Dave and I in Paris 2010
If you are ever in New England or live in the area, you must check out this restaurant! I recommend:
Crêpe Aux Champignons - Wild mushrooms
sautéed with fresh rosemary, garlic, veal stock and cream folded in a French
crêpe
Bouillabaisse - Scallops, shrimp, salmon and mussels in a
lobster tomato saffron bouillon. Served with an aioli canapé
Magret of Duck - Boneless breast of duck roasted medium rare
with portobello mushrooms on a tangy balsamic vinegar reduction
Profiterole - French vanilla ice cream in a pastry topped
with a homemade Grand Marnier hot fudge sauce.
Clafoutis - Country French apple custard cake served
warm with cinnamon crème anglaise
Crème Brulee - Made with Cointreau and fresh vanilla beans
Cafe Mirabelle also offers cooking classes, private parties, crepe breakfasts on Sundays, and more! Check out there website here: http://www.cafemirabelle.com/
Now, for my birthday cake, since I actually make cakes as a part-time job, I usally get stuck baking my own! You can see last years cake here: FRIENDS themed B-Day Cake. This year though, I told David that I did not want to do anything crazy and was just going to buy dessert! But, I did not get a cake from just anywhere. No, I purchased my cake (and other desserts) from one of my favorite chocolate shops, L.A. Burdicks!
For those of you who live near Boston, in Harvard Sq on Brattle St. there is this tiny little shop that serves the BEST hot chocolate, pastries, and...wait....wait for it...... French Macarons! Jill, I thought of you when I discovered these here! :)
Since I am not in Boston much these days, I decided to stock up and ordered two if their pastries in cake form - their chocolate birthday cake and the hazelnut orange cake, along with an assortment of macaron flavors (I will be working out extra this week)! The flavors included ginger, coffee, pistachio, strawberry, chocolate, lavender, and citrus, and they are just to die for!
L.A. Burdick, along with Cafe Mirabelle, is a place you must visit if you are ever in the area. You can also order some, but not all, of their pastries online: http://www.burdickchocolate.com/default.asp
So although David and I may not be able to fly to France today, I have to say that this has been one of the best birthdays spent pigging out on my favorite French foods!