Where is it?

If by "it," we're referring to excellent food and a good evening, it's apparently tucked away in an apartment in the first arrondisement. The brainchild of two ex-Seattle chefs, Hidden Kitchen is a supper club here in Paris, which brings together sixteen people fortnightly for fresh New American-style food and excellent wine. Tyson and I first spied a write-up of the club by the ever-reliable David Lebovitz several months ago, and we immediately decided to make reservations (since they are booked that far in advance). Ten courses, made from produce and meat selected at a market that morning? Plus wine pairings for each course? All for less than the cost of a fancy dinner in Chicago?

So on October 4th, we traipsed over to the 1st, entry code to Laura and Braden's beautiful apartment in hand, uncertain of whom we would meet or what we would eat, a bit nervous, but also very excited at the prospect of an interesting, fun, delicious evening. And we certainly weren't disappointed.

Now, if you're thinking that this blog deals a lot with food, you're right. And chances are, it will continue to do so. I have found that I eat better in Paris than anywhere else, even when I'm eating the cheapest of cheap produce from our local market. (2 pounds of fresh, beautiful, delicious tomatoes for 1 euro? Count me in! You can bet that I've made my fair share of bruschetta here.) But when I have a nice night out, you can rest assured that, assuming all goes as planned, I'm going to rave about the food. So here goes:

- The evening started with a glass of champagne topped with pomegranate seeds.
- Amuse bouche: Green anise doughnut with cider granita
- Roasted chicken broth with chicken liver ravioli and fried leeks
- Fig and anchovy tart with mixed herb salad.
- Mascarpone polenta with chanterelles, turnips, and braised radicchio
- Sauteed sea bass with homemade chorizo, mussels, and a garlic and lime broth (Amazing!)
- Cleanser: bourbon jello with lime sorbet and mint garnish
- Pork belly with walnut celery root purée and pickled chilies (Amazing!)
- Brussel sprouts salad
- Plum cake with chai ice cream and gruyere crumble
- Petits fours: honey salted peanut caramel, rice krispie treat, and two others that I can't remember (which tells you how good the wine was)

Our hosts were friendly and charming, and the whole evening flowed very well. And one might think that eating in a stranger's living room with 14 other strangers, who ranged from a travel writer for the NY Times to an online wine merchant, may have been a bit awkward, but the warm atmosphere and mutual love of food put everyone at ease. Not to mention that Laura and Braden (and their Boston terrier Tatie) were exceedingly kind, charming, and friendly.

I would highly recommend the experience to anyone looking for a nice dinner and nice people in Paris. This is not something that one can afford often (at least, not on a grad student budget), but I am incredibly glad that we had the chance to partake, and I'm sure that you will be too if you ever get the chance to go.


Also, I've added a new feature to the sidebar. Since I'm as much a music addict as a food addict, I thought I'd occasionally switch out some songs that I've found on some favorite music blogs. They shouldn't play automatically, which is always irritating, so hopefully this is a good way to do this.