Colorful tables are crammed into a space that’s likely smaller than your living room. The walls are lined with shelves and shelves of wine. You’ll sit so close to your neighbor (a young sommelier, a local actor, a tango instructor) that conversation will be unavoidable.

There are two kinds of evenings at Le Verre Volé. The first is composed of dinner, wine and intimate conversation. The dishes are selected from a chalkboard menu that changes with the seasons. Using nothing more than a couple of toaster ovens, the “cooks” here turn out starters like brandade de morue (salt cod and potato purée) with purple artichokes, or a salad of ripe heirloom tomatoes from Annie Bertin…

…The second kind of evening chez Stolen Glass ends with chairs on pushed-back tables and some manner of debauchery. I have seen tango dancing at Le Verre Volé. I have seen a visiting American break-dancing on the floor (see photo above). I have stood at the counter, long after the exterior gate has been pulled down, and finished off bottles of Who Can Remember with a Metallica-loving sommelier. This wine bar is a magic spring of random Paris adventure…

> Read the full review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

> See additional photos of Le Verre Vole on Flickr

I mostly love the Salon because of the butts. Or the tails, to be precise. I never dreamed, while combing my My Little Pony so many years ago, that such styling was even possible. Below you’ll find a selection of my favorites from the 2010 salon.

Best Butts at the Salon de l’Agriculture

The Black & Tan

The Donatella

The Mullet

The Poor Bastard

So there you have them - my favorite butts of 2010. Now here’s a bit more about the Salon de l’Agriculture…

In Paris, and down at the farm

Two years ago, I accompanied a sheep farmer and his family to the Paris Salon de l’Agriculture. I was not excited to go. I reasoned that if I wanted to experience livestock and their attendant aromas, I could have stayed in Kansas.

In truth, this annual salon is nothing like I’d experienced back in the American Midwest. For starters, there is no accompanying rodeo. In its place, the Paris version allows you to taste some of the best food and wine in France. I almost fainted, upon entering the food hall on that first visit and seeing the bounty of France spread out before me.

Food and beverage producers—more than 1,000 of them—are brought in to sell and share their wares, and almost all offer samples. I staggered through stalls in a daze, accepting a slice of Basque brebis (sheep’s milk cheese from the Pyrenees), tasting a sliver of sausage from the Auvergne region, and washing that down with a shot of artisanal pear cider from Normandy. In addition to these nibbles, there’s a food court of sorts, with 38 restaurants selling more substantial portions of food from all corners of France. You’ll find everything from crêpes to coq au vin, plus artisanal beers from the North of France that will restore your faith in French breweries. Those who prefer wine can drink themselves silly at the hand of hundreds of vignerons (winemakers). In short, this is an amazing food and wine festival smack dab on top of a livestock fair.

> Continue reading at Budget Travel

> See more photos of the Salon de l’Agriculture on my Flickr page

See for yourself:

> Read more about Le Chateaubriand – the day job that I hope these boys won’t be quitting anytime soon.

My anxiety subsided as soon as I remembered Les Papilles. This homey little spot near the Jardin du Luxembourg is a favorite among food and wine insiders. I think it’s something to do with the simple and honest cooking, the well-priced wine selection and the likability of owner Bertrand Bluy.

Bluy worked for years as a pastry chef (Fauchon, Troisgros) before opening his own place under a refreshingly simple banner: “des beaux produits traités simplement et de bons vins . . . C’est tout, on n’est pas là pour se prendre la tête!” Bluy’s mission—to serve beautiful products, prepared simply, with good wine and without frills—makes Les Papilles a place that’s enjoyed by both big spenders and budget travelers.

> Continue reading at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

> See additional photos of Les Papilles on Flickr

The full press release is online here, but I’ve summarized the major Paris news below:

The Good News

• La Bigarrade got its second star. What was already hard-to-book will now become impossible.
• Yam’Tcha, which was already heralded this year by Le Fooding, picked up a star.
• Passage 53, one of my favorites, was also awarded a first star. Even with those horrible chairs.

The Bad News

• Les Ambassadeurs, which previously held 2 stars, was deleted from the guide following the exit of chef Jean-François Piège (for Thoumieux).
• Hélène Darroze was demoted from 2 stars to 1.
• Gérard Besson and Bath’s (former 1 star restaurants) were deleted from the guide.

Since October, my days have been patterned by the need to consume and then write about food. A typical day would find me coming to life with a pot of coffee and an episode of Glee, then sitting down to write for ten straight hours. There was no need, before hitting the shower and heading out for another meal, to leave the screen or my slippers.

Thank goodness that Context Travel came along and recruited me to lead their Paris food walks. This respected outfit, which boasts David Lebovitz and Louisa Chu as alumni, organizes food crawls and a market tours for very small groups. My job is to show up, wearing proper clothes, and to share food and stories. Armed with a generous tasting budget, I lead a parade through some of the cities best bakeries, cheese shops, butchers, fish mongers, wine caves, chocolate stores and pastry shops. Every mouthful – from crunchy baguette to runny brie to fatty rillette to briny sea urchin to silky chocolate mousse to buttery kouign amman – has a story and a context, and sharing these with real-live humans (as opposed to a computer screen) is incredibly fun.

