CHEZ CHLOE

The River Café - London

Tonight Willie, Chloe and I had the pleasure to dine at the River Café in London. Well, it was a bit of a cab ride from central London – but well worth it. This was the 2nd of my birthday dinners this long weekend. Two big splurges for my 38th year. I rationalized the expenditures by telling myself I probably won’t be in Europe next year on my birthday and we are going back to Orcas next month and when am I going to be in London again, and I won’t have to see the credit card till the end of the month and I can deduct it..etc. etc. Those things are all true and the fact is, we had the chance to eat some really fresh, really fabulous food. And it was fun to eat and enjoy in the company of two of my favorite people in the world!
I didn’t have much of a preconceived idea of the River Café. It was light and airy with a blue theme and on the river Thames. I liked the wood burning stove exposed to the dining room and the layout of the kitchen- one long streamline space that paralleled the dining area. The staff was extremely friendly and attentive – loved the dark curly haired sommelier. If only I had more nerve and was only 28!
But he even offered to take a picture of us – I graciously accepted much to the embarrassment of the younger generation. One standard at both restaurants was the notion of yes you have a res at 7- for 2 hours- Fortunately, both evenings we had the chance to extend, as our table didn’t have another reservation. But it very much made me appreciate the luxery of time. It would not be enjoyable to rush through a meal and even with Chloé, 7 years old, at the table, we easily spent 2 1/2 hours eating. .
So on to our meals....

The Boxwood Café-London

We are in London today on my birthday and I was lucky enough to get a reservation at Gordon Ramsay’s “casual” Boxwood Café this afternoon. We are having dinner at the River Café Monday and hadn’t planned on the Boxwood- it was just fate. His two main restaurants aren’t even open on the weekends. Don’t you love it. We had to take an early res at 6pm, which suited me and the kids perfectly. I can only say “the kids” for three more weeks because Willie will be 18, May 1.Boo hoo. But what the hell, I guess no matter how old you are your parents call you “the kids”!
Anyway, it was a surprise treat for us all. Casual they may call it, but it was plenty fancy for us. Willie really liked the décor and Chloé felt like a grown up. There were actually quite a few children there. They say in their publicity “cater to children”. So it was a really nice atmosphere but not too stuffy. I think it’s a comfortable start for exposing kids to nice restaurants.
Looking over the menu, we decided to go for it by ordering the tasting menu for both Chloé and I.........(this is kinda long...)

chocolate cupcake bit

Just had to throw these in - I made them from a recipe I found at chocylit.blogspot.com. I've since added her to my favorite blogs. I made these for Chloé’s last day at the Lennen School in Paris. I skipped the mint this time but will try it another time. I also just did a chocolate frosting. Oh, and no ganache. Basically, I used her recipe as a base but then whacked in some melted chocolate and no mint essence. But next time the whole nine yards.
They are just decorated with a little pink sugar.

Thioux - Paris 7th

I had a super birthday lunch with you know who- my best buddies, Nadine and Margot. We ate at Thioux, a thai restaurant in the 7th just across from the Seine. I had a birthday dinner here a couple of years ago too I like this place so much! The food is very fresh and the flavors really well combined. One might feel a little intimidated when you walk up to the front door that’s guarded by two men wanting to know if you have a right to be there but they smile once you say you do have a res and a right!
So here’s what we ate....
First - amuse bouche of a little thai style ground beef. Thai basil, peppers and lime....

sushi bit

. Please know, I don't only cook french food. I love ALL food - And I really love sushi. Being in Paris has opened my sushi world in a big way. Honestly, I didn't eat much raw food before coming here at 35. Partly exposure, partly availability of quality food you would want to eat raw.

So I'm just throwing in my beginning attempts at a dragon roll. I had this on the east coast last fall and have been trying to replicate it ever since. I'm almost there. What I had in MA was a roll with avocado, salmon and tuna if I remember correctly with salmon, eel , avocado and mango on the outside. I've been putting a lot of mango in my rolls lately and love it. Then in San Francisco this year at the Fancy Food Show I went to a sushi bar (FYI - good place to eat alone- it's like your having dinner with the sushi guy) and tried to describe what I wanted. He made this AMAZING roll that I had to take a mental photo of - and sketch in my notebook with notes. So this photo my step in the right direction but I'm not there yet