by Editor | Jun 15, 2015 | Europe, France, Paris, Simon and Baker Travel Review
The first time were went to Rech, part of the multinational Alain Ducasse culinary portfolio, we had a most pleasant lunch. On our return visit we had an equally delightful dinner. The modern understated yet warm décor with blond woods and a convivial ambiance were a good match for the well prepared tasty meal, aesthetically pleasing presentation, and friendly and efficient bilingual service.
Although we were the first to arrive the two room upstairs dining section filled up as the evening wore on. Yet we never lacked for anything at our table. Attentive eyes glanced by en route to the second room, and at the most discrete indication from us someone would immediately attend to our request. The table side dish preparation, including fish deboning, enhanced the experience.
by Editor | Jun 12, 2015 | Europe, France, Paris, Simon and Baker Travel Review
While we had dined well at the same venue a number of times in the past that was our first meal since Chef Yannick Alleno had taken the reigns of the newly named Alleno Paris. Our multi course tasting menu was a most pleasant surprise.
Lunch was a blend of classical French cuisine yet modern at the same time. From the Krug by the glass to the final bite of sweets at the end the meal was a success. Delicious, refined and beautifully presented dishes paired with attentive, warm and detail oriented service matched the elegant setting in a historic building steps away from the famous Champs Elysees.
The chef’s enthusiastic back to basics sauce centered culinary style was simultaneously rewarding and refreshing. Each dish was a journey of discovery far enough from the norm to be intriguing yet still close enough to our zone of comfort to be pleasurable and fun. We congratulate him and his team on their success, and look forward to following them in the new restaurant at the Ledoyen Pavillon.
by Editor | Jun 12, 2015 | Maine, North America, United States
In this day of economies of scale, the popularity of fusion cuisine and a seeming infinite variety of imported products, a restaurant striving to serve local meals in the true sense of the word seemed to stretch the imagination. Intrigued and drawn by Vinland’s approach to cooking rooted in the land, sea, and traditions of Maine, and the culinary and nutritional wisdom of indigenous cultures with all local ingredients, we went out of our way to sample their food. We also wondered how the influence of new Nordic cuisine (especially restaurants Noma and Faviken where the chef had worked) would translate across the Atlantic to Maine’s similar bioregion.
By local the restaurant meant no citrus or cane sugar, plenty of yogurt whey, rhubarb, sumac, cranberry, maple, honey, and dozens of other ingredients, including herbs, fruits, nuts, roots, and mushrooms. While the wines were all imported they offered the most natural and organic wine list we have come across.
by Editor | Jun 11, 2015 | Europe, Greece
Located in south eastern Europe, on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula Greece is near the three continents Europe, Asia and Africa. It has an area of 131,957 square kilometers and a population of about 11 million. The country consists of three main geographic areas: the largest is the mainland, the Peloponnese peninsula separated from the mainland by the canal of the Corinth Isthmus, and some 6,000 islands scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea in the Greek archipelago.
A large segment, 80 percent, of the country is mountainous or hilly. At the same time, it has 16,000 kilometers of coastline. Of those 7,500 are in the thousands islands of the Greek archipelago.
It has an area of 131,957 square kilometers and a population of about 11 million. The country consists of three main geographic areas: the largest is the mainland, the Peloponnese peninsula separated from the mainland by the canal of the Corinth Isthmus, and some ,.000 islands scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea in the Greek archipelago.
A large segment, 80 percent, of the country is mountainous or hilly. At the same time, it has 16,000 kilometers of coastline. Of those 7,500 are in the thousands islands of the Greek archipelago.
by Editor | Jun 1, 2015 | Europe, Greece, Simon and Baker Travel Review
With their wealth of road tourism experience, flawless planning and sensitive understanding of the area, Tripology made my journey through the Pindus Mountains an exhilarating combination of spectacular mountain wilderness and suspenseful road travel, a mix so compelling it should come with a warning label.
