Eating Europe

We will be flying out to Europe on Sunday. I hope to bring you guys some wonderful restaurant reviews and hopefully some new recipes.

We will be flying into Paris and renting an RV for 18 nt's. We will travel to Reims, Verzenay, Epernay our first full day and will get to have some great champagne tastings. I wonder what their local Rose biscuits taste like....we'll soon find out.

This is our favorite Champagne

We will then travel over to Heidelberg, O.T Rothenburg, Munich & Fussen Germany. I'm positive that we will have many beirs and sausages.

Then it will be on to Innsbruck Austria in the Alps....hopefully weather permitting we will be able to take a gondola up to the top of the Alps and have fondue with a view.

It is in Italy that I'm most excited about their fresh food. We have a whole list of items to purchase to bring home or etleast taste.

Parmesan cheese from Parma and Parma Ham, too bad we can't bring any meat product back into the US.

In Modena we have reservations to tour a Balsamic vinegar house. I'll bet we'll be shipping several bottles back home.

I love anchovies and when we arrive in Cinque Terre area most restaurants feature many forms of their fresh catches. Cinque Terre is part of the Liguiria area of Italy and many specialites origaneted from this area such as Foccaccia bread (fugass in Italian), Torta Salata (a savory vegetable tart), pesto, Chickpea Farinata. Testaroli pasta. Hazelnuts and chestnuts are from this area too. Ligurian olive oil is some of the most expensive in the world because it is so rare due to a blite a few years ago and also because the only land in Cinque Terre to grow them are terraced areas of the seaside hills. I would consider us very lucky if we can find the rare Vessalico pink garlic grown only in vessalico.

Cinque Terre above and Testaroli pasta below

There is an Olive museum in Imperia Italy that I'm very interested in stopping at. Of  course a visit to Italy wouldn' be complete with out pizza, gelato and esspresso.

Museo dell'Olivo



We then will continue driving into the French Riviera and up through Province France and into the Burgundy wine country. Looking forward to stopping at Chateau de Beaucastle in Chateauneuf du Pape, I've never had a Chatueuneuf du Pape I haven't liked and Beaucastle is suppose to be one of the best.

Not certain if we will take the time to stop in Lyon France culinary capital of the world. If so there are too many restaurants to decide now which one we will try. Decisions, decisions.

We're definitley be stopping in Beaune capital of Burgundy country. We will be paying a visit to March aux Vins for some tastings. I'm hoping to score a few bottles of Meursault also a very fine wine IMO.

Hospices de Beaune and a tasting table at the wine auction house

Our next big culinary experiance will come in the City of Lights where we will rent an apartment for 6 nt's. I have really had some restraint and not went crazy with making reservations. I've only made ressy's for 1 restaurant so far and that is Spring. I will call and make reservations once on French soil for Josephine Chez Dumont. We will be willing to stand in line to eat at Cafe Constant a creation by  former Michelin star Chef Christian Constant that has several other restaurants. We're looking forward to just finding a bistro and sitting to people watch as they walk by while we dine on croque-monsieur and drink our vin. I'm sure we'll find plenty to stock our kitchen at a street food market.

The view from inside our apartment

Marie Ann Cantin is a fromagerie that I would like to stock up on cheese from. A L'Etoile for some of her great chocolates. Berthilion icecream sounds yummy as does a Nutella crepe from a street vender. Some of the best hot chocolate in the city can be found at Angelina's tea room.

Really do you think I can choose just one?

Of course I have constantly been dreaming of the many patisseries and macarons like Laduree, Piere Herme, Des Gateaux (right around the corner from our apt.) & Dalloyou.

I hope to find some Jean -Yves bordier Butter with sea salt maybe we can find it at any one of the gourmet food stores like La Bon March Grand Epicurie. Printemps, Galleries Lafayette Gourmet.

Hopefully we will have some extra room to bring it all home.....that is what ever we don't devour first. 

Bon appetit