29 Jul 2016
by scolgin
in On the Road
Tags: aperitifs, Aperol, cocktails, Italy, Rod Stewart, spritz, Venice
I began seeing them in Rome; orange-colored drinks in the hands of the beautiful people sitting at sidewalk cafes. But I had just arrived in Italy; I was in the mood for red wine and Moretti beer.
There were fewer of the drinks in Tuscany, where a really big red wine is required alongside the region’s giant steaks. It was when we arrived in Venice that they were unavoidable; an orange drink in every hand, the perfect foil to the heat and humidity in the world’s most magical city: the Aperol spritz.
A gondolier takes a break in the heat of the Venice afternoon
Many years ago, when I lived in Santa Monica with my sister Laura — a globetrotting model, ex-Rod Steward girlfriend and drinker of fashionable aperitifs — I gained an appreciation for Campari and soda. The Aperol spritz is the sweeter, less bitter, more refreshing first cousin to the Campari and soda. More
22 Jul 2016
by scolgin
in Humor, On the Road
Tags: 9/11, cheese, French food, Lay's, Paris, poutine, raw milk cheese, smuggling, Walker's chips
I felt a bit guilty when I lied to the very kind customs man who welcomed us back into the United States.
“You’re not bringing in any food?” he said.
“No,” I replied.
My local fromagerie in Paris
In fact, my bag was 50% clothes, 50% food. I had several very alive raw milk cheeses, a few packages of salted Italian bottarga mullet roe, a large box of vialone nano risotto rice, five or six cans and jars of foie gras, four boxes of dried pasta and miscellaneous containers of salts. It is probably only the first two that would’ve raised border control eyebrows.
More
19 Jul 2016
by scolgin
in Humor, On the Road, Video
Tags: calvados, camembert, France, French cuisine, Honfleur, humor, Husqvarna, Normandy, robots
After a long and richly wine-ambered dinner with some friendly Finns at the table next to us and our friends the Schneiders who showed up mid-meal at the Bastille-area restaurant Chez Paul where we had last eaten 15 years before on our honeymoon, we slept hard and set out in the morning on the train for Normandy.
Whelks & periwinkles at Chez Paul
We would be visiting with my wife’s friend Anne, whom we had also last seen 15 years before in Paris. Like us, she now had three children and was living the French country dream near the harbor of Honfleur.
More
15 Jul 2016
by scolgin
in Observations, On the Road, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories), Video
Tags: Bresse chicken, France, French food, L'as du Fallafel, Marais, Marche des Enfants Rouge, Paris, Picasso Museum
It took me a little while to get my bearings in Paris. It’s a city I know well — I’ve spent a lot of time here — but after the easy, laid-back intimacy of Italy and the French Rhone-Alpes, Paris was a jarring awakening.
Arc de Triomphe, Bastille Day
The entre, after two weeks of meandering country roads, was driving the rental car into the heart of the Marais to drop the family and luggage off at the Airbnb, and then trying to navigate my way along the frenetic Rue du Rivoli to the subterranean Hertz offices at the swirling mayhem of the Louvre Carousel. More
08 Jul 2016
by scolgin
in Eating Out, Humor, On the Road, Video
Tags: crudo, Doctor Kiss Fish, Don Schneider, Italian cooking, Italy, mantis shrimp, Rialto fish market, scampi, Venice
I first came to Venice, the most magical city on earth, more than two decades ago. And every time I have returned, I’ve always wandered through the spectacular Rialto fish market with one thought in my head: “I wish I had a kitchen.”
This time, I have a kitchen.
The Rialto fish market
We met up with our friends, the Schneiders, at the fish market to get stuff for dinner. As much as I wanted to purchase everything I saw, I nearly had to physically restrain my pal, Donnie, from cleaning the market out. More
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
skinny girls & mayonnaise 