Crêperie Josselin

I have twice flown into Paris arriving on Easter Sunday.  Despite a rather passive view of religion, France is a Catholic country, which means that on the Easter holiday things tend to be closed.  Luckily, one of the most wonderful crêperies in Paris remains open.  After a long day of traveling, I'd probably choose a crêpe even if I had a world of options. What could me more comforting when you are exhausted than a soft, savory buckwheat crepe filled with gruyere cheese, mushrooms and country ham? 

 

Right, maybe a small pitcher of house wine?  That would help?  Don't worry, they sell that too.

And for dessert, we shared a sweet crêpe filled with fig jam.  So delicious!  Josselin's menu is conveniently in both English and French, so will friendly even to inexperienced visitors to Paris.  I didn't find out if the staff spoke English there, my French was tolerable enough that no one switched, but I'm pretty sure you'd be all set with the pointing at the menu to order method.  Wine and cider is sold in small pitchers 25 cl or 50 cl depending on your thirst.  You can also pay through the nose for bottled water (that shit ain't cheap) or order "une carafe d'eau".  Seriously, if you're the kind of person who is okay drinking tap water, that should be one of the few phrases you master.  You'll save enough to buy yourself a nice Parisian present.  If you do want to order bottled water, be prepared to tell them "sans gas" if you like still water because they always want to know if you want it sparking (carbonated) or not.

I'm not the only one who loves Crêperie Josselin, Dave Lebovitz loves it too!

A Fond Philly Farewell

Eight years ago I packed up my tiny Beacon Hill apartment and moved to Philadelphia so that Ryan could go to graduate school. The plan: return to Boston after he finished. In a feat worthy of the Bermuda Triangle, Philadelphia sucked us in and held us (at times against our will) for eight long years. We are moving on, finally. Sadly, not back to Boston, instead to suburban hell ahem a soulless apartment complex a location where we both have manageable commutes and access to services! How's that for damning with faint praise. Here's a little guide to my Philly Favorites, should you ever find yourself down that way.

FAVORITE NEIGHBORHOOD STORE:

MAXX'S PRODUCE

This is the kind of place where when you are a regular, you feel like a regular. One of us is usually in here daily. They've got tons packed into the tiny shop, like fresh avocados, gluten free treats, nuts, yogurt, and a some prepared salads too! You'll actually feel good about giving them your business.




FAVORITE RIDICULOUS INANIMATE BEAST:

Also, when you walk home from Maxx's, you can pass the angry cheetah left tied outside a store. I'd tell you which store but it's changed hands I think four or five times since I've lived there. The only constant is the cheetah. I will definitely miss the angry cheetah. Leopard? Maybe it's a leopard? I know nothing about big cats and even less about big cat sculpture.






LERNER AND LOEWE INDUCING SCENERY:
I'm no Freddy Eynsford-Hill, but when I walk the beautiful streets in my neighborhood I often find myself humming... "I have often walked down this street before...".
Musical Side Note: Bonus points to anyone who can explain to my satisfaction why the hell anyone would take Henry Higgins over Freddy.



























SPOT WHERE TOURISTS ARE MOST LIKELY TO GET MURDERED BY NORMAL FOLK:

Reading Terminal Market may be a tourist mecca, but many of the shops there are actually meant for use by locals. Anyone who is totally broke must check out the dollar bags of veggies at OK Lee. I can't tell you how often I've been grateful for a bag of dollar cauliflower. Martin's is an absolute godsend for my non-pork eating husband. Although they have tons of pork products they have an incredible selection of poultry sausage as well. Sadly, Ochs' butcher stand has closed after 105 years. It's very sad that second rate cheesesteak hawkers and souvenir shops are pushing out legitimate businesses used by actual Philly residents. Do your protein and veggie shopping there if you've got the patience and sharp elbows. You'll need them to shove through the hoards that come to a dead stop in the middle of an aisle to ogle the Pennsylvania Dutch.


MOST HEARTBREAKING CLOSURE?:

Ron's Ribs is closed. Possibly for renovations. Possibly because chef/owner Kevin has moved on. I won't be there to find out for sure, but if you're in town, you should. Kevin did amazing things with barbecue (or Bar-B-Q). The menu was very small, but oh tasty. If you want a half chicken though, go early or call Kevin to set one aside. Those suckers go fast. It seems to be slated to reopen Summer of 2011, but only time will tell.





