfast in the morning. A simple breakfast that you mark off on a form the night before and find on your doorknob the next morning. All I really needed was bagel and OJ to get my day started.

We relaxed, went for a stroll, then checked out.

We enjoyed our stay here.

Sideways Inn
114 E Hwy 246
Buellton, CA 93427

One of the reasons we spent the evening in Buellton was to have lunch in Los Alamos the next day at Bell's. While we had enjoyed dinner at Bell's on a previous visit, it was the more "classic" French lunch that we loved. Thus, I had made reservations for lunch.

We got into Los Alamos a bit early, so we headed to the Los Alamos Gallery to browse and shop.

We ended up getting a couple of gifts for folks. Downtown Los Alamos is basically a four block stretch, so we left our car parked on the street and walked on over to Bell's a block away.

The restaurant, which I believe used to be a bank had just opened for lunch service and we were the first through the door.

Just as on previous visits, the service was relaxed, yet professional, hitting a nice balance.

We started with the Chicken Liver Mousse.

IMG_1242_02

Smooth, almost creamy, the pate had a pleasurable, rich funkiness, nice sweet-savory tones. The deep flavor went well with the strawberry jam, aiding in cutting the richness and the cornichon cleansing the palate.

The Missus loved the escargot during our previous visit, so we made sure to order it again.

And just as before, the Missus enjoyed the plump, "wild" Burgundy snails, surprisingly tender, full of garlicky goodness. Sadly, the baguette was also the same as before, much too chewy. Still, those snails…..

The Crepe du Jour looked interesting.

The tomatoes was an sweet-acidic-fruity flavor explosion! The crepe wasn't too sweet and the taste of cheddar came thru nicely without being overwhelming.

Of course I had to get the Beef Tartare.

This is still one of my favorite versions; tender beef, perfectly cut, nice balanced amount of capers, creamy egg yolk, nice touch of pungent tones! There was a generous amount of lightly dressed greens provided. Though again, that baguette. But, the tartare was so good, it was easy to overlook the bread.

We really enjoy lunch at Bell's and can't wait to return!

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Closed on Tuesday – Wednesday

IMG_1238_02

Revisits – Hola Paris and T.P. Banh Bao 3

May 12, 2024 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, French Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

You know, I will often complain about the lack of decent, diverse eating establishments here in San Diego. But then I'll look at my photos and realize while I believe there could be so much more to offer, I should be thankful for what we have here.

Case in point, having to catch up with things and recover from my jet lag, I made the two following breakfast stops this weekend. Yesterday, it was a savory crepe from Hola Paris in Old Town and for strange reason I was craving the "FBB" (fried banh bao) from T.P. Banh Bao 3. You really can't get more diverse than that, right?

Hola Paris:

**** Hola Paris has closed

On my way back from my typical Saturday morning "rounds", I decided to stop by the Old Town Urban Market to see what was going on since Tuetano moved out. Walking past Hola Paris, the owner Benjamin saw me.

Hola Paris Rev 01

He came out to say hello and mentioned that it had been a while since he last saw me! It's quite nice that he remembers me. He also mentioned that they've added a couple more options with regards to savory crepes. I guess he also remembers that I don't have much of a sweet tooth as well!

Hola Paris Rev 01b

After chatting a bit, I decided to order one of the savory crepes and went with the Milo.

Soon enough it arrived.

Hola Paris Rev 02

Well, this was quite good. I loved how the salty-savory Prosciutto and the earthy-milky-nutty Brie balances out the sweetness of the crepe. The tomatoes added a nice acidity and I wish there was more of that.

Hola Paris Rev 03

This was deceptively filling and rich. I enjoyed it and am glad I have a "go-to" here. I really enjoy chatting with Benjamin and will try to stop by more often.

Hola Paris
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9am – 4pm
Wednesday 9am – 2pm
Sat – Sun 9am – 6pm

T.P. Banh Bao 3:

While completing some shopping, I was strangely craving something……fried. Of course we didn't get any Asian food in Ecuador, but I'm not sure what brought on this sudden craving for a fried bao? Perhaps it's because it had been over three years since my last visit? Anyway, I decided to head on over.

