Antica Focacceria San Francesco - Milan

Going South on Sunday
Like Paris, Milan is a bit sleepy on Sundays.  You take what you can get and are glad for it.  I was looking for a typical Milanese lunch, but settled for Sicilian instead.  It was educational, because other than "rigatoni", I didn't recognize one word on the menu.  They must speak a special kind of Italian in Sicily.

Lucca - Paris

Baby's All Grown Up
Straight off the plane from all the globe-trotting I'm not going to dive head first into my Paris life. Let me ease into it, slowly, by way of Italy. Dodo, you remember Lucca, right? The little Italian spot north of the apartment that serves nice focaccia? Well, he's expanded - both the menu and the space. Now he's selling pasta, has taken over some space across the street and even has a lounge/bar on the corner where he was pumping NWA, of all things.

Amelie Cafe - Penang, Malaysia

Cute, but not the Swiftest
It took me a while but I finally got the recycling theme at Amelie. They use recycled everything - from the jars in which they serve their lattes to the furniture and menus. We were parched from wandering around nearby Khoo Kongsi and this was a perfect place to sit back, relax and sip some cool drinks. Just don't be in a rush - if you cannot make the tenuous connection, let me help you: Amelie is a French name and France ain't synonymous with speedy service. There is one chef for fifteen people, about the maximum this tiny cafe can accomodate.

Frascati - Paris

How About Some Drama with Your Pasta?
There are a lot of arguments in Paris - I see one person yelling at another almost every day. After getting our menus in the newly opened Frascati restaurant last night, we were treated to the day’s serving of drama. The chef was berating two workers, both of whom were staring at their feet. He was banging a ham against a slicer to punctuate his yelling. “Dans cette cuisine, JE SUIS LE CHEF! Pas TOI et pas TOI, c’est MOI!” He looked like he could kill them. Two conflicting thoughts entered my brain. One: this chef is passionate – his food is going to be great. Two: this chef is crazy, even if the food sucks I better finish it or he may beat me up.

Fulvio - Paris

Sardinian Lunch Extravaganza
I've walked by Fulvio many times on my way home from work but decided to have a taste after reading the Lost in Cheeseland review. Fridays tend to be slow so my colleagues and I usually enjoy a languorous lunch a la Francaise. Is there a better way to spend a warm Parisian afternoon? Ok, well, if my girl were here I could think of better way, but that only lasts about five minutes. So, with that manly admission, let's get back to the pasta. I had a forkfull of the orecchiette - it was deliciously loaded with garlic. But let's just say it's a good thing there were no post-lunch meetings scheduled in our airless offices.

Caffe dei Cioppi - Paris

Italian Lunch, in Reverse
I was so full, but I just had to do it. The fondant au chocolat stared at me through the whole meal (or was it the other way around?). I paired it with a steaming hot latte for good measure. If you're gonna take a two hour lunch, you may as well go all the way.

Le Mirage - Paris

You Say Lactose, I Say Intolerant
When your body rejects dairy, there's nothing so stubborn or rebellious as four cheese pizza. It's self-hate, quatre fois! I'm still on a anti-French food kick deep in the middle of Paris, which can set you searching far and wide during lunch. Luckily, Le Mirage is an Italian spot about 10 minutes walk from the job that serves pasta and pizza.

Cantine Auguste - Paris

Straight Outta Williamsburg?
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, USA - an interesting, recently gentrified "artsy" neighborhood HAD to be the spark for this eatery. Let me explain, please. Bearded, overall-wearing food makers? Check. Smoothies on offer? Check. Minimalist, white-washed brick? Check. Somehow related to/part of a clothing store cum "gallery" collective? Check. Matter of fact - the clothing store/gallery is right next door.

Enoteca Ai Artisti - Venice

Venetian Tapas
We are on a weekend trip in Venice, walking, eating and shopping. After a "grueling" trek around San Marco we climbed across the Ponte dell'Accademia into Dorsoduro and were rewarded with a small restaurant serving cicchetti (tapas.) Puffin got the seafood plate - grilled mantis prawns, shrimp in polenta, curly octopus salad and two types of cod. She didn't talk to me much as she dug in so I knew to sample some of it. It was very tasty, even the prawns, which looked like giant bugs. You should click on the pic for a closer look.