Hidden Cafe - Hanoi

Half the Fun is the Climb Up
I will explain what the means shortly. Café Pho Co (Hidden Cafe) has some interesting coffees - this is Egg Milk Coffee. Yes, a coffee with a thick foam of egg and milk on the top. Puffin says it looked like brain, but it was actually quite nice. Thick rich coffee at the bottom with an extra-rich foam that tasted like heavy cream to me. Puffin said it was too "eggy" but I disagree.

Moca Cafe - Hanoi

Warming Up with Something Easy
Puffin and I arrived in Hanoi this afternoon and were starving. We looked for something quick, easy and undaring (more adventurous eating to come.) We were in luck because the Moca Cafe was right across the street from our hotel. She got the beef noodles which were studded with greens, red peppers and mushrooms. (Shhhhh, don't tell her Dad, the practicing Buddhist vegetarion.) She described them as "not bad", which in a Singaporean way means she will eat it but won't necessarily list it for her girlfriends, who arrive a month from now on their own trip.

Chez Xu - Paris

The Many Benefits of Dating a Mandarin Speaker
I probably wouldn't have gone into Chez Xu (pronounced Shay Shee) for breakfast without my mandarin-speaking girlfriend. That's not to say they don't speak French in Chez Xu - I don't know if they do or don't - it was all Mandarin from the moment we stepped in. Works for me - I got to lay back for once (I do all the ordering in French, which can get exhausting if your French is as bad as mine.) Now, that of course means I have to eat whatever she orders, but she generally has good taste. If you've never had a Chinese breakfast then you must try it with an open mind - they eat rice, noodles and things a Westerner doesn't usually associate with his morning meal. First up, Luo Mi Fan - otherwise known as glutinous rice. This version, I think, had some ground pork and chives added to the sticky rice. I was surprised how much I liked this.

Au Bascou - Paris

Tasty Visit to the Basque Country
Many years ago I was in JFK airport waiting for a flight to Madrid. A guy walked up to me and said something like "Erkeetat ruggamerdfriopaoaia." At least, that's how it sounded to me. Turns out, he had sized me up as a fellow Basque and spoken to me in Basque. He was really surprised I wasn't Basque - apparently I look Basque. A couple of years later I was driving with some friends from Madrid to Paris and we made a stop at a gas station in the Basque countryside. The gas station attendant spoke Spanish to my friends, but addressed me in Basque! Last night, on the way to Au Bascou, a Basque restaurant in the 3rd Arondissement in Paris, I told Pingle these stories. She just looked at me like "whatever, silly American."

Des Gars Dans La Cuisine - Paris

Some Boys Can Cook
The name of this restaurant translates into "Boys in the Kitchen." Pingle and I visited after a weekend spent in Sevilla, Spain. Why do I brag? Sorry, don't mean to - there's a point. I didn't get to eat Gazpacho while in Spain and was regretting that when I peered at the top of the Des Gars menu. Voila - Gazpacho! While I waited for it to arrive, second-guessing took over. What the hell was I doing ordering Gazpacho in Paris? One spoonful into it and all questions were put to rest - it was rich, zesty and deliciously cooling.

Higuma - Paris

What's All The Fuss About?
This is one of the better Japanese spots in Paris? I sure hope not. We went prior to the rush on a recent Friday night and settled into the overflow dining room. As we nibbled on the disappointing pork gyoza I wondered why the line to get in often snakes around the corner. The insides were tasty enough but the dumpling skin was undercooked and lifeless.

Cafe Piaf - Paris

Hand-Made Desserts in Swanky Environs
Just in case you think we're a cool, world-traveling couple....we ate cereal at home for dinner before venturing out to Cafe Piaf for dessert. Pingle had Honey Bunches of Oats and I had Sugar Smacks, the former bought in Brooklyn and packed in a suitcase. Turns out, cereal is the perfect base upon which you can pile rich desserts late at night. Below is my hand-made tiramisu arabica - a creamy tiramisu with a shot of coffee at the bottom. It was light and small and a perfect night-cap.

Chez Taeko - Paris

Delicious Japanese in the Third Arondissement
Chez Taeko is a small Japanese "stall" inside the Marché des Enfants Rouges that reminds me of Hibino in Brooklyn. Pingle visited before and told me it was a must-go so off we went for a Saturday afternoon lunch. I got the pork Tonkatsu which was appropriately thick, crispy at the edges and deeply juicy. I carved it into chopstick-manageable hunks and didn't talk for about 15 minutes as I eviscerated it. It came with sides of rice, bean sprouts and sashimi.

Berthillon - Paris

Not a Wrong Note
No surprise, Berthillon makes a really good sorbet. Pingle and I chose to sit in the luxurious dining room rather than take it to go. I got a double-scoop of raspberry and blood orange, shown below. She got passionfruit and strawberry. All four flavors were good but for me, the passionfruit stood out. It was tangy and fresh and made my tongue tingle.

Heid's - Syracuse

This is How a Dog Should Be, Frenchies!
I promised to take Pingle to Katz's Deli in Manhattan to get her a real dog. Last week, I got her something even better - a frank and a coney from Heid's in Syracuse. Technically, it's located in Liverpool, NY - just outside Syracuse - so no hate mail please. Heid's uses dogs from Hofmann's in Syracuse, sorry Katz - you can't top that no matter how hard you try. Just take a look at these franks - their natural casings charred to a cancer-inducing crisp. My mom's is topped with sweet relish, the other with onions.

Schwartz's - Paris

Just Say No to Fake New Yorkery...
Pingle and I were walking in the Marais near rue de Rosiers when we got caught out in a pretty big downpour. We looked around for somewhere to duck outta the rain and settled on the nearest thing - Schwartz's. It's trying to be a NY Jewish deli, unfortunately way too hard. Pictures of John Gotti and Frank Sinatra on the wall are just some of the "over the topness" that good food could have made up for. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Pingle got a hot dog and fries that looked really good on the plate. I took a bite and simply told her "I'll take you to get a real dog next week in NY." Just imagine - this dog and fries cost close to 15 bucks!