My friend Agnes and I met for breakfast at Zazie in the Cole Valley neighborhood of San Francsico.  I really like the bohemian-style atmosphere of the place.  The staff was very friendly, too.

It was difficult to decide what to order – everything sounded great.  And we were happy to find that we could order small, medium-sized or large portions of several of the items on the menu.  So, of course, we decided to try a few things.  My favorites were the ginger pancakes with the pear compote and lemon curd and the bread pudding pancakes.  Wow!  Can’t wait to go back!

Zazie
941 Cole Street
San Francisco, CA  94117
415-564-5332
http://www.zaziesf.com/

For my husband’s birthday, I took him to The Monk’s Kettle in San Francisco.  My husband is a beer fan and I had heard about this new restaurant that pairs beer and local, seasonal foods.  When we walked into The Monk’s Kettle, we were greeted warmly and seated at a small table across from the bar.  The restaurant is small and cozy with a very nice bar – carved wood with lots of character and charm.  The beer menu was EXTENSIVE, to say the least.  We are no strangers to beer and we had not heard of more than a fraction of the choices. 

We started out with a salad of mixed greens, pears, Humboldt Fog goat cheese and slivered almonds with a maple vinaigrette dressing.  We ordered a side order of frites with chipotle ketchup and also a black bean cake with salsa and creme fraiche.  We chose a Radeberger Pilsner from Germany to go along with this “course”.  It was very good. 

Next we ordered Niman Ranch pulled pork with housemade barbeque sauce.  This was served on a bun with jicama slaw.  Our choice for this pairing was a coffee porter from Meantime Brewing in London.  It was full-bodied and quite interesting.  The pairing was good.  I am glad that I tried the coffee porter,  but I am not sure that I would want it again. 

We finished off our meal with their blueberry cobbler and a double-chocolate stout from Young & Co. Brewery in London.  Nice and rich! 

It was a very fun evening and a change of pace from food and wine pairings.  We will go back to The Monk’s Kettle. 

The Monk’s Kettle
3141 16th Street
San Francisco, CA  94103
www.themonkskettle.com

I was very fortunate on my last trip to Provence to discover Le Jardin du Quai in the lovely village of Isle-sur-la-Sorge.  The restaurant itself is in an old restored mansion across from the train station.  Even though it was the end of January when I was there, the weather was gorgeous and we sat outside in their wonderful garden.  The lunch served that day by Chef Daniel Hebert (formerly of Hotel la Mirande in Avignon) was delicious and beautifully presented.   The focus of the trip was on truffles, and Chef Hebert prepared a fantastic meal using these aromatic treasures.  We started with an artichoke soup that was garnished with sliced truffles.  It was warmly presented in a square glass “jar” and was loaded with fresh flavors along with the subtle flavor of the truffles.  Next we had the most fantastic egg I have ever tasted.  It was called an egg noir and was sprinkled with truffles.  Our main course was a perfectly-prepared and wonderfully fragrant sea bass.  Every flavor was a delight and each dish looked like a piece of art. 

 I will definitely return to this restaurant on my next trip to Provence. 

Le Jardin du Quai
91 Avenue Julien Guigue
84800 L’Isle sur la Sorge, FRANCE
+33 (0)4 90 38 16 58

This patisserie in the town of Carpentras in Provence is a fantastic discovery.  On my last trip, I had the pleasure to meet Pierre Jouvaud who is actively involved in managing this third-generation business. 

The patisserie itself is warm, colorful and inviting.  The windows are beautifully decorated and draw you in with their magnificent variety of pastries and confections.  Once inside, the aromas are seductive.   The chocolates (my favorites are the ones with the nuts and candied fruits) are some of the best I have ever tasted, and I can’t wait to go back to try their canelle dipped in clementine syrup. 

The real thrill for me, though, was being taken behind the scenes to see how the glaced fruit is made.  It is created using the traditions of Pierre Jouvaud’s grandfather.  Fresh, ripe fruit is cooked slowly at low temperatures in big copper pots in sugar syrup.  The fruit is then re-cooked several times in a similar manner.  The resulting product is full of ripe fruit flavor and has a soft, yet firm, consistency.  It is truly an art to be able to make such a gorgeous and flavorful product.  We tasted the apricots and they were over-the-top amazing. 

One other observation that I made was that the packaging for the candies and gift items was absolutely beautiful.  Pierre gave the credit for that to his sister.  What lovely and tasty gifts their creations make!  I brought home several boxes for family and friends.  Everyone was delighted with the flavors and the presentation. 

