Jardin du Luxembourg

Day after Christmas in Providence

It's been a relatively quiet holiday season for us here in Providence. It was raining lightly when on Christmas Eve when we drove to T. F. Green airport just south of the city to pick up Susan's mom who was flying in from Michigan. We waited only about 20 minutes or so before her flight landed -- along with all the people coming in from Philly and Chicago as well. (photo: Frank at Dick & Dorothy's on Christmas Day)

The hugs and kisses were flying fast and furiously at the arrivals gate -- lots of family and friends coming home for the holidays it would seem -- reminded me of the opening title scene from the movie Love Actually. (photo: Cathy at Dick & Dorothy's on Christmas Day)

We drove back to our house where mom unpacked and freshened up. Dick & Dorothy came by a little after 5pm, and we all had a grand time over good food (if I must say so myself), good wine and warm conversation. (photo: Susie at Dick & Dorothy's on Christmas Day)

Christmas Day we had a leisurely morning, with homemade blueberry muffins and brilliant sunshine and warm temps. The spring-like weather took its toll on the snow piles and ice patches, reducing them to mere specters of their former lives, hinting at what nuisances and damages they had caused just a few days before. (photo: Mom, founder and creator of the world-famous "Bernice Game," at Dick & Dorothy's on Christmas Day)

A little after noon the three of us drove downtown. Susie gave her mom the VIP tour of Gracie's, after which we drove north up into the wilds of Massachusetts to Dick and Dorothy's house in Douglas for Christmas Day family get together. We sat around a warm fire and chatted until Frank, Cathy and Mieke arrived, followed not long after by Mary and her friend Larry. (photo: Dick, Christmas Day)

Before long we all sat around the table and enjoyed another of D & D's spectacular meals: fennell/onion soup and salad courses followed by the specialty of the house, beef burgundy with fresh green beans and mashed potatoes (the beans, from Hannaford, were very good). (photo: Mieke at Dick & Dorothy's on Christmas Day)



(photo: Bernice Game contestants at Dick & Dorothy's on Christmas Day)

After a relaxing dinner and while D & D cleaned up, some of the group played a quick round of the Bernice game. Now for those unfamiliar with this particular bit of Van Halsema/VandenBerg family tradition, this is very much like "Categories" but with more laughing. Cathy was in rare form keeping everyone on their toes and smiles on all our faces. The game was cut short since Frank and Cathy had to get Mieke to the train station in Providence so she could get back home to NYC at a reasonable hour. (photo: Larry at Dick & Dorothy's on Christmas Day)


Soon afterwards we said our goodbyes and headed off into the clear, cold night back south toward the Ocean State.

Not a bad way to spend Christmas really.

Have a wonderful New Year!

Bitterly cold and heavy snow in Providence

As we lurch toward the end of 2008, New England, rarely if ever confused with Old England, got blasted with an ice storm a little more than a week ago and then beginning this last Friday we were nailed with a major snowstorm. (OK, so the photo isn't Providence and there's no snow -- but it is Siena, which, after all, is the center of the known universe. And they do have snow. Sometimes.)

With temperatures in the single digits day after day and dropping into the minus column with the wind, we were also lashed with more than a foot of snow in Providence. Beginning last Friday afternoon we picked up about 8 or so inches and then another half foot on Sunday. Just a little north of us they got much more of course.

Johnson & Wales University wisely closed a day earlier, beating the storm and its attending hassles for driving, walking, being outside -- we're off until 5 January now. Susie is also off from Gracie's for a few days this week and then back this weekend for regular menu and getting ready for the big New Year's blast (more of that after the first of the year). Then she's off for two or three days after New Year's.

As I mentioned in my last note we're not going to Italy the first of the New Year. Aside from trying to find a reasonable airfare on an airline that doesn't have Alitalia in its name we both have work to do here in Providence.

And speaking of work we cannot emphasize enough how lucky we are to have work -- and not just work, the kind that makes one loath to even say the word, but the kind of work that is a real joy, being with people you like and respect.

One never knows how long things last of course, but, as someone we happen to like and respects often says, "we're just happy to be here."

Aside from the uncertainty surrounding Rush Medical Center's inability or unwillingness to do the right thing in the wake of having lost my dad's body, life is really very good. The coming New Year, which would have seen Dad celebrate his 99th year with us, will see us celebrating it with his spirit and memory. We often comment over dinner how Dad and Tunis are probably standing outside together, maybe on a tee somewhere, and Tunis is trying to tee up his ball but can't because dad keeps making him laugh and mom is sitting on a nearby bench -- she still hasn't adjusted to being able to breathe normally even in the afterlife -- watching these two guys with that knowing smile on her face.

