A Piggy in Paris

Bonjour. So over the weekend we took the overnight train to Nice (Not recommended. If you thought trying to sleep on an airplane was bad, think again). At least we had a nice view in the morning…

Hello.  Just a quick update today.

So last Thursday we got together with a few friends to celebrate Kim’s belated birthday dinner at Ma Salle a Manger. Kim saw me snapping photos and knew that they would all end up as apiggyinparis blog fodder…so I can’t disappoint. Seeing as my blog is so widely read and all…uh, yeah. :D

Bah dum bum. Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?

So last weekend Brandon and I were fortunate enough to travel to Budapest. We stayed at the wonderful Hotel Andrassy. If you’re ever in Budapest and need a place to stay…we highly recommend it.

We were excited to hear from one of Brandon’s co-workers that there would be a food festival going on the weekend we were in Budapest.  We were a tad peeved when the shuttle driver dropped us off a few blocks away from our hotel due to road closures, but that was soon replaced with giddyness when we suspected that the road directly in front of our hotel was blocked off for what seem to be a set-up for some sort of festival…

Lo and behold we walked out of our hotel room the next morning to find this…

and this!

and this!

and omg, this!

and not to mention this!


So we hurried down a few blocks to the nearest ATM to get some of these-

So that we could get some of this- (well, we REALLY wanted to buy the fried chicken that the grandma in the first picture was frying up, but discovered that it wasn’t for sale! She was cooking it for the festival workers. Sigh…it smelled and looked so good. I bet the Colonel ain’t got nuffin on her!)

after scarfing down that,we washed it down with these-

So turns out the festival was really for horses or something, blah, blah…but really, c’mon, its all about the food. But for the sake of absorbing some culture other than the food culture of the countries we visit, I snapped some shots of the non-food related attraction.

After the food and the horses it was off to enjoy one of Budapest’s treasures…the Turkish Baths. These are basically complexes with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, and spas.

We enjoyed the pools, caught a few rays, and some z’s for Brandon and even treated ourselves to a massage. Heck! We were in Budapest where the currency exchange made us feel like millionaires compared to the paupers we feel like in Paris.

Thoroughly baked, kneaded, and refreshed we headed back to our hotel. On our walk through the park, there was a party going on and there was someone’s pet horse just munching away on some grass.

Luckily a NY Times article had reviewed the restaurant at our hotel, Baraka, favorably so we decided to dine there. 

Yummy butter with house-made bread.

an amuse bouche from the chef - potato leek soup.

Brandon’s appetizer: Nord Sea baby prawn “club sandwich”

My salad with grilled asparagus and roasted goat cheese. So GOOD.

My green pea soup with tempura tiger prawn…left me speechless.

My salmon duo: thai marinated sashimi and tartar with yogurt.

Brandon’s main course: twice roasted honey glazed pork with spinach, roasted onions and potato puree.

The pork…AMAZING.

For dessert: creme brulee trio - strawberry, coffee, and vanilla bean creme brulee.

and a fruit plate, with the best grapes we’ve ever tasted.

The next day it was round two of the food festival. Ding! Ding!

After stuffing ourselves with more festival food we decided to explore the city.

And if you’re reading Matt…this one’s for you.

Crossing over to the Pest side…

Needed some refreshments…and of course only something from home would do.

Inside the opera house.

And then it was time to pack up and go home.

Enjoying our last few moments in Budapest with a snack on the hotel patio.

Delightful tomato consomme with spinach and ricotta wontons.

The Buda-and his pest. :D

That’s all for now. Oink! Oink!

Bonjour. So a couple weeks ago we went to Giverny to visit Claude Monet’s home and gardens. Quite beautiful. At the risk of sounding cheesy…it was like stepping into one of his paintings. Enjoy.

The house in the back.

Look familiar? :D

Before we left for Giverny, we stopped by the Champs Elysees. There was some sort of eco-something-green event (as you can see I was really interested in it). But we thought we’d check it out since the entire Champs Elysees was shut down and transformed into an outdoor garden/farm.

For those of you who think that pineapples grow on trees…

Lavender. Smelled heavenly.

That’s all for now. Gotta finish watching Korea v. Greece. Oink! Oink!

Trying to find easier ways to post pictures from our trips. So here’s a slide show of our trip to Milan and Lake Como. There’s also some video footage in hopes that you guys can experience the great views and sights. Brandon calls it my 360 move. :D

So we flew into Milan and enjoyed the sights & food. Milan has this great food culture called aperitivo. Local bar/restaurants offer a sort of happy hour from 6ish-9pm. All you have to do is purchase a drink and you are free to enjoy all the food that they set out along the bar. Many times there are so many things offered that it is a complete meal. You can eat to your stomach’s content, or as much as your pride will let you up to get seconds, thirds…etc. Brandon loved it has inspired hopes to open a aperitivo/gelato bar when we return home. We’ll see how that works…

After spending a night in Milan I was very excited to check out of our hotel. That is the last time I let price dictate where we stay. The hotel was ghetto and the breakfast was the most awful thing I have ever experienced. Call me HM if you must, but c’mon people, we are no longer in college and backpacking through Europe…I am older now, I work (or did and will continue to do so when I return :P), made money, and made that money so as to enjoy life… I now have standards.  Brandon agreed that it was not the best of accommodations. All I know is the saying happy wife=happy life rings especially true for happy travels. 

