Restaurant Reverie

In a 2009 episode of No Reservations, Tony Bourdain considered a vanishing breed of New York restaurants: restaurants that were unchanged since the first day they opened their doors. He visited Jewish delicatessens and Italian pasta shops, but his stop at the anachronistic Le Veau d'Or is what delighted my Francophilia the most.  

The minute he set foot in the tiny Upper East Side gem, I sensed I HAVE to eat there and soon, before the place becomes culinary history.  Le Veau d'Or was established in 1937, and the cozy red banquettes, menu of frog legs and escargot, and eighty-five year old maître d' Robert continue ooze Parisian charm and timeless sophistication. 

Flowers for Friday

"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks." Tennessee Williams

Almost every Friday, as many of my faithful readers know by now, I indulge in a bunch of whichever flowers are freshest.  For a mere eight or ten dollars, I enjoy at least a week of delightful blooms.  Today I discovered petite lavender calla lilies and freesia at Trader Joe's. As they sit in a trio of my favorite little vases, I am taking in the sweet floral aroma of this simple weekly pleasure.