Serge the Concierge

Petanque in Brooklyn (at Bar Tabac) and other Bastille Day Events

Feel Tricolore as Bastille Day approaches. If you look forward to an afternoon of Pastis and Petanque, Bar Tabac in Brooklyn, New York holds its annual Petanque Tournament.

Merguez, frites and Ricard are on the menu as well as music by the Baby Blue Orchids and the Francois Wiss Ensemble.
A Bal Musette maybe.
Bar Tabac is located at 128, Smith Street  and Dean Street.

Want to keep abreast of Petanque News in the New York area, La Boule New York is the place to check.

On the New Jersey side (even though Brooklyn is closer to me), Frenchtown has a Bastille Day Festival on July 12 and 13 (my illustration).

Washington DC celebrates Bastille Day at the French Embassy (my illustration).

For events in other U.S cities such as Boston, Austin, Seattle and more, take a look at the TV 5 Listing.
Most of them take place on either Saturday 12 or Sunday 13 not July 14 as in France.

I first heard about the Brooklyn festivities thanks to Katia of Pardon Me for Asking.

As for my plans after reading Hail to the Chef (FT Week End) recounting a backyard party at Daniel Johnnes home, a Sunday afternoon cookout sounds great.

Related: Celebrating Bastille Day, Gourmet Food and Wine in Franschhoek, South Africa and A glass of Petanque...Close encounters with Bastille Day

Inflation Bubble! Even Snails Prices are Shooting Up in France

How much worse can things get when French are forced to shell out more for snails reports Angelique Chrisafis for The Guardian.

She says that "Snails, France's national delicacy, are the latest menu item to panic consumers after the industry warned a shortfall in the 2008 harvest would send prices soaring".

To give you an idea of the scope of the problem "France has the highest consumption of snails in the world, cooked in Burgundy's famous butter, garlic and parsley recipe or in variations with wine and cheese. Last year, the French processed 14,300 tonnes of gastropods, including snails and whelks. But 99% of France's snails come from abroad, notably eastern European countries or the Balkans and Greece" according to her piece.

This worries Jacky Pommier organizer of one of the biggests summer slugfests in Digoin .

PT Ford, an American Expat called the 2007 edition a Snail Chow Down Festival on Why Travel to France.

It also made news on the Taipei Times.

Related: Fresh and Juicy Snails To Go at 'La Maison de l'Escargot' (Paris)

Picnic and Party Plates that Don't Trash Nature thanks to 'VerTerra'

How much garbage all our summer parties and picnics generate, god only knows?
A little company that could, VerTerra (from New York) has come up with a solution inspired by India.

They offer a line of plates, bowls, cups, and platters that they describe as "100% renewable and compostable plant matter and water. No chemicals, waxes or dyes, like those found in disposable paper and plastic options". They suggest that theses single-use products can be used "to reheat in the microwave, bake in the oven, or cool in the fridge".

Made in South Asia from fallen leaves, after collecting these leaves they "apply steam, heat and pressure to transform the leaves into durable products that will naturally biodegrade in 2 months".

At about $1 a piece, responsibility you can afford.

Kudos!

First read about VerTerra on Springwise.

Want to discover other earth friendly products, the California Waste Management Board offers a list of Compostable Products.

Related: Wanna Compost? 'The Daily Dump' can help

Cold Yogurt Soup, Philosophy and Food: Ottolenghi the Cookbook

What turned my attention to Yotam Ottolenghi at first was his Cold Yogurt Soup recipe for The Guardian.
A perfect eat on a hot summer day.

In Cooking the Books, Nigel Slater sings his praise, confessing that "Ottolenghi has been part of my life for some years now. I find it difficult to pass its doors without at least a peep at its Mediterranean delights. There is no more vibrant food store in London. Leaving there without a box of passion fruit tartlets or a slice or two of plum cake with my 'good boy' broccoli salad requires more willpower than I currently possess. The fact that the proprietors Yotam Ottolenghi and his friend Sami Tamimi have been generous to put their recipes in a book is something I had long dreamed of".

Which led me to Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, no less than 140 recipes from "meat and fish main courses, through to many healthy and quick salads and suppers, plus cakes and breads".
Their love of food is rooted in their childhood in Jerusalem.
Over the years they were influenced by other middle eastern cuisines and many other strands.

If you are in London on July 24th, they will have a Book Launch Party at cheese shop La Fromagerie.
Get all the details on the event as well as a reservation link in Celebrating the Cookbook with La Fromagerie on the Ottolenghi Blog.
Lychee Martinis & Saffron Scented Prosecco will be served.

The book was published May 1st in the UK.
I am not sure where it might be available otherwise.

On UK Restaurants and Cookbooks: Size is not everything, Gospel of Cooking according to Jason Atherton at 'Maze'

Serving Wine from the Right and Smelly Armpits?

We do many things out of habit without thinking of the reasons behind why we do it?
When wine is ordered in a restaurant for example, we go through a whole ritual of showing the bottle and its label.
What matters most is that the right wine and vintage are served.
Smelling the cork does not serve any purpose as far as I know.
As for serving wine from the right, is it so that customers do not get elbowed by the sommelier or the server?
Has it got anything to do with smelly armpits.
Would strong fragrances worn by the person offering the wine be a bigger distraction to appreciating the wine fully than body odor?
I could not find any definitive answer on the origins of the etiquette of wine service.
The basics are covered by David Gaier in Ordering and Serving Wine: A Tutorial.
If you have any answers with history to match them, do share them.

Will a consumer brand come up with a deodorant that puts an end to smelly armpits yet offers a neutral scent?
Can you imagine a commercial to illustrate it?