TP Banh Bao Rev 01

I really didn't want to wait for them to fry up the version with the salted egg, so I just got two of the pork, sausage, and egg which they had in the display case. The woman working was a hoot. She placed several napkins in the bag telling me "just in case you can't resist and have to eat them while driving!" Lol!

I was able to resist temptation and waited until I got home to enjoy these brown orbs of artery clogging deliciousness.

TP Banh Bao Rev 02

The fried bao was still crunchy after the drive back home! There's an interesting combination of sweet-savory-porky-salty crunchiness with these. Oh, I could only finish one before needing a "timeout". I'll have the other one a bit later on.

TP Banh Bao Rev 03

This was a nice guilty pleasure. I'll probably wait awhile before having these again, since like "FOY" ChrisR mentioned to me in an email "I loved them, but I feel like they subtract weeks from my life expectancy."

T.P. Banh Bao 3
11271 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 7pm
Sat – Sun 730am – 6pm

So I guess I need to stop whining about the lack of choices in San Diego, right?

We'd like to wish a most wonderful Mother's Day to all Mom's out there!

Le Menu du Bar at Jeune et Jolie (Carlsbad)

March 14, 2024 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Staycation

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Missus requested a Road Trip to a specific location. This also gave us an opportunity to revisit Jeune et Jolie and spend a night in Carlsbad before heading off. After our last meal at JeJ my friends "B&G" had seen my photos and taken it upon themselves to head on over and have dinner. Though they didn't make reservations. Instead, they dined at the bar, which has its own menu and doesn't take reservations. They had no problem getting seats at the bar arriving right before 5pm on a Friday. The bar menu had several items that looked enticing, so we thought we'd try our luck on a Friday no less!

This time around we stayed at the Tamarack Resort, which we enjoyed. The location was right across from Carlsbad State Beach and had ample underground parking; at least when we arrived.

We checked in and relaxed until it was time to head out to try our luck.

We enjoyed the short stroll over to the restaurant and arrived 5 before 5. There were several parties ahead of us; but most had reservations for dining in. We easily got a place at the bar; which filled up quickly and was totally full in minutes!

Service was friendly and relaxed, yet still quite efficient. The Missus started with a Chardonnay and I had the House Old Fashioned which was no joke!

We placed our orders, we had eaten a fairly big lunch before heading out, so the smaller bites on the menu suited us perfectly. There are offerings of oysters, prawns, a plat du fruits du mer, but we had other things in mind.

"B" had stated that the Croque Monsieur ($44) was his favorite item of his meal, so we started with that. We didn't know what to expect and this is what arrived.

If there was ever a dish to be named "death by truffle" this might be a contender. So the earthy-sweet truffle and brioche really dominated these bites. We really couldn't make out the jamon iberico. Don't get me wrong; you know how much we love truffle, but this was just a bit too sweet and out of balance for me.

Seeing one of my favorites from the tasting menu available, I made sure to order the Veal Tartare ($23).

This was every bit as good as what I'd had before. Tender veal, chopped to my preferred size, nice touch of pungency, the flavor of white soy added a nice savory-saltiness, the crunchy-peppery radish was a nice foil, and the nori powder added another nice layer of flavor.

One item that I really enjoy when in France are Gourgeres, though it's getting a bit more difficult to find light puffs of savory pastry and cheese these days. Even in Paris, where it used to be sold be weight. So, when I saw Gourgere ($16) on the menu I had to get it. Even though it was filled with mornay.

My goodness, we loved these! The crisp and light choux was filled with a savory-pleasantly cheesy Mornay, which even had a nice touch of garlic. That wonderful nutty-earthy-savory-mushroomy flavor of the black truffle came thru clearly as well. We could taste all the components which made this dish delici-yoso! In fact, we had a second order of these!

You know, we enjoy Carlsbad in spite of the lack of Asian food offerings in the area. I hate to think how much damage to my wallet we'd do if we lived in walking distance of Jeune et Jolie!

