Taste of the Town

No Wonder We Like Champagne!

Champagne has trace amounts of lithium. Who knew? According to Mireille Guiliano, that contributes to the feel-good vibe you get when sipping a glass of bubbly.

Guiliano is full of interesting food-related tidbits, I discovered last night in Mequon. As you know, I was torn between catching a talk about tea and coffee in Shorewood but in the end, the allure of obtaining a signed copy of French Women for All Seasons was too much.

In person, Guiliano was utterly charming, sprinkling her talk with selected passages from the new book, some of which I had read while waiting for the event to start. She jokingly admitted that her French compatriots were a little vexed with her for revealing so many of their stay-slim secrets: Avoid processed foods, think about what you eat, invest in quality ingredients, drink plenty of water, and get moving.

You’d think that would be pretty simple, but in our go-go world there’s often not a lot of thought that goes into food, or its preparation. Instead, we scarf down meals on the go, toss back biggie-sized cups of soda and venti-gigantico cups of coffee alongside super-sized burgers and fries while waiting for flights or driving home.

I’m guilty of my fair share of dashboard dining too, always twinging a bit at the thought of what I am (or am not) consuming. But Guiliano makes eating well sound so simple. Then again the French make tying a scarf look simple, and we all know French women are the only ones who wear scarves without looking like they tied a tablecloth around their neck!

Vive La France!

Thanks to Shannon for reminding me about the other Mireille Guilano event going on tomorrow.

Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro is holding a champagne luncheon inspired by the book. Get details here.

Torn Between Two Events

What were the Harry Schwartz Booksellers thinking when they scheduled these events for the same date and time?

On Tuesday, November 28, at 7 p.m. in nearby Mequon, Mireille Guiliano is slated to do a reading from her new book, French Women For All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure.  Having been a fan of her first book, French Women Don’t Get Fat, I couldn’t wait to check out the four season’s worth of new strategies for living bien dans sa peau. 

I also couldn’t wait to see this French phenomenon in person. It’s not often I feel excited about meeting people who have achieved a certain amount of fame (they are, after all, just real people), but the truth is I’m a little awed by this savvy woman’s incredible business acumen (She is credited with increasing Champagne Veuve Clicquot's market share in America by 23%. ) as well as her ability to market herself.

But now I’m torn.

At the same time Guiliano is set to be in Mequon, the Shorewood Harry Schwartz location is holding a talk by Milwaukee-based writers Travis Arndorfer and Kristine Hansen to celebrate the recent publication of their book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Coffee and Tea.

Having been informed about my obsession with coffee, you can easily surmise why I desperately want to attend this event and get the down low on any as-yet-undiscovered secrets for brewing my morning joe.

I haven’t decided yet which one I’ll hit. But whatever way I go, I know I won't be disappointed.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from the sunny southern regions of the country! We're hanging out with my fam for the next few days, but I wanted to check in and wish you all a wonderful day.

                            

                              

It's been fantastic to see my family again; we’ve had people streaming in and out all day. I finally feel like I’m caught up on family news . . . and on my fair share of carbs. No more pie for me. At least not today. Cheers!

Il Mito

There was a shoeless person passed out in front of the bar across from our restaurant du jour.
As we parked in the adjacent lot, a small group carried the man to a car and propped him up in the back seat. I noted with relief that at least he was wearing socks.

I looked at Scott and wondered what we’d gotten ourselves into. Surely this group of party peeps wouldn’t corral us on the way over and force us to slam more tequila shots than a spring breaker. A few of those, and we’d be in the same state as Shoeless Man!

We took our chances, passing by the place as quickly as possible and made our way to the more modern looking establishment across the street.

The moment we stepped into the cozy confines of Il Mito at Walker’s Point, our coats were whisked away and we were seated immediately at a comfortable corner table, which not only provided an entertaining view of the on-going antics across the street, but also allowed us a wonderful vantage point to survey the much more serene and cushy scene within.

A large number of both families and couples lingered at tables beneath the softly lit solar-space ceiling mural. We settled in our own spot and made menu selection. Scott was set on the Linguine con Polpette, but I debated between several of the evening’s specials, and was pleased to find there was a prix fixe option available that would allow me to sample a little of each dish for $39.

