I've had some time to cool off now, and I'm slowly edging my way back toward francophilia. Sure, Parisians are rude, ostentatious, and consumed with appearances. But that's also what makes them great (the appearances part, not the rude and ostentatious part.) So I'm sorry.
For example, our dinner at Le Chiberta was perhaps the best meal I've ever had. It was right up there with Jean Georges, or Per Se. The wine (to start we had Saint Aubin Cru en Remilly 2004, Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet) was an education for me. The meal (red tuna carpaccio, tuna tartar, tomato sorbet and caramel of celery, sauteed filet of red mullet with preserved fennel and safran risotto, foie gras, roasted peaches and artichokes) was exquisitely presented. Oh, and it tasted good too. It was so good, even the insufferable Parisian we shared the meal with couldn't ruin it. (see The Insufferable Ones.)
The missus and I (click on picture to enlarge) hung out all over the city with our friends Will and Blair. We drank heavily, ate heavilier, and pounded the pavement all over the Marais, St. Germain de Pres, and the Latin Quartier. But if I had to do it all over again, I would have taken Migga to Lisbon instead of Paris. The Portuguese are the most welcoming, unassuming, proud, caring, fun-loving people I've met so far in all my travels. And Lisbon was magical. We stayed at Pestana Palace, a national monument that has been restored to pristine condition. It was a fascinating blend of 19th century charm and modern amenities. It was the best hotel I've ever stayed at. I would go back in a heartbeat. We went to dinner at two seafood specialty places south of the city, just past Cascais. One was on the beach and they served their signature dish: salt-baked fish. They encase an entire fish in a caking of salt, and bake the sucker just like that. Delicious.
To catch you up on other events: Went to Atlanta and stayed at the Four Seasons, dined at a great restaurant in Buckhead but can't remember the name. Then to Rehoboth for a week with the family where Sam learned to ride a bike (with training wheels.)
Now we're back at home for the whole month of August, trying to catch up on some freelance pieces for Inc., MSN, The Economist, and Martha Stewart Living. Some good stuff coming out in Ridgefield and Bedford Magazines soon. More on that later.
Next time you're in Lisbon, call me... It's a nice hotel indeed. The cover photo on Le Winter's book was taken there...
Posted by: Frederico Duarte Carvalho | October 05, 2008 at 07:38 AM