Jeune Et Jolie – Le Menu du Bar only served at the bar and small "lounge" area. No reservations, first come first served.
2659 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Wed – Sun 5pm – 10pm

After dinner we took a nice stroll.

Where we passed several venues with folks having a great time!

Very relaxed, laid-back……fun!

On the way back to the hotel, the Missus and I decided to get a glass of wine at a place we'd had coffee at on our previous visit.

Happy Hour Revisits to Et Voila

February 22, 2024 mmm-yoso Cocktails, French Restaurants

During our last trip to Europe in November of last year, we managed to spend four nights in Paris. Instead of going for all the Michelin starred places, we just wanted to chill and enjoy; after all we've now been to the city eight times since 2016! Funny thing, the Missus ended up having Escargot four times during our stay! I clearly recalled how much She used to hate snails! My how times have changed! Back in January, we went and did a Happy Hour revisit to Et Voila, something that used to be rather routine for us in those days before Covid. We did manage one very nice HH revisit back in January of 2022, two years ago! We noticed some new dishes on the Happy Hour menu and decided to head on back for HH when we stayed at the Lafayette Hotel and headed on back for one more visit a few weeks back.

We did notice that some of the dishes and drinks had changed a bit and now have pegged our current favorites. I thought I'd go ahead and list our Happy Hour dishes.

Of course, I had always enjoyed the Huckleberry Bourbon (especially when it used to be $7 at HH), though on our last couple of visits it seemed a bit weaker. Still, habits die hard, and I had one on all three visits ($13 at HH).

Et Voila HH 00

On my last visit, I noticed a cocktail called the "Months of 'Ber" ($14) which had Mezcal and Aperol. I was curious and ordered it. I mentioned that I hadn't noticed this cocktail before and Ludo smiled and said "it's because you don't visit often enough these days…" Ah, so French!

Et Voila HH 02

This was nice, slight smoky, lightly sweet-citrusy, loved the hint of anise.

Of course if one is going to have escargot, a baguette is required. The half baguette aux buerre is now $6…..but it's absolutely necessary.

Et Voila HH 03

As for the dishes.

The good.

Well, the Missus does enjoy the Escargot ($11) and the Happy Hour price is reasonable.

Et Voila HH 04

It's a bit parsley heavy for my taste; but the escargot are tender enough. The Missus enjoys these and can easily polish it off in less than 10 minutes along with the baguette.

I've always enjoyed the house made Terrine de Porc ($13 HH) and for some reason, the two times I had it during our recent visits I really enjoyed the porky-winey-slightly sweet terrine.

Et Voila HH 05

I enjoy the pickled veggies which help to refresh the palate and the nasal clearing mustard.

On the fence:

We had the Beignet de Champignons ($10 HH) on every visit. On the first visit, it was quite nice, crisp, earthy, exactly what made the dish a Happy Hour staple over the years. Though on our last two visits, the mushrooms were over-fried, almost burnt, and extremely salty.

Et Voila HH 06

Still, I'm sure we'll keep ordering this.

The not-so-good.

On our first two visits we got another Happy Hour staple, the Raviolis aux Champignons ($15 during HH). Man, they sure foam it up these days, check out what it used to look like.

Et Voila HH 07

There was a tendency in the past for this dish to swing into the "too sweet" territory and on both visits this was even sweeter than before! You really couldn't taste the mushrooms and truffle. I think we're crossing this dish off our "list" on future visits.

We tried one new Happy Hour menu item, the Braised Lamb Belly stuffed with Merguez ($20 HH). We love merguez and harissa, so we were quite excited, but this was a let down.

Et Voila HH 09

I'm not sure where they get their merguez, but man, it was bland, lacking in the sweet-gamy-cumin flavors we love…same with the harissa as this really lacked spice. The lamb belly was overly chewy and bland as well. In fact, the only item that stood out were the raisins, of which there were too many for our taste.

