Paris - crunchy pork foot at La Billebaude

As you would expect, we had a lot of great food in Paris.  Some of it wasn't necessarily unique though so I am not in a rush to post on it.  We'll see whether I get back around to it.  We were in Paris for over two weeks.  We did a week in the St. Germain area, a couple days in the Vendome area, and a week by the Eiffel Tower.    My favorite area was the Eiffel Tower area as it was close to lots of small food related stores and neighborhood restaurants.

As we were walking around the neighborhood looking at menus, La Billebaude caught our eye.  The place looked quite gourmet, but with a prix fixe menu for only 20-33 euros.  Sometimes when I see odd items on the menu, I run.  Sometimes, I decide to order them.  

On this menu I saw crunchy pork foot.  I was definitely going to order that.  I used to avoid the pig's foot as I thought it was too fatty, but it has grown on me over the years.  I now find pig's feet more gelatinous(a good thing) than fatty.  I was expecting a pork shank to come out (thinking there might have been a translation error) or a fried pig's foot with hoof showing.  It isn't the most pleasant thing to gnaw on something that looks like a foot, but I have seen dishes delivered that way before and if it tastes good, it tastes good.

What came instead was the French version of pig's foot.  So much more civil than the items I am used to eating.  Meat, some skin, and other crunchy parts are taken off the bone and bundled neatly together (in what I guess is stomach lining), then sauteed.  It was smooth, fatty, meaty, gelatinous, and delicious!  I don't expect everyone would like this, but I am definitely ordering it again next time I find it on a French menu!

I think it looks pretty appealing to any meat eater if you don't know what it is.

Here is a view of the stuffing which should give you an idea why it tastes so good and how the different textures and flavors are created from the pig's foot.

white asparagus browned with parmesan cheese

crawfish tails with beet vinaigrette over salad

roasted duck breast with sesame seed

bitter chocolate cake

grand marnier ice cream souffle

English version of the menu showing all the options

La Billebaude

29 Rue Exposition, 75007 Paris, France

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

With enough time stopping in Paris to relax and some of the highest internet speeds we have had on this trip, I am catching up on my to do list.  A couple years ago I watched the Steve Jobs 2005 Stanford commencement for the first time.  It is a powerfully structured and delivered speech.

It has been on my list to watch it again for the last several months.  After just seeing it again, I found the talk, and especially the ending, fits quite well with my blog.  

If you haven't seen this before, this is a must see.  If you have seen it before, watch it again!  

Stay Hungry.  Stay Foolish.

  

Top Eats - Madrid - La Gabinoteca

I was watching a Bourdain episode featuring Madrid to figure out where to go in the city and La Gabinoteca caught my eye.  Once again, Anthony Bourdain did not disappoint.  We came when they opened and there was no problem getting a table without a reservation.  I did read that if you go in for dinner, you should probably make a reservation.

This was our favorite restaurant in Madrid.  We ordered quite a bit and I was surprised at how reasonable the bill was when it arrived.

These are the dishes we tried that I think are must try and pretty special.

Potino is one of their signature dishes.  Perfectly cooked egg with potato and truffle in a jar.

"dim sum" of ham and egg

oxtail ragout with pasta that is cooked at the table

I am a sucker for home made hot dogs.  I had one in one of the fancy hotels in Chicago a couple months ago.  It was great as well and I would love to compare the two side by side in a contest to see which is my favorite.

I could have eaten 10 of these shrimp fritters.  I am glad I just ordered one.  I don't know whether this is a classic spanish dish.  It wouldn't surprise me if this dish had an Asian influence.

Cream cheese dessert that originated at Arzak?

grilled baby squid in what I think was a Romesco sauce

La Gabinoteca

Calle de Fernández de la Hoz, 53, 28003 Madrid, Spain

Top Eats: Madrid - Taberna Del Chato

Taberna Del Chato served up modern tapas in a comfortable small restaurant without being too fancy.  Service was very friendly and prices were on the inexpensive to moderate side.  We came here twice on our Madrid stay.

These are the must try dishes we had:

Boneless fried chicken skewer with a sweet chili sauce.

We didn't have croquetas everywhere we went in Spain.  Of the few places we did have them at, this was the highest quality rendition.

if you like beef tartare in general, their version is a must try.  

These dishes were good, so use your discretion on the ordering.

gazpacho

jamon iberico

chocolate mousse

Taberna del Chato
Calle de la Cruz 35. Madrid

Madrid - Casa Federica for Argentinian food

We were in Madrid for several days and we needed a break from Spanish food.  After some research of restaurant reviews, we found Casa Federica for Argentian food within 10 minutes from our Gran Via apartment.  The first night we went at around 9PM, there <10 tables were all full and we were out of luck.  The next two times we went, we made a reservation and went at opening.  The meals here ended up very inexpensive and were some of the most enjoyable meals we had in Madrid.

The best spinach dish I have ever had is their spinach fritter.  The second time we went back was just so I could have this dish again before leaving Madrid!

Fat empanadas with a flaky crust and lots of filling.  My two favorite flavors were beef and pumpkin.

A real good hummus.

 Spanish tortilla

Casa Federica
Calle de la Manzana, 19
28015 Madrid