Meet me at Meet, or maybe not.

A friend of mine asked me if I’d gone to Meet French Bistro in Culver City, and I told him no I hadn’t. He then asked me if I would please go and write up a review, so that he could know ahead of time if it was a good place to take his wife for dinner… well, given the urgency of the matter I went. Twice!

Meet is for the most part a good typical Franco-Californian French Bistro. The food ranges from mediocre to very good, the prices are not too outrageous, and the staff are quite pleasant. There’s indoor and outdoor seating, the expected items on the menu plus a variety of Moules Frites, including marinieres, a la crème d’ail, au roquefort, a la moutarde ancienne, provençales, marinara, curry and lastly ocean.  I know of no other place with such a variety in Los Angeles. And according to my lady, they are quite good.

If you are not into moules frite, the usual candidates of Americanized French food are on the menu.

The only thing I can strongly recommend, aside for the moules, is to go to Meet between 5pm and 6pm for their prix-fix dinners. They are generous, including apero or digestive, appetizer, entrée and dessert for $29.  The last time I went I had the prix-fix with steak frite and received a large, very well prepared hanger steak.  Note, for $10 more per person they give you a bottle of wine; A cheap bottle of wine. Skip this and get the carafe of the house Côte du Rhone instead for $5 more.

Look, it is not that Meet French Bistro is bad; it is just that it doesn’t call out to me. I really wish it did. So many of the pieces are there, but is without risk, without boldness, without authenticity, without adventure or surprise. You order something on the menu which should be fantastic -- like the saffron mussel soup, and it is bland, spiced not to offend. It should have been bold, deep in saffron, garlic, Mediterranean chilies, pureed tomatoes, maybe chunks of Spanish choriso such that you sweat a bit but can't stop yourself from eating or dipping your bread for every last drop. Or something like that. Instead, rather blah. But alas for most it is acceptable, but not extraordinary. Good, but not memorably great. Even the desserts were fair, with decent portions, but not great. I want desserts that are  “Oh my god, you have to taste this!” good.

My lady likes Meet more than I do, and we will probably go again because of that, and we’ll go between 5 pm and 6 pm because the prix-fix meal is a good deal. And maybe things will change…

So, you go to Meet because you love the idea of a wide variety of moules frites, or you go because you are in Culver City between 5pm and 6pm and need a good place for dinner, without any high expectations.

If your expectations are not too high, there is a very good chance Meet will beat them.

Bon appetit,
Le Capitaine

Our desserts that came with the prix-fix dinners... a good cheese plate, and acceptable profiteroles that looked better than they tasted.

The website:
http://www.meetrestaurantla.com/

A Feast begins

 

Well, the publisher is now accepting pre-orders for the book. Those that place a pre-order will receive copies as soon as it comes off press, rather than wait for it to be in stock at the book stores.

Here's the link:
Publisher's pre-order page

Please do place an order, help us build a little momentum, and help feed your local author :-)

Here's a little promotional teaser card that recently went out:

Thank you for your support.

A la votre,
Le Capitaine

FrenchMorning - A Feast at the Beach

As many of you know I have a book coming out in August. Today the first advanced review was published on FrenchMorning.

You can read it here:

FrenchMorning article


Being FrenchMorning, the article is in French (the book itself is in English).

The review is quite favorable, but there is one line that just humbles me:

“Dans A Feast at the Beach, on se retrouve plongé dans la Provence des années 60; un univers qui évoque à la fois les romans de Marcel Pagnol et les photos de Robert Doisneau.”

Translates to:

“In A Feast at the Beach, you find yourself immersed in the Provence of the 60s, a universe that evokes both the novels of Marcel Pagnol and the photographs of Robert Doisneau.”

To be mentioned in the same breath as the great writer Marcel Pagnol is an honor beyond words, and the amazing photographer Robert Doisneau too. I am overwhelmed.

I will keep everybody up-to-date as we get close to the launch date. There will be some parties, and my publisher has insisted I do some readings and such.

And for those who are interested there is now a Fan Page for the book an Facebook, where regular updates, reviews and such will be published. You can find it here:

Facebook fan page


Keep in touch,
Le Capitaine

Maison Maurice, a somewhat surrealist adventure.