(Actually, “little” was a complete misnomer; these smaller portions were still so large that I ended up taking a big part of them home! But more on that later.)

A Bite of the Big Easy in Brew City

When I drove downtown last night I had no idea I was about to come face to face with the craziest bowl of jambalaya ever to cross my path.

Instead of the chicken, duck, sausage and shrimp being mixed with the rice at The Bayou, they were arranged on top.

                    

Interesting but good. And totally different than the way I’m used to having it served.

My introduction to jambalaya came from a Texan named Tim.

Tim grew up on the Texas/Louisiana border and reportedly obtained his infamous “six beer” jamb recipe from some of the Acadians in his area.

For the uninitiated, the length of a jambalaya’s prep time is often measured in the number of beers that can be consumed. The reason a maker of Tim’s jamb recipe has time to polish off a six pack was simple: The roux alone takes three hours to make.

Birthday Cake Has No Calories

That’s what I tell myself. And when the cake is as good as the four-layer Chocolate Mousse we ordered from Simma’s, who’s counting?

                      

Simma’s is one of my favorite bakeries, so it’s only natural that we turned to them for a cake to celebrate both Scott and his mom’s birthday. You have to love any place that you can call up, place your order and say, “Just make it look good,” then get something stunning.

From conventional cakes and cheesecakes, to truffles, tarts, and cream puffs, Simma’s has what you need to make any occasion special. And since they maintain spectacular attention to detail and devotion to quality, anything you place on the table from there is guaranteed to make you look like the host(ess) with the mostess. What’s not to love?

Weird for Wearing a Coat to Brunch?

I’ve been bundled up in my coat, hat, gloves and boots to run errands and I swear, if one more person asks me “Is it really that cold?” I’m going to scream.

It’s 40 degrees.

Give me a break. Where I’m from, that’s winter weather. So yes, it feels cold enough for me to layer up Arctic style.

I guess that kind of comment is considered some sort of congenial conversation starter, but I find it rude and obtuse. Thankfully the staff at Louise’s did not inquire about my clothing choice when I showed up for brunch the other day. They simply seated me in a sunny banquette and brought me a nice, warm cup of coffee.

While defrosting, I surveyed the scene. For 10:30 a.m., this light-filled little place right near Cathedral Square Park (home to summer’s Jazz in the Park) was pretty happening. A group of Adidas-clad guys were downing drinks at the bar, another couple flirted shamelessly over their breakfast and Bloody Marys, and a large, lively group at a table near us was in the midst of a spirited political debate.

I ordered a Mediterano Frittata, which came with Potatoes Louise and fruit, while Scott opted for Eggs Benedict, which consisted of the usual two poached eggs topped on a toasted English muffin with Canadian bacon and hollandaise sauce.

While we waited for our plates to arrive, we sampled some of the rosemary bread dipped in olive oil and balsamic vinegar that our server brought. Last week I secretly swore I’d eat fewer carbs, but so far I haven’t been very successful. (Secret diet vows, you know… they make it more convenient to cheat.) Since I’d been awake since seven with no food or coffee to speak of, the bread took the edge off my hunger.

After only a few minutes our order arrived and I cut into the golden frittata. Warm layers of eggs, artichokes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and creamy goat cheese made their way from the fork to my mouth. In between bites Scott and I tried to figure out what kind of chairs would look good with the dining table we just purchased, and whether or not anybody would notice my now darker locks. (Hint, hint.)

 

With my hunger finally satisfied, I donned coat and hat and headed out into the brisk fall air, feeling warm and wondering if I should ask the short-sleeve clad guy near the door if it was really that hot outside.

20 Blocks to the West

Where did I get so much stuff? And how on earth did I ever fit all of it into an apartment?

I ponder this, as well as what color sofa to purchase, as we get settled into the new house.

It’s been a crazy week. Scott moved a lot of the boxes last Friday, then our friend Jim helped him move the larger items on Saturday. Since we lived on the upper level of a duplex built somewhere around 1920, there were some pretty wild stair issues involved, but finally we got everything out of the old place and into the new. Jim’s wife, Dana, brought us some chili and pumpkin muffins, and we’ve been unpacking ever since.

Hopefully we’ll be somewhat organized and back in the groove by the weekend. Then I won’t feel guilty about going out for a nice leisurely lunch or dinner on Saturday.  See you then…