Patisserie Jouvard
40 rue de l’Eveche
84800 Carpentras, FRANCE
33 04 90 63 15 38

I just received my new shipment of wines from Cave de Verges des Papes in Chateauneuf du Pape.  I tasted all of these wines when I was at my friend’s cave back in February.  They are superb and I cannot wait to serve them to my friends and family.  Here is a brief description:

2005 Vielle Julienne – This is one of my favorite wines – deep red, lush and rich.  We still have a bottle of 2004 left and I am savoring the mere thought of opening it.  This is the 2005 release.  This wine is made from Grenache grapes from 80-100 year old vines and has hints of cherries, pepper and spice. It received 90 points from Robert Parker.

2005 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge – This wine is quite large and tannic now and needs to age for at least 7-10 years before drinking.  It has flavors of licorice, tar and black fruits.  It received a 94 rating from Robert Parker. 

2005 Esprit d’Henri Muscat – I buy this wonderful muscat each time I visit my friend Guy’s wine cave.  It is a Vin de Pay wine – the grapes are grown in Languedoc.  It is sweet without being too heavy.  It pairs well with foie gras and with fruity desserts.  It is also great with a nice bleu cheese.  Sensational!

2005 Domaine Marcoux – This wine is made by two sisters using bio-dynamic methods.  The grapes are: 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 5% Syrah and 5% other.  The wine is exquisite with tastes of blackberries, cherries, licorice and currants. Although it is young, it is drinking beautifully now. 

2004 Peres de l’Eglise Heritage La Calice de Saint Pierre – This wine is made of 80-90% Grenache grapes, the rest is Syrah and Mourvedre.  The grenache grapes are from vines that are more than 100 years old.  The bold wine is lush with tastes of ripe plums and currants.  It received a rating of 92 from Wine Spectator.   

1999 Domaine Grand Tinel Alexis Establet – Composed of 90% Grenache from 85 year old vines and 10% other varietals, this wine is aged 12-18 months in old and new barrels.  It was suggested that we open the wine 3 hours before drinking.  It is quite tannic initially but when allowed to open it becomes more balanced and the richness of the fruits comes through.  Tastes of dark berries with a bit of mineral on the finish. 

 These wines are all available (can be ordered online and shipped to the states) from my friend, Guy Bremond, at Cave du Verges des Papes in Chateauneuf du Pape.

This small, round, white goat’s milk cheese is named after the Rove breed of goats, believed to be one of the oldest breeds of goats in France.  It is sold when it is only 2-3 days old.  It is prized because the Rove goats produce a much smaller amount of milk than do other breeds.  The milk is full of the flavors of wild herbs and flowers.  It pairs well with a light sancerre or Sauvignon Blanc.

This upscale gourmet shop in Paris is definitely worth a browse.  Here you will find a huge array of fresh vegetables and fruits, olive oils, cheeses, meats, seafood, condiments, wines, spices, chocolates, teas, coffees, fresh flowers and so much more.  A cart with wheels is a nice-to-have if you are going to be carting your goods home from there. 

La Grande Epicerie au Bon Marche
Rue de Sevres at rue du Bac
75007 Paris

Rue Cler is perhaps my favorite Market Street in Paris.  It has a food market everyday and the street has wonderful cheese shops, charcuteries, butcher shops, olive oil shops, restaurants, bars, gourmet food shops and patisseries.  It is in a wonderful location in the 7th Arrondissement near the Eiffel Tower. 

Rue Cler
(between Rue de Grenelle and Avenue de la Motte Picquet)
75007 Paris

Marche Raspail is a wonderful open air food market in the 6th Arrondissement that is open three times a week.  This marketplace is filled with produce vendors, charcuterie stands, eggs, salts, meats, fish, cheeses and spices.  You can also find a nice selection of prepared foods here, as well as vendors selling soaps. 

Market days are Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.  The Sunday market is an organic foods market. 

 Marche Raspail
(On Boulevard Raspail between Rue du Cherche Midi and Rue de Rennes)
75006 Paris

If you love fine upscale food that is exquisitely packaged, you won’t want to miss Fauchon.  They have wonderful preserves and jams, mustards, teas, coffees, chocolates and wines.  They ship worldwide, too. 

If you really enjoy thick, rich hot chocolate, theirs is not to be missed!  They have a tea salon/cafe that serves the hot chocolate along with breakfast items (pictured above). 
Fauchon
26, place de la Madeleine
75008 Paris
33 01 47 42 60 11