A French Love Affair with...wine!

More than 1 month since my last post?? My, my what a bad blogger I am!!! I'll make it up to you though... one of my pre-New Year's resolutions (does that even exist??) is to write on this blog more often than I've been doing so far.
So, WINE is a big chapter in my life and of course directly associated with France, since the best wines in the world are French (dare I say).
I've always loved to drink wine-especially red wine- but ever since our trip to Bourgogne (a renowned wine-producing region in central East France) about six months ago, I've developed a keen interest for wine: its varieties, its history, its aromas, its taste...

Bourgogne and its authentic landscape

14th century wine cellars, Château de Chassagne-Montrachet

So, last night, we organized a wine tasting night with two of our friends, who are also passionate about wine. We opened two bottles and drank them over an amazing porcini risotto and home-made pizza with prosciutto and rocket.
The first one was a DaGromis Barolo 2004 (ok, not French but so good that I do have to at least mention it) by Gaja (renowned Italian producer). The Nebbiolo variety is a favorite one and we ended up giving it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.
The second one was a Château Haut Saint Brice 2005 from Saint Emilion. It was a great year for this Grand Cru Bordeaux. Very different from the previous one we tasted, but quite special as well.

We plan on repeating this wine tasting adventure in about a month, when our friends come back from Argentina with some super Malbecs, which we will pair with some really good beef cuts. So stay tuned!

i miss my blog! i miss writing for so long! but what with all the workload and with the hectic situation right now in Greece, the days passed and i left my blog... unattended!
so here's a picture from the cover of La Libération (or "libé" as the French call it), one of the most respected daily newspapers in France. an image so shocking and yet so true about everything that's going on right now not only in Greece but across the whole of Europe as well...
*for obvious reasons there's no French Love Affair title for this post....*

A French Love Affair with...Pâtisserie!

France is gâteau-heaven and I... LOVE desserts! While wandering around one of my favorite sites (or community of bloggers), seriouseats.com, I stumbled upon an article entitled "10 must-try sweets in Paris". Of course, I stopped everything I was doing and started to read...voraciously ;-)

So, I thought I'd share it with you. Just try not to read it if you're hungry or craving for dessert, it will just make matters worse!!!

http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/08/10-essential-paris-desserts-best-pastries-paris-pierre-herme-laduree-stohrer-poilane-sadaharu-aoki.html?ref=sweets-bb4

I've tried a few of them already but I just cannot wait 'till next time I go to Paris to try them all!!!

A French Love Affair with...Beauty!

The French are well-known for their beauty products. I won't bother mentioning all the famous brands that  everybody knows, sold by cosmetics stores across the world. But I do have to mention a particularly miraculous product developed ages ago (like in the 1920s) by a company called INNOXA: it's called Gouttes Bleues and it works wonders for tired eyes!

These -literally- "blue drops"* are adored by make-up artists and the fashion industry in general. What differentiates them from your ordinary eye drops is that they do not only give you that extra sparkle that you want when you're ready to go out but they also soothe and relax the eyes- plus they are made from all natural ingredients (like chamomile, witch hazel, etc).

In France, you can get them from most pharmacies. Elsewhere, you may order them online.

* they get their vibrant blue color from a plant called cornflower, or "bleuet" in French ;-)

A French Love Affair with...Tea!

I absolutely LOVE tea. But not just any tea. Authentic, pure, strong tea. And definitely not Lipton..!

Now that autumn is slowly creeping in, it's time to enjoy my daily cup of tea once again... :-)

Many of you may not know that the British are not the only ones who have a tradition in tea. The French do too: Mariages Frères is an excellent example of that. Of course, Hédiard also sells amazing tea. But recently I've discovered YEMAYA Thé. They make Puerh tea from China which they sell in the form of "bonbons". Their innovative design is not only amazingly cute but also very practical, while the bonbons can be infused 4 or 5 times each.
Get them online at www.yemaya-the.com, or buy them from only one location in Paris and two in Biarritz.

A French Love Affair with...understated fashion!

So, i came across this cutting-edge Belgian brand the other day called n.d.c., and i really like some of the stuff they make...

Check out their golden Naima babouches and their Laguiole knives in which they have incorporated exquisite vintage or lizard skin leather in the design of the handle...

I also loved their women's and men's sandals (especially jess, jael, jeesus and sondld-what original names!) and even the things i didn't like that much have exquisite craftsmanship-it's no wonder that their slogan is: n.d.c. made by hand...

For those in Paris check out their flagship store in 20 rue des Canettes-definitely worth a visit on my next trip to France- otherwise you'll have to make do with their fantastic website, http://www.ndcmadebyhand.com/

A French Love Affair with...Polly Maggoo!

Ok, it's been way too long since my last post and I have a million things to tell you!

Let me start by the French restaurant "Polly Maggoo" in Athens-what a smart name for such an awesome restaurant! Located in the downtown, upcoming area of Metaxourgio it gives out a more animated & easy-going vibe than the traditionally expensive and classic French restaurants in Athens (L'Aubrevoir, etc.).

Neither the food nor the decor is too sophisticated but they're still extremely pleasant- especially because they don't pretend to be something they're not. I loved everything I ate, especially the lentils with the poached egg (as an hors-d'oeuvre)! My only complaint: NO FRENCH WINE LIST! What a disappointment :-( I hope this has changed since the last time I went.

Prices are reasonable (around 30 euro/person with the wine) and the crowd alternative, mainly in their 30s and 40s.

Bon appétit!