LUDOBITES - Finally! LudoBites 8.0 at Lemon Moon

Stars and planets aligned and I was finally able to go to my first iteration of Chef Ludo Lefebvre's "pop-up" restaurant LudoBites in its eighth outpost. This time Chef Ludo took over Lemon Moon restaurant on West Olympic Boulevard. Thankfully, after so much hype and excitement there was not an ounce of disappointment from first experience under Chef Ludo and Krissy Lefebvre's care. 

By now it's been over two month's since I sipped hard cider and languished over course after course of Chef Ludo's cuisine. But better late than never, eh? And it doesn't feel like its something of the past because I am still thinking about and craving the tuna with somen I had that night every single day (no joke). (Sorry in advance for the dim photos, was trying not to be too ... flashy.)


So, let's start at the beginning. My dinner guest and I opted for the NV Cambremer Cidre. Our meal began with a bang- literally- as the cork popped out of the bottle of cider the moment the cage was undone.

Next it was time to survey the menu and devise our plan of attack. We didn't opt to have the whole menu, as many do. As it was I was totally full when we left after eating less than half of the menu. I admit I was thrilled to have this simple piece of paper finally sitting in front of me in real life, not just a photo on the internet for once:

Burgundy Gougères and Chicken Tandoori Crackling got things going. I found it smart and comforting that Chef Ludo offers up something as simple as cheese puffs on menu. It is a way to taste something familiar at start of the meal as a means of easing into his unique flavor combinations and cooking techniques. The cracklings were like super fancy nachos without a tortilla in sight. The chicken liver mousse was a meaty cloud on a crisp chicken skin 'chip'.

PARIS Part I: A Parisian Homecoming

More than two years after returning to the US from my semester in Paris, the opportunity to go back came in the form of a week-long vacation with great friends. I had a mix of excitement and anxiety leading up to my trip, concerned my French would be too rusty and that I might not remember how to get around. Once I took out my suitcase and started packing, all that apprehension melted away. . .

I arrived at CDG in Terminal 2 which I know very well after bringing my father to the airport after a visit and leaving from Terminal 2 at the end of the semester. After getting my bag I knew just where to go to get on the RER B into Paris. Once settled on the train I was on my way with an indelible smile across my face; ready for vacation, ready to start a sort-of homecoming.

Now, when I was studying abroad I was in Paris for four months I used a NaviGo (a month-long unlimited metro card) for getting around the city. Unlike Metrocards in NYC if you have a NaviGo you have to put your picture and name on it. Metro riders can be fined if they don't have a picture on their NaviGo or if they don't have a cancelled one-way ticket from entering the subway. In four months time I never had a ticket or my NaviGo checked for validity.

Je retourne à Paris....

For any of you who follow my Facebook page or my Twitter feed you may have heard that I will be going to Paris, France this week. This is more than a vacation for me, it is a return to a place I once lived for a time. During the fall of my senior year of college I studied in Paris for the semester. While in Paris I experienced every emotion in the book. My start was rocky, vexed by fatigue, loneliness, foreignness, and a lack of modern comforts (ie internet in my room). My transition was difficult but eventually I got a handle on Paris and my concerns about returning to the USA disenchanted by Pairs and completely over my 2 decades of francophilia faded completely. I love Paris and La France more than ever. 

See the Stars on the Eiffel Tower?
France was "president" of the European Union while I was there.

This is my chance to see my Paris with my friends, without loneliness, without being so foreign... So I am packed up, have my list of the best macaron places from Girls Guide to Paris printed out, my Paris Moleskine I had when I first went to Paris, I've been looking up restaurant suggestions from David Lebovitz, finished reading Paris Was Ours last month, and have been testing my rusty French on my friends. I am ready. The anxiety I had been feeling about my trip since I bought my plane ticket has mostly subsided and I feel fully prepared to return to the City of Light. 

Eating lunch along the Seine
(that's probably some baguette filling my cheeks)

Fortunately this is all working out thanks to one of my very best friends who needed to be in Paris for her masters and offered for me to come along and play tour guide to fellow visitors. I'm very grateful to her and lucky to be going back with such wonderful company. 

I will probably not be updating The Culinary Librarian Facebook or Twitter pages much this week, but periodically I will try to post a picture or an update, so keep an eye on them. As of yet I'll keep what I am thinking about for Paris blog posts until I return... I can never be sure what I will find there, anyway. Here's to wishing you all a wonderful week while I am away, a favorable exchange rate for our mighty dollar, and beautiful weather. À bientôt mes chers! 

My profile picture was taken when I was in Paris at Les Fous en L'Ile restaurant on Ile St-Louis, where I lived.
The restaurant was decorated with tons of chickens and coqs. Chef Ludo would love it!