So we happily checked out to move on to greener pastures. And green they were! We took the train to Varenna, one of the many towns along the shores of Lake Como. Verenna was a cute little sleepy town. We then took a ferry to Bellagio and checked into our considerably nicer room at Hotel Florence. We enjoyed a snack of spaghetti by the lake and walked around town. Found an aperitivo bar and pigged out. We also went to dinner, but it was not that great…yes, you can eat bad food while traveling…sometimes you just walk into the wrong place.

The next day we enjoyed the lake a little more and then got back on the train back to Milan. We had the best meal of the entire trip at Obika mozzarella bar. The creamiest, freshest buffalo mozzarella ever. Little white milky morsels of heaven that melt in your mouth. And not to be outdone, but the roasted vegetables served along with it were just as delicious. Lets just say we were happy campers! We took in a few more sights and headed back to a hotel near the airport to catch our early flight back to Paris. Crazy tired, but it was a great trip. Bellagio, Lake Como, and Milan did not disappoint.

Hope you guys enjoy…you know we did! :D Oink! Oink!

Hello. I know, its been two weeks, but I was going around trying to snap some interesting photos for you guys to see.

So two weekends ago we took a day trip to Epernay to taste a little bubbly (my favorite). We took a stroll down Avenue de Chmapagne, where underneath the street, millions of bottles of champagne are stored in chalk cellars. 

We took our first champagne tour at Moët et Chandon. The facilities were very impressive. Nothing but class…

Napoleon’s private tasting room.

Bwongaparte.

So much Dom Perignon…someday I will have a taste…

miles and miles of the stuff.

Their oldest bottle under lock and key.

and the best part of the tour…

our tour guide. such a nice guy…even gave us some corks as souvenirs.

Beautiful park in the town.

Then a tour at De Castellane.

Vats of wine waiting to become champagne.

This tour was a little on the hokey side…complete with manikin reenactments of how champagne was made.

But they had a great view from the top of their tower.

Next up - Milan and Lake Como. Stay tuned…oink, oink!

*tap*tap*feedback…Uhhh, Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?

For the two of you that were following my blog, I apologize for not updating. I have no excuses. I am just lazy.

So before I got to take a little trip back “home” to the U.S. (I use the term home loosely, as I have no actual home in the U.S. to go home to) Brandon and I took our first trip out of Paris to Amsterdam. We hope it is the first of many while we are here in Europe for the year.

The bikes, the flowers, the Indonesian food! Who knew Amsterdam was so wondrous?

Day 1: As soon as we landed, we stowed our bags in a locker and headed for the Keukenhof Gardens.

This year’s exhibition theme was “From Russia, with Love”

That’s one big ballerina!

Amazing displays of floral arrangements.

Picturesque grounds around the garden.

We sold Brandon’s Camry before we left for Paris, so we got him a new ride…

And gorgeous tulips everywhere!

Some were the size of my face! Now that’s a big bloom!

Wooden shoes in the gift shop

orchids in the greenhouse

We capped off the day at the garden with an ice cream cone and headed to our hotel in Amsterdam.

Our hip, ultra-modern digs at CitizenM

Two tube like glass enclosures on either side of the room. One the shower, the other the toilet.

the entire rest of the room is taken up by a king-size wall to wall bed. Complete with a remote pad that controls every function of the room from the tv to the mood lighting. The free on-demand movies are what sold Brandon. He now wants to visit any European city where we can stay at a CitizenM. Too bad they are still under construction in other locations around the world.

Then it was off to dinner at an Indonesian restaurant that I read about in the NY Times. NY Times, you never disappoint!

Can’t even begin to explain how good this heaping plate of food was. I also can’t explain it because I have no idea what any of it was called. We could hardly pronounce anything on the menu. We just ordered according to the description of curried meats, marinated salads, and flavored rice. Delish!

Interesting establishment of all vending machine fast food.

And scene. Our first night in Amsterdam along the canals.

Day 2 & 3: Explored the city. Museums were great and Brandon was with his kindred spirits among the biking people of Amsterdam.

More flowers…

Good times in Amsterdam without having to visit a coffee shop. :D Can’t wait for our next trip…Milan & Lake Como.

Piggy signing off! Oink! Oink!

So here are the photos from the iPhone…

Yesterday we rented bikes and roamed around the city. First we biked over to the Marais area and met a friend for lunch at Glou (another Zagat pick…we’re lovin it Cass).

Brandon had white fish in a white sauce with butter, onions and veggies.

Katelyn and I had the pig cheek with potatoes & mushrooms. Robust and earthy…yum!