Have a truly grand and glorious new year and, as the movie says, have a wonderful life.

We're certainly trying to. And until we see you again,

Buon Natale e Joyeux Noël et Merry Christmas!
Buon Capodanno e Bonne Année et Happy New Year!

Global Warming in Providence and Italian reflections

Global warming may or may not still be controversial -- after all so is evolution -- but one thing seems certain: the weather is weird. This past week has seen incredibly, brutally cold temperatures spring back up into the 60s here in Providence. We were reeling from monsoon-like rains earlier in the week with Florida like temps while just a few miles to our north much of New England was getting hammered by one of the worst ice storms in years.

Like I said, weird.

Work is still good for both of us: Susie continues to come up with new desserts, which I never get to taste but hear of constantly each day. I can't help but wonder is there no end to her dessert menu? Anyway, we are lucky indeed not just to have the paychecks of course but to be doing something we truly enjoy and getting paid for it. What the future holds for us is anyone's guess, but right now things are looking pretty good.

One other thing seems certain, is that we will not be going to Italy for New Year's break. Money is of course the issue, as it is for most folks in these times, but also time: Gracie's is going to be closed for only a couple of days after the new year and Johnson & Wales returns to a regular schedule on January 3rd. nevertheless, I hope to update my Siena website sometime this coming year. Assuming the gods haven't taken a fancy to other plans of course.

As I have often said, one just never knows what funny twists and turns life has in store for us, right Pop?

(photo above: dad holding me while we both sat on the slide -- pretty much says everything you need to know about our relationship.)

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Thanksgiving week in Providence

A cold rain has settled over Providence this last day of November. Fortunately, however, Thanksgiving week was blessedly free of any serious weather problems so travelers skirting up and down I-95 had plenty of opportunity to sit in long lines but at least free of bad weather.

As for us, well by now you probably know that we spent a quiet but very pleasant Thanksgiving day with Susie's family in nearby Douglas, MA.

It was a quiet, but oddly pleasant Thanksgiving. We drove to Dick and Dorothy's house and were soon followed by Susan's Uncle Frank, his wife Cathy and their daughter Mieke as well as Susan's younger sister Mary and her friend Larry. We spent a warm afternoon chatting and eating Dorothy's incredible holiday meal. Truly a day to give thanks!

And speaking of thanks we are both still, as Carroll O'Connor says in Return to Me, "blessed with work." It was a short week for me -- only a half day on Wednesday and then the university was closed up for the rest of the week. Susie, of course, still had to bake up and plan out desserts through the weekend though.

Susie and I closed out the week with a dinner Saturday night at Chez Pascal on the east side of Providence. Billed as French bistro style the food was incredible. You can find out more online at my Providence food blog.

We are so thankful to be able to have a warm home, to be living an adventure of a lifetime and, quite simply, to be together, Susie and I.

This coming week, the first week in December, we hope to hear about the DNA test results and whether I will get my dad back. Of course, he has never left me, that's true. His spirit will always be with me.

Sound sappy. Maybe so but consider this:

In 1956 a hardworking cookie salesman spends two years and nearly 30 grand looking for his youngest son who has been abducted by his own mother after an ugly divorce and spirited off to the West Coast. The father finally tracks them down, first in Los Angeles and then across the wastes of the Great Plains, finds his son in Canby, Minnesota.

It was in 1958, just a few days before my father married for the third and final time to a woman who was for all intents and purposes my "real" mother, and just three weeks before my 10th birthday that I came to live with my dad. Forever.

Every Thanksgiving I am incredibly thankful for the father that I have -- not had but have now and always. In my heart.

Thanks pop!

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Thanksgiving in Douglas - the slideshow

Just a few images from our Thanksgiving dinner at Dick and Dorothy's home in Douglas, MA. Unfortunately Joyce and Carl couldn't make it down from the Maine woods -- both were under the weather and in no position for a hike down the lovely and stress-free I-95. 

We did meet Mary's friend Larry and got to see Mieke and one of her show-stopping performances waxing about the highs and lows of human nature, at least as seen form the vantage point of someone who manages a hair salon in NYC.

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Loie Fuller and Battleship Cove

It's been another quietly cold week here in Providence. Plenty of sunshine tempered by very chilly, in fact downright cold temperatures to challenge one's sense of exactly what the weather is like before dressing and going out.

As we approach the holiday season -- certainly to be marked by continued freefall in the markets as fewer and fewer people spend their diminishing cash reserves on goods and services -- as we approach the holiday it will be a short week for me. JWU has the back end of the week off; on the other hand Susie will be cranking out desserts at Gracie's of course.

