French food, restaurants & Bistro Richelieu

French restaurants are expensive. Food in France is subsidized so that farmers are guaranteed a living wage no matter what kind of crop they make. This means cheese and fruit and vegetables and everything else used for making meals is expensive. Likewise, waiters are not heavily dependent on tips for income. So included in most meal prices is your service cost. I personally still add more, especially in Paris where service can be...well sketchy...to an American perspective. See the French love a good meal and they love to savor it. They do not want to be bothered by a waiter asking if they need anything else and shoving a check at them. So for an American who has to ask for drink refills and the check, service can seem horrid. In fact, for the French it is perfect and respectful. Cultures clash.

This is not to say you can't find an inexpensive meal at all. I mean sandwich shop fronts are open all over the city and the standby of Jambon et Fromage is ALWAYS available. And you don't look crazy walking down the street and munching on a sandwich. Everyone does it.



A sandwich and drink is usually about $5 and it's an easy way to budget lunch (of course don't forget about dessert but I'll cover that later!) And if you do sit down to eat at lunch you can usually find Prix Fixe meals that contain three courses (sometimes a drink) and aren't going to break your bank.

Dinner can be costly. The good news is that like New York restaurants are required to post menus and prices outside so you know what is available and for how much BEFORE you enter. It helps if you know French food names (or have a trusty dictionary), because they tend to START descriptions in English then add a French word every now and then. For example, I hate eating fungus. It's my one never ever food. So I am sure to know the French word for mushrooms (champignons) to avoid anything with this at all. And the French love their fungus!

Like every other country out there but America (it seems) the French also like to eat really, really late. Like 9-10 is just getting it started. Somehow these people munch on bread all day to keep themselves from gnawing their own arms at 7pm like we were about to and still stay thin. My Germanic genes however won't allow that to happen and just smelling the bread meant I had trouble zipping my pants. So I avoided the bread outside meals and we ate at 7. With all the other Americans! It's actually kind of funny when travelling to Europe. If you feel homesick eat at 7pm. Or earlier. You are SURE to find other Americans at restaurants this way!



So we happened upon Bistro Richelieu on a wet cold evening and we sat off to the side. I ordered wine and French Onion soup and something else that escapes me for my meal (I was tired at this point) and some of the best creme brulee I've ever eaten. But what made my meal the best was this:



Two of the best waiters I have ever had. The woman spoke NO ENGLISH but smiled and giggled at my atrocious French. The man spoke far better English than my French and we had a wonderful time sitting and resting and visiting with them as much as we could. Unfortunately as we were winding down the restaurant started filling up and they weren't able to talk to us much. But they were sweet and kind and these are the kind of people I think of when I hear people talk about how they were mistreated in Paris. French people don't hate Americans. They are intolerant of tourons (tourist morons) but I am guilty of that as well here in San Antonio (a tourist mecca). So please have no worries about the mean French waiter. Try out your French, show them you tried and give them a giggle over your atrocious accent. It makes the experience that much more fun!

Eating Kimchi with Erin

It wasn't on my list of things to accomplish for the year, but Erin is my adventurous foodie friend, so I proposed Chong's on the West Side. This restaurant is near an Air Force base and was filled with uniforms! I took this as a good sign since a lot of the Air Force stationed here come from a Korean base.

I had no idea what to expect with Kimchi. I knew it was cabbage based, but I pictured something more like sauerkraut. It was spicier, not nearly as sour as I expected. The waitress brought out a sample of cabbage and turnip based kimchi and I have to admit that I liked the turnip better. It was gingery and crunchy and I loved it!

I warned Erin that there would be pictures and blogging but my eating was messy and there was concern on my part about the multiple spots all over my breasts so I completely forgot.

I really should have gotten a picture of the location though. It's hilarious to eat in a restaurant next to an insurance company across from a bar. It's hidden in the dead end of a strip mall. It was surreal. It was like every Korean restaurant joke I have ever heard (and I have to admit it...I was thinking dog meat!)

So the four perfect scores by the health department was a good sign. The fact that they felt the need to post them ON THE FRONT DOOR however was a bit disconcerting. I think I even saw a blue plate from KSAT from the Kitchen Kops. Regardless, Erin and I had a great time. We stayed until everyone left. Not because we chased them off. I don't think. Time flew and they never seemed to want to shoo us away. I'd go back...but next time I want the ribs. It isn't every day you get scissors with your meal!!

Craig and the Cock: a Key West story in pictures

Once upon a time, a man travels to an island. Little did he know there was another male on the island waiting for him. Apparently, the Florida Keys have lots of roosters roaming free. Like Lots.