Recent Wine Blurbs: Wine with your Own Stamp made in New York City: City Winery

At 'Grand Fooding 2008' in Paris , Chefs Offer Culinary Delights on June 22nd

On Sunday, June 22nd, Chefs leave their usual haunts and set their tent on the esplanade of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris.
They will offer their culinary delights to a salivating crowd for Le Grand Fooding 2008, not La Grande Bouffe.

I would be happy to try the lamb with peppers and onions and an asian twist by Davide Barilone of Il Vino, Langoustines from Le Guilvinec in my native Brittany plus a Donburi création par Hisayuki Takeuchi of Kaseiki which calls itself the best sushi place in Paris.

On the sweet side: 10.000 Punk Ice Cream Cones (Ice Cream with Beet and Sesame props) by Marc Bretillot, culinary designer.

Drink wise, William Ledeuil of Ze Kitchen Galerie will serve "Mon Ricard mangue de rien", the Anis based liquor gets a makeover with mango, green apple, curcuma, ginger and lemon.

More down to earth wine producers from Anjou will be on hand to serve their Cabernet.

Also present, Gelinaz! called the most Rock'n Roll European Chefs Collective, not sure what they will come up with...

All that for only 5 Euros...a steal, if you can still get a ticket.

Wish I was there!

The Paris event is one of the 6 Sunday stops on this year's map which marks the 6th Edition of Le Grand Fooding.

Still to come are Nice on June 29 and Lyon on July 6th.

Thanks to Charlotte for providing me with all these details in no time.

Basa, Dab or Vietnamese Clams, Sustainable Fish from A to Z

Do the right thing is the mental message we get when buying fish and shellfish at our local store or ordering it in a restaurant.

Instead of giving us a lengthy expose Sophie Morris offers us an A to Z list of seafood that is healthy and not at risk of extinction in Where's the Catch? (The Independent UK, June 14).
Each choice is followed by a short, clear description and its country of origin.

I did not know of Basa , a Vietnamese catfish which she describes as "light, flaky white fish native to the Mekong river delta and available all year round".
I tasted Dab (which I knew as 'Limande' in France). It is "the smallest of the flatfish and cheaper than halibut or turbot. Avoid during the April to June breeding season".
Gurnard (also known as sea-robin) sounds intriguing and "Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests pot-roasting with leeks, celeriac and a slosh of white wine".
It seems it could be used in bouillabaisse as well.

Some of them might not be found in your corner of the world but in any case this is a place to start.

Along the same line, Ratha Tep (Food and Wine) attended a Sustainable Fish Think Tank on June 6 where chef Rick Moonen highlighted some lessons learned in fish buying and recipes from his cookbook Fish Without a Doubt such as Grilled Dorade with Hoisin Glaze which he shared with NPR.

I hope this helps on your next 'fishing' expedition.

Related: Staying Alive...Eat a Guilt Free Fish

Dishwashing Detergent mistakenly served as Mulled Wine in New Zealand

Anyone's idea of cleaning your palate before a glass of wine is not a shot of detergent.
A New Zealand cafe mistakenly served customers dishwashing detergent instead of mulled wine and was fined for causing emotional distress reports The Guardian in Sour Grapes.
The court case states that "one victim was a customer who ordered a glass of wine from Queenstown's Old Man Rock Café on South Island".
My personal reaction would have been utter disgust.
I had the displeasure to be served in New York on a couple of occasions a draft beer that tasted more like soap than a brew.

Related: Bad and Worse Names for Restaurants, ThaiTanic anyone?

Pepper...Good with Fruit and Ice Cream Too?!

Some countries have experienced food riots recently due to price hikes and shortages.
In The Daily Grind (The Guardian, May 31st), Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall reminds us that cooking ingredients such as pepper that we now take for granted in the past "fortunes were made from it, battles fought for it, ransoms and dowries paid with it. What Keralans call "the king of spices", pepper, was once very precious indeed".

We mostly restrict its use to main dishes when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall suggests "it's good with fruit, too. A few grinds of black pepper over strawberries, stirred into fruity ice-creams or sorbets, sprinkled over a salad of sliced oranges, over pineapple or juicy nectarines may sound wreckless, or pretentious, or both. But try them and you'll see these combinations work and are not to be sniffed at"...

I did have a chance to sample black pepper ice cream and it was a treat.

Recently, I tasted a a plum crumb tart accompanied by basil ice cream, an unusual combination masterminded by pastry chef Glenn Schwabik.

What spices get you going?

Somehow related: Smoke, Spice and Catalan, Vilosell 2005, a Tomas Cusine Wine

Will downturn bring an Appetite for Virtual/ Fictional Restaurants?

They say that reality can be stranger than fiction.
I have been wondering if in the current economic downturn, we will see virtual or even fictional restaurants sprout online.

Another way for the Consumed to Thrifty to share experiences without going broke.

Fictional restaurants would have the best economic promise since you would need no staff, no liquor license, no space or any of the other costly ingredients it takes to run a physical location.
You could list any price and the most exotic fare on your menu without worrying about inflation, fuel delivery charges, carbon footprint and all these annoying details that can turn a profit into a loss.

It could also be more innovative than the re-creation festival currently in full swing on the blogosphere as highlighted by Lee Gomes in Latest Web Bloggers Give CookingThe Books a Whole New Meaning (Wall Street Journal, May 28).

Amongst those cited in the piece are French Laundry at Home by Carole Blymire (let me give her credit for tackling the subject of Pig Head) and The Gourmet Project by Teena Gerhardt.

Personally, I find the strict re-creation of a cookbook recipe kinda boring, I always like to add a little improvisation here and there, does not always work out but is more fun.

Related: Saucisson and the Happy Pig...An acquired taste for the French