Less than a year ago Maison Maurice in Beverly Hills opened up.  It was what is called a “soft launch” – which really means, “We didn’t advertise or tell anybody.” Somehow this place landed on my radar and we decided to give it a try on a Sunday evening after hanging out at the beach.

There are two Maison Maurice’s. Well, actually three, all at the same location.  That is to say 3 fundamentally different eating areas. At the far back there is a large room, sort of dark and with a slight eastern euro vibe. Not for me, but I can imagine many liking it. Then there are the tables set in the atrium area. This is where you want to sit for that casual romantic "I’m in a lost corner of Paris" feel – lots of plants and that cobblestone alley feel done in a very nice way. And then there’s the bar, which is where you go for the “did I just step into a French gangster movie?" surreal experience, which I must admit is where we sat, and where I would sit again! The decor is old French bar mixed with movie memorabilia (love the wallpaper in the bathrooms!) and on the big screens in the bar are black and white French film-noir playing. Oh, and a soundtrack that I wholeheartedly approve of, filled with Aznavour, Montand, and my favorite Joe Dassin song “L’Ete Indien” that had me singing out loud (the drinks probably helped).

The owner was as nice as could be. He spoke French, (he is from Lebanon), and later in the evening the chef stopped by, who was very French in that Marseilles bad boy way. Both stopped by our table, chatted us up, and were great hosts, including sending over a round of free Champagne, and an extra dessert. Classic French casual, yet wonderful hosts.

Throughout our evening various French men stopped in, sat at the bar, had a drink or dinner, spoke loudly or very very quietly, and then went off. If the film noir movies wern’t enough, this traffic could easily get the imagination going.

The waitress and barmaid were also quite friendly.

The food? A mixed bag. We had an off the menu mousse de canard appetizer which was quite good, though it was served with a small bowl of homemade mayonnaise. I love homemade mayonnaise, but with paté, a bit unusual, no?  We also shared an endive salad that was good, but with just a little more effort could have been great (a slightly better vinegrette, and some small pieces of grilled lardon maybe?). We had a couple of the chicken with peppercorn sauce, and immediately I regretted not getting the steak with peppercorn sauce. The chicken is boneless skinless chicken breast, which personally is not my favorite part of the chicken. Interestingly the sauce that came out with the chicken was a bit salty and so-so. When I asked the sous-chef for a bit more out came a big bowl of it, and this time it was divine, a cognac infused mervielle! The frittes were above average. A friend had the Provençal shrimp with linguine, something not on the menu but which the staff had zero objections preparing, and was good. Not great, but quite serviceable.

With dinner we had a bottle of rosé from Gassin, a wonderful small town near St Tropez. I was floored that they had this wine! In fact kudos to Maurice for an eclectic and very fairly priced wine list heavy in Southern French wines.

Lastly we had dessert: an Ille Flotant that was very good, and would have been even better if the chef had stayed traditional and floated it in crème anglaise rather than a raspberry & strawberry coulee. We also had the profiteroles, which swam in a nice dark chocolate sauce. With dessert we had some excellent Pineau des Charentes.

If your dining decision is going to be made based on quality of food alone, Maison Maurice has a little ways to go and can only be said to be average, though it would not take much effort to step it up a notch: stay simple, go traditional, and keep it French! Avoid Americanizing! Give me a salade de lentilles aux saucisses, some classic escargot in butter and garlic but with a hint of pastis, a poulet roti with herbs, lemon and olives, or a pissaladier!

But you don’t go to Maison Maurice just for the food. You go because the combined package of food, ambiance, eclectic friendly staff, wonderful decor, and the occasional French expatriate wandering through all work to create an evening to remember.

I shall be returning. Look for me in the bar.