Well, even though we didn't enjoy every dish at Et Voila, we still have our favorites. And I still think we enjoy the Happy Hour menu more than the dinner menu. And of course the Missus will need Her Escargot fix from time to time.

Et Voila HH 10

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Sun- Mon 430pm – 830pm
Tues – Thurs 430pm – 9pm
Fri – Sat 430pm – 10pm
Happy Hour – Served at the Bar Only
Sun – Thurs 430pm – 730pm
Fri – Sat 430pm – 6pm

Jeune et Jolie (Carlsbad)

February 5, 2024 mmm-yoso Exploring San Diego, Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Staycation

Like I had mentioned in my post on Frankie's, we had enjoyed our staycation at the Lafayette so much, that we decided to finally hit up a couple of places we had always meant to visit. We stayed in Carlsbad at the Best Western. I don't think we'll stay there again, it was noisy and dated, though the location right across from Carlsbad State Beach was great. This was of course between two "visits" from the Pineapple Express. Somehow we lucked out and dodged the storms. Though you could tell by the clouds off Carlsbad State Beach that something was amiss.

We enjoyed taking a short stroll in the area before heading off to dinner. This being during the week, things seemed really relaxed and very small town like, which we enjoyed.

This is the Alley Art Wall.

We headed back to the room to change before heading off to dinner; which was just a few blocks away.

Compared to how quiet the rest of the town seemed Jeune et Jolie was very busy. We got a small table in the middle of the dining room.

Jeune et Jolie 01

As crazy busy as JeJ was, the service was top notch. Our main Server; Joe was amazing! Plus, he had lived in Japan, and we even managed to have a chat with him. We were asked if we were right or left handed for the place settings, all dishes were explained well. Watching the kitchen work was incredible as well.

The menu is four courses at $115 per person. We (I) got the Wagyu which was a $55 supplement. We also got one pairing, which the Missus said should be based on the dishes I ordered. We also started with a Champagne for the Missus and since I was feeling "French-Diegan" I got a Kir Royale.

Jeune et Jolie 02

Things started with a nice Amuse Bouche; eggplant puree in a semolina shell.

Jeune et Jolie 03

Crisp exterior, which cracked away to a creamy-earthy-slightly sweet filling. This was a nice start.

Of course I had to get the Veal Tartare which was fabulous.

Jeune et Jolie 04

The veal was chopped exactly the way I like it; it was very tender. There were Asian touches in this; wasabi which added a wonderful pungency and really complimented the dish as did the white soy! The radishes added an additional peppery crunch to the dish. This might now be in my top 2 versions of tartare!

The Missus ordered the "Poireau" as Her first course.

Jeune et Jolie 05

Wonderful, almost sweet-oniony leek, with a potato potage hid the Missus's favorite part of the dish; an creamy and delici-yoso sous vide egg yolk. The Missus loves Her eggs; so it was love at first bite! There was some very mild caviar on this, but it was all about the egg yolk for the Missus.

Some brioche arrived as we finished our starters…the Missus wished that it had come earlier.

Jeune et Jolie 06

The Missus's Scallop course was quite good.

Jeune et Jolie 07

The scallop was a perfect rare and sweet, the sauce which contained grapes added a nice sweet-acidity to things. The scallop was crowned with the cap of a king trumpet mushroom which added a wonderful, meaty, sweet-earthiness.

Thinking that with all the meat I'd ordered that it would be best to get some veggies, I ordered the "Betterave".

Jeune et Jolie 08

The beets had been I believe dehydrated and had the texture of meat. The bone marrow vinaigrette was rich, but I felt was kind of lost in this dish. I loved the bitter-crunch of the chicory and the nutty-slightly sweet hazelnuts really complimented this dish. The Missus is not a fan of beets, but She even enjoyed this!

The most mundane dish of the evening was the Partridge.

Jeune et Jolie 09

The partridge was nicely cooked and seasoned, the jus was a bit on the acidic side; the morel mushroom stuffed with partridge was a bit dry but tasty. Don't get me wrong, this was a nice dish, but compared to what we'd had so far for dinner…..

