Christmas Season in Paris Part 1: Champs-Élysées

Along the lower sections of the Champs-Élysées is the Christmas markets running from Avenue Montaigne to Place de la Concorde. The markets feature a variety of food stalls selling both sweet and savoury dishes as well as retailers selling anything from gloves, to soaps and Christmas ornaments. There is also an ice skating area that includes an open area as well as a course to skate along.

At night time it is a bustling environment with everyone eating desserts and drinking vin chaud (hot wine with spices). It really gets you in the Christmas spirit.

Top 25 Bars in the World: #45 Candelaria

I had recently read about Candelaria in Drinks International Top 50 Bars of 2012. I had been a fan of their list for awhile as it had taken me to the brilliant New York bars of PDT, Death and Co, Dutch Kills and Clover Club.

When I read there were only 2 bars from Paris in the Top 50 I was a little disappointed but I set out to visit Candelaria to see what makes it the best bar in Paris (Le Bar Du Plaza Athénée is ranked 49). I visited with a friend at brunch on a Sunday as I heard they had good nibbles and specials on my favourite margaritas. The bar is in the back of a Mexican taco shop situated in the wonderful Le Marais district in the 3rd Arrondissiment. The bar is quiet and has a great feel to it. We ordered a serve of the guacamole and chips and I had a margarita of course. I couldn't fault either and really enjoyed the quiet Sunday drink. A visit at night time will need to be had to sample some of the other cocktails on the list. Overall I definitely recommend a visit even just for a quick cocktail as you walk around Le Marais.

Australian Abroad and Champagne

My first day trip out of Paris was to the Champagne region to visit both the Mumm and Moët & Chandon cellars. The first stop was into the town of Riems to do the tour of the Mumm caves. The tour lasts for about an hour and includes a tasting of either their demi sec or brut champagne.

Following this it was off to Épernay to visit the Moët & Chandon caves. The tour is quite similar to the Mumm one where you watch a video followed by a tour of the caves. Moët & Chandon are a much larger wine company with over 25kilometres of caves. 

Both the tours were extremely informative. I learnt a lot about the process of making champagne as well as storage tips and food pairings. From the gift shops I also picked up a 1998 vintage magnum Mumm and 2002 vintage Moët & Chandon rose for 74 and 43euros respectively, which is a bargain. I thoroughly recommend the tours if you're a Champagne lover like myself.

Irish Food in Dublin

Ireland has some of the most delicious and hearty cuisines I have tried. Dishes such as Irish Stew, Dublin scampi and local oysters were all deliocious. And no trip to Ireleand is complete without a pint or two of Guinness.

Australian Abroad vs Food: Pittsburgh

Continuing on my Man vs Food adventures I visited two restaurants in Pittsburgh featured on the show. First stop for breakfast was to Deluca’s in the Strip District. Here I ordered the massive Moab burrito that featured a soft tortilla filled with chorizo, eggs, hot peppers, tomatoes, onions, avocado, cheddar & homefries, covered in a homemade sweet spicy sauce.

The second stop was to the famous Primanti Brothers for one of their stuffed sandwiches. Just like Adam Richman I ordered the capicola with cheese and egg. Each sandwich comes with coleslaw, tomato and French fries on the sandwich. This all but massive sandwich was a great choice and with a Iron City beer it was a perfect Pittsburgh meal.

Grand Central Oyster Bar

In October I went to the famous Grand Central Oyster Bar for their Oyster Frenzy event. The one day event featured live music, oyster shucking competitions and a special menu.

I had previously only tried the New England Clam Chowder so was keen to finally compare it to the New York style. The tomato based NY chowder provided a stronger clam taste where as the New England chowder had a much creamier consistent taste.  I am still not sure which one I prefer as they are actually quite different in taste even though they are both clam chowders.

For oysters I tried both the oyster anchovy and oyster casino. Both were amazing and would love to try again. 

Australian Abroad- No Reservations: Baltimore and the Rust Belt

I have long been a fan of Anthony Bourdain’s tv show No Reservation and the subsequent Layover show on the Travel Channel. It has always taken to me to great restaurants in New York  and the North Eastern United States.

During my trip to Baltimore I went to two of the restaurants featured in the Rust Belt episode.  The first stop was in Downtown at Mo’s Crab and Pasta Factory. Here I ordered the Maryland crab soup and the clam’s casino. I had never tried a clam’s casino and absolutely loved it. The mix between the salty seafood and creamy cheese was wonderful. 

The next stop was out in the suburbs of Baltimore to the Lake Trout restaurant. This restaurant features traditional Southern cooking so I went straight for the fried chicken wings with a side of  mac and cheese and collard greens. It was really nice and one of the better Southern meals I had tried.

Australian Abroad vs Food: New Brunswick

On my day trip to New Brunswick, New Jersey I went to two restaurants featured on Man Vs Food. The first was the RU Hungry grease truck. RU stands for Rutgers University. I ordered the Fat Darrell, which was created by a student at the university. It is fried chicken strips, fried mozzarella sticks, fries, lettuce and tomato with marinara sauce on a roll. It was insanely delicious and one of the best rolls I have ever eaten.

The second restaurant was Stuff Yer Face. This restaurant is where the famous chef Mario Batali got his start. In his honour I ordered the Batali Bolo which is Batali's son's favourite. It is essentially a lasagna in a Stromboli with ricotta and mozzarella cheese with tomato sauce. 

Rockaway Beach and the End of Summer

A few weekends ago I went out to Rockaway Beach in Queens for my final Summer of George adventure. Rockaway Beach is at the end of the A Subway line and takes around an hour to get there from Manhattan.

While there I went to the famous Rockaway Taco. They had amazing fish and chorizo tacos as well as nacho chips and salsa.

The Barrels and Kegs event was on at the 98th St Beach Bar. The event was sponsored by Beer Sessions Radio that had amazing folk, rock and roll and American music playing all day.

As the day wore on a storm rolled in and in more ways than one it felt like the end of summer.

Labor Day at Montauk in The Hamptons

On Monday the 3rd of September was Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. I travelled out by train to the last stop on the Long Island Rail Road tracks, Montauk. Montauk is part of the Hamptons that has largely maintained its laidback beach side feel as compared with the likes of East Hampton that is very much wealth and status influenced.

There is a large number of lakes around the area that provide other boating and swimming options aside from the ocean.

For lunch I stopped into the main street of Montauk to visit Shagwong Restaurant for their lunch time special. It included a serve of clam chowder, 1 1/4 pound lobster and a serve of fries. The lobster was amazing and very filling. I tried some local Montauk beers from the Montauk Brewing Company as well.

The beach is a lovely long stretch of white sand that is rather quiet compared to the other Hampton Beaches. The sun was shining with amazing blue sky which was a wonderful way to end summer.