Category: Food & Wine

One Wine Glass to Rule Them All

At some point along every wine drinker’s arc of discovery, the time comes to invest in a set of glasses.

Choosing the right one may seem complicated, confusing and occasionally overwhelming. The process can be fraught with anxiety, as many different glass styles are available, and points of view clash on what is proper and necessary.

Corkscrew aside, a stemmed glass is the only indispensable piece of equipment needed to enjoy the best a bottle has to offer, and the least expensive, easiest way to invest in better drinking is to buy a good set. Not that wine can’t be consumed without them. [ . . .  ] Fully story

The best crêperies in Paris

Time Out’s recommended restaurants and cafés for crêpes in the French capital

 

Brittany’s most famous culinary export, the crêpe is everywhere in . You’ll see numerous stands flaunting Nutella or ham & cheese pancakes across the city for about €4; but for the real thing, best with a traditional glass of cider, head to one of our pick of Parisian crêperies [ .. . ]

Full Story: The best crêperies in Paris | Restaurants and cafés | Paris

Are the French rude? Wherever you go, there you are

This ridiculous article from the New York Daily News really ticked me off,  for several reasons. Firstly, if there are any people who should be sensitive to an underserved reputation for rudeness, it should be New Yorkers. I’ve dined in Paris and New York, chatted with waiters, and asked for help from strangers in both cities. My own experience is that Parisians and New Yorkers are for the most part friendly and accommodating to visitors, mainly because they are so proud of their city, I think. Secondly, if this NY Daily News reporter had a bad experience in a Paris restaurant, how unfair is it to label “the French” as rude?  I once received a smart-ass remark from a waitress at the Carnegie Deli, but I didn’t blame every New Yorker from Times Square to the Catskills.  Worse, what if I blamed “the Americans” because Sophie the waitress was having a bad hair day? I’ve always liked the saying, “Wherever you go, there you are!” 
Read this story below from the New York Daily News, and please comment. I’d like to know what you think!
[ Mike Stevenson / Pas De Merde]

The French were so rude to me in Paris that I had to seek out American eateries | NY Daily News

I went to Paris, but ate like a New Yorker.

Blame the French. My first experience in the City of Light was met with a wave of rudeness — particularly in restaurants — despite how reluctant I was to believe the stereotype that the French are cold.

It’s tough being an American in Paris. Especially when the only French words you know are “Bonjour,” “Merci” and “Au Revoir.”

My sister and I made an effort to greet everyone we met with the proper pleasantry in French, but despite our attempts at speaking the language, we weren’t exactly treated hospitably. [ . . .  ]

Read more of this nonsense at:http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/french-rude-paris-opted-american-food-article-1.2928043

Just say no to Beaujolais Nouveau

Adam Teeter / Vinepair.com
Every year, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, one of the strongest wine-marketing behemoths takes over: Beaujolais Nouveau season. Wine shops are overtaken with Beaujolais Nouveau displays, restaurants start pouring Beaujolais Nouveau, and people start buying the wine like crazy.

All the hype would lead one, especially a novice, to believe that Beaujolais Nouveau must be worthy of all this attention, and the price tag that goes along with it, but guess what? Beaujolais Nouveau actually isn’t very good.

The annual “night before” party at La Robe et Le Palais on November 18, 2015. “Throw a stone and you’d hit one the pirates of the wine community.” Photo and quote by Michaël Dandrieux

Beaujolais Nouveau is a wine that has literally been bottled only six to eight weeks after the Gamay grapes that were used to make it have been picked. This gives no time for the wine to mature, no time for delicious flavors to develop, nothing. What you have is just thin, alcoholic grape juice. In fact, the wine is so Continue reading “Just say no to Beaujolais Nouveau” →

Beaujolais Nouveau is available for a limited time every year for the holiday season

Every year on the third Thursday of November the historical Province of Beaujolais, a French wine producing region, releases its seasonal Beaujolais Nouveau that finds itself to the lips of most wine drinkers during the holiday season.This tradition dates to the 1980s when Georges Duboeuf, the founder of France’s Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, began a marketing campaign that popularized its production.

“Duboeuf came up with the idea to have the first wine of the harvest on the entire planet,” said Bryan Della Volpe, the wine and cigar manager at Continue reading “Beaujolais Nouveau is available for a limited time every year for the holiday season” →