And speaking of fun, on May 13 Context Travel will be sponsoring a special dinner at Hidden Kitchen, hosted by yours truly and David Lebovitz. Here’s D-Leb’s delightful take on the event:

On May 13, I’ll be hosting a dinner at the always-booked Hidden Kitchen in association with the folks at Context Travel. Local food gem Meg Zimbeck will join me, and aside from a super dinner, guests will also get a copy of my upcoming book, Ready For Dessert. There’s just a few spaces left, so if you’ve been dying to try Hidden Kitchen, or would like to get a closer look at that worrisome bald spot that appears to be growing on the backside of my head, sign up.

If you’d like to read a much-longer description or to sign up for this event, you can do so here.

If you’re not able to snag a seat, but would like to check out an “ordinary” dinner (if ten courses + wine pairings can be considered ordinary) at Hidden Kitchen, click here.

There’s also the fab Paris Supper Club hosted by Alexander Lobrano and Wendy Lyn. Whereas our Context dinner is a one-time affair, the dinners hosted by these two food luminaries will be organized on a regular basis. More here.

I  love bringing visitors to the Canal St.-Martin. This waterway in the 10th Arrondissement has in recent years become a magnet for hip and artsy Parisians. Good cafés and restaurants have been popping up around the water’s edge, and edgy boutiques for clothing and jewelry can be found not far away. After a morning spent exploring (one that’s usually fueled by pastry from Du Pain et Des Idées), I almost always stop in for lunch at Le Cantine de Quentin. This sweet little place is open only during the day and performs triple duty as a restaurant, cave à vins (wine shop) and épicerie.

The lunch menu is short and sweet, with about six choices for each category of entrée, plat and dessert. I habitually begin with one of their homemade veloutés, whose ingredients change with the seasons. A creamy pumpkin soup topped with grilled chestnuts was just perfect on a recent winter afternoon. Hearty starters like the country terrine and charcuterie plate are more sharable.

>>read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

To begin, the waiters are adorable. Young and hip—wearing smiles and just enough facial scruff—my friend and I were putty in their hands. Did we want a sparkling Vouvray to begin? Absolutely. Sipping our bubbles, we admired the decor and made plans to transform our own apartments with strategically placed antlers. The taxidermy, when combined with retro lighting, moleskin banquettes and funky wallpaper, created an enviable atmosphere.

>>read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

Volpetti’s employees are well-practiced in catering to the fantasies of food pilgrims. They were eyeing me from the moment I walked in – another foreign girl wearing a gluttonous grin. I was taken by the elbow and shown a starter cheese, an accessible pecorino. “That’s nice,” I said while nibbling on a wedge. “Now what else can I taste?”

My particular guide, after sizing me up, returned with a cheese and a conspiratorial wink. “Try this,” he said, pushing a slice toward me across the cold marble counter. “It’s very good,” I conceded, and he began slicing white fig and pouring some sweet white wine. “Together,” he nodded, and I married the tastes before melting into the floor.

What happened thereafter is a bit of a blur. There were many more cheeses, a number of sausages, vinegars and oils. I was moving around in a euphoric daze, tasting everything, shouting “si!”

I approached the cash register with some hesitation while my purchases were being wrapped. Just how much would all this cost, I wondered, catching sight of a frightening sticker. With the Bagoss di Bagolino priced at 90€ per kilo, I was glad to have asked for a very small slice.

“Your total is 114€, Signora. And our credit card machine is broken.”

After emptying my wallet and also that of my friend, we left completely broke and with thoughts of a conciliatory cheese party back in Paris. Another smiling young woman was entering Volpetti as we were going out. “Good luck,” I told her. “You’ll need it.”

Volpetti Deli Shop, Via Marmorata 47, Rome

Read more reviews like this at Momondo

Located in a bustling market neighborhood behind Bastille, La Gazzetta has been a favorite for several years. With soft lighting, leafy palm trees and polished dark wood, this beautiful space would be a hit among the local bobos no matter what was happening in the kitchen.

The output of that kitchen, however, reveals that La Gazzetta is aiming to be much more than a neighborhood bistro. Their choice to install an avant-garde Swedish chef behind the stove attracted plenty of first-year media attention. Since that time, Petter Nilsson’s cooking—often inspired and always eclectic—has helped establish La Gazzetta as a destination for food adventure.

What do I mean by eclectic? Well, my most recent meal opened with a white orb floating alongside some cardoons in a broth that had been spiked with sweet Cévennes onion and mullet roe. The voluptuous yolk, when I broke into the poached egg with my spoon, mingled beautifully with the anise-scented cardoon, and the bite was either earthy and sweet or briny and sharp, depending on how many fish eggs I managed to capture. I’ve seen cardoons in Italy and in the South of France (where Nilsson previously worked), but I’ve never had the pleasure of eating this delicious weed in Paris.

>>read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris