It's All Fun and Games Until...

I am 100% lucky that I work at a restaurant that doesn't have a chef who unleashes profanities at everyone daily and that everyone else follows suit.  It's a fairly friendly environment, which I am oh so thankful for after months of envisioning a French version of Hell's Kitchen.  However, that doesn't mean that everyday is a fairytale and that we all just stand around holding hands and singing Disney songs together. 

First and foremost, the food is to be the best it can be (obviously).  When you make, cook, or plate a dish, it better be great or you will hear about it.  Example: being told that the salad I placed on top of an appetizer "actually needed to be pretty."  Ouch.  I had tried to make it look pretty and thought it did, but I guess it didn't pass the test.  Off came the salad and someone else made it pretty.

Second, speed is key.  I just can't believe how fast some people in the kitchen can work.  I try my best to work as fast as possible, but sometimes that means not so nice results (or leaving here this summer with only 9 fingers).  So, I prefer to work quickly but steadily so that I can produce a plate worthy of the restaurant and the client who is paying for it (and still keep all 10 digits).  The problem with this is that I am working next to people who have done this for years despite being so young and thus are steady and speedy all at the same time.  This can lead to them thinking I am a bit slow.  Example: a 20 year old telling me in French: vite, vite (hurry, hurry) while I am plating something because if s/he were doing it it would already be done.  Sounds like fun, huh?

Third, working clean is very important.  This point was drilled into us in culinary school.  Therefore, I work very hard to be as clean as possible.  However, I admit that there are some "petit cochon (little pig)" moments.  Example: I worked in patisserie this weekend with a chef who takes over when it is the patissier's day off.  We were working with chocolate which is notoriously messy.  We both seemed to have it everywhere and it showed on our aprons and coats and...on my pants.  And by pants, I mean the seat of my pants.  Chocolate.  On. My. Butt.  Awesome.  So, I try my best to wipe off the chocolate so it doesn't look completely like I had a preschool accident.  Once I had done all I could do to remove the stain, I bravely walked into the lion's den where I could hear the chef say, "Elle a du chocolat sur ses fesses (she has chocolate on her butt)."  Great.  Now, not only did I seem like a true petit cochon, but also having chocolate on my butt meant I had become the butt of everyone's jokes.

And so goes the life of a lowly stagiare :)

What Year Is It in Paris?

Apparently 1983 according to this woman who was playing with a Rubik's Cube on the metro.  I mean, really?  And this is the second French person in 10 days I have seen with a Rubik's Cube.  It begs the question: did the Rubik's Cube just now make its way to France or is it really 1983 and I'm a time traveler?

Marché St. Germain

In my neighborhood, the sixth arrondisement, there is a daily covered market right off St. Germain.  It's quite convenient since it is open every day except Monday, but it does lack the charm of the open air, once/twice weekly markets found elsewhere in Paris.  Despite that, it has good produce and is in close proximity to good shopping so it gets a thumbs up from me.  If you are in the area, stop in and check it out.  It has pretty much everything:

Fresh fruit.

Fresh vegetables.

Seafood (as well as poultry and meat).

Flowers.

And wine.

Who needs more than that?

Marché St. Germain

6th Arrondisement

Tuesday to Saturday 8:30am to 1pm and 4pm to 7pm

Sunday 8:30am to 1pm.

I Plead Guilty Your Honor

I found myself in the first arrondisement yesterday afternoon, looking for a place to help subside my hunger.  A patisserie called 215 on rue Saint Honoré did just that.  In fact, everything looked so good and I was so hungry that I must admit that I succumbed to what can only be called temporary insanity due to French pastry overload.  Surely you know that condition.  Where you think it is absolutely normal to purchase THREE pastries at once; where you think said pastries can't really have all that many calories in them; where you convince yourself anything with nuts must be healthy.  In other words, when you totally lose your senses because you are starving, in Paris, and surrounded by tempting pastries.

Here, my friends, are the products of my temporary insanity and I plead gulity.

Tarte citron, fondant au chocolat, and a nameless caramel tart with nuts. 