Susie has Turkey Day off and we plan to spend it with Dick and Dorothy and various other members of the VandenBerg/Van Halsema clans in Massachusetts -- we do hope to get to the staff dinner at Gracie's later that day, all of the folks who for one reason or another will not be with their families this holiday. I hope to post lots of photos later in the week so stay tuned!

Anyway, after work last Friday Susie and I walked across the street to Loie Fuller, one of the city's hottest restaurants and in this very chilly weather that was the place to be. We picked a spot at the bar and had a glass of wine and an app (delicious frites) and just chatted and enjoyed being alive and being together. Afterwards we walked back home and I fixed dinner. It was really as simple as that.

After Susie headed into Gracie's on Saturday I spent the first half of the day running a variety of shopping errands. It's a nuisance not having a grocery store anywhere near us so we have to plan our week accordingly now.

Sunday was a relaxing day for the pastry queen, we had a leisurely morning followed by a short road trip to Fall River, just across the Massachuseetts state line. We were just there last weekend to see Iris Dement at the Narrows theater and returned this Sunday not to visit Lizzie Borden's house -- she of the "40 whacks"* children's song fame -- which is in any case now a B & B I'm told, no we came to Fall River this very beautiful and very cold Sunday afternoon to cruise through "Battleship Cove."

The claim here is that this is the largest collection of historic naval ships in any one location in the world. While that may seem to be pushing one's credulity, still it might just be true for all I know. It certainly is an impressive array of ships I'll say that: the huge WWII battleship, USS Massachusetts, the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, a submarine USS Lionfish, a Soviet-built guided missile frigate the Hiddensee, once operated by the East German navy, and an indoor exhibition of PT boats.

Well the worth price of admission. Although I recommend waiting for warmer weather.

Have a great holiday and take care of yourselves -- keep calm, stay warm and, to paraphrase my father's final words to me:

"Have a happy life."

And stay in touch.

*"Lizzie Borden gave her mother 40 whacks/when she saw what she had done/she gave her father 41"

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Providence in November and wine flights at Gracie's

It's been quite cold here in Providence lately -- crisp and clean air has seeped into the city though and it's a pleasant break from the odd bit of warm and humid weather that laid over us not too many days back. 

Susie in the kitchen of Pascal Pinaud's patisserie on rue Monge in Paris

Although there's a noticeable slowdown in restaurant activity during the middle of the work week, Gracie's still manages to draw a few interested parties in search of expanding their knowledge of wine.

Last Wednesday night Susie and I dropped by Gracie's -- well, OK she was just turning around and going back -- and spent a pleasant hour or so chatting with Anter, the resident wine guru, about a couple of wines he's suggesting for Thanksgiving: a chardonnay from the Cambria folks and a Viognier from France thank you very much.

The Viognier was crisp and very nice -- and the chef's tasting that came with the wines were absolutely scrumptious: the seared tuna perfect, the crab salad smooth and the fruit crisp and packed with flavor.

But it was when the conversation shifted to digestivi and aperitivi that things really got interesting.

Anter gave us samples of chilled Lillet rouge straight up with a twist of orange and this was followed by chilled Lillet blanc with a twist of lime. Either one would be a wonderful way to kick off a meal.

In fact, it struck me that when you're at a place like Gracie's, where you want to relax and savor your evening consider the following:

• First, order an aperitif and be sure to ask for something you've never had before. Then close your eyes and just try and focus on the drink and nothing else.
• Follow this with a starter course, matched with something white and crisp (probably).
• Then with your entree (or, oddly enough, a plat in France) have a glass of red or white, either by preference or maybe a suggestion from the server with your particular choice of food.
• With the final course, dessert of course, have a glass of Muscat Beaumes de Venise or ask for a recommendation.
• Finish off the evening with a glass of Averna.

Anyway, while we savored the last of our wines, a young couple, easily half our age, came and sat at the other end of the bar and. They came for the wine flights, they said. Anter smoothly shifted himself down their way and began by letting them sample some Lillet rouge and Lillet white and he was soon into his element again -- talking about the wonderful ways in which wine and their various derivatives can make a meal a truly wonderful experience.

Frankly the wine flights has been the high point of our week so far -- we both go about our work, but all the while quietly plotting the next trip abroad.

I hope to have more to tell you soon. In the meantime we wish Peggy well on her upcoming trip to Paris next month and hope that Diane will get around to starting her blog on her adventures in Paris, particularly those to come. It really doesn't matter if you know these people or not -- what is important is that we are all travelers, we are all going someplace else. It's just that some of us take more time to do it that's all.

So for now start planning your own adventure, and be sure to stay warm, keep cool and just pretend you have no retirement money at all.