They are friendly buggers. Having no problem walking right up to you. I am slightly afraid of chickens when they are too aggressive because of a horrid goose incident when I was a child, so I took this picture then ran back to the car.



These little buggers would pop up in the strangest places: parking lot, beaches, streets. And I have to admit I was a little apprenhensive that the restaurant my in-laws chose, used local animals for their food :) Most everyone ordered seafood, because in the Florida Keys who would order chicken???? Well, that would be me. And my kids. I did have a Mojito, too.

Close to home: Schokolad

Because I live here sometimes I forget that San Antonio is a tourist destination. The things that annoy me about this city other people like and appreciate. Like the fact that San Antonians have no pioneer spirit. Locals prefer chains, places where they know what to expect when they go out to eat. I shouldn't judge. I love me some chain food like Smith & Wollensky's or Pappsitos. I even love local chains like Taco Cabana and Bill Miller's. But I sat in judgement last weekend comparing Gigi's cupcakes (a clear national chain) to Betty Jane's (a small local bakery) and smugly proclaimed Betty Janes as better. I thought I had the ability to spot chain food from a mile away. A foodie of sorts.

I was wrong.

In the midst of errands my mother and I took my daughter to Schokolad. I made noises about being proud to support small businesses (which it is, don't get me wrong). And then when I looked for their website I found it is in fact a chain. A national chain. International if you count their ISRAELI store.

I've made clear that I'm not a fan of chocolate. Brownies and chocolate cake make me queasy. What I do like is marzipan (often covered in chocolate....dark is my preference) and anything coconut. I think I would eat pig teeth if they were coated in coconut. Typically I buy a 15 piece box with a mix of things the family loves and everyone knows which are mine to avoid. Their chocolates are fantastic and the owner of the San Antonio store is a sweetheart. If you are interested in supporting a small business with great delicacies, this is your place. If you are looking to find a non-chain store you can smugly claim to know (yes, yes I do this often) then this is not your place. I actually know of a place that is but have yet to visit there yet. Maybe that should be my homework. Sigh. If I have to!

Do I really want my wine intake regulated?

A fellow Paris traveller posted this restaurant on my facebook wall. TripAdvisor makes me think it's a love it or hate it type of place.

I'm thinking if I want fondue though I might try this place instead. OMG their website is precious! The English translation is EXACTLY how I picture my French sounding!!

At the restaurant bread wine cheese, all our wines are selected by Vincent Durand, oenologist.
While remaining accessible, the choice is done according to cheeses and of the dishes to the menu,
without forgotten some great vintage of Bourgogne, the area of Fred,
the owner of the places. (Gevrey chambertin, Puligny montrachet…)

If a bottle makes you of too, set out again with!


I have to say that again.

If a bottle makes you of too, set out again with!

Angelina Tea Room

A friend posted on her facebook page a picture of hot chocolate at a Parisian cafe. I checked it out and sit here and wonder. HOW HAVE I NOT HEARD OF THIS BEFORE??? Chocolate is ordinarily NOT my thing but I'm willing to try it :) Will have to warn one travel mate though who is allergic to chocolate.

After a quick search I found this page at Bite of the Best which gives a personal account of travelling with children.

Places in France had more background info and details:

Angelina was once known as Rumpelmayers and this tea salon was first established back in 1903 and was once a favourite of famous people like Audrey Hepburn and Coco Chanel, more recent Angelina was taken over by the Groupe Bertrand in 2005.

And although it is known as a tea salon, it does serve breakfasts, lunches and desserts, so is therefore more like a cafe. Plus their African hot chocolate served on a silver tray with cream separate, is what has made this place so famous over the years, and you will be hard pushed to get a hot chocolate anywhere near as good elsewhere.

The interior decor with its marble topped tables, gilded ironwork and mirrors makes for a really traditional stop to rest those weary legs after you have been trudging around The Louvre which is situated just opposite Angelina's and designed by the famous architect, Edouard-Jean Niermans, it combines elegance, charm and refinement.

This traditional Parisian café doesn't actually have air conditioning, so it can get rather stifling inside on a hot day and if you leave it until late in the morning, you could end up in quite a queue just to get a seat. But there is a lovely pastry counter near the entrance, so you could always purchase something from here and enjoy it within the Tuilleries gardens that are just across the street.

Located in the arcades of the Rue de Rivoli in the 1st Arrondissement of Paris they serve some excellent salads and quiches plus light dinners, but it is the chocolate lovers that flock here. And although it is popular both with Parisians and tourists, very little English is spoken, so it may be an idea to brush up on a few bits of French, like knowing that their signature hot chocolate is called chocolat L'Africain.

