Dear Frenchie bar à vins,

I didn’t believe the hype, and I apologize. I’d eaten at the restaurant and enjoyed it, but I never had the “ah-ha, this is genius food” moment there. I get it now.

If you’re coming to Paris, do yourself a favor and make sure you get yourself here one, if not two, if not several nights.

I can’t tell you what to order, since everything is seasonal — there are new dishes all the time. I’ve had the entire menu at this point, and I can honestly say that everything is at least good, and some of the dishes (the ricotta and butternut squash tortelli, for example) are just explode-your-brains divine.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: food, frenchie, frenchie bar a vins, paris, paris restaurant, paris wine bar, travel | 20 COMMENTS

It snowed in Paris this weekend and it made the city just that much more charming.

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Posted in: paris | Tags: hotel sully, jardin marie trintignant, paris, place des vosges, snow, snowman, snowmen, travel, winter | 3 COMMENTS

It’s story time with Miss Diane! Gather ’round kids.

Once there was a little girl who was a very picky eater. She didn’t like spicy foods, she didn’t like foods that were “too green,” and was generally scared of foods she’d never tried before. Eventually, the little girl grew up to be a college student who, while still being a picky eater, loved to eat.

One day, the girl had a realization. If I get over my pickiness, she thought, I can eat more food! Maybe I don’t actually hate the things I don’t think I like… maybe I never gave them a proper chance.

And so she started with mushrooms. She took some plump, pretty mushrooms, and stuffed them with everything she liked: bacon, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic…

If I don’t like them stuffed with all these good things, she thought, then I probably actually hate them. She took a fat, juicy stuffed mushroom between her fingers and took a bite. She’s been loving mushrooms ever since.

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Posted in: appetizers, cooking, party food, sides, snacks | Tags: appetizer, bacon, bread crumbs, cooking, food, mushrooms, side, snack, spinach, story time, stuffed mushrooms, tomato | 3 COMMENTS

I’m back from California to dreary, rainy Paris.

I know. I have no right to complain. But my two-and-a-half weeks in LA really highlighted the differences between my two cities, and what I had taken for granted while living in Santa Monica. Also what I have been missing here, more than 70° weather in January.

And but so I’ve decided (not resolved; I don’t do that) to do more things like this: invite a friend over for a simple lunch of roasted chicken, perhaps pepped up a bit with spice. Because what I’ve been missing here more than anything else is a sense of community. The kinds of friends who you don’t have to make elaborate dinner plans to see. Just come over. We’ll watch some things on YouTube and drink wine and eat too much.

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Posted in: cooking, mains | Tags: chicken, cooking, dinner, food, lunch, main dish, paprika, paprika chicken, roast chicken, roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, smoked paprika | 2 COMMENTS

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Posted in: dining out, life, los angeles | Tags: brentwood, brunch, eggs, farmshop, farmshop la, french toast, girlfriends, los angeles brunch, los angeles restaurant, mimosas, pastrami, restaurants, reunion, westside | 3 COMMENTS