A votre santé,
Le Capitaine


Here's the link to their site:
http://maisonmauricebeverlyhills.com/

An Underground Cathedral Dedicated to Bacchus

South of Avignon, in France, there’s this wonderful little town called St Remy de Provence, where Nostradamus was born, and where there’s a great restaurant, well more than one, but our favorite was the Bistro des Alpilles, but that story is for another time. The thing is, if you head east out of town on the D99, and look very carefully on the right you’ll see a tiny little sign for the one lane road called Chemin de Romanin and a place called Château Romanin. Take a right on this little road.
It looks just like this:

Down a ways on the left will be a glider field. It’s like an airport, but for gliders. No tower, and the runway is made of grass. Kind of quiet and beautiful when the gliders come in. Keep going, through all the vineyards and Provençal garigue, following those tiny little signs that say Château Romanin. Eventually you will run into the base of the mountains known as Les Alpilles.
As you approach, going through the vineyards it will looks a lot like this:

On your right, sitting at the top of an out-thrust of the mountain are the ruins of a 1000-year-old castle, the original Château Romanin. To your left will be the slightly disconcerting and just a wee bit mythical site of huge doors built into the side of a mountain. This is the new Château Romanin. Underground.
The entrance looks like this:

The new Château Romanin was built about 20 years ago into the side of a mountain. The idea was to take advantage of the naturally cooling properties of being under a mountain to make and store wine. And it works. Quite well actually.

Château Romanin is a biodynamic winery. That means they are not only organic, but work to be in harmony with the Earth, harvest by phases of the moon, pick by hand, and a host of other somewhat esoteric practices. It’s a bit complicated, but quite romantic and somehow very appropriate to wine. Especially good wine. Château Romanin is so good at making biodynamic wine that not that long ago they won the gold medal for best biodynamic wine in France. That is saying a lot. They’ve also been on a number of “best of” lists, including best small wineries of France, best rosé and best reds of Provence, and the like.

The real treat is to tour the winery and visit La Cathedral, the underground storage area filled with giant wood barrels and built deep into the mountain.  Imagine if a bunch of Dwarves from Lord of the Rings had decided to build a majestic winery under a mountain. It looks a bit like that, except this was designed by a renowned Parisian architect.  It is frankly awe-inspiring. Jelly legs inducing beautiful. On one of my visits, yes I’ve been more than once, anyway on one of my visits one of my companions almost broke into tears at the sheer beauty and majesty of La Cathedral.

Hold your breath… These pictures don't do it justice, but it looks a lot like this:

What makes it all better is that much of the wine is really good. Their rosé is a giant step above the norm. Delightfully complex for a rosé, crisp and clean and it somehow raises the spirit at each sip. So good we picked up a case. And their other selections are worth tasting, knowing the odds are you will find at least one or two "must haves."

The last time we were there we picked up a magnum of their gold winning "Cœur" wine and had it with Christmas dinner. It was heavenly. The big bird in the picture, I think it was a free range organic goose, which only looks small because of the size of the massive magnum of wine, was prepared by Chef Tiaré Ferrari and was drool inducing in its both its scent and taste:

Here is the thing: Part of the joy of wine, at least in my view, is having the sense of place that goes with the wine. Wine is more than taste; it is place, and memories, and art.

Château Romanin does not disappoint in helping establish a unique sense of place, inspired memories and a wonderful injection of art into life. I still have a few dust covered bottles that I just look at and remember. One of them is the gold winner. Someday, I will actually open them up and drink them, but it will have to be a very special occasion.

Château Romanin also makes its own small production of biodynamic olive oil from olive trees on the estate. I’m told it’s really good. It must be, they have been sold out every time I go.  Apparently as soon as the word goes out that they are pressing and bottling the oil people from all over come and buy a bottle, or a case, or two, and within a month of the pressing it is gone, until the next year.

They also make their own  honey. They keep several hives on the estate so as to keep the biodynamics of pollination working, or something like that. They harvest and sell a limited supply of two types of biodynamic honey: wildflower and forest honey. The wildflower is good. The forest honey is sensational. When’s the last time you had honey you thought was sensational? I bring some back every time I go and guard it carefully.

So, the next time you are traveling along the D99 just east of St Remy de Provence, look for the little sign on the side of the road, and follow it to Bacchus’ magical underground cathedral. You won’t regret it.  Oh, and raise a glass and give a toast to Bacchus for me, would you?

Santé,
Le Capitaine

L’Aioli de Provence

The following recipe is taken from my upcoming book A Feast at the Beach. While it is indeed a novel that takes place in Provence, it also contains a dozen or so recipes of classic foods and drinks of that most wonderful part of France. This recipe is just a taste of what you’ll find in the book. I hope you enjoy it.


