Every year starting on January 6th, la galette de rois (the cake of the three kings), a cake made of frangipane (almond cream paste) and a buttery crust, is sold in patisseries all over France. These delicious cakes celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, where the three wise men came to see the baby Jesus. [...]

Whether you’re celebrating New Year’s Eve on the Champs Elysees in Paris, or with a small group of friends chez toi, if you’ve planned it right, chances are you’re going to wake up with one heck of a gueule de bois (hangover) come Friday morning. What better way to Frenchify your New Year than with a Bloody Mary? Bet [...]

We discovered Speculoos, the delicious cinnamony Belgian cookies, all on our own and now thanks to one of my kids’ best school chums who is Belgian, we’ve now been introduced to the spread which I can only liken to crack that’s spreadable with a knife. Yes, I like peanut butter and no, I don’t care [...]

When Wendy Lyn moved to Paris twenty years ago she found herself living out a foodie version of the book series, Eloise. Instead of the Plaza hotel, she had the famous Paris bakery Poilâne as her delectable dominion. With the luscious scent of buttery pastries as her alarm clock, she’d run down from her chambre de bonne on the top floor of [...]

The most romantic walk in Paris might be up in the 11e arrondissement along the Canal Saint Martin. Wander across a couple of the arched bridges between Quai de Jemmapes and Quai de Valmy in the evening twilight and drop in at the Hotel du Nord for a kir. This bar/restaurant has the cachet of [...]

We’re getting ready to take off to spend the holidays in the U.S. so we’ve been frantically buying gifts and stocking stuffers. We came across these kitschy boxes of liqueur-filled chocolates. Unlike those little sugar bottles filled with God knows what liqueurs (we got those too!), these use dark chocolate without the sugar crust, they [...]

About a week ago I was very surprised when my friends at La Cave des Papilles told me that Hervé Villemade, the wine maker in the Loire, had left me something. It was a shiny new case of Quoi d’Neuf? I’d made the label for Hervé three years ago and he reissued it all over France during the Beaujolais Nouveau wine [...]

Aux Ducs de Gascogne has its own farm in the Gars area in southwestern France and they own 6 stores in Paris. I have tried the foie gras in numerous versions and the quality is excellent and the taste superb. It comes in cans, jars, and refrigerated plastic packages. They recommend buying cans if you [...]

It is the eternal question of the tourist – how can I get to see the true heart of a place if I just drift through hotels, museums and restaurants? Few visitors to Paris ever get to see beyond the public face, but two sisters in the city have come up with an idea that [...]

I had low expectations for Passage 53. This newish restaurant inside the city’s oldest covered passageway has drawn very mixed reviews. A number of eaters who I trust have been disappointed here. Other palates had been pleased, but their measured compliments never moved me to pick up the phone. Then my boyfriend, who wanted to celebrate [...]