67 Burger - Brooklyn

All Looks, No Personality
I am a burger lover, pure and simple. Thus, I went to 67 Burger with a predisposition to like it. Nothing in the lead up hinted otherwise. Not the sweet smell of sizzling beef that hit me one step inside. Not the dizzying options available on the menu. Not the smiles of those half-way through their burgers. Puff and I ordered and waited hungrily at our table. She a ranch, me a bacon-cheese. They arrived and were shockingly beautiful.

Polish G.I. Delicatessen - Manhattan

Friday Donut Day Goes Polish
Happenstance: the magical act of finding an unexpected donut while looking for a different donut. Puff and I were on our way to Abraco in the East Village for some ricotta fritters when something sugary registered in my peripheral. I stopped dead in my tracks and whirled around to a window full of treats. I stepped inside the little storefront and felt like I was in Warsaw. If you click on this pic you will see the old polish lady with the sour face sitting inside.

I got one of those powdery treats in the middle of the window. The proportion of dough to filling was a bit off - I like more filling.

Matteo and Paula - Paris

The Most Relaxing Lunch
Puff and I were walking around the 6th Arondissement on Sunday afternoon, looking for something to eat. A real rookie mistake, we found out - nothing is open in the 6th on Sunday. Well, amost nothing. While looking around for bikes to rent so that we could pedal back to life in the 3rd, we stumbled into this lovely cafe. The stone walls and plank floors were lit minimally, which made it all the more inviting to my eye.

Pozzetto - Paris

All the Gelato You'll Ever Need
As luck would have it, our hotel is on the same street as this lovely gelateria. It has a walk-up window for sidewalk orders or you can sit inside and relax, jump on their free wi-fi and eat at a leisurely pace.

L'As du Falafel - Paris

Falafels in the Heart of Paris
Puff and I are here in Paris, reading through many Paris food blogs to find places to eat. L'As du Falafel (Ace of Falafel) is recommended in many of the blogs. It is only a 5 minute walk from where we are staying in the 4th Arondissement, so we decided to check it out. It is located on a tiny, medieval street called Rue de Rosiers in the Marais district. The tabletops carry their trademark.

Minh Chau - Paris

The Puff List Goes to Paris
One of the benefits of working for a French company is going to Paris for "work" every now and then. This time, I had the Puffin in tow - poor thing, how she suffers. We are staying in the Marais and while walking around, stumbled into a small Vietnamese restaurant called Minh Chau. To be clear, it was the bucket of spring rolls displayed in the window that caught my attention.

A Bistro - Brooklyn

Senegalese Fusion Burger
A friend of a friend told me about a place in Fort Greene with a pretty good burger. He said it matter-of-factly, with little elaboration other than a general idea of its location and told me "you'll know it when you see it - it's Senegalese." "A Senegalese burger?" I asked, scrunching up my face, but got no response. The next day I Googled the address - without which I don't think I would have found it, but more on that later. Cutting to the chase, I ordered it medium, with cheese and salsa. Not any old salsa - Senegalese salsa - an alchemy of jalapeno peppers, red peppers, olives, capers and sauteed onions. It arrived full of promise, with a small salad, fruit slices and home fries.