0 French Champagne!

Red Fruits with Rose Champagne, watercolor, 9" x 11"
Yesterday I learned I can drink rose champagne with red fruity, chocolatie desserts. Do you LOVE REAL French Champagne?
You would have adored yesterday's French Comite Champagne tasting in Hotel Plaza's ballroom...
You got a chance to speak directly to 30 champagne makers from Rheims and Epernay...
They were happy to explain to you with passion the whys and wherefores of their brand's characteristics...
You got just a slug to taste, but after many slugs...hmmm

Of course you can 'nose' champagne to enhale the aromas, floral or fruity - as long as you have a tall glass and wait for the bubbles to quiet...

Don't forget to SPIT and do not drink up to the last drop or you'll never make it around the room in one piece (like some people)

Cleanse your palate with a plain cracker occasionally...

Pommery guides me in tasting a 'flight' of three - their most recent, one a few years older and their vintage Champagne from 2004 - simply divine. But I forgot to spit. Too divine to waste...

I paid later for my enthusiasm when I sit down momentarily, then got up leaving my purse and CAMERA on the chaise! I looked for my lipstick but my bag and camera were missing. I raced back and hotel security cames up to me, "Are you missing something Miss?" MON DIEU! Thank Gawd women wear lipstick.

Isn't this Belle Epoque bottle of Rose beautiful?

Isn't this red fruit and chocolate tarte perfect to go with the Rose. But it was not served at the tasting.

Excellent French fromage et fruits were...

What's YOUR favorite Champagne? Some people drink it every night. Why not? There are so many to choose from. Do try a different brand next time...

BONJOUR FRENCH CHAMPAGNE!

0 Bonjour Fraises!

Au nom de la Rose Sketch, Watercolor at Etsy, 6" x 9"

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Since I cannot yet make it out to sketch in New York's Frenchie pastry salons (with my whacked back) I thought at the very least I would bring in a few elements to help get me into fighting shape for mid-March Paris...

i.e. The rose and strawberry still life setup.

A macaron candle comes in handy at last!

I must be ready to face up to Paris' best tartes!
Strawberries have no season in Paris...
Just as roses can ALWAYS be found at Au Nom de la Rose...

French Strawberry Sketch, watercolor on Etsy, 6" x 9"

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Plate of Fraise sketch, watercolor at Etsy, 6" x 9"

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Where aire you look...

Les fraises abound...

Fantin-Latour certainement knew how to paint up a plate full of fraises...

Artist shop, Sennelier too is fond of the almight red berry...

But beware the gigantic Fraise-Tagada - faux strawberry-flavored in name only!

BONJOUR FRAISES!

0 Do The French Do It Better

More snow today. No NYC yellow cabs to brighten the view. I was thinking how the French own the tarte - this Pain Quotidien tarte is lacking je ne sait quoi when Next to the French version of a framboise tarte.

A NY tarte from Financier Pastries - looks pretty Frenchie...

Parisian Secco's tartelettes.

The French love their REDS.

Count the RED in this picture.

So why not a touch of RED on these chocolat minis?

Dalloyau does lovely RED tartes.

Gerard Mulot Berry sketch #1

Gerard Mulot Berry Sketch #2

A no-name Parisien corner patisserie makes them every day of the week. They get lots of practice. THANKS for all your kind comments and support for my new adventure - the Pastry Sketch Crawl

Bon Appetit!

0 BEAR takes Eurostar to Paris

BEAR thought it might be fun to invite you along for the trip from London to Paris on the Eurostar (or 'The Chunnel' as we American heathens call it...)
After you book online, and as far in advance as possible for the best prices, you've got to high tail it over to St. Pancras Station.
Eeeek!
It's only 4:10 AM and our train is not until at 5:25 AM
Another eeek!
We were moaning to David at the Club about how early we had to get up to catch the 5:25 AM to Paris. But he reminded us that we did pay less, the train would be way less crowded (it was) And we'd be in Paris much, much sooner then if we took a later train.
St. Pancras is practicment vide/empty..
St. Pancras railroad station was designed by Gilbert Scott and built in 1868. Though it's been renovated for expanded service, it still retains many Victorian details like these gothic windows...
Really quite a thrilling space to have all to yourself...
AND there are at least 20+ shops to browse, almost all of them closed. Bear contemplates lovely catty socks - too purfect...sigh
Ah...a Bear hat!

And a FREE cuppa! Clever Pain Quotidien IS open for hungry travelers fortunately...

We take a look at the check-in board.

Check-in is approaching...

You smash your ticket agains the square window et voila!

You wait some more inside.

Other people are busy taking last pictures of London...

BEAR waits patiently...

BEAR gets impatient!

BEAR is first going up the flat escalators to the trains.

He has adopted New York pushy ways I'm afraid...

BEAR searches for coach #2, seat #72.

At last BEAR settles in and falls instantly to sleep.

zzzz...

BEAR wakes up to catch a glimse of French countryside.

Where did the time go?

Et voila!

Back in Paris at busy Gare du Nord Bear heads for the Metro.

Back on the streets comme d'habitude red red red...

More RED!

If you're wondering what BEAR is reading on his travels, he found Martha Gelhorn's (former wife of Hemingway) book, Travels with Myself and Another in London. The catchy subtitle grabbed him -

'5 Journeys from Hell'

Perfect reading everytime we wanted to moan about something like getting up insanely early to catch the Eurostar to Paris...ahem

BONJOUR EUROSTAR!