travel zen on friday: notre dame and the river seine

An iconic spot: the Notre Dame Cathedral (and a tiny view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance) along the River Seine.

travel zen on friday: jardin du luxumbourg

One of my favorite spots in Paris is the Jardin du Luxumbourg. Located in the left bank near the Sorbonne, it's a great place to stroll and get away from it all.

how to fan girl at restaurant l'arpege in paris

L'Arpege.

Chef Alain Passard is one of the most famous people in the culinary world. His restaurant, L'Arpege, consistently gets three Michelin stars and is a fixture on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List. He focuses on vegetarian cuisine although he does offer meat and fish as well.

I first heard of Chef Passard when a friend served me an "Arpege egg" one time at a dinner party. My friend's version was creamy scrambled egg topped with caviar served in an egg shell. Since then, I've been wanting to try the real thing.

When Mr. Sazy Rock and I recently visited Paris, he wanted to go back to Arpege to get himself up to date on the city's dining scene. I was more than happy to tag along. I was very excited to finally eat the famous Arpege egg.

The Scene

The diners were both food tourists and French people alike. We arrived fairly early and the place was mostly empty. But, by 9 pm, when most people ate, the place was full and buzzy. Men wore jackets and women dressed smart. I should note, however, that I saw a French speaking couple wear jeans.

The Service

What excited me was Chef Passard working the room and greeting every single diner. In fact, when he first started greeting diners, I thought he knew them personally. He was that friendly. Instead, those folks were just regular diners like me and Mr. SR. When he finally came by our table, he joked with us and noted how much Mr. SR seemed to enjoy eating their bread. After saying hi, he went back to the kitchen.

video: what is a bouchon?

Join me and Mr. Sazy Rock as we dine in a real bouchon in Lyon, France at Comptoir Chabert. I hope you enjoy our short video.

travel zen on friday: lyon

A view of Lyon and the River Saone.

video: dining at paul bocuse's l'auberge du pont de collonges in lyon, france

If you've ever wondered what it is like to dine at Paul Bocuse's temple of gastronomy - L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges - in Lyon, France, I've shot a short video below. Enjoy!

have you ever wondered how the british house of lords dine?

The menu at the Peers' Dining Room.

If you've ever wondered how those Lords in the British Parliament ate, well, now you can somewhat have an insight. As a quick primer, the British Parliament is made up of two houses - the House of Lords (similar to the Senate in the USA) and the House of Commons (similar to the US House of Representatives). Their office is the Palace of Westminster where Big Ben is located. If you are a Downton Abbey fan (like me), a period drama about the lives of the upper and lower classes of wartime Britain, Lord Grantham would have been a part of the House of Lords.

Within the Houses of Parliament are dining areas. The Peers' Dining Room is the restaurant where the Lords eat. Usually, only Lords are allowed to dine there, unless invited by a Lord (or when they decide to - on very rare occasions - open it up to the public. (The House of Commons has its own dining area and Lords cannot dine there unless invited by a Member of Parliament ("MP"). So, if Lord Grantham was visiting London (and if he were real), he would have had access to the Peers' Dining Room.

During our last visit to London, Mr. Sazy Rock (a dual citizen of the US and the UK) got wind of a rare opening of the Peers' Dining Room. Lords and MPs were out and about campaigning for and against Brexit so the powers-that-be decided to open up the Peers' Dining Room for a short period (about one week) to plebeians like us. As an aside, 2015 was the first year that the powers-that-be opened up the Peers' Dining Room to the common folk. It was such a success that they did it again in 2016. Pre-Brexit, we were told that they had plans to do it again. I don't know how those plans will work post-Brexit.

travel zen on friday: view from the tate modern

 One of the many joys of London are the free museums. This is a view from the balcony of the Tate Modern: the Millenium Bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral.

London

hedone: hedonism for the mouth

Hedone.

One of the highlights of my last trip to London with Mr. Sazy Rock was a meal at Hedone. Our expectations were very high. Yet, Hedone still met them.

Let me explain. My brother in law dines at Hedone. A lot. As in he-dines-there-so-much-he-has-a-chair-with-a-plaque-with-his-name-on-it "a lot." He's been dining there since it opened and we think he's dined there over 200 times. When Mr. SR lived in London, he and my brother in law ate out a lot and talked about it. The bottom line is: we trust his palate.

So, on our recent trip, my brother in law treated us to a meal at his favorite restaurant. We went for lunch because we knew it was going to be a long lunch. As the restaurant's name suggests, we were in for a pleasurable meal, and we wanted it to last a very long time.

Hedone.

lamb chops: london's iconic dish?

There are plenty of iconic dishes in London to choose from. Last week, I wrote about the Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad from St. John. Today, I submit that the Tandoori Lamb Chops at Tayyabs is pretty iconic as well.

The Tandoori Lamb Chops at Tayyabs.

Tayyabs is named after the last name of the owners of a Punjabi restaurant in the Whitechapel area of Greater London. Although it is very near Brick Lane, which is known for South Asian restaurants, Tayyabs is the better option because the food is just amazing (and affordable). 

travel zen on friday: pemaquid point lighthouse

One of Maine's many lighthouses. The one pictured below is in Pemaquid, ME.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.

"nose to tail": london's iconic dish?

The Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad at St. John.

