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Kitchen on the Road- Afternoon in Paris and Leaving England

September 25, 2013 by Renee

After we had savored the last of our drinks at Le Mary Celeste and lingered as long as we could, we finally left and took the metro up to Sacre Couer, climbing the three maybe 12 flights of stairs to the top of Montmartre. It was a very warm, sunny day and we enjoyed just sitting on the steps at the top, people watching and being entertained by the street performers- one who was quite agile with a “football” (soccer ball) while balancing precariously on a lamppost. It’s certainly one of the very best vantage points in all of Paris and a great place to just and relax for an afternoon. It’s especially lovely to see the sun setting from here. Some of my best photos of the Eiffel Tower came from this spot a couple of years ago.

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While the neighborhood at the bottom of the Montmartre is very touristy (Pigalle and Moulin Rouge) and should be avoided, the neighborhood behind Sacre Couer is lovely, quiet and has some terrific cafes and parks. It is definitely worth a stroll around here where you can see and feel a real Parisian neighborhood. Wander over to rue Caulaincourt and hop the metro at Lamarck — Caulaincourt (of Amelie fame) back to the central Paris, but stop into Chez Ginette on the corner above the metro station for some super hamburgers if you are feeling peckish.

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After a good rest back at the flat we went in search of dinner.  As it was our last night in Paris, we wanted to finally be near the Eiffel Tower and have it within view to see it sparkle as it marked the evening’s hours.  We took a taxi but the restaurant we wanted to visit turned out to be closed for vacation when we arrived, so the driver took us to one that he recommended- an Irish pub. Oh no! We didn’t want to offend him, so we hopped out but once he pulled away from the curb, we knew this was not where we wanted to dine (and certainly not since there was a game on!). We decided to walk a bit down the block and ended up at a nearly empty neighborhood bistro. There was just one family there when we arrived and soon we had the entire place to ourselves. It was great! Completely unexpected.  Especially since the menu came in a tourist version!  The manager was quite fun to speak to and he saw me admiring the Audrey Hepburn advertisement on the wall and he brought it down for me to snap a photo of. While this was not the best meal I have had, it was not the worst and it was fun evening regardless.Paris -0189

My friend tried the escargot encased in a puff pastry for their appetizer and no matter how good or earthy he said they tasted, to me, they are still bugs. I just could not get past that thought to even try the sauce. It was his first time having them and he rather enjoyed them. Bravo for them trying something new. I just was not going to have any part of it!

I had a filet with green beans wrapped in bacon and really liked how the smoky meat flavored the crisp beans. We tried the flank steak, simply done with a spiced rice and finished with crème  brulee.

Le Seven

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The real delight of the evening came when we walked all the way to the park under the Eiffel Tower. We literally sat right at the base and when, on the hour, it lit to sparkle it was truly magical.  It sounds hokey and cliché, but it sort of sums up Paris. Absolutely Spectacular!

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I was sad to leave. It’s always hard. But I know I will be back soon.

The next morning, we sped back to London on the Eurostar.Paris -0281

We arrived  just in time to have a traditional Sunday Dinner at Punch & Judy, a pub in Covent Garden before taking the train back to Ely.  The Yorkshire pudding and roasted beef with two kinds of potatoes all swimming in a sea of gravy was incredible! The ultimate in comfort food! Even the traditional fish and chips looked great here. We washed it all down with a pint of Thwaites from Blackburn, Lancashire. Something about pub food just calls out for a pint or two.

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My last meal in England was at one of my favorite places, GBK in Cambridge. It’s just a chain of burger joints that features creative flavor combinations. But it’s really good!  I love trying a new one each time I go- not to mention their onion rings and fries are fabulous! This time it was the Persian Lamb burger with minted feta, harissa mayo and pickled onions, rocket, tomatoes and relish and the Camemburger- a beef burger on a brioche bun with Camembert cheese, truffle mayo, a hash brown, onion jam and relish. Both were huge, overstuffed and just messy good eating.