L’Aioli de Provence

I never like the aioli I get in the States because it frankly just isn’t garlicky enough, not to mention the strange things I’ve seen put in it, like sugar and relish? I once entered into a futile argument with a waitress when I tried to explain to her that aioli had garlic in it, (she said it didn’t) and in fact the word is derived from the old terms for garlic and oil.
    Aioli in Provence has a kick. A swift, wide and powerful one. It isn’t shy. That’s how I make my aioli. The truly old fashion approach is to use a mortar and pestle to crush the garlic, and while that is the most traditional, I do use the minor short cuts of a garlic press and a hand held wire whisk (or mixer when working in volumes), but I shortcut only in my tools, not my ingredients.
    While it is also traditional to use aioli with fish or steamed vegetables, I often use aioli in place of mayonnaise, such as in sandwiches. It is also delicious as a dip when making steamed artichokes, or for dipping French fries.

    Ingredients
    2 egg yolks from fresh high quality eggs
    5 garlic cloves (a few more if you
    wish, but no less!)
    1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon
    juice
    1/4 teaspoon Mediterranean Sea salt
    1 large pinch of saffron threads
    1 cups olive oil
    1 tablespoon warm water

Crush the garlic well, the closer to a paste the better, and place in a large bowl. Add egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and crushed dried saffron threads. Whisk these together until well blended.
    While whipping constantly dribble in the olive oil, starting with a very slow dribble. When about half the olive oil has been used, add the tablespoon of warm water. Continue whipping and dribbling in the olive oil until all the olive oil is used up. Store in the refrigerator in a glass container that seals well.

Note: The aioli is sharpest right after making, and mellows over time. I suggest you make it at least 4 hours before you plan on using. You will also notice these strange dark spots with an orange halo start to show up. These are the tiny bits of saffron threads releasing their wonderful essence into the aioli, and a good sign.

Bon appetit,
Le Capitaine

P.S. Pick up a copy of the book at Amazon, Borders, or Barnes & Noble

Hanging out in the beautiful town of Ménerbes, in the Luberon mountains, in Provence.  -Photo: Tiaré Ferrari

A Time to Remember

On May 8th, 1945, the Allied Forces formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Nazi Germany. On that day more than a million people celebrated in the streets, and for good reason. An evil had been vanquished, an evil that had cost the lives and suffering of millions.
       That vanquishing, that victory had a cost.
        In World War Two, the triumph of freedom over malevolent tyranny and oppression took the effort of millions of men and women, united to fight, to resist, to say “no more –this shall not stand.” It took the courage of conviction, the insistence in enlightened principles, the clutching at hope, the foundations of duty and honor, and action. Unwavering action. Action ultimately carried out by individuals.
        Tomorrow is the 65th Anniversary of V-E Day. 
        I will be participating in a ceremony tomorrow night hosted by the Consul General of France, including diplomats from 5 of the Allied countries and various U.S. political and military officials, gathered to commemorate this historic occasion. It will be a time to remember fallen comrades, honor those that went above and beyond, thank once again surviving Allied veterans and resistance fighters, and also it will be a time to celebrate.
        To celebrate a victory that ensured that the light of freedom continued to shine.
        Can you imagine if those brave souls who gave it their all had lost? What darkness would have befallen our civilization! It would have been a new dark age, filled with suffering, oppression, murder and horror. The most basic concepts of Human Rights would be non-existent, slavery would be the norm, and evil would reign.
        That is no exaggeration.
    Keep this in mind tomorrow, on V-E Day, for it was only 65 years ago that the very concept of freedom and of human right were fought for on a global scale, and many individuals, families, and nations paid a high price for the preservation of these values for future generations.
     As part of tomorrow’s events, the second volume of testimonials to be published by The Memoirs Project will be released. In it we capture for posterity individual stories of pain, bravery, suffering, and heroism. Stories that tell in simple, yet often poignant human terms the individual price paid for freedom.
        As our World War Two veterans and resistance fighters pass into the night, they often take with them their stories.
        We who make up the dedicated volunteers of The Memoirs Project feel it is important for these individual stories to be captured, remembered, and shared amongst our collective consciousness.
        These stories are our past.
        And they can inspire us to shape a better future.

                       William Louis Widmaier
                        Editor In Chief
                        The Memoirs Project
                        www.TheMemoirsProject.com

 After helping liberate Paris American soldiers observe as the Tricolor is displayed atop of Eiffel Tower once again.