what an eating experience

wow. so last night i was treated to an insane dinner at Guy Savoy, a three star michelin restaurant in paris. we ordered the "prestige" tasting menu (one of the 3 tasting menus offered), and i can definitely say that this was one of the best meals i have had in my life so far! the food was innovative yet it still maintained that classic french style that i adore

i am going to lay out the experience of what we ate, or at least everything i can remember from the meal! (keep in mind each portion was teeny!!):

when we sat down, they immediately brought us a toothpick with mini duck foie gras and toast. along with some delicious champagne came the amuse-bouche , which was a small leek soup, served in an espresso-type cup, meant to be drank like a coffee. the "chef-surprise" was underneath the cup, a small potato stuffed with swiss chard

the first course then showed up alongside a gorgeous bottle of red wine. a poached quail egg topped with black truffles lying on a puree of artichokes. this came with three mini slices of toast with truffle butter... the second course was lobster carpaccio with a small sort of crispy cracker and chunks of lobster ceviche. this was served on a plate that lay on top of dry ice so when it was served it was overflowing with a sort of steam or fog (this was the most scientific one... the science did not add to the taste, it was just for effect)... course number three was bites of root vegetables served in a bowl of hot foie gras broth. i had never heard of such a thing, and i don't think i have ever tasted vegetables cooked in anyway remotely close!... the fourth course then arrived, and it was guy savoy's famous artichoke soup with black truffles and parmesan cheese. actually insanely delicious. even though the soup might not be relatively "famous", they have the right to claim it!..

(getting full yet?!)...

the fifth course was fish. baked saint pierre fish (a type of meaty white fish) was served on top of watercress foam. placed on top of the delicately cooked fish were mushrooms and a pasta typical of the alsace region. this pasta was it was almost like a fried pasta. so good... eventually the last dinner course came. meat. venison. served with a balsamic reduction sauce accompanied by extremely thin slices of roasted potato.

with each separate course came

bread. but not just any bread. every course was served with a different type of homemade bread, each designed to complement the dish being served... we had a dark baguette, bread made of chestnut flour, five grain, sourdough, rye, and with the cheese there was apricot bread and raisin-walnut bread. each was incredible, and so fresh...!

Next came a HUGE cart of cheese. i mean, there must have been at least 20-30 different types of cheese... goat cheese, blue cheese, comte, camembert, brie, roquefort, epoisses... unfortunately, i cannot remember the names of each cheese we tried (as we did try quite a few!). but needless to say, each was unbelievable, and i was in heaven :)

Then, came dessert: !

first we were served a blood orange sorbet with an orange reduction sauce and thin, dried slices of blood orange (oh my god, this was so good). then the waiter carried to our table a block of ice. sticking out of the ice were two types of frozen lollipops for each of us. one lime and citrus, the other chocolate and coffee. with these we were served a little frozen kumquat filled with kumquat sorbet and a candy-type concoction. this was something that i have no idea what to call...it looked like a marshmallow, with more of a meringue texture, but it tasted like pineapple? whatever it was, it was so so delish...

believe it or not, the waiter proceeded to roll over a cart of other dessert options... a lemon marshmallow, chocolate marshmallow, and a coffee-hazelnut marshmallow... a mini pistachio cookie/bar... a warm and incredible (and when i say incredible, i mean incredble) coffee sponge cake... then came creme caramel with caramel ice cream... and then a little piece of chocolate tart served with the absolute best chocolate mousse i have ever had. ever. to follow this came the smallest slice of apple tarte tatin that was to die for. and finally, there was earl grey sorbet to finish us off...

along with the wine and the sauternes, this meal was actually insane and truly unforgettable.

while the michelin guide gives this restaurant three stars, my uncle, aunt, and i decided we are giving this place FOUR "kalatchi stars".

give yourself about five minutes to check out the video on the website for the restaurant... www.guysavoy.com. it is worth the time, an it can give you a sense of what this restaurant is really about... fresh, creative, simple, elegant, and fantastic food.

cheers to one fabulous meal, and many more to come....

dedication

having just tried on an incredible Alexander McQueen masterpiece-of-a-dress yesterday, i feel it necessary to dedicate a post to Mr. Lee Alexander McQueen, who died today in his London home. This loss comes as a devastating shock, as McQueen was only forty years old. McQueen dropped out of school at age sixteen to work for two of England's most famous tailors... it only took a few years at design school for his entire line to be purchased by Isabella Blow (a style icon and famous name in modeling and all other things fashion)... from then on, his controversial and unique collections for Givenchy and then for his own line continuously made fashion history while being overtly fashion-forward....