And then there was the Wagyu ($55 supplement),which was A5 Miyazaki Ribeye. Good lord, I think I died and went to bovine heaven!

Jeune et Jolie 10

Just the decadent beefiness of the meat was amazing! The texture luxurious. The jus had just the right balance of beefy-acidity to compliment the meat. The lightly fried sweetbreads were creamy and had no off metallic flavors. My goodness!

The Missus got the Lavande; which She enjoyed as it wasn't too sweet and had nice lemony tones from yuzu.

Jeune et Jolie 11

I got the Automne, which was made with parsnip and was delicious as well.

Jeune et Jolie 12

Jeune et Jolie 13

Jeune et Jolie 14

Like I mentioned earlier; we loved the service and the food. We didn't care for the wine pairing much and will work around that next time.

Jeune et Jolie 15

The place was quite loud, so perhaps we'll even return earlier in the week, or perhaps sit outside during a warmer time of the year. And yes, we are definitely returning!

Jeune Et Jolie
2659 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 637-5266
Current Hours:
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Jeune et Jolie 16

Paris – Boullion Republique

January 28, 2024 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

After lunch at Maison de Chengdu, we walked the short block back to the apartment and relaxed. After a short nap, we cleaned up the apartment a bit, we'd be leaving for CDG early the next morning. We then did what had become a tradition over this trip "Le Goûter", tea time and we chatted about what it was like spending 4 weeks in France and the last 2 in Paris.

From our arrival in Paris…..

And finally getting a chance to visit the Cluny.

Then heading off to Montpellier a city of contrasts, with tons of history, yet young and vibrant. I was told that one-fourth of the population are University Students.

Then it was off to the medieval city of Carcassonne.

The massive La Cité looming on top of the hill. Of course, when spending such a long period of time in a country you'll bound to have some hiccups and on the day we were supposed to leave Carcassonne by train there was a rail strike, but having been thru similar events before we looked for and found transport to our next destination by bus.

That destination was Toulouse, the fourth most populous city in France. Much more laid back than Paris, but still with great history and architecture, we really enjoyed the city.

We actually had the main Christmas Market right out our hotel door! This is one city I'm sure we'll return to.

And then of course it was back to Paris. Staying for two weeks straight meant we could take time to visit places a bit further afield, like the Cimetière des Chiens, the oldest pet cemetery in Europe.

And venture to other places that perhaps weren't so high on our "list" like Jardin des Plantes.

Our location in the Marais allowed us time to visit the National Archives Museum and take advantage of the "free first Sunday" at the Musée National Picasso.

And staying in an apartment near to the metro made it easy to take a day trip to Chantilly.

Or even spending two nights in Strasbourg to enjoy the Christmas Markets.

It was indeed an amazing month!

And here it was; our last meal in Paris. We wanted to keep it simple. During the first leg of the trip in Paris, the Missus really enjoyed the simple, yet tasty food at Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond. So, I went looking for a Boullion and found that Boullion Republique was jusy a 10 minute stroll form the apartment. So, we decided to head on over a bit before the usual Parisian dinner time, getting there at 530. Even at this ungodly early dinner hour in Paris there was a short wait, but soon enough we got a table

The Missus had a glass of the Brut, I had a Kir and in keeping with how we enjoy dining, we went with 3 entres (starters) and some oysters.

The Missus really enjoyed the Ouefs Mayonnaise, basically devilled eggs.

Of course the Missus loved this; wonderfully creamy, the yolk-mayonnaise mixture was so smooth and rich. Of course, the addition of block truffle did not hurt things one bit. There was a touch of acidity to balance out the flavors.

The Terrine de Campagne, country style pate was nicely made.

Porky, with a touch of offaly tones; there's a nice hint of wine-anise tones as well. And the cornichons to refresh ones palate.

The Missus has become a big fan of Escargot, so we made sure to order some.

These were decently plump, with a good amount of olive oil to saturate your baguette. Could have used more garlic in my opinion, but not bad.

The oysters were excellent.

