Being invited to the French Ambassador's Residence is always a treat... I've only been there a few times in my 13 years in Washington and I'm always elated when I have the chance to attend an event there. Last night was no exception, if anything it was more special than ever as Washington's top toques gathered to celebrate the release of the District's very first Michelin Guide. So. Many. Chefs. In addition to the 11 chefs who were awarded coveted stars in the red guide, representatives from the restaurants who were awarded Bib Gourmand last week as well as from those who were listed in the book were present. Who was left in DC's kitchens last night? A lot of sous-chefs in charge ...
France in the USA
Christine & The Queens au Festival All Things Go Fall Classic
Vous êtes allés voir Christine And the Queens quand elle est passée au 9:30 Club un peu plus tôt dans l'année? Moi j'ai pas pu, donc je suis bien contente qu'elle revienne nous voir à l'occasion d'une petite tournée Nord Américaine. Elle sera au All Things Go Fall Classic Music Festival à Yards Park le Samedi 8 Octobre. On a pas beaucoup de festival de musique comme ça à Washington et j'aime bien voir sa progression depuis ces débuts au Dock 5 derriere Union Market en 2014... et le fait bien sur qu'il y a une super artiste française dans le line-up!! La tête d'affiche cette année c'est les Australiens de Empire of the Sun (leurs vidéos sont toujours superbes, comme la pour Alive, donc ...
Les 5 Produits Français que j’Achète à World Market
Vous connaissez World Market? J'adore!! C'est une chaine de magasins ici où l'on trouve un peu de tout que ce soit pour le décor, les meubles, mais aussi des bijoux et de la nourritures venus ou inspirés des quatres coins du monde. Le mien est un peu plus petit, on n'y trouve pas de produits alcoolisés (certains ont un super choix de vins et de bière) ni de meubles, vaisselles etc. En fait, c'est juste un petit rayon dans mon Bed Bath & Beyond local près du Verizon Center. Mais c'est le rayon le plus important! Celui de l'alimentation ;-) Voici quelques uns de mes produits français préférés que j'achète à World Market. LE SEL DE GUERANDE Le sel de Guérande est un sel de mer naturel ...
What’s the Best Baguette in Washington, DC?
I've lived in the District for over 10 years now and as the French expat one of the top question I usually get asked is "where can I find good bread?" Usually it's recent transplants from France asking... The answer partially depend on where you live I guess. I mean, Bread Furst probably makes the best baguette in the city. But I live in Shaw. It's bad enough I have to spend close to $3 for bread, I'm not trekking all the way across town on top of it. So I get my baguette mostly at A Baked Joint now, and occasionally at Paul or Le Pain Quotidien. Two places where I would never buy bread back home...but hey, I have limited options here ;-) Of course, Parisians take their bread very ...
Bon Quatorze Juillet / Have a Tasty Bastille Day
I just got back from a week of holiday back home. Other than that tiny little event when France lost the UEFA championship to Portugal, everything was absolutely wonderful. If anything, I feel like I got an early taste of the Quatorze Juillet since there were flags absolutely everywhere and I sang the Marseillaise like 50 times (it's kind of the de-facto soccer chant for supporters of the French national team.) Seriously, my instagram feed (<-- follow me!) turned completely bleu blanc rouge over the last 2 weeks ;-) At least I get to pretend I'm back in Paris a little longer because tomorrow is our national holiday (you say Bastille Day, and that's ok, I say Quatorze Juillet... ...
Yes way {Languedoc} Rosé
It's *finally* rosé weather in Washington, DC this week and I'm excited to start digging into the stack of pink bottles I've accumulated while we experienced a record number of rainy days. I'm extremely biased towards French wines in general, but especially when it comes to rosés, and I always gravitate towards Provençal rosés. Occasionally, I'll venture outside of Provence and pick up a bottle of new world rosé (I'm a big fan of Early Mountain's rosé right now.) But most of the time, venturing out means looking a little South West along the Mediterranée to the Languedoc-Roussillon. Sandwiched between Provence and Spain, the Languedoc is actually France’s biggest wine region, with a bit over ...
Catch These French Films at Filmfest DC
In the winter months, I try to cram in as many oscar-nominated films as I can before the awards are given out. After that movie-binge, I typically take a needed break from the cinemas. Until April and Filmfest DC! Filmfest is the District’s first, largest and only international film festival. Between April 14 and 24, 2016 Filmfest DC will celebrate 30 years of delighting Washington cinephiles with a really impressive line-up of 75 movies from 45 different countries. As always, that includes a number of films from France and Belgium. Here are some of the French(-ish) or French-language films you can look forward to this year. THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT The poster claims that "G-d exist... and ...
I’m in a Marseille State of Mind
I've had Marseille on my mind lately. Part of it has been following along my friend Tammy's adventures in house swapping and remote working from Marseille (you can read all about it on her blog Florida Girl in DC.) It's definitely made me look at my mom's hometown completely differently! And the other part, of course, is that Marseille seems to be everywhere lately. First, there was the recent release of the movie Marseille in France. And now, there's the countdown to the much anticipated (at least by me) release of Netflix's first French-language original series Marseille. The trailer looks SO GOOD!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WvqgV7-kSc The show's 8 episodes (52 minutes each) will ...
Watch La Famille Belier at l’Alliance Francaise
Grab some tissues and head to l'Alliance Francaise on April 1 to catch a screening of La Famille Belier. The feel good film was quite a hit in France in 2014, but it didn't really come out in the United States :( I got to watch during my Air France flight back to Washington, DC last August and while the film is technically a comedy I found myself practically bawling in my crammed middle seat during the final scenes. Here's the trailer with English subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzWvI8BkrJo La Famille Belier is a coming of age tale about Paula, a musically gifted teenager who has to come to terms with allowing her voice to be heard. The reason it's so difficult for her is that ...
Christine and the Queens at the 9:30 Club
Have you heard of Christine and the Queens? Yes!? Then you know how awesome she is! You can skip the rest of this post and just click on this link to buy tickets to see her perform at the 9:30 Club on May 31. French musicians don't grace US stages very often, and when they do, we - Frenchies and francophiles - have a responsibility to go cheer them on. Otherwise, they won't come see us anymore ;-) If you have no idea who Christine and the Queens is then let me introduce you to the best French band you're not listening to right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs40yxHjTxQ Christine and the Queens is the androgynous alter ego of Héloïse Letissier, a stylish 27-year-old Parisienne who ...
