At Home With Patricia Wells

THE NEW FOOD LOVER'S GUIDE TO PARIS:
AN APP FOR THE IPHONE
by Patricia Wells

Dear Friends

I am very excited to announce that THE FOOD LOVER’S GUIDE TO PARIS is back! All new content in an all new format -- as an app for the iPhone, also compatible with the iPad and iTouch. April 17 is the target date to begin sales on the iTunes App Store!

Over the past 15 months I have been visiting, re-visiting, and testing the best of culinary Paris, and the result is a user-friendly app that includes more than 350 favorite addresses, from restaurants, cafés, and wine bars, to the best in cheese shops, bakeries, pastry shops, chocolate shops, markets and specialty shops. Features include color-coded pins and GPS locations to guide you to the best spots nearby as you wander the city. You can browse by category or neighborhood, or if you are just looking for a place for a quick late-night bite, you find it quickly. You will be able to call establishments, link to their web sites, and even find directions. Color photos are included for most destinations. The app also features my popular A-Z glossary of French culinary terms. For more information, visit www.foodloverparis.com and on Itunes (click here to download now!). Note that you can also gift the app, tell a friend, share on Twitter and Facebook. And a 5-star rating would be most welcome!

Patricia

http://itunes.com/apps/
thefoodloversguidetoparis

PS: for Blackberry and Android users: Not yet, unfortunately. Those smartphone platforms are a future challenge

PATRICIA'S STORE

Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 15-1/2-Quart Oval French Oven, Red

In class and in casual conversations, I am constantly asked which tools I find essential in the kitchen. And so with Amazon’s help I have put together a list of equipment – from small silicone baking brushes to bigger items like ice cream machines, smokers, steamers, and pasta cooking pots – that I love to use every day as I test recipes or cook for friends.

There are favorite pantry items too, which must always include the intense oils from Leblanc, pasta from Rustichella d’Abruzzo, and other favorites that you’ll see as you go through the Patricia Wells Selections.

Click here to enter my store and Google+

BLACK TRUFFLE COOKING WORKSHOP
January 21 to 25, 2013 (Completed)
January 20 to 24, 2014

2013 PARIS COOKING CLASSES
February 25 to March 1, 2013 (Completed)
March 11 to 15, 2013 (Completed)
March 25 to 29, 2013 (Completed)
April 8 to 12, 2013 (Completed)

2014 PARIS COOKING CLASSES
February 24 to 28, 2014
March 10 to 14, 2014
March 24 to 28, 2014 (Full - Waitlist)

2013 PROVENCE COOKING CLASSES
May 26 - 31, 2013 (Special private class - Full)
June 9 to 14, 2013   (Places available)
June 23 to 28, 2013 (Places available)
September 8 to 13, 2013   (Full)
September 22 to 27, 2013   (Full - Waitlist)

2014 PROVENCE COOKING CLASSES
June 8 to 13, 2014
June 22 to 27, 2014
September 7 to 12, 2014
September 21 to 26, 2014

Click here to enroll in a
Patricia Wells cooking class

Click here to make a Final Payment

Click here to be added to the wait list for a class

COOKING CLASSES

A personal highlight at the Friday lunch as we wrap up each week’s class – whether we’re in Paris or Provence -- is how our students respond when I ask, “What’s your best takeaway? What’s the best thing you got out of the week?”

It may be my simple method for cooking garlic without burning it, inspired by Joël Robuchon many years ago. Or my “new” trick for slicing onions. Students always part with newfound knowledge of knife care after Walter’s complete knife-sharpening class. And in Paris and Provence students are constantly surprised (and pleased) by the variety and simplicity of my repertoire of fruit and herb sorbets, while everyone’s wine knowledge soars as the week goes on.

At week’s end we also vote for Best Taste of the Week and I am always delighted to see a wide variety of faves. While lemon verbena sorbet wins hands down as the perennial favorite, votes go to everything from a humble poulet rôtie to last season’s winners of brine-cured steamed salmon, tomato tatins, and spicy eggplant.

But more often than not, the answer reflects the personal relationships that develop and evolve during the week. We bond with new friends, the bonds with long-time friends grow tighter.

Generosity, conviviality and lifestyle are the qualities we try to demonstrate as much as knife techniques or the essentials of searing. An open sharing is at the basis of French joie de vivre. It is also the aspect that matters most to me about the celebrated French art de vivre. We hope you’ll come, but even more, if you do come, we want you to be among the many who leave saying “This has been the best week of my life.” Nothing makes me happier.

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A VIEW, A TERRACE, FINE LEBANESE FARE

Falafel Le Zyriab 1 2 13

As beautiful as Paris can be, it is not rich in restaurants with grand views or open terraces. Le Zyriab, perched high in the sky on the 9^th floor of the architecturally modern Institut du Monde Arabe on the Left Bank, fills that bill. Even if you don’t intend to dine there (and you should) you can take the elevator up to the terrace floor just to admire the spectacular view: Notre Dame is almost in your face. The towers of Montmartre and the Bastille are there for your eyes to explore. The cuisine here is authentically Lebanese, and comes from the omnipresent house of Noura, which has several restaurants, cafes, catering shops and patisseries around the city. (See www.noura.com for details.) The dining room, which seats 90 guests indoors, is bright, spacious and comfortable, and each table offers diners a stunning view. Service is efficient and warm, and the food clean, clear, well-seasoned and memorable. All the favorites are there, from the refreshing parsley-rich tabbouli to a particularly spicy version of the chickpea puree, hommos Beyrouti. The thick, white drained laban cheese comes well-adorned with crisp cucumbers, and the falafel (deep fried balls of seasoned chick peas) arrives crisp, crusty, moist, and satisfying.

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Good Food Finds at the Paris Flea Market

Designer Philippe Starck has finally given we flea market lovers a smart, trendy, easy place to lunch before or after wandering the stalls. I’ve been a regular visitor to the Clignacourt market since 1980, and have furnished many a room with treasures gleaned from long and leisurely Sunday strolls. His La Cocotte, right at the parking entrance of the Paul Bert market is conveniently located, and since its opening in October, 2012 has been a surefire hit, especially at lunch on weekends, when no reservations are taken. So go early, and walk off the lunch as you stroll the aisles. The food here is nothing more than “correct” but if you go with that in mind, you’re not likely to be disappointed. The huge open kitchen sports a giant rotisserie, with roasted chicken and beef often on the menu. Simple salads of beets, lamb’s lettuce, and soft-cooked egg arrive fresh and perky, while the first course of smoked salmon is divine. The bread is outrageously delicious, and the wine list – which includes some well-priced Burgundies from Olivier LeFlaive – make the experience all that much more digestible. The restaurant is comfortable and not an “in your face” Starck experience. There is plenty of space for outdoor dining, the all-white bathrooms are a must visit, and service was as the French would say, without a fault.

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