Experience PARISIENNE » france

Highlights from The Journey | Michy’s in Miami: Falling in Love with Top Chef Judge Michelle Bernstein’s French-Cuban Creations

Joanna Goddard — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:26:29 +0000

One night in Miami, we headed to dinner at Michy’s, a French-Cuban restaurant run by Michelle Bernstein of Top Chef fame. (”Everyone thinks I’m the mean judge,” she laughs, but, I swear, she’s sweet as pie in person.) The genius of Michy’s menu is that everything (both appetizers and entrees) come in both full and half sizes, so you can order a bunch of dishes to sample. Here’s what we tried…
First up, we ordered the Bibb lettuce salad with crispy shallots, avocado, tomatoes, jack cheese and Serrano chile ranch dressing. Such a bright mix of flavors and textures!
Then we sampled the braised Alaskan cod with argentine chorizo, tomato broth and petite gnocchi. Warm and fragrant, each bite was a pleasant surprise.
And finally, we had the seared salmon with fried artichokes on top of farro, cipollini onions and lemony saffron nage. This hearty dish was my favorite (I’m a sucker for anything with lemon). Thank you, Chef Bernstein!

(P.S. Look how amazing the menu is.)

(Photos by Joanna Goddard)

Get Thee to Beverly Hills: Chef Thomas Keller Just Opened Bouchon Bistro!

Joanna Goddard — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:32:05 +0000

Great news for L.A. foodies! This November 18th, celebrity chef Thomas Keller (of French Laundry and Per Se fame) opened the brand new Bouchon bistro in Beverly Hills. The menu looks absolutely mouthwatering, with mussels steamed with white wine and mustard, blood sausage with potato puree and caramelized apples, and two-inch-high daily quiches. Here, we chat with Keller about the chaos and craze of opening a restaurant…

Have you slept at all over the past few weeks? I try to sleep six or seven hours a night, and I keep centered by eating a proper diet and exercising. During busy times, it’s very difficult to do any of this, but that’s the goal.

What are you excited about on Bouchon’s new menu? Any dish not to miss?
The ile flottante–a dessert of meringue with vanilla creme anglaise, almond and caramel–is a new addition, which I just love. The team has done an extraordinary job with this dish. The dishes I always go to are the roast chicken, the steak frites, trout almandine, and the mussels. The pates are great to start with, along with our salads. These are the backbone of Bouchon’s menu.

You told the L.A. Times, “We’re not being interpretive here; we’re not making crème caramel flavored with lavender.” Why is it important to you to stay very authentic to classic French food?
What I want to do with a bistro–certainly Bouchon bistro–is to maintain the classic flavor profiles that are not only recognizable, but also so sought after when you’re dining in this kind of restaurant. Our goal is to maintain those dishes, yet refine them by using better techniques and better products. We modernize them by removing any impurities in sauces and stocks. That way, the tastes become sharp, focused and clean, without losing the flavor profile that’s recognized in a beef bourguignon, for example.

What’s your go-to French wine, if you’re having a casual evening with friends?
I like to begin with either a wonderful Muscadet or Sancerre. They’re nice, crisp white wines. Then, I’d follow with something a little more robust from the Côtes du Rhône.

Is there an under-appreciated French food that you would recommend more people try?
I think things like tête de veau, pigs’ trotters (pied de cochon) and tripe are certainly under-appreciated. I love working with these products because they can be transformed when taken from the raw state to the cooked state. When that happens, it’s pretty extraordinary.

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Granola with nonfat milk, a cup of coffee and a bottle of still water.

Thank you, chef Keller!

(Photos by Max Wanger)

Plane Snack: Nougat (Do You Love It Or Hate It?)

Joanna Goddard — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:10:48 +0000

Nougat–like anchovies and licorice–is one of those foods that people either love or hate. (What is nougat? Think of the chewy part of a Snickers that makes you thirsty.) So, when my friend recommended Vadeboncoeur, an artisanal French nougat handmade by a handsome young Frenchman in Vermont, I figured it was time to give it a try…

I bought two bars in Brooklyn and stowed them in my bag for our final flight home, from Los Angeles to New York. To make nougat, you mix and cook egg whites, honey, roasted almonds, pistachios and sugar in copper cauldrons (sounds like a fairy tale!) and form them in wooden molds. The result is a chewy, sweet and nutty French confection. As I munched the bar during the flight, I discovered that I fall squarely into the “love it” category. (So did my two seatmates.)

(Photo by Joanna Goddard)

How To Make Your Hotel Room Feel Like France? Add Lavender Soap and a Champagne-Inspired Candle

Joanna Goddard — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:42:59 +0000

While in Los Angeles, I wanted to give my hotel room some French touches, so I went to Fresh, one of my favorite beauty stores. (Seriously, their packaging alone is worth a trip.) I picked up a coriander-lavender soap, which reminded me of Provence’s fragrant lavender fields. I also discovered a lovely Citron de Vigne candle, which, inspired by the Champagne region, smelled just like earthy soil, clean air and boxes of sweet grapes. Voila! Now my sleek L.A. hotel room had a bit of the French countryside, as well. xo

(Photo by Anna Wolf)

Incroyable! Two Sisters Quit Their Corporate Jobs to Open a French Bakery…

Joanna Goddard — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:05:46 +0000

Sisters Carmen and Josephine had been working office jobs for decades, but, as they neared their 50s, they decided to shake things up. “We wanted to do something for ourselves,” says Carmen. So, they quit their jobs, rolled up their sleeves and opened a traditional French patisserie, La Maison du Pain. Here, I asked Carmel how she made it happen (hint: very early mornings!)…

Why did you want your bakery to be French?
A few years earlier, our whole family had taken a vacation to Paris. We were so scared–it was our first Europe trip, and we didn’t speak the language. But we fell in love with the city. The apartments, the streets, oh, my God–and we saw all the patisseries on every corner.

Then what?
We both wanted to open a tiny patisserie. I found an old warehouse in Los Angeles. It was falling apart, but I had a vision. That was more than four years ago.

Has the hard work been worth it?
All the city kids, who’ve never left the area, come here to learn about traditional baguettes and olive bread and brioche. They’re fascinated. I think to myself, we’ve done something good here.

What time do you wake up?
We start at 3 a.m. every day.

What are your favorite treats in the shop?
The apple tarte tatin–served warm with vanilla ice-cream–it melts in your mouth. For the lemon tart, we stir the curd by hand for two hours. (We take turns!) The chocolate cupcake with ganache…and of course the croissants. Ours are made with real milk and butter.

You’re making me hungry. Everything sounds so good.
We recently returned to Paris and went back to the little patisseries. And I thought, “I can compete…hey, my bread is better.” (Laughs)

(Photos by Joanna Goddard)

Oui, Oui! Our New Favorite Shop, Bittersweet Butterfly, Sells Lingerie and Flowers…

Joanna Goddard — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:03:41 +0000

Rumor has it that French women wear beautiful lingerie (at least in the movies)–and with their sexy accents and je-ne-sais-quoi, it’s enough to make your head spin. Well, Bittersweet Butterfly, a shop in L.A.’s Silverlake neighborhood, has such delicate underthings, we felt PARISIENNE, at least in spirit. Take a look inside…

We swooned over this gold sequined slip, as well as all the lacy chemises and silky little rompers behind it..

And the shop doubles as a florist, so we were greeted by sweet scents as soon as we walked in the door. Tres bon!

P.S. Afterward, we went to Griffith Park’s 1920’s carousel, to continue our romantic afternoon…
(Polaroids by Jen Gotch)