BEST WAY TO GAIN WEIGHT DROWN SORROWS:

Capogiro Gelato Artisans My waistline will not stand frequent visits here, but oh how I will miss the creamy goodness. They do have mail order, but for me, the joy is selecting the perfect combination (you have to pick two flavors). With 4 city locations there's really no excuse for not stopping by if you're in town. Unless you're a weird person who doesn't like ice cream like my husband.

TASTY MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD:

Leila Cafe - I feel kind of sorry for this guy. So many restaurants look beautiful but can't execute on food at all. Poor Leila's has the opposite problem. He just moved to a new location (on South Street). The place isn't all that great inside and the waitstaff is a tad neglectful, but the food is really tasty. Last time we went as I was walking home whimpering because I was so full, Ryan suggested we turn around and go back for more. Check them out on GrubHub for a delivery order. Otherwise, pray someone comes to his rescue.


FORGET IT JAKE; IT'S CHINATOWN

Sang Kee Peking Duck House may even be my choice for our last supper tonight. When I'm there, the orders on the other diners tables always look delicious but I cannot get myself to move past the Peking Duck Dinner for 2. Although the fried rice is seriously not special, the two duck dishes are absolutely heavenly. Mmmm.

SO THIS IS THE WAY IT ENDS, NOT WITH A BANG BUT A WHIMPER

I'm sure we'll go back to Philadelphia, but it will never inspire homesickness as Boston still does. It's really a good little city (she says condescendingly about the fifth biggest city in the country). I managed to live there for eight years without falling in love with Water Ice, engaging in a single Pat's vs. Geno's argument, or affecting an Italian accent when ordering prosciutto. All in all, I think it turned out rather well.

Next stop, the burbs.

Gifted!

My mother in law stopped by the other day with presents! She is so sweet and thoughtful. My absolute favorite thing was this incredible cookbook full of recipes from seafood restaurants across New England. I've been to a few of the over the years; The Place in Guilford, CT where you sit on tree stumps and everything is cooked on these huge grills, The Clam Box in Ipswich, MA where you can get the best fried clams anywhere, Woodmans, the main competitor of the Clam Box (and inventor of fried clams if you believe their claims!) There are also snippets of New England food nostalgia and information (anyone else remember Pilot Crackers?). It was sheer heaven to be thinking of my favorite foods and my favorite places, like a preview and a promise that summer will come and I will get out of this damn room. Of course, my mother was visiting the next day and eased the book out of my death grip and packed it to take home with her because "you won't need this for awhile, you won't be able to cook anything for quite awhile yet." I'm on to you mom, and I'm getting my book back. Even if I have to crutch my way over there to do it.

Lobstah

There's something about the word lobster that calls for a Boston accent. There are words like that, some phrases, that I just prefer in Bostonese - lobster, beer here - they just sound better in Boston. But this post is NOT another "I wish I still lived in Boston" rant. Oh no. This is a tribute to the drive. If I lived in Boston, I would not have a reason to be driving the Connecticut coastline. And if I did not have a seemingly endless stretch of Connecticut coastline in between the hell that is the Jersey turnpike, the crazy winding parkways of New York and the relief of reentry into Rhode Island toward points north, I would not know, that hidden in a teensy-tinesy town called Noank is the best Lobstah sandwich ever at a place called Abbott's.
Abbott's is for serious people. Getting there involves following a veritable scavenger hunt of signs, the word Abbott's plus an arrow written in on poles and the backs of stop signs. Each year they hold a contest to see who is the first to line up when they open for the season. This year the winning party arrived at 2am!! I arrived right at opening for the day, on a cloudy weekday, and was rewarded with no line between me and my lobster.When you only get to visit a restaurant once a year, there is no room for error or experimentation. You go directly to the best - the hot lobster roll, butter on the side. Do you think you could handle a close-up without trying to nibble your monitor?

Just a quarter pound of fresh lobster meat, no filler, no mayonnaise, no work, just all the lobstery goodness you could imagine in one package. And yes, I had one for lunch and ordered two to go so that Ryan and I could have them for dinner.