Month: September 2009

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Eating in Paris, September 2009

Olives at Charbon, our new favortie bar, in the 11th arrondissement.

Pintade cooked in a pot at Astier (11th arrondissement) was very good. The food is tres traditional but somewhat inconsistent. Fabulous cheese tray though.

Rouget at Le Villeraret (11th arrondissement), where the food is always beautifully prepared.

The wild duck at Le Villerat. A great meal.

Eric’s favorite Chinese Chicken Salad (“Better than Wolfgang Puck’s”) at Le Petit Marche, a small and very tasty neighborhood hangout with Franco-Asian influences and a friendly, young multi-cultural staff.

Escargot at Brasserie Balzar, an old, old favorite.

 

 

 

 

Petit Dejeuner in the 11th arrondissement.

Photographed with my iPhone. Addresses and details to follow.

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Spritz Aperol: A Venetian aperitif

 

While in Venice in March of this year, we discovered a refreshing warm weather aperitif: the Spritz Aperol. (A true Venetian bargain too… we found them as cheap as 1 euro 50 at a nameless cafe on the Campo Bander e Moro.) Though it is now made by the same company that makes the venerable Italian aperitif Campari, it has not received the marketing push, and is somewhat harder to find, but well worth seeking out. It’s an orange based liqueur, lower in alcohol than Campari, and sweeter. Making the Spritz Aperol is easy, but as every bar in Venice seems to have its own recipe, its worth experimenting to find the proportions that suit your taste. Our favorite recipe is as follows:

Fill a white wine or highball glass with ice, add one ounce of Aperol, fill the glass 2/3 full with either white wine (Pinot Grigio is a classic choice) or prosecco, and top with a splash of sparkling water. If you wish, you can garnish the drink with either an orange slice or green olives. Delicious.