I carefully took a bite of each one.  The lemon tart was exactly that - tart and perfect.  The chocolate one was just gooey enough in the center to make it melt on your tongue.  The caramel nut confection, however, was by far the best.  It was so outstanding that I didn't take another bite of the lemon or the chocolate and without any hesitation destroyed the rest of the caramel nut tart.  Don't worry, I asked for a to go bag for the other two.  They will not go to waste.

The moral of this story?  If you ever find yourself on Rue St. Honoré in Paris, head towards number 215 and allow yourself to fall prey to their many delicacies.  Although the establishment doesn't have the charm of an old-school French patisserie, it makes up for that in scrumptious pastries. 

Note: 215 also sells several kinds of sandwiches, salads and quiches which can be eaten sur place (there) or à emporter (to go).

215

215 Rue St. Honoré

1st Arrondisement

Paris

Indentured Servant or Stagiare?

Before everyone starts to think that all I do is just gallivant around Europe, I better get back to blogging about my everyday life.  That is, my long hours at the restaurant as a stagiare.

I know that recent posts about my stage may lead you, dear reader, to believe that I am essentially leading an indentured servant's life at the restaurant; that I am paying my dues for three months by peeling vegetables, using the scary mandoline, and cleaning up behind everyone.  However, I must say that this isn't actually the case.  Do I do all of those things?  Yes.  Is that all I do?  No.

So far, I have worked in both the garde manger (prepping, cooking and plating the appetizers that are ordered) and the hot line (prepping, cooking, and plating the scallops, pork, and salmon dishes that are ordered).  Sometimes I question their sanity for letting a brand new stagiare take on some of the things they let me do, but if they are crazy enough to let me try then bring it on. I want to do and learn as much as possible.  We shall see what the weeks ahead bring my way.  It should be interesting.  Stay tuned...

Graduation Trip: Munich

Munich was really just a stop we made because we needed to get back to Paris and there was a flight from there.  However, we decided to stay the night so I could see the city.  Unfortunately, by this time of the trip, I was "over" all the cold weather and snow.  So, we only made one or two quick trips out into the city itself.   When we did, though, it was worth it.  I'd love to go back and see this town in the summer.  I bet it is lively and fun.  In the meantime, enjoy Munich in January with me... 

The trip to Munich would not be complete without a super large beer and pretzel.

Yep.  Snow!

The snow prompted us to stop in for hot chocolate.  I love it when they do things like this.  Thick hot chocolate sauce, warm milk and whipped cream - all ready for you to make it into the delicious drink you want it to be. 

Seeing the sights.

This building holds the famous clock.

Close up of the clock.

Perhaps due to the hordes of good food I had consumed on this trip, I was bound to have a bad meal somewhere.  That place just happened to be in Munich.  Honestly - three fried eggs with no seasoning, boiled potatoes with no seasoning, and what can only be described as spinach baby food with no seasoning.  I guess no one claims that Germany is known for their food, but geez you would have thought I was in England.

The Germans should stick to their beer brewing skills instead of cooking. :)

Graduation Trip: Zell am See

While in Zell am See, I gave you a mid-trip update.  So, if you read that you know that Zell am See is a skiing destination, and I am not a fan of skiing.  However, I am a fan of the gorgeous scenery, small-town feeling, and fresh mountain air.  Check out the landscape.  Amazing, isn't it?

View from our hotel window.

Our cute little Austrian hotel called The Romantik.

More views from the room.

And again.

Just after arriving, I looked out the window into a courtyard to see a man standing in the freezing cold with a huge pot of gluwein (mulled wine).  I like gluwein as much as the next guy, but who wants to stand in below freezing temps for no reason?

Well, there turned out to be a reason, actually.  There was a wedding (see the bride in white) and the man was serving the guests gluwein.  Why it had to be made outside is still a mystery, but it added to the charm of the place.

Walking around Zell am See.

Seeing what the town has to offer. 

Our first night there, you could see the sun setting over the mountains and it was breathtaking.