Ciao for now,

Steve

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

Rue St. Jacques

Jardin du Luxembourg 2008

St. Etienne du Mont

Where Racine and Pascal are buried -- more or less.

The Word from Providence

Today, 15 November, is a celebration of sorts for Susie and I -- one year ago today we closed on our condo here in the former Prata family funeral home. I've neither seen nor heard any ghosts but the past is everywhere we look. But so is the future.

The good news is that Indian summer keeps hanging on, temps very mild with only infrequent hints of colder weather to come. Most of the leaves are down now as we enjoy the humid rain this mid-fall weekend. But that's not stopping us: tonight we drive to see Iris Dement at the Narrows theater in Fall River. I'll have more about that tomorrow.

Work is great -- Susie continues to keep everyone guessing as to what the next desserts will be at Gracie's and I find myself enjoying sitting in front of the computer (even if it is a Windows hog) and working the web. And I continue to learn new things every day -- and I find the other members of the web team incredibly bright and always eager to help me find my way through the intricacies of the internet. Oh, and no I don't think any of them have this blog address either.

It's funny how things have turned out -- so very good for the two of us even in these uncertain and uncomfortable times.

And of course, Barack Obama is President of the United States. Say, did you hear an enormous sigh of relief?

For the moment all is well. Everyone is in good health and spirits, and Providence is still the place to come for food and Paris and Siena are still the places to go to get your karma centered, your head straight, your mind reworked and your spirit recharged.

Oh, and in case you think you know the complete story of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger think again:

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

Mini near Place contrescarpe

Place Contrescarpe

Place Contrescarpe

Siena in motion, again

Revisiting a few older images that remain perennial favorites of mine, but with a twist:

Place Contrescarpe

Place Contrescarpe

Moving on Halloween

Well no, Susie and I aren't moving -- again -- but on Halloween the Web Team at Johnson & Wales moved from the temporary spaces at Cookson Place to new offices at Davol Square, overlooking the river and beyond it the bay.

Here are just a few images of the two Scotts, Peggy, Brad, Andrea and Mark that Friday morning while we were waiting the arrival of our computers. Oh, and the animation was done through Animoto -- one cool program and sooooo easy to use.

We just voted

Susie and I just walked back from our polling place, 301 Cranston Street, in the Armory district, across from the enormous Rhode Island State Armory (hence the name given to the neighborhood).

It feels great to be on the cusp of major change -- but then for us that's been the trend in our lives over the past three years.

And perhaps yours, too?

Election Day 2008

From what little news we glean off the Internet -- we don't have cable or a dish or TV in the strict sense of the term -- today, November 4, Tuesday, Election Day in the USA, is a historic occasion. Americans are either going to vote for continued fear, depression, recession, repression or they're going to vote for change, clear and simple.

If as a nation we vote for change -- and frankly I believe we will -- then Americans must be, must be ready to make changes that will be exceedingly painful and undoubtedly difficult: changes to our way of life, our way of living, our way of acting. If nothing else the recent and ongoing chaos in the global economy must show Americans that we act and react in harmony or disharmony with the rest of the world. What happens here and, equally important, what happens there, are tied together, inexorably and irrevocably.

If we vote for anything less then we will become a second-rate power with a corner on the market of self-absorption and self-destruction.

What any of this has to do with Siena, Florence, Paris or Providence escapes me at the moment. (photo: taken along the East Bay Bike Path in Providence, on Sunday, November 2.)

Rue Mouffetard

To Vermont and farewell to Lorilee Foley

Saturday was an incredibly beautiful day in New England -- a gorgeous day that seemed specially arranged to say farewell to Lorilee Foley.

We got up before the day began, while it was still dark, chilly but clear. We showered, dressed and hit the road by a quarter to six and slipped through light traffic the whole way to Rutland, VT.

We arrived an hour or so before the memorial service at Trinity Episcopal and headed straightaway for the Bagel Cafe on Woodstock. One of the regular fixtures for a quick sandwich in Rutland for many years -- at least since we moved there in 1994 - we had a late bagel breakfast and hot brown water (known euphemistically as "coffee") before heading to the church.

It was standing room only that morning at Trinity -- more than 300 people turned out to say adieu to Lorilee. It was incredible to hear the family and friends tell stories of a young girl who became a woman and who never lost sight of herself or her priorities. Dan Foley gave a poignant and touching tribute to his wife. We were in awe not only of his poise in talking in such loving terms about Lorilee and their relationship together but that he did it with such eloquence as well.

After the service many of the guests gathered with the family at nearby South Station restaurant for a reception and we caught up with a few friends to chat about good times past and to come.

Susie and I left the restaurant sometime in the middle of the afternoon, stopping a the hospital ER so Susie could pop in and hi -- Janet was there as was Cathy and Janice and DJ and Harry, quite a few of the "old gang."