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Overall, I had an amazing summer. Full of traveling, fun, lots of food, yummy drinks, music, great friends and love.

I hope yours was just as fulfilling!

Filed Under: Travel, England, France Tagged With: Cambridge, England, Paris, Travel, UK

Kitchen On the Road- The Anchor Inn, Ely and a Cambridge, Jamie’s Italian Revisit

September 16, 2013 by Renee

We had lunch on a cool, rainy day at The Anchor Inn at Sutton Gault, a 17th Century building housing a small B&B and a pub nestled against the bank of the New Bedford River in Ely.

You can’t help but feel relaxed when you pull up to such a tranquil spot. It’s off the beaten path, but well worth a visit. Located just outside Sutton, in the outskirts of Ely, gault refers to the hard clay that was used to create the river banks which this pub resides upon.

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The Anchor Inn was originally built in 1650 as a pub to serve the many workers that were digging the rivers that would serve to drain the area known as The Fens so the grounds could be used for agricultural purposes.  These workers were largely made up of Scottish prisoners of war, captured by Oliver Cromwell.  While their future was precarious, the pub itself remains in operation today. Here you can enjoy a meal and take the opportunity to stroll along the river with its sweeping views across the Fens. You may even run into some horses along the way.

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Still evident of its past are the original rustic exposed beams, low ceilings and fireplaces in every room.

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Overall, the food at The Anchor is terrific and features modern British cuisine with an emphasis on seasonal and traditional ingredients. Despite some minor flaws along the way, the menu is quite ambitious for a pub.

For starters, the roasted beetroot, goat’s cheese salad with thyme oil and balsamic glaze was nice and visually perfect, but the beets were quite crunchy still and could have used a few more minutes roasting to soften them more and to caramelize them fully. It would have tasted much better had the root vegetable’s full sweetness been realized.2013-07-29 14.25.21

The confit of pigeon, bacon and black pudding croquettes with watercress salad and port reduction had such a wonderful depth of flavor and textures. The spicy port reduction paired beautifully with the fowl and the sweet, salty bacon.  2013-07-29 14.25.59

The black pudding added a deep, rich highlight to the dish. It was perfect until…

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lead-shot in the pigeon. That could seriously break a tooth! I’m sorry, but if you are feeling the meat and shaping it to make a croquette, then you would expect that the chef would have had to discover this piece of metal, but he didn’t and I was quite surprised. I know it’s not uncommon to find lead shot in fowl but this takes “field to table” to a new level. Just glad it wasn’t swallowed! Ouch!

Things thankfully perked up after that. Fat, tender Sutton sausages that were flavorful and juicy, with mashed potatoes and gravy and crisp green beans that still snapped when you ate them were delightful. The dish was undeniably perfect in every way- the ultimate comfort food on such a cold, grey day.

2013-07-29 14.38.32My friend had the pan-fried sea trout on a bed of new potatoes and samphire (marsh asparagus), which I had several fork-full’s of. I love samphire and it is one of the most unique vegetables I have ever had- like extra thin asparagus that acts more like spaghetti than asparagus and salty like the sea with a very fresh, bright taste.

2013-07-29 14.38.37There was a light and summery lemon panna cotta with melon soup and elderflower foam for dessert and it was no match to my sticky toffee pudding with stem ginger ice cream and butterscotch sauce. Truth be told,  I may actually like sticky toffee pudding (and treacle tart) more than I do any other dessert these days. Shh! don’t tell chocolate mousse.

Dessert- Anchor InnBy and large, the meal was quite good. The charming, rustic atmosphere coupled with the lovely location made this an exceptionally nice experience. At £13.95 (about $22) for Two Courses and £17.95 ($29) for Three Courses, it was very reasonably priced for a weekday lunch menu.