But this is still a very unique place to enjoy the famous hot chocolate and the incredible Mont Blanc gateau, with the old recepe still being a closely guarded secret along with the terrific decor.

Cafe & Restaurant Guide Key Points

Open daily from 8am through to 7pm

Angelina is situated near to the Jardin de Tuileries and to the West of The Louvre next to the Hôtel Meurice on the Rue de Rivoli.

Their famous hot chocolate is around 7€, with a bowl of chips approximately 6€ and also renowned for their pastries, an apple tart around 5.50€.

There is no particular dress code and casual attire is fine.

The closest Metro stations are either the Concorde or the Tuileries.


Address & Contact Details:

Angelina
226 Rue de Rivoli
75001
Paris
France

Telephone: 1 42 60 82 00
Fax: 1 42 86 98 97

A Tale of Two Cities

I could go on for some time about how the cities differ, but I wanted to really think through what made these cities similar. And in many cases these similarities are common throughout continental Europe. Regardless, these similarities made it comfortable travelling from one city to the next. And why I tell people all the time that if you have travelled to one European country don't freak out about another. Many of the customs are similar!

First off a small European Union Primer. The EU consists of 27 "states": Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. HOWEVER, not all of these states have adopted the Euro and still retain their original currency. Czech Republic is one of these countries. They still have koruna (crowns). To make things more confusing some countries use the Euro but AREN'T part of the EU (Switzerland for example).

So enough history what did I find was similar? Well these may not stick out for some and I'm sure there are tons more but the following three were enough different from the United States that I took notice.

1. Restaurants are for visiting and enjoying the meal. Service is relaxed (read slow as molasses in January). You MUST ask for your check or you will sit there for as long as you want. Also in the Czech Republic they will keep plunking down glasses of beer until you tell them to stop or ask for the bill. So learn quickly how to ask for the bill in continental Europe or your meal times will last longer than you thought!

For a type A American this actually gave me anxiety. Even when I KNEW they were waiting for me to ask, I was antsy wondering what was wrong (Had I been rude? Were they sick of Americans?) So take heart, travellers! It's not you. It's them. And you and they are doing nothing wrong!

2. Put the money down on the counter. Don't hand it to them. And they will give you your change on the counter. Don't reach for it. One would think this wouldn't be so attention garnering, but one woman jumped when my son reached for the change. LOL. there is always a little tray by the register. Use it.

Public Transportation is reliable and frankly preferable to walking. Both cities have tremendously punctual tram lines. Both have subways, but Prague's is less prevalent. Use the trams instead. Multi-day tickets in both cities cover the use of trams and trains in the city and Berlin's includes buses as well.

So these three stick out the most, but I'm sure there are more. For the most part the cities are so different. Prague was saved by war. Berlin was decimated. Prague is all about the past, the history. Berlin is about the now, and the future. Prague is relaxed and calm. Berlin is moving and brisk. Everyone has asked which one I like better and that is like asking if I have a favorite child (which by the way is NOT the oldest after this trip....KIDDING!). They are all different. They all have their own unique talents and opinions. And their own annoying behaviors. But all of them have a place in my heart....just like these two cities.

Ich bin ein Berliner...and Chinese....and Greek

Coming to Germany after the Czech Republic is a refreshing change with respect to schedules and time. There is truly a clock on every street corner here (pictures to come). To get here from Prague we took a train and got a first class seat reservation...for a car that did not exist. Additionally this train was two hours late. We ended up sitting in second class with a delightful couple from The Netherlands for half the trip. Learned lots I will have to share.

The train from Prague terminated in Dresden. This was news. It was supposed to travel all the way to Berlin. So we got off train 1 onto train 2 which also was short 4 cars to find no seating. We ended up sitting with our luggage shoved between our legs in the restaurant car for the whole trip. Once we arrived in Berlin everything has gone smoothly except for the fact that these people either don't eat out at all or eat out early.

And by early I mean the restaurants are CLOSED at 8 pm. So we have been stuck eating Chinese food and Greek food for dinner the two nights we've been here. Don't get me wrong it all tastes great but I could eat this at home :) Mission today is a real German restaurant. Oh and shoppping at KaDeWe (which is also CLOSED on Sunday!)

DougH

I have to say I'm a bit skeptical of a restaurant that gets so many raves in national magazines that is in a strip mall. DougH is just over 2 years old. It has been featured in Food & Wine and Rachel Ray's magazine among other. I know this because there are framed articles in the hallway to the restroom.



and really that was the highlight of my visit. The restroom. The food was ok, but if I spend $8 on some olives and cheese and $15 on a cheese pizza I have some pretty high expectations. I wasn't too thrilled that we were asked initially to sit at the bar when there was a booth available. And tables here are smack close. Like I knew the life story of fellow diners when we were done you couldn't help but overhear conversations.