After catching up with the folks in the ER we walked back to the car and pointed the Mini back down toward Route 103 and I-91 and home.

After a long drive to and from south central Vermont we were in no mood to cook at home when we got back to Providence. So we walked across the street to Loie Fuller for dinner. And naturally we ran into Bill & Becky S. from Whitinsville. Why is that natural? It just is.

Faces at Gracie's

Actually I wanted to call this "Faces at Grace's" but for obvious reasons I didn't and neither should you. Anyway, these images were taken this past summer during a going away party for Brendan, the former wine guru at Gracie's in Providence. Brendan moved on to Napa Valley and the greater wine world.

JWU Web Team changes it's geographic orientation

The web team moved from Cookson to Davol Square on Halloween, 2008. While we waited for the computers to arrive we savored the moment of change by just being together and talking about this n' that but mostly bout nothing at all. Just how funny the world is and how good it is to be alive.

Lorilee Foley

A genuine smile and an honest face she looked right at you -- and sometimes through you. Her laugh was sincere and full of life. But then so was she.

Rue Mouffetard

Girl Scouts of Rhode Island Fund Raiser

Just a few images taken at the annual fund raiser for the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island, held at the Johnson & Wales Inn in Seekonk, MA, this last Monday. In addition to a tasting of 13 desserts prepared by local restaurants, there was a silent auction, as well as a book signing by Mary Ann Esposito of Ciao Italia fame on PBS. And of course Miss Rhode Island dropped by to share here smile with everyone.

Susie and the Girl Scouts

This past Monday Susie and her two assistants from Gracie's, Danielle and Carlo, participated in a fund raiser for Girl Scouts of Rhode Island. The event included a tasting of some 13 desserts, all donated by local restaurants in the greater Providence area, followed by a silent auction. A grand time was had by all at the Johnson & Wales Inn in Seekonk, MA.

Really, you should've been there.

Rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard

Rue Mouffetard

Pretty much everything you need to know about the "Mouff"!

Rue Mouffetard

Jardin des Plantes

rue Saint Dominique

Susie ogling the pastries and baked goods along one of many boulangerie and patisserie dotting this wonderful little street.

Gracie's, Waterfire and living in Providence

It's been absolutely and I mean AAAAAAAAAAbsoooooooooloooooootely gorgeous here in Providence the past few days. Indian summer has arrived to be sure -- and the wonderful weather takes our mind off the fact that it's been barely two months since our anniversary celebration in Colorado and barely a month since we were cruisin' the backstreets of Paris looking for great food and even greater pastries -- two goals that met with resounding success I must say.

Work has been good for both of us -- and in this market that's been a stroke of incredibly good fortune. Nothing is forever of course, but right now we've got health, a little money in the bank (dwindling but still something is there, I think), and, to paraphrase a wise mountain man, "we're just happy to be here."

While most of the country goes about its daily routine this particular weekend is a major holiday in New England. Over on Federal Hill, along Atwell's Avenue, what has been euphemistically styles as "Little Italy in Providence," saw a major festival kick-off yesterday and running through today. Lots of tacky things for sale and tons of vendors hawking sausage and pepper sandwiches -- country music blaring up and down the avenue.

Susie had a long day Saturday so I caught up with her late in the day and as we were sipping wine at the bar we thought, "Hey let's just eat here." Sitting right at the bar and enjoying the moment and the ambiance.

So we did. Susie had the Maytag salad and gnocchi and I had the rigatoni -- hands down my favorite. Incredible meat sauce and just the right amount of heat to make you understand why god made peppers in the first place -- for the taste. And when mixed with mouth-watering sausage -- stand back!

And last night was a major Waterfire event in Providence, a huge fund raiser for breast cancer research and prevention. Now for those of you out of the loop, Waterfire is a BIG DEAL in this part of the country -- a major tourist attraction for Providence believe me and a blast to boot. Which is fascinating since it is basically thousands of people staring at huge braziers of roaring fires strewn in the middle of a river running through downtown Providence.

Enjoy the show:

\

Wish you were here and maybe you will be one day.

Artists' market, Boulevard Richard Lenoir

Paris dining, September 2008 update

Using Clotilde Dusoulier’s wonderful guidebook to the culinary and gastronomic world, Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris (Broadway Books, 2008), Susie and I spent nearly 10 days in Paris in September of 2008 having our own “edible adventures.” With Clotilde’s book in one hand and a good arrondissement guidebook in the other you can not only find some incredible food but also see much of the city’s side streets and back roads. We did.

I should point out that only twice did we order a bottle of wine with dinner – or lunch for that matter. So many wonderful wines were offered by the glass we rarely thought about ordering any other way.