The work of Alexander McQueen will forever be revered as inspiration to the design and fashion world.

barefoot in paris

anyone who knows me knows that i oh so enjoy watching the food network... ever since i discovered it years ago, i always have it on the tv. most of the time it's just background noise; the only time i actually stop what i'm doing to watch is really when Ina Garten and her show Barefoot Contessa comes on. when i would come home from school "back in the day", 5:00 would be time to chill with mom and catch ina doing her thing (and what a fabulous thing!) on the show. forever she has been an icon for me, and recently she has become a role model.... about four years ago when i ran into her on the streets of paris, i was convinced it was fate. sitting in cafe de flore eating an omelet and drinking champagne, she just happened to walk by... let me note that she states in interviews that having an omelet and glass of champagne at this exact cafe is her favorite thing to do in this remarkable city! so, fate or coincidence, i got to meet her for the first time then and there. a few more "bumpings into" later, i have become so influenced and inspired by her.

Yesterday, as i was dining with one of my new friends Ida who i met here in paris, we began to talk about her. ida had never heard of her, but she was a huge fan of the movie "The Barefoot Contessa". as shocking as it may be, i had never heard of the movie, so she let me borrow it... starring Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner (as the barefoot contessa herself), the movie ended up being fantastic! (here is ava gardner from the film)...

and, after a bit of research on my end, it turns out the Barefoot Contessa specialty food store in the Hamptons is named after this movie...

this research also led me to find out some more "coincidences" about me, ina, and paris: by reading an interview, ina mentions that the open-air market, Marche Biologique Raspail, (open three times a week, this organic market is incredible) that i pass on my way to class is right by her parisian flat (in other words, she lives like around the corner from where I'm staying?!) also, she mentions La Grande Epicerie at Bon Marche (when i first walked into this place i was in heaven... no joke) is one of her local favs.

once again, this city brings me to ina!

just like ava gardner in the movie, garten's style is elegant and earthy at the same time...

Here is her website... everything we need to know

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/

Ina's cookbook "Barefoot in Paris" is so great... amazing recipes in there.

what an inspiration.

sonia.sonia.sonia.

i have the pleasure of living in saint germain des pres right now... and being in this area means that i wake up every morning and walk to my corner, which just happens to be the store of Sonia Rykiel. as one of my favorite labels, this is just icing on the cake for this fabulous neighborhood. day after day, the windows never get tiring (and neither does the selection inside... i'm not going to lie, i go in all the time!). the clothing, bags, and various other accessories- not to mention the Rykiel Woman boutique down the street, where Sonia Rykiel sex toys and other sensual accessories co-mingle with clothes and gifts- and are just so playful and fun, encouraging women to adopt their own individual personality through fashion... "la demode" (or the "un-fashion) is what Sonia's philosophy came to be called in the '70's...

http://www.rykielles.com is the line's own blog, created by Nathalie Rykiel, the current pres of the company... for sure check it out.

here is the runway collection for spring/summer 2010. this is the way fashion should be...

the macaron

such a phenomenon here in france. the macaron, (or macaroon as we say in english)... flavors upon flavors are everywhere in this city!

for me, the ultimate is LADUREE. obsession. the decor and all is marie antoinette-style... pastel colors all around, macarons in every adorable color and flavor imaginable, pastries that are so perfect you don't want to ruin by eating, and not to mention designers such as sonia rykiel, christian lacroix, and marni (just to name a few) have recently been designing to-go boxes for the famous macarons... so fa

bulous. flavors include chocolate, vanilla, coffee, caramel, raspberry, lemon, pistachio, rose (my favorite of them all), with seasonal ones thrown in, like coconut, fig and date, praline, etc.... i am yet to taste a bad one (i haven't tasted them all yet, but i'm almost there!!) check out their website www.laduree.fr

there are a few more famous macarons around this city, and in the next few weeks i plan on paying them a visit to make a taste-test of my own... a fabulous experience for me to be doing (i'm considering it research)... more to come on this fun subject :)

vogue february

so i picked up my vogue this month. and since i am in paris, i had to get two: the french and the american issue. never did i realize just how distinct the two are...

these are the covers... actress jessica biel is on the cover for the american vogue, while model daria werbowy (one of my absolute favorites) is on the cover for the french vogue. i love reading both while i'm over here in paris. the style is really so different here than at home, more upscale and chic... and i think it is so fun to read all about it and see it on paper.... even though i can just tell by looking outside!