Bonjour from Paris!

I am in Paris for work, and between work I am managing to see some sights. I will share some photos when I can, but have hit a snag with wireless internet only in the hotel lobby, making it difficult to upload photos. I did manage to get some from tonight’s dinner. My coworker who is like our office’s cruise director got in a day before everyone else and did some restaurant recon for us. He picked a really good one. We went to Ratatouille on rue Montmarte. This is this type of place that can be called a hidden gem. The prices were so reasonable and the food was really good. I went with the 29€, 3 course prix fix, and it was topped off with a nice bottle of Pouilly Fume. 

For stater, I had a tomato and goat cheese tart. A puff pastry with warm cheese, a tart tomato, with a balsamic drizzle.

I got the dorade for my entree which was simply prepared with some oil and nicely cooked veggies

And I'm in France, so I had to go with the cheese plate for dessert. Thank goodness my coworkers helped me finish it cause if I might have eaten the whole thing. 

Stay tuned for some other great meals and some sights. Until then, bonsoir

Date Night

This date night was a fancy one. We went to The National for a drink and a quick bite before we went to the Chamber Magic Show.

The National is the newest NYC offering from Chef Geoffry Zakarian, and the place looks really cool and retro. We sat at the light gray metal bar which had a lot of activity. The bartenders are a flurry of activity. The National has an interesting cocktail menu, and a small herb garden at the far end of the bar that I noticed the bartenders used for the drinks. Can't get fresher than that. I went with a boring glass of wine and Gramercy Guy had this refreshing drink, which I have to admit, I forget the name, but it had gin, herbs and lime.

For dinner, Gramercy Guy had the ugly burger. He said it was great with lots of nice elements. The only ugly thing about this burger was the mess it made. Word of advice: don't cut it, and when you pick it up, don't put it down until there is nothing left. That's one of the reasons, I wasn't able to get a taste. The fries had a great spice to them, smoked paprika, I think.

 
I had the rock shrimp pasta. It was good with a very light cream sauce. The best part, it didn't feel a heavy lump in my stomach all night like some heavy pasta dishes might.

Then we were off to Chamber Magic, an intimate magic show in the Waldorf Towers. The tickets say cocktail attire, and, Steve Cohen, the Millionaire Magician says he tries to evoke the salons of yesteryear, when people dressed to go to their friend's homes where there was often entertainment, like a magician. Definitely take the time to get dressed, it makes the night feel special. Also, the few people not dressed stood out.

I think when I told Gramercy Guy that we were going to a magic show, he was skeptical, but not after we left. This was a truly "how'd he do that" show. You'd might think that 1 1/2 hours of magic would be too much, but he switches up his tricks and has a great banter with the audience. You can sort of surmise how he does some of the card tricks, but there are others like Think a Drink that you leave you thinking about how he did it for days.

There is little advertising for Chamber Magic, and he travels across the world doing this, so get your tickets now, you won't be sorry. They would also make a great gift alternative to a Broadway show.

Have you been to Chamber Magic? What was your favorite part?