At Maison du Chocolat, Nicolas Cloiseau ingeniously nuances the finest cocoas to reveal them in a few grams of chocolate. In his art of blending, only the balance of taste counts. It is all this subtlety that marks a Maison chocolate. The alchemy of cocoa characteristics is revealed with exceptional ingredients. The sensations follow one another in nuances and length in the mouth without ever masking the chocolate.
Read MoreA visual exploration of the Paris dining scene, with stories, guides, and recommendations from everyday patrons and famous aficionados alike
Paris is a city like no other, beloved by travelers the world over for its incomparable architecture, atmosphere, arts, and, of course, food. The restaurants of Paris are rich with history, culture, and flavor. Whether you're a frequent visitor to the City of Light with memories of your favorite meals or an armchair traveler dreaming of the cuisine you could discover there, A Table in Paris will take you on a delicious visual journey through the arrondissements that you'll never forget. In his signature loose and evocative style, artist John Donohue has rendered an incredible sampling of the iconic institutions, hidden gems, and everything in between that make the Paris dining scene one of a kind.
Read MoreWhen you discover the most lavish and decadent French-inspired dog treats-well, I mean how could Melvin and Henry not experience them?! Bonne et Filou is just adorable!
Their 100% natural recipe is handmade in the USA and is free of artificial coloring or any preservatives. Their ingredients are all healthy for dogs, corn-free, and wheat-free, and sourced from local suppliers - only the best for our four-legged royals.
Read MoreDo you love wine like me? Do you get annoyed gazing at walls of wine in the store trying to decide what to try? Or are you still being safe and staying pretty quarantined?! Or perhaps you just really love French wine and can never find anything good in your local wine store?! I would answer OUI OUI to all three of these personally.
Fret no more over any of this because SomMailier is here for us!
I’ve discovered a new favorite time of day for entertaining for two: weekday lunch! There’s nothing more rejuvenating than hitting the pause button on the day’s to-do list to spend an hour with my sweetie eating great food and sipping a bit of wine. Lately our lunch “hour” has been turning into four though with this snowy winter weather! This leek tart is such a perfect light-yet-satisfying meal!
This recipe is from Sylvie with A Baking Journey Blog all though I have made it several times and made a few revisions for my taste!
Read MoreBonjour darlings! Happy French Friday.
If you have followed me for a while you know that I dedicated quite a bit of 2019 to learning French. My in-person lessons with a tutor were paused after 7 months due to a busy fall schedule and then when I was ready to start again the lockdown occured pausing everything. But I have been trying my best to keep practicing here at home through home study, french films, french music, an app on my phone- and I am STILL having so much fun learning but it definitely comes with frustrations too, especially without a teacher. I have a really tough time with the phonetics, especially since I know Spanish. Honestly knowing Spanish makes learning French so much harder. LOL.
Read MoreHappy almost Valentine’s day.
It’s just one of my very favorite ridiculous holidays! I think it stems from my mom. She loved Valentines. She would help me craft the most amazing cards for my classmates and make special strawberry cupcakes topped with red hots. We would always go for a lovely hibachi date too at Shogun Steak House of Japan. I do not really have the fondest moments of her but Valentine’s Day was truly something fond I do remember her by. She made this holiday so ridiculously special for me and it stuck.
Read MoreC’est la Chandeleur!
Time to eat crêpes!
Try your hand at flipping crêpes! Fairs sauter des crêpes is something of an art form in France. 🇫🇷 For good luck, hold a coin on one hand and with the other, toss the crêpe into the air when it’s time to cook it on the other side. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan you will have good for fortune in the coming year !
Who wants to learn some French?! 🇫🇷
Sharing a wonderful opportunity with my Francophile readers today in partnership with AF Chicago . Join them tomorrow for their Winter Virtual Open House! It's the perfect opportunity to learn more about what the Alliance Française de Chicago has to offer through a live Q&A with the staff, students, and teachers. Get to know the Alliance, and the reasons why they are the place where French happens in Chicago!
Originally founded in 1803, it was known in the olden days as a perfume and scented-vinegar brand. Its founder, Jean-Vincent Buly, was the inspiration for a Balzac character. After a “century of sleep,” per the brand’s website, the old beauty brand received a slight revamp from a husband-and-wife pair with a fragrance background, Ramdane Touhami (a former co-owner of Cire Trudon) and Victoire de Taillac.
Read MoreCould not skip #NationalChocolateCakeDay yesterday ! These lovely little rich dark and mild chocolate cakes filled with a liquid chocolate ganache from White Toque hit the spot!
Rodge got me a few Christmas presents from here as they have so many delightful European treats ! 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
Incorporated in 1992, White Toque Inc. is the result of the merger between the export operations of France Mediation USA Inc. (a sales agency for the French food and wine companies) and Toque d'Alsace S.A. (a French manufacturer of frozen entrees and appetizers).
If you are looking for an oil-free serum to help visibly firm, lift and reduce the look of wrinkles.. look no further. Caudalie gifted me their new Resveratrol Lift Instant Firming Serum and I am loving how my skin looks!
This serum has the highest concentration of Caudalie’s ‘s exclusive patent Resveratrol + Hyaluronic acid + Vegan collagen alternative. This patented blend is a clean and non-irritating retinol alternative, proven to be 2X more effective than retinol to visibly firm skin.
Read MoreSipping coffee flipping through a beautiful book about Paris this morning ... ( I so long to be there)
Checking in on my calendar for this week too and I could not be more excited about the upcoming cultural workshop on Emily in Paris - "A little bonjour goes a long way" hosted by AF Chicago.