Not overly briney, quite refreshing, no off flavors. All I needed was a small squeeze of lemon.

Now, for the interesting part, you can actually pay via QR by table. Would you like to see our bill?

Now, translated to dollars that around $37/US! Two drinks, 3 appetizers, 6 Oysters…….what the heck would that cost here in San Diego? Yes, Boullions are kind of considered to be an affordable and straight forward eating establishment serving traditional dishes. And this place sure delivered.

As you can tell by the line waiting for a table when we left. All were speaking French as far as we could tell. At this price, you could eat at an Boullion a couple of times a week.

It was a fitting last meal in Paris.

Bouillon République
39 Bd du Temple
75003 Paris, France

That would keep us….until the next time the "City of Lights" beckons.

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris – Dinner at Automne

January 26, 2024 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Paris, France, Travel

Our time in Paris was winding down. We had two more evenings left. The Missus had enjoyed dining at a Boullion on the last night of our previous stay, so we thought we'd do that again. So, on the second to the last night, I thought we'd go with a fancier meal. I mentioned having made reservations at the Michelin Star Automne in an earlier post and then having it cancelled. On the bright side, we ended up having dinner at Les Enfants Rouge that evening, which has become a favorite of ours. I did still want to dine at Automne and on this visit I made a reservation for this evening. The restaurant is in the 11th Arrondissement, about a kilometer and a half from our apartment. We had a nice stroll on over. Like many of our preferred fine dining restaurants in Paris, the restaurant was helmed by a Japanese Chef.

We we greeted upon arrival and escorted to a nice quiet corner table. For dinner we selected the 7 course tasting menu and shared a wine tasting.

The pacing was relaxed, very low keyed. Of course things started with the amuse bouche.

Which I recall being delicious, but I got seriously distracted.

By what, you might say. Well, we had one of those wonderful "Paris moments". You know us and pooches. We saw the cutest furry pooch walking down the street. He looked like he was smiling and there was something about he and his owner that caught my eye. I brought out my camera to take a photo and wouldn't you know it. The woman saw me pointing the camera their way. Now, if you would believe those Paris stereotypes, you'd think that we'd be in store for some rudeness. But, like what has happened to us many times before, we had a moment. The woman smiled and waved and brought the pooch over to take their photo.

It was such a sweet moment! When I went and downloaded the photos I realized what had caught my attention. You know that folks say people start looking like their dogs……. What do you think? It's one of those unforgettable moments. The Missus and I talk about this encounter more often than we chat about the Louvre!

Anyway, on with the meal.

First up was a terrine with Smoked Eel and Foie Gras.

I wasn't sure about this dish at first glance; but it was quite good, the rich foie gras paired nicely with the smoked-savory-eel. The balsamic glaze and beets added sweetness to really help balance things out. The radish was slightly pungent which helped to reset the palate between bites.

The Scallops with Osetra Caviar was quite decadent.

I thought the scallops could be seared a bit more, but it was perfect rare, sweet-oceany, the caviar adding an interesting layer of flavor that was almost like intense walnut? The shavings of hazelnut added another layer of earthy-nuttiness to the dish.

The next dish featured, black truffle, wild game bisque, and a salsifis timbale.

The bisque was a bit too much and overpowered the dish. But of course, we could minimize the exposure and enjoy the truffle and salsifis. This also had really earthy and savory pied blue mushrooms.

The line caught sea bass was cooked to perfection.

Crispy skin, moist and flaky, the sauces, broccoli, rapini, and one that seemed like a mild foam with hints of lime all added a different dimension to the dish.

The Roasted Venison was cooked to a perfect doneness for me.

Nice mild gaminess, the one item that was amazing in this dish were the mushrooms. I was told it's called Trompette de la Mort "trumpets of death"! Also known as black chanterelles. My goodness, the sweet-nutty-earthiness was amazing.

The Poached Pear with Cocoa Tuile was not overly sweet.

And all in all, this was a fine meal.

One of many that we've had in Paris over the years!

Automne
11 Rue Richard Lenoir
75011 Paris, France