The bathroom was very clean and had some mood lighting to die for. I want all pictures of me in this lighting please director.





The unattended candles freaked me out for a second until I realized they were the flameless kind (because I stuck my finger in them, yes I did)



But my absolute favorite thing here was the handtowels. By this I mean TOWEL. I could dry my whole body with this sucker.



If Cindy wasn't waiting for me outside the door, I might have been tempted to stuff a few in my purse. :)

Book Club with Wine or Wine Club with Books?

I'm not really sure if we are morphing into a Wine Club with Books but initially we had intended to have a book club that would allow us to read books we wouldn't ordinarily read on our own. So far we've read Wicked (and hated it) and The Magician's Assistant (and didn't hate it) and next month we read A Long Way Gone (and hope to at least like it)

The place:


Bin 555 in San Antonio, Texas a Jason Dady restaurant with tapas and wine selections. Everything we tried was fantastic. Not a place for a budget but an excellent beautiful place for a book club!

The people:



Not everyone because my cousin was recovering from wisdom teeth removal, and others had alternate engagements.


The wines:



A fantastic mix to try a variety of wines. I'm loving the flights.

The food:


We were so busy eating,I forgot to take pictures. Cindy reminded me before I licked the cheese plate clean, to get a pic of the food.

The socks:



Lessons learned at today's book club....avoid men nicknamed Horse, we all enjoy plot over character development, we have no shame in sharing personal information with waiters.

Oh and Stacy likes to look up freakish body parts on her phone.

If Guacamole and Salsa aren't on the Menu, then this ain't Texas

It is a truth universally acknowledged that if Hayes Carll is 50 miles from San Antonio, Texas that Craig and I and our friends, Jerry and Tracy will be at the show.



In fact, Tracy and I drove all the way to Houston once to see a show with my travel fiend friend Carrie. He's a great voice, but he also puts on a great show. It's doubly fun when the John Evans Band open for him. His eclectic sound ranges from swing to Texas Country in the space of seconds and he puts on a show that people talk of for days.



Last night they set the bass on fire. While the bassist was playing it and never missing a beat. It was fantastic!

I'd never been to this place before even though I a) love live music b) love food and c) was raised in San Antonio and have been living here for a decade. It's not on the best side of town and very near another great restaurant, Josephine Street. Well I think it's great. Craig keeps telling me this, but he never actually has taken me yet.



I ordered a Guacamole Jack chicken sandwich which arrived minus the Guacamole. Huh. The waitress told me that they were out of Guac. I stared at her. Huh. She asked if I wanted avocado slices on it. Um Yeah. and mash it up with a little salt and pepper and garlic please? Actually I didn't say that because they were slammed and I like my food minus server spit. I did take the avocado though. Cuz really, why eat anything in Texas without guacamole or salsa. I didn't get this trim figure eating celery and tofu ya know.

posting this made me hungry....

What with me travelling to SF for the purpsoe of a race, I decided I had to eat as much italian Food as possible to carbo load. This is of course hilarious as my training was spotty and really acting like I'm a training athlete is just funny to me. Because I'm so not.

L'Osteria Del Forno

Their website can explain it the best:

Tucked away in San Francisco's North Beach, L'Osteria del Forno emits an old world charm that is as authentic as our traditional menu. We pride ourselves on serving Northern Italian cuisine with only an oven to cook our dishes with. Our goal is to bring the flavors of Italy with original imported products (like Reggiano Parmesan or pure extra virgin olive oil) mixed with the quality and freshness from local providers.

The secret to our success is fresh daily ingredients. We deliver hearty, authentic and skillfully prepared dishes from Northern Italy. L'Osteria del Forno is inspired by the everyday food culture of our childhood. Dinnertime was a family shared moment and is one of our most precious memories of our life.

With a limited number of tables, the restaurant appeals to intimate gatherings of faithful locals and visitors. Many guides, papers and reviewers have considered our place as a true local gem. We prefer the small coziness of our space and have avoided the pressure to expand even though the demand for tables is constant. The inconvenience of a short wait is always outweighed by the tasty food and special attention that we give to each patron.



Small and Cozy is NO JOKE. They have 15 tables (only 3 of which sit more than 2-3) and the waiting area is the street outside the restaurant. If you are a couple then you may not wait as long. Janet and I were able to get right in the last table left, but there were 3 groups of 4 waiting for a table (and the wait was up to an hour...but people weren't budging). This was an obvious sign that the food would be fantastic. I had a daily special of filet mignon (which as Janet so aptly put it, you could cut with a TOOTHPICK!) and polenta and OMG it was FANTASTIC. Janet had a pumpkin ravioli that was just as good.

