Brasserie Lipp…Paris–

Ernest Hemingway mentions this place a lot in ‘A Moveable Feast’…his wonderful account of becoming a writer and searching for meals along the way during his early days in Paris…it’s Brasserie Lipp–let’s check it out and see what’s goin’ on here.

Lipp is in the heart of the Saint Germain section of Paris on the left bank–Rive Gauche, as they call it.  It is quite serious here…the waiters are on the prowl for rustic gringos attempting to lounge about searching for photo ops and avoiding ordering anything off the menu.

It is best to have a reservation for lunch, as we do.  We are greeted by a host who acknowledges that we seem to know what we are doing and that we are here to put a major feed on. . .my wife knows the ropes having eaten here many times over the years–the host recognizes her seasoned approach, and we are rewarded with a cozy corner table deep in one of the dining areas.

Our main waiter and his assistants now handle us expertly: we order champagne, it arrives toot-sweet…we order our lunch: salad frisee, fish soup, roast chicken, steak au poivre with lots of frites, and a bottle of Macon to wash everything down real nice like.

The food is outstanding…extremely tasty…cooked to perfection…everything arrives on the hottest plates–I LOVE HOT PLATES!  We gobble away joyously…the waiters enjoy our relish.  For dessert I go with the profiteroles. . .these are the softest and most delicate profiteroles I have ever had, and the chocolate sauce poured on top could not be better. . .mmm, aaaahh!

EVERYONE has eaten here: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Wolf, Dos Possos, us, and so many more.  It is easy to see why Lipp has been in business for so long and why it will be in business for so much longer. . .this place serves great grub with expert flare and a coziness and charm that can only be found in Paris.  Please consider eating here some time before you die. . .you will love it–I absolutely gar-ron-taaaayy!!

To see more amazing images from around our teen tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .do it. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.

#1 restaurant…in all of Wisconsin–

BOOM!  Here we are puttin’ a feed on at a place called ‘Sanford’ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  According to some sources, this is the top-rated restaurant in the entire state of Wisconsin. . .ooo, aaaahh!  Let’s dive into this dining spot and see what we think.

Sanford is situated inside a house in a quiet neighborhood outside of downtown Milwaukee. . .we like it here…reminds us a bit of the original Boucherie down in New Orleans before they moved to a bigger space.

We have a reservation…we roll in…we are told that we have to wait for our table to be prepared for us. . .we are a bit early, thought there might be a bar to have a drink at, but there is none.  We ask the valet parking dude out front if there is a bar nearby for a quick drink…he directs us to the end of the block, the Points East Pub, says we can get a drink there–also says the wings are really good there…maybe next time, we are dining in your place tonight, dude–too funny.  The valet guy is dressed in shorts and t-shirt…very chill…folks inside Sanford have been chill to us…there is a low-key interesting buzz here that we are digging. . .I think we might get a good meal.

So, we head to Points East Pub…grab a white wine and a whiskey–both are extremely heavy pours–we like it here, but there is not enough time to finish these enormous drinks, especially my whiskey.  Points East is packed and chill–bartender tells us the wings are awesome…maybe next time, duuuude. . .a no b.s. place just up the street from Sanford…we will remember this the next time we dine in this ‘hood.

We pop back into Sanford. . .our table is ready. . .we are seated. . .our waiter greets us, asks how we are doing, I say we just had a drink at Points East–we hear the wings are really good there and hope that maybe something here at Sanford measures up…he pauses a moment and then says, “yes, the wings are really good over there. . .hmmm. . .” then walks away.  A little irreverence–WE LOVE THIS!!  We can tell that the meal here is gonna be most-worthy of our attention. . .and that our server dude is gonna be a fun guide through our meal. . .jaaaa!!

We settle in at an extremely comfy table. . .lighting is warm and sweet. . .vibe is chill with that slight buzz that I noticed before. . .and the menu looks really tasty.

We gobble appetizers of crab and veggies and meats and fishes…my wife slurps down the fish soup–really good…then she has a red snapper that is tasty and delicious. . .but the superstar of the meal, for me, is my elk steak–ABSOLUTELY DELECTABLE!!  I can taste the juicy grasses that elk eat…the meat is lean but extremely moist…covered in a meat sauce that makes me smile real big-like.  All of this is washed down with a good bottle of Sancerre. . .this stuff is GOOD–we are real happy here.

In short, this is quite possibly our favorite meal that we have had during our time in Wisconsin. . .really high-quality ingredients, expert preparations, smooth and human service, lovely atmosphere, and overall a wonderfully restorative experience.  Please consider eating at Sanford if you ever find yourself in Milwaukee hangin’ out. . .is it the number one dining spot in the state?  I don’t know for sure, but one thing we do know: you will enjoy –I gar-ron-taaayy!

To see more magical images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.