The bistro (sometimes spelled bistrot) is a standard French restaurant term. According to Wikipedia (article in French), the bistro occupies a space in the restaurant hierarchy between brasserie and fine-dining restaurant in terms of food and price point. As you’ll see below, those definitions are quite fluid. The origin of the word may be Russian, …
Category: Travel
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/19/bistro-mode/
Dec 18
Wandering in Paris
Julian observed that our travels follow a predictable pattern. We (actually he) are obsessive-compulsive about plane and accommodation reservations. Witness that, for this trip, he had all of these in place by early March. But once we get to our destinations, we tend to wander about, often without premeditated objectives. In old European cities and …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/18/wandering-in-paris/
Dec 17
A Sad Reality
The last time we were in Paris was May 2015, before the mass shootings at the Balacan nightclub and at cafés in the city. It was also before the Bastille Day truck assault in Nice and the attack on a Berlin Christmas market in 2016. As a result, security is heightened throughout France. We’ve seen …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/17/a-sad-reality/
Dec 16
Moment of Zen for the Cult of Cute Shoes
This was in a window of the French department store Le Printemps. The Cult of Cute Shoes were tucked snug in their beds, While visions of stilettos danced in their heads. IMG_2063
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/16/moment-of-zen-for-the-cult-of-cute-shoes/
Dec 15
The Little Secret of French Cuisine
So you think that, after long days of work at le bureau, Maman (or Papa) cooks up three-course meals for the family every night? Au contraire, mes amis! Maman heads to le traiteur or le supermarché to get fixings for dinner, just like Americans do. Traiteurs are fixtures in Paris neighborhoods. You can purchase a …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/15/the-little-secret-of-french-cuisine/
Dec 14
For the Cute Shoes Clan
We couldn’t resist taking these pictures of figurines in the window of a furniture store in Colmar.
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/14/for-the-cute-shoes-clan/
Dec 13
Last Stop: Paris
We checked out of Colmar and grabbed the train to Paris. Before we left Colmar, we stopped at a French bagel chain restaurant called Bagelstein’s. Before my bagel-eating friends book tickets to France, let me warn you: These are not real bagels. These are bagel-shaped dinner rolls. They are not boiled. If you want the …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/13/last-stop-paris/
Dec 12
Next Stop, Colmar
Yesterday we took another train from Lyon to Colmar, in Alsace. Colmar is about 45 miles (70 km) south of Strasbourg. Colmar was spared some of the wartime damage that affected Strasbourg and other cities in the area. Since Alsace has been swapped between Germany and France for centuries, the cuisine is a hybrid that …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/12/next-stop-colmar/
Dec 12
Pho in Alsace
After two weeks on the road, my blood fish sauce level was getting extremely low. In addition, the heavy Lyonnais and Alsatian food was wearing on me. We’d seen a restaurant down the street from our hotel that served pho, Restaurant Chez Thuy. We went back there for lunch today. The menu was a mashup …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/12/pho-in-alsace/
Dec 10
La Fête, Last Day (for Us)
The crowds descended in earnest on Saturday. We went to the open-air market on the quai to scrounge up breakfast goodies for two days. We picked up some tangerines, yogurt, St. Marcellin cheese, and two briks, North African pastries stuffed with meat or tuna. Both were good. We did our main shopping of the Lyon …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2017/12/10/la-fete-last-day-for-us/
Recent Comments