It started in high school. My French teacher would have breakfast for us one Friday each month. She always brought in buttery croissants and a jar of Nutella. Super authentic, I know.
And this brings me to my point. Last night we dined at the French bistro L’ Épicerie in Curitiba. Before I go on, I should mention that when dining out where we live in Brazil we often find ourselves ending the meal with the phrase, “That was good….for Brazil.”You see, our small town does Brazilian cuisine very well, of course. However, when it comes to cuisines of other countries there is much room for improvement. This is why I love coming to Curitiba so much – the food. There is much more of a melting pot here and it shows through in the dining scene.
My husband was actually referred to this place by a man he met on a flight. This gentleman is from Curitiba and having been to Paris several times, made it clear that he actually liked this bistro better.
Quite a hefty standard to live up to, so we thought we should give it a try.
The meal was absolutely outstanding. Period. There is no “for Brazil” added to the end of that sentence. It was foodie heaven.
I had the Salmon with Ratatouille and the Gratin Potatoes as my side. The salmon was perfectly seared leaving a light crunch to the outside and immersed in a citrus glaze. The vegetables were perfectly seasoned and arrived in the cutest little Le Creuset pot. The potatoes were so rich and buttery they melted in my mouth.
My husband had the Duck Breast with a demi-glacé and apples and the julienned vegetables as his side. This meal was no less perfect. The duck was full of flavor complemented nicely by the sweet apples. The vegetables were tiny strings molded into a symmetrical mound on the plate. They were still firm and full of flavor.
For dessert we went with Crème Brule, glad we had chosen to share one as it was quite large. Crispy sugar on the top followed by a creamy vanilla center. One of the best I have had.
In a few short days I’ll be back to making my own creations. Not that this is a bad thing, but I am taking full advantage of dining out. L’ Épicerie was an outstanding find and a great lesson regarding the fact that it can be to your benefit to strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you on the plane.
Great meal out. Glad you guys found a place that was good (with no “for Brazil” ;). Have a good weekend!
That salmon looks delicious! I wonder what duck breast tastes like?? Glad you’re enjoying dining out : )
Hope your weekend is wonderful!
What a lucky conversation your husband had 🙂
Erica – Thanks! I hope you have a great weekend as well!
lesley – Duck breast is similar to dark chicken meat, but more tender and richer in flavor, in my opinion. It is often a bit fattier. I typically don’t go for it, but my husband loves it. I enjoy a bit or too.
Daily Spud – Indeed. Right place at the right time.
First, thank you so much for letting me know about the Gaiam Twitter! That made my day! I feel like the luckiest blogger- LOL!
Everything looks wonderful! I’ve never gotten into anything French. Italian, Indian, Chinese, Korean, German? Done it all- but not French- YET!
healthy ashley – You are welcome! As soon as I saw it I wanted to come and tell you right away. I wasn’t sure if you were on Twitter.
I do have to admit a large focus of my French food obession is with pastries and bread. Ha, ha! I’m moving more towards entrees recently. 🙂
Sounds like a nice dinner out!
I love this. Traveling and trying new foods/restaurants is the spice of life, so fun to read about your adventures. Why are you in Brazil? Haven’t been reading long so maybe I missed this somewhere…
mmmm. that salmon looks delicious!!!
The Salmon looks tasty! Now I am hungry! 🙂
5 Star Foodie – It really was. We are getting to experience some amazing food so inexpensively here. The owner at this restaurant was professionally trained in France.
Jolene – Actually, I haven’t really talked about it so much on this blog. However, I let my food experiences have an appearance here since it is my food blog. 🙂
We are on a two year assignment with my husbands employer which will end this coming Oct. I have an expat blog where I write about all my experiences in Brazil including a little food here and there.
http://www.blondieinbrazil.blogspot.com
Heather and Mark – The salmon was so good. It had been forever since I’d had some. It was darn near perfect. 🙂
Your plates look delicious!! Thanks for sharing!!