And Just Like That, Au Revoir, Paris

How could this be?!

I blinked, and my summer abroad was over.

Five weeks flew faster than any other trip I've been a part of, and it's still all soaking in. I have handfuls of more restaurants to tell you about and even more memories to share. Despite its overwhelming nature, Paris is awesome. I've fallen in love with it; everything except the metro (I was so squished this morning that I thought my feet would actually levitate from the ground!).

Hannah and her mom took me under their wing for the loveliest last full day I could have dreamed of. We ate very well at Le Village and L'Avenue, discovered that Ladurée has ice cream with a macaron on top (could it get any better than that?) and enjoyed each other's company throughout the Champs Elysees and Le Madeleine neighborhoods.

artichoke, asparagus and parmesan salad from le village

Just because I'm heading home to Memphis does not mean I'll stop talking about this European paradise. I have a few critiques to catch you up on; and if you're in need of tips or travel advice, just let me know and I'll be happy to share.

Au revoir, Paris. I'm not even gone yet and I already miss you!

thai chicken spring rolls from l'avenue

strawberries and burrata from l'avenue

seabass from l'avenue

Georges (Paris)

Talk about a view.

Besides the once-in-lifetime Eiffel Tower setting at Le Jules Verne that my parents and I enjoyed earlier this week, our dinner on the roof of the Pompidou museum was quite possibly the neatest venue in Paris. We took six sets of escalators to reach Georges, a glass window-enclosed dining spot with sleek decor, modern art and 300 degree views of the entire city.

The Justin Timberlake music made me feel like I had entered a nightclub, but the single rose on each white-lit table and backdrop of the Parisian sunset felt like a romantic escape.

To begin, I ordered the lobster salad. Can't go wrong with that. Hannah had the coolest appetizer by far: Caesar salad rolls. Instead of the Vietnamese rice paper roll ingredients, chicken, lettuce and Parmesan were tightly wrapped in rice paper with a tangy Caesar dipping sauce on the side. Such a creative concept.

For the entree, I was impressed by my shrimp risotto: jumbo shrimps covered the plate with the richest, most unbelievable risotto I have ever tasted. Ever. And if you've read this blog, you've seen how often I order risotto. The texture, flavor and temperature made this risotto number one in my book.

The sweetness in our millefeuille and berries & cream was top-notch, and the sparkling Eiffel Tower (which only happens at 11 p.m. and midnight each evening) made our dessert course even more magical. I was so excited to be with my Memphis "family" in Paris!

Le Jules Verne (Paris)

Eating inside of the Eiffel Tower is an absolute treat. There's no doubt about it. After escalating 125 meters in the exclusive Le Jules Verne elevator, we entered a classy dining room and were greeted by about 10 servers as we were led to our window table.

Now, since this is a "critique," I must fill you in on a few details that most reviews won't tell ya.

1) The restaurant is so high in the air...I felt as if I were in an airplane. Couldn't tell many buildings apart, unfortunately.

2) The meal is outrageous. Yes, you're paying for one of the "best" views and dining experiences in Paris...but, come on, a 25 euro glass of wine and 88 euro lobster appetizer is a bit ridiculous, in my opinion.

But now, I'll quit my complaints and show you some of the best quality food and presentation I have seen this trip.

I did mention that each glass of wine was 25 euro on average, yes? Well, we didn't take the (half) glass for granted, ha! A gorgeous basket of breads, ranging from croissants to whole wheat rolls, began our lunch. The embossed butter was a fabulous touch.

Mom ordered the chicken and duck fois gras with purslane and country French bread. We were disappointed with the consistency - I was looking for something much smoother and spreadable. But you have to admit: how gorgeous is that plate?

Dad's salmon marinated in lemon, caviar and vodka with mimosa garnish had killer presentation as well. He described it as "pretty good!" We'll take it.

I saved my appetizer for last, cause it was out of this world. I picked the chilled garden pea soup with wild mushrooms and farm egg, which was lightly fried on top. I enjoyed the contrast in texture and found it interesting that the peas were served whole and as a pureé. I truly loved this.

For our main course, all three of us got the John Dory fillet (cooked in a cocette) with spring vegetables and "condiment." It was grilled to perfection, and we all enjoyed the mix between warm roasted tomatoes and cold cabbage. The dish was light and very tasty!

On a side note, please excuse the photo...I started eating before taking a picture! Welcome to the life of a foodieholic.

For dessert, fruit was the main ingredient. While the portions were tiny, the strawberries were fresh and each complimentary baby macaron and vanilla bean marshmallow popped in my mouth in one bite.

Our unique lunch at Le Jules Verne was a memorable final date with my parents in Paris - we made the most of every minute from the height of the city!