Admittedly, there are plenty of iconic dishes in London. That is, those widely known and well-established dishes that scream "yeah, that's London."

I will submit that St. John Restaurant's Roasted Bone Marrow and Parsley Salad is one of London's top iconic dishes. After all, the dish was arguably popularized by a well-respected chef -- Fergus Henderson -- based on his well-known philosophy of cooking -- nose to tail. 

quiet reflections in london (video)

Travel Tip: If you would like to enjoy some quiet time while in London, Postman's Park in the city provides such a place. It is tucked away in a little corner of the city.

Also, within the park is a Memorial to Heroic Self-Sacrifice. Yes, people who have sacrificed their lives while trying to save others. Reading through the plaques commemorating heroic deeds should remind us all that people are inherently good, which is sometimes difficult to remember when inundated by all that we see on the news.

Sometimes, travel requires a time to reflect. I hope you enjoy the short video below of Postman's Park.

travel zen on friday: portland head light

Maine has plenty of lighthouses. One of them, the Portland Head Light, is seen in the picture below. It was commissioned by the first president of the United States, George Washington, in 1790.

have you ever wondered where the buffalo wing was invented?

Have you ever wondered where the Buffalo Wing was invented?

The Home of the Original Buffalo Wing.

restaurant review: eventide in portland, maine

Eventide Oysters.

Portland has been getting a lot of love in the food world. Portland, Oregon, that is.

And, that's great. Portland, OR is a great eating city. But, I have to argue that Portland, Maine is just as great, if not better.

The Scene

Eventide is a small seafood restaurant on the outskirts of downtown Portland near the port. Although, Portland is so small that being on the outskirt is not really all that far. When we stopped in for brunch, most tables and the bar area were full. Luckily, we found a great spot near the oysters at the bar.

travel zen on friday: sunset in seabrook, nh

Sunset behind Brown's Lobster Pound.

brown's vs. markey's: the battle for the best lobster rolls

Sunset behind Brown's Lobster Pound.

In a small town located in New Hampshire's tiny coastal stretch are two fairly famous lobster restaurants. On a recent road trip of New England, Mr. Sazy Rock and I decided to wade in on the local argument as to which Lobster Pound was better: Brown's or Markey's.

The drama could not be better. These establishments are literally (not figuratively) across the street from each other. Only a somewhat busy highway separates them.

We decided not to get a whole lobster because we only had so much stomach and so little meals between us. After all, this was an impromptu stop on our way to dinner in Portland, ME. But, to make it fair, we decided to get lobster rolls from both.

lubec: thoughts on visiting the easternmost town in the contiguous usa

Lubec.

Mr. Sazy Rock's mantra in life - and subsequently, mine - is to "Go Everywhere, Eat Everything." Inevitably, we visit different places and sample the cuisine. But, on top of that, we like to - as much as possible - meet the locals. 

On our recent trip to Lubec, Maine - a small town that boasts of being the easternmost city/town in the contiguous US - we saw, we ate, and we met the locals. It was an amazing thing. 

Lubec's Main Street.

First, Lubec borders the Canadian border. Getting there is a matter of crossing a short bridge behind the town's post office. 

That is the bridge to Canada, just behind the Lubec Post Office.

Second, Lubec used to be a striving fishing town until about 22 companies left in the 1970s and 1980s. But, there are still a few lobster and sea urchin fishermen/women that remain. The population is about 1,200 and "swells" to about 2,500 during tourist season. 

Water St. Tavern. Behind it is Canada.

Third, it's a great place to see the sunrise (especially by the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse) because at certain times, such as during the Equinox, the first place the sun shines its rays on in the USA is in Lubec. 

We saw West Quoddy Head lighthouse and the marker for the easternmost point of the contiguous USA. The lighthouse was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson. 

Marker for the easternmost point in the contiguous USA.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse.

We ate at Water Street Tavern & Inn (the easternmost tavern in the contiguous USA) and feasted on a two and a half pound fresh Maine lobster. It was fresh and sweet.

A two-and-a-half pound lobster at Water St. Tavern.

We drank at the Lubec Brewing Company (the easternmost brewery in the contiguous USA). The Red Ale was rich and deep. 

Lubec Brewing Company.

But, more importantly, we met locals. At the brewery, we chatted with Julie the bartender and her husband Bob, Leroy and Steve, but we missed Gale - the owner and Brewer. We heard stories (or myth?) about the drunk surveyors who drew up the the US/Canada map, which resulted in the island next to Lubec becoming a part of Canada instead of being part of the USA. We also heard about war stories from our new veteran friends, their ancestries from England, local gossip, and even got the lowdown on the application of macro economics in Lubec. At the tavern, we met Jim the proprietor, Valerie the server, Matt the cook, and Theresa the former cook and Matt's mother. From them, we heard more of their backgrounds and individual stories.

We ended up not seeing the sun rise - in May, the weather was still ghastly. It was raining and the temperature was in the 40s and 50s. But, it was still a special visit meeting great food and wonderful people. 

Our visit was not just a matter of saying that we've been and eaten in the easternmost town/city in the contiguous USA. It was a matter of meeting people from everywhere and anywhere. Trips like this make our mantra to "Go Everywhere. Eat Everything" a lot more meaningful. 

travel zen on friday: the colors of bogota

Bogota.