The cafe gourmand: chocolate hazelnut bar, shortbread cookie, and espresso. The best espresso we’ve had yet!

there’s the hazelnut in all its glory…

Then we marched over to Angelina in search of the “best hot chocolate” in Paris…

The line was out the door…so we guessed that was a good sign…

Looks promising…

Still lookin good…

Not as impressive as Laduree, but still, very nice.

Finally seated and the desserts arrive. I ordered the Olympe…fresh raspberries, macaroon cookies, blah, blah…can’t really go wrong here. It was good, but nothing to die for.

So Brandon and Katelyn read the romance on the first page of the menu that speaks of the wonder and awe of their signature dessert, the Mont Blanc. Words like “a centuries old, secretly guarded recipe” and “…the likes of CoCo Chanel have enjoyed…” entice them.

So its a meringue base topped with whipped creme and a chestnut puree. All ingredients sound good…

took a bite…COMPLETE AND UTTER DISASTER! THE WORST DESSERT IN PARIS. It tasted like it was centuries old and that CoCo Chanel had died in it. Like I said on my fbook…this dessert should be ashamed to call itself a parisian dessert! In a word, disgusting. Basically horribleness served in a cupcake wrapper. Katelyn said it all when she said, “if I take one more bite, I will be sick.”

The rest of the time we were there we just watched in horror as other tables ordered it. Typically it would be a couple, the girl ordered the mont blanc and the guy ordered something simple and completely appetizing. We’d watch as the girl would take one bite, scowl, and then we would see the mont blanc being placed in front of the guy instead as the desserts were switched. Sigh, these kind men. A few powered through, no doubt thinking to themselves, “…ugh, 7 euros for this nasty dessert, that comes out to about $10, better just eat expensive calories.” And others were not as strong, we’d watch them take a few more bites and then just stab it with their forks, no doubt picturing their girlfriends that took their delicious dessert that they had chosen and left them with this chestnut-meringue-CoCoChanel-who the heck is that-awful dessert. To those men at Angelina yesterday, we feel your pain.

So being the American I am, I flag down a waiter/host and ask him to take the desserts away because they do not taste good. He looks at me with complete disgust and says. “do you not see the many people that line-up outside our doors to eat this?” and walks away in a complete french huff. It was amazing how those were the words he said, but I all heard was, “stupid American.” I totally insulted him with the dessert, and he me. I just meant for him to take the plates away so we wouldn’t have to stare at the dessert any longer because it was really depressing us. It was particularly rough on Brandon who had intended to order an eclair before he was swept up by the description on the first page. Le sigh.

As for the hot chocolate, it was good, but the Mont Blanc just totally killed our spirits. If anything, don’t waste your time here. Just go to Laduree were even the “that was okay” desserts are wonderful (last time we went, we had three, and we loved one above the other two, but all were still amazing as far as desserts go), the hot chocolate is thicker, and the ambiance is even more gilded.

Brandon and Katelyn had to call it a night after that disappointment. So we all biked home, I made Brandon some capellini pomodoro with a salad, and we called it a night.

Moral of the post - beware of the Mont Blanc @ Angelina.

This is Piggy signing off. Stay hungry my friends. :D Oink! Oink!

So after much debate on how to spend Brandon’s first paid holiday off from work, we decided to have a stay-cation in Paris. We had a wonderful three-day weekend.

Saturday started out with a walk around our neighborhood farmer’s market.

mmmm…

heavenly stinkiness…

Then it was off to lunch. A place that I found in the Zagat guide (thanks Cassie!) that we had planned to go to was closed for lunch so we ducked into a place around the corner that we have started to frequent, Au Pere Louis. We had just been here Thursday night for dinner with a few of Brandon’s co-workers and thoroughly enjoyed the cassoulet, so we decided to go back for seconds.

white beans with sausage, duck leg, and pork. sooo good.

I had the fish of the day in a citrus sauce with pappardelle pasta. Not AS good as the cassoulet, but pleasant.

Brandon’s apple tart

and my cafe gourmand: a small baked brioche, mini creme brulee, chocolate dipped pineapples, lime sorbet, almond macaroon, and a shot of espresso. bliss on a plate.

I’m so excited to dig in!

Full and happy, we ventured around the city. Wandered over to the open air nursery by Notre Dame.

and spring is in bloom around the city. its absolutely wonderful.

and after the showers during the day, we were treated to this in the late afternoon.

The Saint-Jacques Tower.

Then on Sunday we ventured out for falafel after church.

The line…

Brandon in a hunger daze…

Haha…sorry no photos of the actual falafel. After rain and hail we were finally in possession of our falafels. As I was scarfing it down, Brandon asks me aren’t you going to take a photo? Sorry guys…I was just too hungry to stop and try to take a photo. We had to stand and eat in the street, so I was afraid if I gave my falafel to Brandon to hold for the photo I would never see it again…don’t worry, there will definitely be a next time. They were delish!

No camera with me on Monday, just my iPhone…so will upload some pics from there. Monday was an adventure, we rented bikes and braved the Paris roadways. It was exhilarating. :D More to come…stay tuned. Piggy signing off. Oink! Oink!