I have an undeniable love affair with Parisian bistros. The charm, the classic menu, the pomp, the apero culture, le café au lait, the waiters who either love me or roll their eyes at me… j'adore tout! I cannot help but be pulled into this city and the vibrant energy it emits – the rich culture and the way that they just know how to live is envyable. And most of all, I adore how they eat! 

Craving an evening in Paris, I had to bring a taste of the experience to my little boîte à bijoux. A moment in a classic bistro with a few french staples that I cannot live too long without. Moules Frites, an uncomplicated green salad and bien sûr, mousse au chocolat.

Dessert and caviar is not something you often think about pairing. But hear me out. This dessert changed my life for the better and might just be one of the easiest ‘fancy’ end of the night bites to ever grace your table. If you are at all into dipping your fries into a milkshake or enjoy an olive oil ice cream, you have just been introduced to the perfect savory dessert creation. One scoop of this silky panna cotta with its bold briny pairing elicits an elegant salty/sweet balancing act, leaving one delighted and also a tiny bit perplexed. So beguiling, you simply have to go in for more as you try to figure out how on earth caviar and panna cotta work so well together. 

Movies have always been an important escape for me. A form of entertainment, expression and most recently, inspiration. So I tend to take my movie nights very seriously. I believe that my lists of favorites and my recommendations say a lot about who I am. Loved ones who are invited  (forced) to watch my favorite flicks with me are indoctrinated into a little personal club. A place that is weirdly vulnerable and that explains a lot about who I am and why I love what I love. Ultimately, the woman that I am today is because of a tiny starry-eyed girl who sat in front of the television watching Turner Classic Movies, idolizing Hollywood and the iconic starlets who danced across the silver screen. I am proud of who that imaginative girl has turned into. Still day dreaming and still obsessed with Old Hollywood, only now, I see these movies in a whole new light and I can finally host epic dinner parties and swanky cocktail soirées inspired by many of the tales and characters that I fell in love with decades ago. 

The New York Happy Meal. I adore the concept. It is peckish perfection. A better trio is rarely seen… fries, a caesar salad or burger and a dirty martini, what more could you crave on a random Thursday night? A solution to the hustle and bustle, an answer to a hard day at work, a distraction from the day-to-day. I am all in for this culinary trend. 10/10.