The Anchor Inn

Sutton Gault, Sutton near Ely,

Cambridgeshire, CB6 2BD

Telephone: 44 (0)1353 778537

Email: anchorinn@popmail.bta.com

 

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Update on Jamie’s Italian-

Back in March when we visited Jamie’s Italian I had an unfortunate experience of not being able to take home half my main course that I didn’t finish due to their no doggie-bag policy.  My friend sent an email regarding our experience and they invited us back to try the restaurant again and to give them another chance. They still have not changed their policy, so we kept a close eye on how much we ordered so we would have no leftovers-not so fun when trying out a new place. (Every other restaurant around Cambridge we have eaten at has always offered us to take home anything we didn’t finish.)

Needless to say, we had a nice meal here and the food was on par to what you’d expect from Jamie Oliver. The starter plank of cured meats and Italian cheeses was perfect and just the right amount of antipasti for the two of us.

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The Wild Truffle Risotto is my favorite dish, with finely minced black truffles with butter and shaved Parmesan. A really lush and delicious treat and I ate every last bite of it.

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The steak was cooked beautifully and simply done with a drizzle of good olive oil over the top.

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We skipped dessert as we were pretty full by this point.  Overall, we had a much better experience this time than we did last time. I think we’d even consider going back.

Jamie’s Italian
The Old Library
Wheeler Street
Cambridge
CB2 3QJ

Phone  44 (0) 1223 654094

 

 

 

Filed Under: Travel, England Tagged With: Anchor Inn, Cambridge, Ely, England, Jamie's Italian, Travel, UK

Kitchen On the Road- Cambridge Folk Festival and Tea at The Almonry

September 15, 2013 by Renee

After a brief trip back  home to NYC to finish a project for a client, I made my way back to England. My arrival was just in time to attend the Cambridge Folk Festival for a second year in a row. The lineup was superb with bands such as Capercaille, The Waterboys, Bellowhead, The Levellers, Tommy Emmanuel and KT Tunstall headlining. The festival is one of the highlights of my year and always has so many terrific acts performing. Last year was a special treat with Nancy Griffith, John Prine and Billy Bragg along with so many other awesome performers.  Next year is the festival’s 50th Anniversary and I am already looking forward to attending and finding out which bands will be there. No matter, it is sure to be an incredible time! Folk Festival 1Folk Festival 2You have to love the laid-back atmosphere and all the festivities going on around you.  There are lots of food stands to choose from including Greek, Chinese and Mexican, plus one that sells the most delicious and messiest of burgers.  The crowd itself is as interesting and diverse as you can get too. I love just people watching and noting all the fashion choices.

We even met up with some folks that we had met at the concert last year. It was great to catch up with them and to spend the last day of our concert together. I hope that when I get back there we can all get together again.

Folk Festival 3The festival is also where I discovered one of my new favorite drinks- the Pimm’s Cup. I had several over the course of the event as well as many types of ales and lagers. I really enjoy trying the different beers that are available all around England. To dispel any myths too about warm beer, not a single pint (or half) that I had was warm!Folk Festival 4

After the festival ended we had a few days to putter around Ely and Cambridge. So of course we explored some dining establishments!

First, there was tea time at The Almonry of Ely Cathedral. While we dined outside on the lawn in the shadows of the cathedral, there is also a full restaurant inside the 12th Century vaulted undercroft.

Ely CathedralWhat a fabulous spot to enjoy a pot of cream tea, scones with clotted cream and homemade, sweet oat filled flapjacks that literally melted in your mouth.

2013-07-29 16.44.57When visiting Ely, The Almonry is a bit hidden and you might walk right by it.  But, as you walk down High Street from the cathedral and you get to the town’s market square, look out for an open doorway on your right and take a couple of steps down which lead right into The Almonry’s garden.  Here, you can enjoy coffee, tea, homemade cakes, sandwiches or light lunches in the garden with wonderful views of Ely Cathedral.  Or in the undercroft restaurant, you can have a more substantial home-cooked meal. But I’d go just for the flapjacks and the clotted cream! And for the company…20130729-IMG_9718

The Almonry

Ely Cathedral

High Street, Ely Cambs

www.elycathedral.org

 

 

Filed Under: Travel, England Tagged With: Almonry, Cambridge, Ely, England, Folk Festival, Tea, Travel, UK

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