Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Le Camion Qui Fume - smoking burgers


The most recent focal point of the French's burger obsession (yes, they're on pretty much every menu in town, and for the most part badly executed) , is this little food truck, Le Camion Qui Fume. Helmed by Ferrandi cooking school trained California transplant Kristin Frederick, the unassuming vehicle traipses across town, from the place de la Madeleine to the hinterlands of the Porte Maillot, and to the Canal Saint Martin (Point Ephemere). There are five different burgers on offer (see menu below) with sides of homemade string fries, onion rings or coleslaw, of which I tried a scrumptious "classic": buttered and grill toasted baker buns, handmade patties (a mix of base cote, bavette and plat de cote de boeuf with about 20 percent of fat) , tangy cheddar and a nice crunchy salad with pickles.  Judging by the local business suit clad bobos and expats hanging around outside in the freezing cold at one of two tiny tables, the blogger buzz is already rolling just days after opening. No doubt this is the first of many food trucks and yet another shakeup of Paris by one of those crazy foreigners ;)

Good luck to Kristin and her team!





Thursday, December 01, 2011

Doing Diana

Thanks to my friend Monica, I discovered the gastro of the Hotel Fouquet's Barriere yesterday at their restaurant Le Diane. No surprises in the menu, just really delicious and slightly inventive dishes: arborio risotto with large chunks of artichokes and shaved white Alba truffles, spider crab with carpaccio of scallops and melon, a perfectly subtle, sweet and savory dish that kept me wanting more. The daily special was lievre a la royal with Alsatian pasta on the side and a gibier sauce, and dessert was an excellent chocolate/ginger  soufflĂ© with a ginger ice cream to knock your socks off. The circular dining room was interesting, giving all diners a view of the action, and rumor has it Michelin has been checking the place out a bit more frequently than usual. Well worth checking out if you have money in your pocket and you're around the Champs.






Le Diane