Flower School NY

For ages I've wanted to go to Flower School's open studio Saturdays.

Last Saturday I went to  Opalia owned by Phoebe Crary in Brooklyn, 377 Atlantic avenue. The windows were full of wild dancing poppies - the stems are filled with sap. Don't cut them. Inside an endless array of flowers wait to be choosen for your bouquet. I usually paint just 1 or 2 flowers and my vases are tiny so I was stumped. The other students have taken Flower School intro classes. And are busy creating complex masterpieces. The instructor was whipping out perfect bouquets in minutes. YIKES! This is daunting.
I ran out to eat something at nearby Bedouin Tent, 405 Atlantic Ave. This picture has me munching hummos and carrots as I post. Back to face the flowers and finally choose a few ranunculas... And one tight pink peonie bud...

Mini display bouquets around the shop give me courage. Just ONE flower - my kind of bouquet! Yay.

Meanwhile 'Roses' finished TWO divine arrangements...

And the other student reached the heights of orchid perfection.

My handiwork looks raggedy. Hmmm... I did paint the peonie. I plan to attend another open studio Saturday at Flower School. I'll take some Dutch courage next time.

This Parisien Piggy says, "Don't eat to much chocolate this weekend!"

BONJOUR FLOWER SCHOOL!

et

Bon Week-End!

Del Posto

Printemps Daffodils, watercolor at Etsy, 9" x 11"

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Printemps thumbnails...

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I has a Spring lunch at Del Posto yesterday at 85 10th avenue...
They have one of the best prix fix lunches in town ($29! for 3 courses)
Bowers of orchids greet you in a gracious, airy space...

My first course was a mini jungle of roasted winter vegetables...

Whoops I forgot the amuse-bouche - little cups of soup and risi bisi/rice balls with gold dust sprinkled on them...

My niece had a lobster thing first...

My main was sea bass with droplets of Campari/blood red orange and sauted radiccio. Verdict = Out Of This World!

My niece's fiance had the Artic char with truffles and chestnuts. But we were not allowed bites. Suffice it say it was divine as well...

Well heck EVERYTHING was divine. The desserts were perfection - delicate and light.

The Butterscotch semi-fredo is reknown at Del Posto but the fiancee ordered it, so it was look but don't touch...ahem

Isn't this a great way to serve a pistachio chocolate cakelet with a slice already cut out? It was perfectly accompanied with a dollop of tart yogurt gelato.

And not to forget the tiny little caramels, popcicles and truffles post-dessert.

I was walking on air post-lunch at Del Posto...

But these 'green' cats and dogs in a vets window brought me down to earth quickly...

BONJOUR DEL POSTO!

The French Way

I am staying with a Fr girl in Paris. We met 2 years ago in NYC.

Fr Girl writes to me:
Dear Macaron girl,

Oh btw, when you are here, we will do things The American way. You do as if you were in your home. You open the fridge, put in tons of macarons. Eat in the kitchen. Use everything you want.......so funny!!!!

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American girl arrives Sunday morning.
 Fr girl announces her friends are joining us at noon for lunch in Chinatown.

At 12:06: American girl famished from long plane trip says,
"Where are your friends...ahem?"

At 1:06: American girl says,

"Ahem...do you think we should call your friends? Maybe they are lost?"
At 1:30:American girl is dying to look in the fridge for macarons.

At 2:15 friends arrive on time .
This is The French way.

American girl is leaving for Sonia Rykiel show.

Fr girl politely asks: "Are you taking that bag with you?"
The American Way: "You are not leaving the house with that horror!"

Fr Girl has a snack The French Way: She eats 2 potato chips, with a naughty smile and folds the bag away.

The American way: Devour entire bag mindlessly instantly.
Fr Girl eats her petit dej' of two slices of toast slathered thickly with beurre de Normandie, honey and drinks some tea.

One has to wonder how Fr Girl fits into her complicated, witty skirts that only a French girl could wear? It's beyond me.

In the morning (5am) I'm at the computer, headphones on, working on my blog post, humming merrily away to Whatchasay.

Fr Girl is suddenly standing in the doorway in her PJs.

"Your singing is waking me up!"
Fr Girl does her blog posts the evening before like any sane Fr person.

Fr Girl is off to Carnaval in Limoux Thursday night, so she warns,

"French people sleep in on the weekends.
No loud singing SVP!"

On Thursday I go to my macaron class at the Ritz.

I see deux mecs/2 guys standing in chefs jackets yacking in English. I ask them,

"How do I find the class?"

They respond The French way,

"BONJOUR...BONJOUR"

then lead me down to the Ritz kitchen.

At reception 2 Fr women look at my facture and remark, giggling, "But your class is next week!"

Eeep...I did not read the fine print.

I remember author Elizabeth Bard is doing a reading/book signing of Lunch in Paris at W.H.Smith just up the street on rue Cambon.

Elizabeth has a delightful way of recounting her experiences of The French Way. She met a Fr guy in Paris and married him. Elizabeth's French mother-in-law/belle mere is eternally thin and fits into skirts she wore in high school. She never snacks between meals and at the beach only brings a bottle of water.

Elizabeth describes her French husband at breakfast:

He leisurely makes coffee, sits down, reads his paper perhaps, surrounded by chaos, yet ignoring it
The French way. I know you'll enjoy her book.

Wednesday night, Fr Girl says,

"OK I am going away tomorrow.

Tonight we eat The French way.
After, you can do what you want."

She takes away my soup pot, puts the computer on the floor, lays down a linen tablecloth and silverware. Soup is served in a proper bowl. Then she sits down and joins me for dinner The French way and heaves a sigh of relief.
Fr Girl's parting words:
"Don't burn down the house."
This is a universal sentiment.

So whatchasay? Have you experienced
The French Way?

Lunch In Paris

I picked up Lunch in Paris to give it a quick look and quickly walked out of the Strand with it. Exerpted from Lunch in Paris
Read a bunch of pages on Amazon if you have any doubts - witty, full of fun, a bit like Almost French, another fav book on American or Aussi girl goes to Paris and meets sweet French boy and.

22 delightful chapters = 22 delightful recipes. Author Elizabeth Bard has a blog with even more mouth watering recipes and photos of her daily life in Paris.

I was looking for appropriate Paris lunch pictures

I tend to eat ethnic, not French in Paris

Christian of Le Banc Moussu and I ate Middle Eastern fare

Miam

Inside the Marché des Enfants Rouges.

More miam

YUM

Italian fare on rue de Bac. To be honest lunch is usually just a macaron. Researche...researche.

BONJOUR LUNCH in PARIS!