1st Arrondissement

Isse, Japanese, 45 rue de Richelieu. CROSS STREET: rue des Petit Champs. Mº Pyramides or Palais Royale-Musee du Louvre. PHONE: 01 42 96 26 60. HOURS: Mon-Sun, 10:30-15:30, Mon-Sat 18:00-midnight. (Clotilde 16)

NOTES: Lunch on 9 September. “Menu tempura.” Delicious. Service friendly and prompt.

2nd Arrondissement

Kintaro, Japanese, 24 rue Saint Augustin. CROSS STREET: rue Monsigny. Mº Quatre Septembre. PHONE: 01 47 42 13 14. HOURS: Mon-Sat, 11:30-22:00. (Clotilde 18)

NOTES: Supper, 12 September. Noodles, gyoza, and “riz cantonnais,” very tasty. Inexpensive.

Stohrer, pastry, 51 rue Montotgueil. CROSS STREET: rue Marie Stuart. Mº Sentier or Etienne Marcel. PHONE: 01 42 33 38 20. HOURS: Mon-Sun, 07:30-20:30. WEBSITE: www.stohrer.fr.

NOTES: Very well known in Paris. But what can you say about a guy that puts a postcard rack outside his shop that has nothing but photos of him giving an enormous egg to the queen of England?

Café Etienne Marcel, café, northern corner of rue Etienne Marcel and rue Montmartre. Mº Etienne Marcel.

NOTES: We ate lunch here in 2007 and returned in September of 2008. Great location with one of the better outdoor seating locations I have seen in Paris (another favorite is the Café Gran Corona at the Place de L’Alma). Lots of pretty spectacular people watching here; pick a spot near the very corner itself to catch traffic going in all directions. Always good food and very friendly service at reasonable prices.

3rd Arrondissement

Pain de Sucre, pastry/bakery, 14 rue Rambuteau. CROSS STREET: rue du Temple. Mº Rambuteau. PHONE: 01 45 74 68 92. HOURS: 09:00-20:00. Closed Tues & Weds. WEBSITE: www.patisseriepaindesucre.com.

NOTES: Small, intimate but very stylishly laid out pastry shop. Worth a stop – extremely pleasant and hardworking couple producing wonderful treats – we ate ours sitting on a couple of cement stanchions next to the Pompidou Center.

L’Olivier, 15 blvd du Temple. CROSS STREET: rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud. Mº Filles du Calvaire. PHONE: 01 42 77 12 51. HOURS: Mon-Sat, 12:00-15:00, 1800-21:00. WEBSITE: www.olivier.restau.com. Reservations taken online.

NOTES: Dinner, 05 September. This small, unassuming Greek restaurant was recommended to us the very day we arrived in Paris. We stopped in at Goumanyat, one of Paris’ oldest spice shops, and recommended by Clotilde. After meeting the owner and sampling some of the spices they put together we asked for a suggestion for dinner and they recommended L’Olivier, just a few minutes’ walk away. Food was creative take on Greek cuisine (I had what amounted to Moussaka but in a gratin with custard on top). Moderate, friendly and nice wines by the glass.

Goumanyat, spice shop, 3 rue Charles Francois Dupuis. CROSS STREET: rue Beranger. Mº Republique. Phone: 01 44 78 96 74. HOURS: Tues-Fri 14:00-19:00, Sat. 11:00-19:00. WEBSITE: www.goumanyat,fr

NOTES: Friendly and helpful family run business specializing in a wide variety of their mélange of spices, but particularly in saffron.

4th Arrondissement

L’As du Falafel, casual, 34 rue des Rosiers. CROSS STREET: rue des Ecouffes. Mº Saint-Paul. PHONE: 01 48 87 63 60. Sun-Thur noon-midnight. Fri noon-18:00; closed Friday night and Saturday. (Clotilde 34-35)

NOTES: We are here in 2007. Delicious to go food in a wonderful part of the old city.

5th Arrondissement

Les Delices d’Aphrodite, Greek/casual, 4 rue Candolle. CROSS STREET: rue Daubenton. Mº Censier-Daubenton. PHONE: 01 43 31 40 39. HOURS: Mon-Fri noon-14:00, 19:00-23:00 Sat-Sun noon-15:00, 18:00-23:00. (Clotilde 39)

NOTES: Lunch, 14 September. Outdoor seating just a stone’s throw from the rue Mouffetard; very friendly staff, bistro seating in and out. Moderately expensive. Spent two hours eating and chatting, then strolling to the nearby Jardin des Plantes, found a park bench to snooze away an hour or so enjoying a beautiful Sunday in Paris.