L'oiseau Bleu (Bordeaux)

Nestled in a small strip on the North side of Bordeaux sits L'Oiseau Bleu, a contemporary and creative restaurant known for its attention to detail and finest ingredients. The French menu caused some initial difficulty, but our adorable waiter did his best to translate. I personally found it fun to pick my dishes with slight uncertainty of every culinary flourish - but I knew we wouldn't be disappointed in the outcome. And we weren't!

We began with my new favorite wine of the summer: a 2009 Pomerol from Chateau du Couvent. The ruby red flavor was smooth as ever.

Mom, Dad and Hannah started with a cold carbonara (pasta). We laughed at their plates, because they looked NOTHING like the traditional Italian plate one would expect. A molded cylinder of squid ink pasta sat on a gorgeous layer of white asparagus pureé and white truffle oil. A single uncooked spaghetti noodle added height to the unthinkable presentation.

I decided to be out of the box and try the shrimp appetizer, which arrived as a soup, to my surprise! It of course exceeded my expectations. The slightly sweet cream base had large pieces of wild prawn, chives, baby croutons and some other unknown ingredients. I was infatuated by the flavors.

The key words of our entreé course: "foam overload." We were hysterical over the abundance of different foams on our plates, but it indeed was an interesting concept!

My entree was a gorgeous fillet of redfish with a foam (duh) and sweet potato mash. Dad and Hannah loved their Royal trout with Ethiopean eggplant cream and marinated pepper. My mom's was the winner, though: tender fillet of pork (cochon) with a single swirl sweet potato chip and potato cake made of dozens of layers of paper-thin potato. The skill behind each dish was phenomenal.

We didn't have room for dessert, but baby rum cakes, marshmallows, and jelly candies accompanied our bill.

L'Oiseau Bleu was beautifully original and consistently strong. It was my favorite in Bordeaux, if not all of France!

Saint Emillion Chateaus

After one busy month of fast-paced Paris culture, I was ready to unwind. My parents arrived on Thursday and a sweet reunion was in full swing!

Our five days together in France was centered around a weekend getaway to Bordeaux in the southwestern region of country. The slow-paced city, which has received a cultural renaissance in the past two decades, was filled with quaint shops, restaurants and daring Medeival architecture. I handled the restaurants (with Hannah's spot-on TripAdvisor suggestions), Dad handled the daily activities; all was swell for our Greenstein Bordeaux adventure.

Every meal across the town was a constant hit! I've written up L'Oiseau Bleu and Plume Small Kitchen separately, so be sure to check out those critiques soon. We also felt like locals when lunching at the La Brasserie Bordelaise on Friday AND Saturday. Our sweet waitress Ophelia brought us classic French fare to welcome us to the city on Friday, and we couldn't get enough. While Friday was a heartier afternoon meal of farmhouse chicken with au jus and huge scallops, Saturday's cheese board and juicy tomato gazpacho was a lovely precursor to our Saturday afternoon: Bordeaux 360 Wine Tour.

Yes, Chateau hopping was the highlight. We ventured to the Saint Emillion region in the northeast area of Bordeaux, getting a taste of the wine, land and deep history of the area. Our guide Chloe showed us two Chateaus; the first (Chateau Mauvezin) being a quaint home with a tasting led by a owner, whose family has made wine for 400 years...the second (Chateau Soutard)being a large, modern mansion with tens of acres and fancy shmancy cellars underneath the Saint Emillion layer of natural lime stone. I was equally amazed by both estates; and their red wines (predominantly merlot and Cabernet) were mighty tasty. My dad got a 2005 bottle from Chateau Soutard, which we have decided to wait and open when I get back home to Memphis!

Gusta Pizza (Florence)

If you think you've had the best piece of pizza, you thought wrong. Because the best pizza on the planet is at one place only: Gusta Pizza in Florence, Italy.

From the outside, it seems like a tourist trap; but the spot sits in the local side of the river and hosts hundreds of Florentines daily. We sat at a table inside, yet I noticed that the majority of customers took a pizza to go enjoy on steps of the nearby square.

My friend Ashley said Hannah and I just had to go there. We made it our first Florence stop on Thursday evening. And we were instructed to order our own pizzas.

She was right. These pizzas cannot be shared. And every bite will be devoured, I promise.

I loved watching each pizza come to life in the exposed brick ovens.  The service was friendly and speedy, as these Italian dudes knew what they were doing in the kitchen. I received my ricotta, spinach, pesto and mozzarella pizza within fifteen minutes. Hanna's margarita pizza was even shaped in a heart, signifying love at first sight...with our food.

We enjoyed every bite of the doughy crust and perfect proportion of sauce and cheese. Because each pizza was prepared ready-to-order, ours were steaming hot and basically melted in my mouth. The house white wine on the side was inexpensive and satisfying in the Florence heat.

Basically, make every effort to get to Gusta Pizza while you're in Europe. It is actually out of this world!