adventures of an american housewife in the south of france

Food Porn Dictionary: Part II

Get out your drool buckets and napkins because you're gonna need them.  It's time for another episode of the Food Porn Dictionary!  This one will be a little less of a "dictionary" than the first episode, because I wasn't quite as diligent at writing down the exact name of every dish.  But I will tell you what I remember and I can I find on menus online.  But you don't care, right?  You just want to see all the awesome food we're eating in the South of France. Let's start off with this Fusilli Pasta dish with Tomatoes, Feta and Olives from La Carré.  This restaurant is easily becoming one of our favorites.  It's tucked away in adorable corner of the city center called Place Ravy, they always work to make tables available and the food is consistently delicious.  Next time I'll have to snap a picture of my favorite dessert there - Kinder Beignets!!!  Yes they taste as good as they sound.

La Carre - 6.21.11

Next we have some fresh seafood from Chez Toto.  We like to go here on Sundays because they are one of the few restaurants that stays open (although they are closed on Mondays).  Their menu mostly consists of platters of fresh shellfish:  mussels, oysters, prawns, etc., but we usually stick to the daily specials like these below.  The first is an appetizer consisting of Halibut Ceviche topped with Red and Green Peppers.

Chez Toto - 6.26.11

The Hub and I then split some fresh Gambas avec Basilic served with Riz et Tomate. (Prawns with Basil served with rice and tomatoes)

Chez Toto - 6.26.11

You may have seen this next picture before, and to be honest, I don't even know the name of the restaurant where I got it.  But it was so delicious and stayed on my mind for so long that I just had to include it.  It's a typical assiette (plate) that many restaurants serve at lunch full of fresh Melon, Jambon, Poivrons, et Salade. (Melon, Ham, Peppers and Salad)  I could eat this everyday and I practically do.

Lunch in St. Roch - 6.27.11

Like most places around the world, there pizza joints around every corner in Montpellier.  But how do you know if it's good pizza?  Case in point:  when we were still living in the hotel, we asked the front desk for a pizza recommendation and they told us to go to Pizza Hut.  Nothankyouverymuch.  Luckily, we quickly discovered Pizzeria Sicilia.  Don't try to go here without a reservation.  They will kick you out.  For realz. It happened to us the first time we tried to go here.  But the humiliation of showing up a second time with a reservation was worth it.  This place is ah-mazing!  We went with our friend Shamille and ordered 3 entrees to share.  First we had the Futurista:  Tomate, Mozzarella, Artichaut, Steak Haché, Fromage de Chèvre, Oignon, Poivron, œuf (Tomato, Mozzerella, Artichoke, Ground Beef, Goat Cheese, Onion, Peppers, Egg)

Pizzeria Sicilia - 6.29.11

We also tried the Rucalo:  Tomates, Mozzarella, Jambon de Parme, lamelles de Parmesan, feuilles de Roquette (Tomatoes, Mozzerella, Ham, Parmesan, Arugula) which was a clear winner.

PIzzeria Sicilia - 6.29.11

And completed the meal with Penne alla Arrabiata.

Pizzeria Sicilia - 6.29.11

Finding good sushi in Montpellier has been a little rough.  There are quite a few options, but most of them use fish that San Francisco sushi chefs would throw in a dumpster.  We have discovered the delightful Wasabi near The Hub's office, which serves beautiful, fresh sashimi, but they only have 1 table.  When we moved into the Antigone, we were excited to find a sushi place, Sun Osaka, across the street.  We tried it out and it was okay.  Not horrible, but not that great.  The fish was fine, but the rice was super watery and mushy.  We reluctantly gave it another shot a few weeks ago (I practically had to drag The Hub) and halfway through our meal Michael turned to me and said, "FYI, this is the last time we're eating here."  The bright spot in the evening was their Wasabi Ice Cream.   Somehow it was cold and hot at the same time, and I always like a party in my mouth.

Sun Osaka - 6.30.11

When the 4th of July arrived, The Hub and I wanted to something a little patriotic to celebrate.  And what's more American than burgers, fries, and beers?  In the last episode of Food Porn Dictionary, I told you about Burger N Co.  These burgers at Burger Bar are much simpler and I have to say, the fries are better!  The owner is a super nice guy from Spain who also went to school at Madison, so he and The Hub had a lot to talk about. The Hub ordered a Hamburger avec Lardons, Oignons Rouge, et Fromage. (Bacon, Red Onions and Cheese).  I had a Hamburger avec Champignons, Oignons Rouge, et Fromage. (Mushrooms, Red Onions, and Cheese)

Burger Bar - 7.4.11

Even though there are tons of restaurants near our apartment in the Antigone, we usually walk into the city center for dinner.  A few weeks ago, we were really tired and decided to stay closer to home.  We checked out Brassiere La Suite, which The Hub walks by everyday on his way to work.  It's always bumping, so we figured it would be a good choice.  And it was!  It was so great, I have no doubt we'll be back there very soon.  For appetizers, we ordered Tartlette au Camembert Affiné avec Endives et Oignons Confits aux épices (Camembert Tart with Endive, Onions and Spices)

La Suite - 7.6.11

The Hub ordered Verrine d'Avocat, Pamplemousse et Crevettes, Gelée d'Agrumes.  (Shrimp with Avocado, Grapefruit and Citrus Gelée).  Sidenote:  Pamplemousse is my favorite word in French.  It's so just so fun to say!

La Suite 7.6.11

We had delicious dinners too.  The Hub ordered Piqué de Saint-Jacques et Gambas Coco-Curry.  (Scallops and Shrimp in a Coconut Curry Sauce)  It was nice and spicy and the scallops were cooked perfectly.

La Suite - 7.6.11

I had my favorite Souris d'Agneau en Tajine, Citrons Confits et Gingembre, Semoule Épicée aux Raisins Secs (Lamb Shank Tagine, Lemon and Candied Ginger, Spicy Semolina with Dried Raisins)

La Suite - 7.6.11

I've been bad about taking pictures of desserts lately, but I did manage to snap one of our friend Jimmy's Tarte au Citron (Lemon Tart) from Arezzo, a great Italian place in the center of town.

Arezzo - 7.9.11

Bon Appétit, mes amis!

3 Responses to “Food Porn Dictionary: Part II”

  1. nate says:

    Wow! Thanks for documenting all of that. It all looks soooo good!

  2. Gay says:

    Always a pleasure to “eat” with you….

  3. Jillian says:

    pamplemousse is my favorite word too!! that and parapluie.

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