Les Papilles, wine bar/restaurant, 30 rue Gay-Lussac. CROSS STREET: rue Saint-Jacques. Mº Cluny-La Sorbonne or RER: Luxembourg. PHONE: 01 43 25 20 79. HOURS: Mon-Sat noon-14:00, 19:30-22:00. WEBSITE: www.lespapilles.com. (Clotilde 39-40)

NOTES: Dinner, 10 September. “Eat in a wineshop.” Fixed menu, no options, incredibly good. €31 per person. You can order a bottle of wine off the shelf for dinner and pay a small corkage fee. Reservations strongly recommended.

6th Arrondissement

Le Comptoir du Relais, neo-bistro, 5 Carrefour de l’Odeon. CROSS STREET: rue Monsieur le Prince. Mº Odeon. PHONE: 01 44 27 07 97. HOURS: Mon-Fri noon-18:00, Sat noon-23:00. No reservations. (Clotilde 49-51)

NOTES: Dinner, 06 September, quite good but had to wait in line and in the rain for 1.25 hours, and had to sit outside. Food good, service friendly and prices moderately expensive.

Cuisine de Bar, lunch, and Poilane, bakery, 8 rue du Cherche Midi. CROSS STREET: rue de Sevres. Mº Saint-Sulpice or Sevres-Babylone. PHONE: 01 45 48 69. HOURS: Tue-Sat 08:30-19:00. No reservations. (Clotilde 60)

NOTES: Lunch, 11 September. Delicious tartines, reasonably priced and the service was pleasant (at least our waitress was).

7th Arrondissement

Les Cocottes de Christian Constant, casual, 135 rue Saint-Dominique. CROSS STREET: rue Augereau. Mº Ecole Militaire. PHONE: None. HOURS: Mon-Sun, 08:00-22:30. WEBSITE: www.lescocottesdeconstant.com. No reservations. (Clotilde 64)

NOTES: Lunch, 08 September. Both had “crispy cod” cocottes, essentially small casseroles, and for dessert I had a basque hard cheese with homemade blackberry jam and Susie had a delicious mirabelle clafoutis. Incredibly tasty food. Seating is either at a bar counter or high tables in the back. Very casual, very slick interior. Well-organized and the service was friendly.

8th Arrondissement

9th Arrondissement

La Taverne, cafe, 24 blvd. Des Italiens. CROSS STREET: rue de Gramont. Mº Richelieu Drout. PHONE: 01 55 33 10 00. HOURS: every day until midnight. WEBSITE: www.taverne.com.

NOTES: Aperitif. I mention this place because we liked it so much. That’s pretty much it. Friendly service, very comfortable and cozy interior.

10th Arrondissement

Du Pain et des Idees, pastry/bakery, 34 rue Yves Toudic. CROSS STREET: rue de Marseille. Mº Jacques Bonsergent. PHONE: 01 42 40 44 52. HOURS: 06:45-20:00, Mon-Fri.

11th Arrondissement

Le Bar au Soupes, lunch, 33 rue de Charonne. CROSS STREET: rue des Taillandiers. Mº Ledru-Rollin. PHONE: 01 43 57 53 79. HOURS: Mon-Sat noon-15:00, 18:30-23:00. WEBSITE: www.lebarausoupes.com. (Clotilde 100-101)

NOTES: Lunch, 9 September. Homemade soup, made fresh every morning. Small but cozy, airy interior. Delicious food: I had chickpea soup with raisins and Susie had tomato-ginger soupe. Very pleasant service – Anne-Catherine, the chef/owner is very friendly and aims to please. Good value, inexpensive: less than €10 per person for a formule of soup, fresh bread, salad and drink and dessert. Highly recommended.

Le Refectoire, casual, 80 blvd Richard Lenoir. CROSS STREET: rue Saint-Sebastien. Mº Richard Lenoir or Saint-Ambroise. PHONE: 01 48 06 74 85. HOURS: Mon-Sat, noon-14:00; Mon-Sun noon-14:00, 20:00-22:30; Sun noon-16:00, 20:00-22:30. (Clotilde 105)

NOTES: Dinner, 13 September. Very funky, bistro atmosphere. Pleasant service and very good food. Reservations recommended, although we got in without them.

Bar Bat, dinner/bar Corsican cuisine, 23 rue de Lappe. CROSS STREET: rue de la Roquette. Mº Bastille or Ledru-Rollin. PHONE: 01 43 14 26 06. HOURS: 19:00-23:30. WEBSITE: www.barbat.fr. Free Internet access.

NOTES: Dinner. Very comfortable seats, lots of room inside and out, which tend to flow together. Located on the rue de Lappe a serious food street. Very friendly service, delicious food. Moderately expensive.

