(y)our food choices™

Just across the river Seine on Paris’ Left Bank, we found a place filled with one restaurant after another, each with a carnival barker standing in the front door offering everything from free cocktails to deserts, wine and appetizers. A few even offered their virgin daughters. All were trying to get customers inside to eat. Those few blocks of concentrated restaurants in the Latin Quarter seemed like a traveling circus, luring people in with guarantees of delicious food and lively libations. As we walked around the quarter we come upon one restaurant we knew we needed to try. No one was outside promising us their first born, but we spotted the one thing we couldn’t refuse: inside a glass rotisserie was a small golden brown suckling pig on a spit slowly roasting and just below it, catching the little oinker’s fat and juices, were large plump chickens, also slowly roasting on a rotating spit. Each time the fat and juices of the pig and those chickens hit the bottom of the oven you could hear a sizzle and smell the wonderful combination of pig fat and crispy roasted chickens. We couldn’t resist the allure!

There were two prix fix menu options at this corner eatery. One offered a quarter of roasted chicken while the other an overly generous piece of the suckling pig. Both of the offerings were served with fries (of course), a salad, and an appetizer. Steve’s selection, the roasted pig, also came with a dessert that he was happy to share. We gorged and shared one of the richest meals of our trip. In the end, we couldn’t finish it all, but the flavors and aromas of those rich meaty dishes are permanently seared into our memories.

Upon returning home, we ventured over to Andrionico’s where we found some of the loveliest, plumpest chickens we’ve ever seen in San Francisco lying in the butcher case. They were organic, free range, local, etc. and they were on sale for $1.99 a pound! Jason’s mind immediately flew back to those chickens roasting in pig fat in Paris. How to reproduce the experience without the suckling pig, the rotisserie oven or a spit?

Jason scouted around the refrigerator for inspiration and found a ramekin of bacon fat drippings left over from some other tasty meal. We know most roast chicken recipes call for rubbing butter or olive oil on, and under, the skin of the chicken, but we haven’t heard of anyone using bacon fat in the same way. This seemed like the obvious choice given the wonderful memories of that decadent meal in Paris.

So, here’s our recipe for Parisian-style Roast Chicken, or at least our take on a Parisian roast chicken experience. We don’t think it’s anything new, but we do hope we’re starting a revival of bringing bacon fat back to the art of roasting chickens.

Parisian-style Roasted Chicken

3 large onions
1 head of garlic
4-5 large organic russet potatoes
1 4-6 lb. roasting hen (preferably free-range, organic)
1 bunch of parsley
1 small bunch of thyme
4-6 tablespoons rendered bacon fat drippings, chilled
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and cut the three large onions into ¼ to 1/8 wedges, depending on the size of the onions. Peel the garlic cloves and cut the very large cloves into half or thirds. Cut the potatoes into quarter or third wedges, depending on the size of the potatoes. Reserve one onion wedge and one clove of garlic for the cavity of the bird. Toss the rest of the vegetables with salt and pepper in a medium sized roasting pan and set aside.

Rinse the chicken under cold water and dry off using paper towels. Cut off any excess fat from the bird. Rub a little bacon fat inside the cavity. Add a little salt and pepper and then the parsley and thyme, cut up the reserved onion wedge and garlic, add them to the cavity. Tie the legs of the bird together. Rub the rest of the bacon fat over the bird and under the skin of the breast. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper and place onto the reserved vegetables in the roasting pan. Grease a piece of aluminum foil, with a little bacon fat and cover the chicken. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Take the foil off the chicken and continue to roast for about and hour. If the vegetables start to brown too quickly add some white wine or chicken stock to the pan. After about 45 of roasting take the chicken out and check the temperature of the dark meat, between the leg and thigh. The chicken should register at about 180 degrees. Once the chicken is done, place on a plate and cover for 5-10 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan on another plate and deglaze the roasting pan with about ¼ cup of white wine or vermouth. Add about ½ to a cup of water or chicken stock and reduce a little further until a nice pan sauce is created, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut up the chicken and serve with the roasted vegetables and pan drippings.

P.S. We know that chickens don’t fly but we couldn’t think of a catchier title.

Bon Appetit!

The best, and cheapest, meal we had in Paris was in our little apartment. The radishes, asparagus and melon were purchased from the farmer's market; the sandwich and baguette from a local boulangere; and the pâté, cheese, olives, and cornichons from a charcuterie. The most expensive item was the Tattinger Rose Champagne. C'est la vie!

Everyone has a few regrets after returning home from a vacation – regrets about what could have been done differently to make the trip more pleasant. Here’s our list of things we suggest you think about before your next big trip. A few of these things we figured out after returning home, a couple we thought of but didn’t try before we left, and a few others that we actually got right. We hope this helps you out the next time you go on vacation. Bon Voyage!