What else was breathtaking was the "spa" area of the hotel.  There was not only an inside and outside semi-heated pool, but also those awesome sheer red curtains you see. 

Outside pool.  Just a wee bit chilly!

The "spa" gets even better because there are waterbeds with the same sheer curtains where one can lie down and relax.  At this point, I was beginning to realize the meaning of the name of the hotel (The Romantik) and was starting to get worried there would be a basket a la 1970's to drop the room key in on the way into the spa if you catch my drift.  Luckily, that was not the case. 

Dinner that night was quite good.  We started with sun-dried tomatoes and parma ham.

B went on to get weiner schnitzel.

And I got spinach dumplings.  Now, this is not what I was envisioning when I ordered spinach dumplings.  For some reason I had more of a gnocchi type thing in mind, but let me tell you this did not disappoint.  It was really good despite its presentation.

One night we went down to the frozen lake.

And took a stroll.

It was truly beautiful and peaceful.

I'd move there if they made a bunny slope for me on the mountain in Zell am See.  Somehow, I don't think that is going to happen, though.

Our apres-ski destination - the fireplace at the hotel.

We woke up to snow the second day we were there and it pretty much didn't stop until we left.

Up the ski lift we went.  At this point, I was getting a bit nervous.

Because I was realizing just how steep the mountain was.

And just how much of a beginner I am.

Then, when you add in masses of people skiing at you at lightning speed.

You realize it's better to cut your losses and head one town over to the bunny slope.

Look at B, he even carried my skis for me.

View of the partially frozen lake from the ski lift.

The next day, I let B take on the slopes solo. 

But I did meet him for lunch on top of the mountain.

Where we saw hot air balloons.

And ate this greatness.

We'll be back Zell am See.

Graduation Trip: Salzburg

From Budapest we took a 7 hour train to Salzburg, where we were met with even more snow.  See below for all the photos of us exploring this quaint Austrian town.

We couldn't escape the snow.  It was everywhere we went on this trip and we loved it.

Again, no surprise that one of the first things we found upon arrival was a food market.

Every type of fresh baked bread imaginable was available (including big pretzels!).

We drank our fair share of beer while in Austria, most of it from a local brewery in Salzburg.

Dinner in old town.

B's first (but not last) plate of weiner schnitzel.

I joined in the fried fun with a plate of none other than fried chicken.

Although it didn't come with gravy and mashed potatoes like back home.  It came with a cold potato and cucumber salad.  Interesting choice.

Who could resist milk strudel?  Obviously not us.

Walking along the river.

To old town where we snuck into this cafe to have breakfast and get out of the pouring snow.

Luckily for us, they had apple strudel as a breakfast item.

And some of the best hot chocolate ever (with real whipped cream.  No canned stuff here).  God bless Salzburg.

We made our way up to the Modern Art Museum which has great views of the city, especially when it is covered in gorgeous white snow.

B and his new friend.

From the Modern Art Museum we made our way through a literal winter wonderland.  With snow softly falling, we trekked through a forest on our way to the fortress on the other side of the town.

On the way we walked through the old ramparts of Salzburg.

And into clearings filled with snow, trees, us and no one else. 

It was so peaceful.

And so gorgeous.

We literally felt like we were in a fairytale.

Making our way to the fortress.

It took about thirty minutes to reach it and then another ten making our way up the treachorous, steep entrance.  I mean, I know it's a fortress and all, but in this day and age could they make it a little more easy to access by chance?  Just a suggestion Salzburg.  Might want to take it into consideration.

Once in the fortress, you can take a tour which will allow you to climb to the top of one of the towers.  Ultra cool views of the town.

And ultra freezing to boot.

Considering the fact that we were both starving and completely frozen from head to toe, we headed down the hill into old town for lunch.  Luckily for me and B, they had piping hot soup that was perfect for warming us up.

This delicious pasta dish followed my soup and did not disappoint.

B's eggplant was equally delicious.

We lingered over dessert and coffee in order to maintain our warmth a little longer.  Not a bad plan considering they brought us this.