Maison Rouyer, pastry/bakery. CROSS STREET: Place Leon Blum. Mº Voltaire.

Notes: Delicious pastries, incredible girl choir behind the counter – and at least one of the most pleasant young women you will ever meet in Paris.

12th Arrondissement
Ble Sucre, pastry/bakery, 7 rue Antoine Vollon. CROSS STREET: rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Mº Ledru-Rollin. PHONE: 01 43 40 77 73. HOURS: 07:00-19:30.

13th Arrondissement

14th Arrondissement

15th Arrondissement

Des Gateaux et du Pain, pastry/bakery, 63 blvd. Pasteur. CROSS STREET: rue Mizon. Mº Pasteur. PHONE: 01 45 38 94 16. HOURS: Weds-Mon, 07:30-20:30, closed Tues.

NOTES: More like an upscale jewelry store than a pastry shop or bakery, the staff was rude and the layout sterile. Bread was delicious though.

Le Quartier du Pain, bakery, 270 rue Vaugirard. CROSS STREET: rue Maublanc. Mº Vaugirard. PHONE: 01 48 28 78 42. HOURS: Mon-Sat, -5:30-20:00.

16th Arrondissement

17th Arrondissement

18th Arrondissement

Arnaud Larher Patisserie, pastry/bakery, 53 rue Caulaincourt. CROSS STREET: rue Juste Metivier. Mº Lamarck-Caulaincourt. PHONE: 01 42 57 68 08. HOURS: 10:00-19:30 Mon-Sat. WEBSITE: www.arnaud-larher.com.

NOTES: Gorgeous shop, very airy and colorful. Located along the tree-line rue Caulaincourt just a stone’s throw from Montmartre cemetery. Delicious, creative pastries and very friendly staff.

Coquelicot, bakery/lunch, 24 rue des Abbesses. CROSS STREET: Place des Abbesses. Mº Abbesses. PHONE: 01 46 06 18 77. HOURS: Tue-Sun, 07:30-20:00. www.coquelicot-montmartre.com.

NOTES: We ate lunch here twice, once in 2006 and again in 2007. Outstanding pastries. Seating inside cramped but friendly staff.

Le Comptoir Colonial, spice shop, 22 rue Lepic. CROSS STREET: rue Cauchois. Mº Blanche. PHONE: 01 42 58 44 84. HOURS: Tues-Wed and Fri-Sat, 08:45-13:00, 16:00-19:30; Thurs 16:00-19:30 and Sun 10:30-13:30. WEBSITE: www.lecomptoircolonial.com.

19th Arrondissement

La Boulangerie par Veronique Mauclerc, bakery, 83 rue de Crimee. CROSS STREET: rue Manin. Mº Laumiere. PHONE: 01 42 40 64 55. HOURS: 08:00-20:00; closed Tues. and Weds.

20th Arrondissement

Sucre Cacao, pastry/bakery, 89 Avenue Gambetta. CROSS STREET: Place Gambetta. Mº Gambetta. PHONE: 01 46 36 87 11. WEBSITE: www.sucrecacao.com.

Paris to Providence, again

view of Westminster from our bedroom

Although it's still early in the season, we have the pleasure right now of looking out our bedroom window and seeing the one tree in Providence that seems bent on getting a jump on all the others for color change.

Well it's been nearly two weeks now since we returned from Paris, and as you know by now we are back in Providence, Rhode Island -- not to be confused of course with the "island of Rhodes," which really has little if anything to do with this story. Although truth be told I was on the island of Rhodes in the summer of 1972. Sadly I remember little of it, except I couldn't find the "colossus" so many earlier visitors talked about.

Work has pretty much dominated our lives since we've returned. Susie at Gracie's and me freelancing for Johnson & Wales University.  As for Susie she's starting to shift in the "new dessert menu for Fall" mode and is putting together some slam-bang ideas for tempting Providence palates.

There is good news though: Melissa, Joyce and Carl's middle daughter had her first baby, a son Lucas in South Carolina, and our friend Drea had her second child, a daughter Oriane in Brussels. We wish them all well and long and happy lives.

I hope to get our Paris dining guide online shortly -- I'll keep you posted on that.

In the meantime, I'll keep this short and sweet -- unlike many of my posts from Paris that seemed to go on and on and on . . . a malady my mother often described as having no remedy, at least not in my case. As the poetess in her often said,

"Some may come and some may go/but Steve goes on forever."

I love you mom and wish you an early happy birthday. (She was born on October 14, the same date as Dwight Eisenhower and used to get birthday cards from him when he was president.)

Take care and have a great fall. We'll be in touch soon. Naturally.

Steve

PS: Mom and Dad -