Packing – Roll don’t fold. If only I had seen this in the NY Times before our vacation. It would have saved us from such an intense headache when packing, both going to and returning from London and Paris. Apparently what you’re supposed to do is roll your clothes instead of folding, pack the heavy stuff on bottom, and put your shoes in last. Those three easy lessons would have given us much more room for souvenirs (mostly of a sparkling wine variety) and left us with clothes that didn’t need to be re-ironed upon arrival
Borrow guide books from the library and read them before you leave. With the average cost of a guide book being around $20, you could end up spending $60 or more on planning materials (we seem to need at least three books for any city we plan to visit). Why not borrow the books from the library? You’ll be better prepared if you read them before you get on the plane, but you can always take the books with you on your trip and if something happens to them, they get lost or damaged, you can reimburse the library for the cost. Spend the money on food and wine instead!
If you prepay for tickets, hotels, airfare, etc., know what happens if an act of god threatens to prevent you from using them. To say we were lucky this time around is an understatement. Who would have known or thought that a volcano in Iceland could have ruined our vacation. We landed at Heathrow about 12 hours before the sucker blew. Even with travelers insurance we could have been out the cost of our vacation apartment rental, our tickets to a rugby match and a musical in London. Would traveler’s insurance have covered the cost and would it have been worth it? Luckily, we didn’t have to find out. Next time we go anywhere we’ll look into it, but we’ll also still cross our fingers, because, nothing’s certain, not for any of us.
Rent an apartment and, if that isn’t an option, go for the no frills hotels. Seriously, why spend excessively on accommodations when you aren’t likely to spend more than a few hours each night sleeping in whatever room you’ve rented. We went budget in London with EasyHotel and have no regrets. The apartment we rented, through My Paris Visit, was worth the little extra because of the comfort and quiet it afforded us. We took advantage of it. But while it cost a bit more than a dirt cheep room in a budget inn, the cost paled in comparison to standard hotel rates. More important, we felt like Parisians, even if just for a moment.
Water bottles and ground coffee. Take them with you. We hated buying plastic bottles of water, but we did so from time to time. Ultimately, we had our favorites that we happily refilled from the tap in our rented apartment in Paris (the water is fine, drink it). Better to take an empty water bottle with you that can be used throughout your trip. If you are staying in a room or apartment that supplies a drip coffee maker, take advantage of it and brew your own. We loved sipping espresso after meals but morning coffee has become such an important ritual in our lives that we missed it. Of course, Starbucks is always an option just about anywhere you go, but try ordering a “regular” drip coffee at Starbucks in Paris and see what you get!
The only three phrases you need to know in any language are: Hello, Please, and Thank You. Learn them and use them often. You’ll be surprised and delighted by how well you are received. It may land you an English language menu or a change in staff to get someone to your table who can help you translate the mysteries of the day’s specials.
The less you spend on food the better it tastes. Of course, we probably could have spent a fortune on a Michelin starred restaurant and eaten elegantly, but generally the meals in both Paris and London were less satisfying the more we spent. The best meals were those we prepared ourselves in our Paris apartment after shopping the local specialty stores for bread, cheese, terrine, etc. With cheap wine, a little Edith Piaf in the background and loft windows open onto our courtyard, these meals were easily the most memorable. One last note here: don’t pay for bottled water in a restaurant unless you really want to. Be clear when you order that you are only interested water from the tap. In Paris, that means asking for a carafe of water.
There’s always something better to eat right around the corner. Seriously! Our first meal in London, and again our first meal in Paris, was the least appetizing of any we ate on our trip. After our meals in both places we walked around the corner only to find much more appealing looking places with better menus that we later tried and loved. Just because you’re starving doesn’t mean you should settle for mediocre food. If you’re scouting for food and you have no plan, take a walk around the corner (and then the next) before deciding on where to spend your Pounds/Euros.
Even with the best laid plans, things can and will go wrong. Illness is one of those things that no one pencils into their schedule but people get sick on vacation and it can happen to any of us. It’s best to buy some sort of travel insurance before you go. Know what to do in case of an emergency in each place you intend to visit. Maybe your family doctor has connections abroad and can refer you to professionals “just in case.” Know in advance where you’re most likely to find medical assistance in a language you understand and take phone numbers and addresses with you. You don’t want to have to scramble in a medical emergency. If you’re visiting a first world destination, an emergency room visit shouldn’t present any surprises.
Relax, and if you can’t relax, find the nearest pub, bar or restaurant and have a drink … or two. Do we really need to say more? Seriously, foreign travel can be stressful and there may be days when the totality of the experience – sensory overload, language frustrations, sore muscles and frazzled nerves – will leave you wanting to stand in the middle of the road screaming. Get hold of yourself and sit down. Sedate yourself with whatever the locals are drinking and take a deep breath. After all, you’re on vacation, enjoy it!

If you have additional tips or take issue with any of these, we’d like to hear from you. We aren’t the world’s savviest travelers so please, by all means, share your wisdom!

Cheers,

Jason & Steve