Category: Food & Wine

Balthazar NYC French Restaurant Turns 20: Why Its Influence Endures – Thrillist

The rose-hued light glinting off the downward-tilted gilded mirrors, the high-backed red leather banquettes, the patina on the walls that look aged with decades of smoke, the wafting aroma of snails in garlic and butter — it all evokes Paris in a visceral way. So do the servers dressed in all-black with white aprons, some of whom say their uniforms make them feel they’re in a play instead of a dining hall. But, then, Balthazar from the beginning has been a kind of theater, the play always the same and always different, on a set where 10,000 customers have crossed the tiled floor every week for the past 20 years [ . . . ]

More at source: Balthazar NYC French Restaurant Turns 20: Why Its Influence Endures – Thrillist

How to make the perfect cheeseboard

Say cheese!

Is there any more perfect way to end an evening than with a cheeseboard?

When we are out at a restaurant, many of us want to skip the meal and go straight to the cheese course.

Whether you are hosting a dinner party or just want to treat yourself, you can make your very own cheeseboard at home.

Choose your cheese and friends wisely then host a cheese-filled evening. Why not go wild and ask your guests to BYOC – bring your own cheese?

You might be a cheese aficionado or this could be your very first try but here is all you need to know about putting together the perfect cheeseboard [ . . . ]

Source: How to make the perfect cheeseboard – Independent.ie

How to Drink Wine – NYT Cooking

Wine is pleasure and conviviality, it is culture and it makes food taste better. But wine can also be intimidating. This guide takes the anxiety out of shopping, buying and drinking wine. You will learn the basics, from how to open a bottle to pairing it with food, along with the best language to use when talking about wine in stores, at restaurants and with friends.

Source: How to Drink Wine – NYT Cooking

Best croissants in Paris

While Londoners are losing their minds over Dominique Ansel’s cronut, the Parisian love affair with the croissant endures. These famously flaky pastries have been fuelling the city for hundreds of years – long enough to know there is nothing more tragic than a pale, soggy croissant to start the day. So after working our way through the finest jambon-beurre, we’ve scoured pâtisseries far and wide for the crème-de-la-crème of the capital’s croissants au beurre.Ranked on appearance (golden all over and brown on the bottom), pastry quality and taste, these buttery beauties are well worth crossing Paris for. Your breakfast may never be the same again.

Read the Top 5: Best croissants in Paris: Time Out Paris