The kitchen is open so you can see them preparing your dishes and for an hour or so I felt like I was back in Rome. Overall I would say expect to pay about $25 per person for a meal and wines are not overly expensive. It it ridiculously cheap for any SF restaurant!

The waiters are kind and helpful and the busboy looks like he stepped off the runway in Milan.



I can't recommend this place more!

Another Food post????

This past weekend my family went to my husband's cousin's wedding, which occurred at 3pm and had an open bar at the reception which is probably not so great an idea when people are standing 50 people deep in a line for the cheese and crackers appetizer! Empty stomachs and unlimited booze = not well behaved reception guests. But it wasn't my wedding and frankly I didn't really care about drunk antics, I was just hungry. There was barely enough food for everyone and when we left at 9pm I was still hungry.

So we headed to our home base for the weekend and left the kids with my in-laws and then went out in search for more sustenance.

Now this wedding took place in Bryan-College Station which is the location of Texas A&M Univeristy, where my husband, my brother-in-law and I all matriculated. (Heh, I love that word. It also sounds like masticated, which kind of sounds dirty but is in actuality perfect for this blog post about food!) The pride of Aggieland is that they are lame. We don't have the out there music scene, or alternative theatre groups. We have lots of cowboys and some horses on campus instead. And a kick ass vet school. So really we shouldn't have been surprised when we went at 10:45 to find a placeto eat and found the majority of the restaurants closing at 11. ELEVEN at night. I must have mentioned 50 katrillion times how Vegas would have things open. And Vegas would not be dead at Eleven and my husband calmly tells me from the back seat to STFU or something else would be dead at eleven. (This didn't really happen, but I think it did in my husband's head)

So I stopped complaining and we ate breakfast at a Denny's Diner. Which is like a Denny's but serves fewer choices but is realy just as crappy. I am sad that I am looking more forward to my trip to Vegas than my trip to San Francisco but thatmay be because of the 13 miles I have to walk when I get there. Maybe.

This ALSO reminded me of the time we went to eat dinner in Rome and every book told me that no Roman eats dinner before 9pm but we were hungry and figured the books had to be wrong based on translation or something and went to eat at 7pm where the only other diners were a family from America, a British couple and nuns.

Oh yeah, we party like nuns.

So the whole point of another post about food is to KNOW YOUR LOCATION. I can handle showing up early and looking like a tourist at dinner, but arriving too late to eat. That is a freaking Greek tragedy. So look at the opening/closing/serving hours when you read travel books. They are there for a reason!!!

A Vegas Family Reunion- Bull riding and steaks

Somehow our trip to Vegas in December turned into a immediate family reunion for my husband's side of the family. His brother was always going but we talked his parents in to meeting us there. This of course is more impressive than it sounds as his parents are farmers and vacations usually involve some sort of crop viewing in far flung states.

We solved the dilemma of how to get them there by buying their plane tickets for them. This way their guilt will impel them to get on the plane. All we asked is that they paid for their hotel (which at $49/night wasn't asking too much!)

Additionally we will be going to the NFR (another compromise to make this seem like a farmer-ish vacation!)



This is typically not my kind of thing, but I will take part to.... well... basically hold over my husband's head next time I want him to do something he doesn't like!

Additionally we will be going to dinner for a steak. Last trip my husband had dinner at Smith & Wollensky which is apparently a chain, but as we don't have them here we don't mind and he wants me to try it as well. I am up for a new restaurant in Vegas and I'll give a review when I get back.

Enjoy your home town...don't only eat out well on vacation!

I live in one of the top vacation spots in the USA. This year we had a staycation (more on that later) and I've vowed that my children will see all the local spots that tourists see. I always laugh when I visit friends and want to see things and they have never been there themselves. Additionally, I HATE chain restaurants. Unfortuantely San Antonians prefer chains. They do make an exception for a handful of restaurants though.

One example is La Fogata. I love this place!



Things to look for in a Mexican Restaurant
There are a couple of things that I prefer in a Mexican restaurant. It may mean they are more "authentic" or that I'm OCD but whatever. Here are a couple things I look for.
Choice of borracho or refried beans
A patio
Excellent Margaritas Actually a choice of drinks beyond beer and coke.
Hot salsa Not tomato sauce with onions
A Menu in Spanish There better be some words in Spanish!
Spanish speaking waiters Some restaurants here are ok, but they are like chains and basically a Mexican Bennigans
Restroom door to say Damas So maybe it is just my OCD :)