Hall's oats felt like a parfait with a lovely mix of textures. The presentation was nice, too. Drummond's overnight oats were good, but Fuller's impressed me the most and looked amazing.
The Bright Star Restaurant, founded in 1907, is one of Alabama's oldest restaurants and a landmark in the historic mining town of Bessemer. The James Beard Award-winning institution is known for its Greek-influenced steakhouse menu, especially its famous broiled snapper and tender steaks, all served in a grand, old-world dining room.
The painting in question was gifted to the Inn's late founder Helmuth Deetjen by the late, celebrated local artist George Choley. This particular Choley painting had been in the same place since the 1980s, undisturbed, and a symbol of continued historic preservation.
Head Chef Joshua Conte's all-day menu is set to include dishes like NYC fried chicken & caviar, AVI Caesar salad, and black brioche lobster roll, showcasing a blend of modern French and elevated American classics.
Henry Harris describes his experience as the head chef and co-owner of Bouchon Racine as 'my most favourite three years of cooking and restaurant ownership.' He emphasizes the importance of creating a space where guests feel 'loved and valued'.
A great and very traditional bistro cut is the bavette steak, also known as flank steak here in the U.S. You'll see it all over Paris, and in more and more American restaurants. Sometimes called a flap steak, the bavette steak is cut from the bottom sirloin. This makes it relatively lean, but it has a looser, more tender texture, and it is considered very flavorful.
Of the five mother sauces, velouté is extremely under-appreciated and not talked about enough. It's what we as Americans call gravy, which we know has so many various uses. Velouté, which means velvety in French, is made with a light roux (or a mixture of flour and fat, like butter), stock or broth, and some seasoning like salt and pepper, and a bay leaf.
Past a sign for a family waterpark, a door opens onto an homage to fin-de-siècle Paris. Chandeliers are reflected in gilt-edged mirrors; there is a chorus line of lobsters and yards of fromage. Every so often, a waiter in a dinner suit flambées a crepe Suzette with a shock of flames, like a big top fire-eater. This is fine dining as buffet.
Back in 2024, after a reporting trip for a whiskey magazine, I got tired of drinking. Perhaps it was the sluggishness I felt each morning, or maybe it was the podcast I'd heard while traveling, which shared the news that one or two glasses of red wine was not, as we had long been told, healthy. Whatever the reason, I tossed in the daily drinking towel after that trip, figuring that going forward, I might only have a drink or two every now and again.
The streets around the Louvre have improved considerably as a dining destination. It's still true that the neighborhood rewards those who know where to look - the blocks immediately adjacent to the museum are thick with tourist traps - but a short walk in almost any direction opens up genuinely good options.
A consistently packed bistro along the Seine in the Marais, Le Petit Célestin delivers reliable French classics in a lively atmosphere that values conviviality over culinary ambition. The menu spans traditional bistro territory - tête de veau, veal kidneys, steak frites - with occasional Italian influences like burrata and linguini with bottarga. The cooking is competent rather than inspired. Razor clams arrive properly garlicky, steak shows good char against rare interior, but some dishes lean too sweet.
Chef Masa Ikuta brings serious classical training honed under Bruno Verjus at Table and Stephane Jego at L'Ami Jean to his own tasting menu restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. The cooking is confidently French-Japanese, moving from sardine churros with Cantabrian anchovy cream to veal brain tempura styled after shirako to a perfectly grilled lamb rack with smoky harissa.
The cooking is unpretentious and generous—big flavors, careful balance, no tweezers—at prices that feel increasingly rare in Paris. Standout dishes include a pheasant tourte with Morteau sausage and girolles, roasted beets with smoked eel and horseradish cream, and wild duck with a Porto jus and roasted parsnips.
Israeli chef Assaf Granit shifts focus from Mediterranean cooking to Eastern European Jewish cuisine at Boubalé, located in the Grand Mazarin hotel steps from BHV. The menu draws on Ashkenazi traditions - borscht, chicken liver, pastrami, and potato-forward preparations inspired by Granit's Polish grandmother. The vast dining room manages warmth through maximalist touches: doilies, colorful glassware, and grandmother-approved murals. Standout dishes include salmon floating in borscht with pickled turnips, Israeli couscous risotto with spinach, and an exceptional chocolate mousse drizzled with olive oil.
