Portuguese non fashion wonders
It was Sunday when I first landed here in Lisbon. Not very much was open so the probability of having a heart stopping fashion moment was pretty much non existent. Will keep you apprised of any such findings as my stay continues….
Food, however, is never is short supply here. If ever in Portugal, here are three of a number of epicurean wonders one should never miss….
Croquetas de peixe
These lightly fried croquettes made from morue or cod melt in your mouth. ( Taberno do Chiado – Calcada Nove de S. Francisco, 2A - Lisbon )
Bacalhau assado
This is the famous dried and salted cod dish of Portugal. Here it’s nicely oven grilled with sauteed onions and garlic and just a bit of butter. ( Aqui Ha Peixe – Rua da Trindade, 18A - Lisbon )
Queijo de Ovelha
This last one is a delicious cheese made from local Portuguese sheep called Ovelha. ( everywhere )
Fashion discoveries are exciting and give us new hope to continue on.
Food discoveries, for me, are an even more intensely satisfying experience. Depending on the level of gratification of a new flavor, a new food or a just a new superb restaurant, I can be fueled to do just about anything.
One such new find came to me recently in the showroom of Castor srl while writing the collection of Gabriele Colangelo in Milan in September. They served little morsels of a tart that resembles a very large cookie. One taste and it was very evident that this was so much more than just a cookie. Torta Sbrisolona, a specialty from the city of Montova in the region of Lombardy. The name literally means crumbly tart. The main ingredients are soft wheat flour, corn meal, almonds, hazelnuts, eggs, a dash of white wine and I am sure a good amount of butter. The torta spoke to me. I must have literally eaten a half a torta by myself.
Seeing how much I enjoyed it, I was generously offered an entire torta to take with me to enjoy some more…. when I was by myself and there would be no judgment if I ate the entire thing in one sitting. ( I certainly did no such thing. I shared it with friends. ) That certainly brightened my day. Fashion food perk!
Bread & Roses – Paris
Coffee break!
ok…. Mont blanc break!
A delectable pastry made from chestnut paste and fresh whipped cream. Pure heaven.
Bread & Roses is a bakery, cafe and restaurant dedicated to quality. There are two locations in Paris but I recently found myself in front of a beautiful Mont blanc and a cafe latte at 25, rue Boissy d’Anglais in the 8th right off of rue Saint Honore.
I recommend a stop for lunch or coffee or tea and without doubt, dessert. And yes…. everything from the decor to what I chose to eat and drink was beige-ish.
( photos DChen )
Milano – Fragola di bosco
Aside from fashion and shopping, I have often professed that eating is the other pleasure that Milan offers in generous doses. It’s the quality of ingredients. Whether vegetables, meats, fish or fruits, Italians seek out the freshest and best quality even in your smallest neighborhood restaurants.
This is dessert from last evening at Al Girarrosto on Corso Venezia. Fresh fragola di bosco with vanilla ice cream. These small Italian Alpine wild strawberries are delicate but are big on flavor. A great example of keeping it simple and allowing the flavor to be the single focus.
Paris – A Priori The
While we’re on the matter of breaks and food in Paris… another great stop is hidden in the Galerie Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement ( 4, rue des Petits Champs ). The name of the tea salon is À Priori Thé ( actual address inside the arcade is 35 Galerie Vivienne ). Another well secluded, quiet haven but it is quite popular with the locals so it is often packed for lunch and tea in the afternoon. We stumbled upon this hideaway walking through the Galerie Vivienne from one appointment to another.
The lunch offerings are simple and fresh. The chicken dish above was full of flavor and satisfying. Roasted chicken accompanied by haricots verts, quinoa, spinach and a purée of greens. This was one of the specials of the day. There are plenty of salads to select from as well as desserts. Of course there is a fine selection of teas. There is seating within the salon, but there are also tables out under the beautiful glass ceiling of the passage. A great midday recharge.
There are some wonderful photos of the Galerie Vivienne on the above link and some interesting historical information. This beautiful shopping arcade built in 1823, is magnificently preserved, still houses beautiful stores and some of the spaces serve as small gallery showrooms during fashion week.
Paris – Fashion Break
There comes a time when you’re on your way to your 4th appointment of the day and you have 5 more to go… you say to yourself ”I need to sit down for a minute!”
Between our Stella McCartney and our John Galliano apointments, we found ourselves crossing Place Igor Stravinsky in the 4th in front of the Centre Pompidou-Beaubourg. There is an oasis that called to us… and we heeded that call. The CAFE BEAUBOURG which is run by le groupe Costes is a great cafe for a meal or just cafe and dessert. it’s designed by Christian de Portzamparc, a celebrated Parisian architect. The room is contemporary luxe and is a great time out from it all with a nice ambience.
This is what we manage to find on their extensive menu to soothe our weary souls…
Their ENORME PROFITEROLE.
This and the Mont Blanc at ANGELINA on rue de Rivoli in the 1st are two of my favorite things to visit in Paris.
Cafe Beaubourg – 100 rue saint Martin – 4e – Paris
( please note that I finally worked out the website link system and now instead of copy and paste, you can click directly on a highlighted word within the text to access what I have linked such as Cafe Beaubourg, Angelina and Christian de Portzamparc above )
Trussardi 1911 – f.w 2010
The F/W 2010 Trussardi 1911 collection left so much to be desired. Milan Vukmirovic’s spot on spring show cast a very large and dark shadow over his collection for this coming fall/winter. Everything that was so right and hip last season was negated by the very uptight and overly literal attempt he made for F/W 2010. If you’re going to pay homage or riff on another designer or a particular look… you need to go further outside their box, not copy it verbatim. Such was the problem for this collection. Word for word… line for line… style for style…. it’s night and day what Mr. Vukmirovic has done for the men’s collection and what he has not done YET for the women’s collection.
There were definitely good signs for the spring 2010 collection… as seen here. One of my favorite pieces of the spring collections..
that didn’t quite flow into the fall collection, sadly enough.
Here is the link to their site for the fall 2010 collection… there wasn’t a runway show and when we walked through the collection in the showroom…. it just wasn’t meant to be. So no photos… the only photos I did manage to take were downstairs at the Cafe Trussardi …. lunch was the best part of the visit!
photo top is a riso al salto alla milanese con cozze e zucchine
(pan fried saffron rice with mussels and zucchini)
photo bottom vitello tonnato con sedano bianco
(thinly sliced veal in a tuna sauce with shaved white celery)
Again… here is the link to the Trussardi 1911 website where you will find the photos of the collection. Let me know what your thoughts are… if you concur! Leave me a comment.
http://www.trussardi1911.it/collection/collezioni_fall_winter_2010_2011_donna
And if you’re ever in Milano… here is the link to the Cafe Trussardi website. A beautiful space to have a drink or a meal at the Piazza della Scala.
http://www.trussardi.com/trussardi_cafe.html
All photos – DChen.
