Galatoire's "Godchaux Salad"

Galatoire's Godchaux Salad is a New Orleans classic. I made this salad for friends last night and took the liberty of changing it up a bit. I know - blasphemous to the Galatoire's loyalists!

The original recipe calls for iceberg lettuce but I substituted arugula with baby spinach combined with baby greens. I added sliced avocado, shredded Jarlsberg cheese, and toasted pecans. It was a terrific entree enjoyed al fresco on a lovely September evening!


Recipe:

2 - containers lettuce mix plus a little iceberg to give the mixture a crunch

1 - container grape tomatoes sliced in half, length-wise

2 - avocados, sliced

Jarlsberg cheese, shredded (if you like stronger cheeses, use crumbled blue cheese)

Toasted pecans, chopped

1 lb. lump crabmeat

3 lbs. Gulf shrimp, boiled in Zatarain's Crab Boil and peeled

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil (original recipe calls for salad oil)

1/2 cup Zatarain's creole mustard

3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Anchovies, 3-4 per salad

In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, and mustard, mixing well with a wire whisk.

Pile lettuce on each plate and build the salad: add the avocado slices, toasted pecans, tomatoes, cheese, boiled egg slices, shrimp, crabmeat, and 3-4 anchovies. Add dressing. And Voila! A delicious, easy meal for 6.

Cote D'Azur

On May 1, 2010, our group of 5 boarded the TGV train at Paris's Gare de Lyon to begin our 5.5 hour, 1st class journey to Antibes on the Cote D'Azur. It was an amazingly smooth and quiet ride - difficult to believe the train was traveling at speeds above 170 mph. Our car was not crowded so we had lots of room to spread out. The food car served baguette sandwiches, quiche, beer, wine, and champagne. (Travelers are allowed to bring their own wine & champagne on French trains.) We were very comfortable.

Upon arrival at the Antibes train station, our good friends Cathy & Jonathan were there to meet us, along with our pre-booked driver and car. I hopped in the teeny, tiny car with Cathy & Jonathan and their constant companion "Oi," the beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback. Jonathan led the way to our apartment in Juan les Pins with the hired car with Kathy & Butch and Carol & Rich behind us.

The apartment was a penthouse unit in the Juan Flore gated community in Juan Les Pins. It was a 3-bedroom, 2- bathroom unit with a big living room and dining area and a huge terrace overlooking the Mediterranean! Simply gorgeous! Knowing we would be tired from

traveling all day, Cathy & Jon had dinner prepared for us and the fridge stocked with wine, beer, and other essentials. We enjoyed a lovely meal while catching up with Cathy & Jon who moved to Juan les Pins from New Orleans in 2002. They now manage vacation properties in Antibes, Juan les Pins, and Cap D'Antibes.

We started out a bit slowly on Sunday and eventually made our way to the bus stop 2 blocks away - our destination: Old Antibes. The bus fare on the Lignes 200 - that runs from Nice to Cannes - was only 1 Euro and the ride about 20 minutes. We took our time wandering through the winding, cobblestone streets of Old Antibes. From there we walked through the harbor admiring the huge yachts sailing in to grab their spots for the Cannes Film Festival that was only a week away. Once back at the apartment, we grilled on the gourmet gas grill provided and enjoyed eating al fresco and sipping wonderful local red wine on the terrace with Cathy & Jon and, of course, Oi.

On Monday we caught the 200 bus to Cannes - again, only 1 Euro and this ride was about 25 minutes. We checked out the film festival prep around town then took the little train tour that takes you through the historic part of Cannes and up to the top of the hill for a panoramic view. We had a nice lunch at a pizzeria on the boulevard along the sea. It started raining so we headed back to the apartment where we relaxed and attempted to play the British version of Trivial Pursuit. We were pathetic so we opted for the kiddie version and still tanked!

Tuesday brought us to Nice via another 1 Euro bus ride. The weather wasn't the greatest but we were undeterred. Nice is a beautiful, old town and we walked the winding streets taking in the sights and smells stopping for a cup of coffee and dessert. Like most old European towns, Nice has a big, vibrant market in its old square where one can buy fresh fish, aromatic spices, linens, candles, flowers, and countless other wares. Sensory overload. Being in these old markets makes me feel part of the community somehow.

No visit to Nice would be complete without making one's way to the top of Castle Hill. Kathy & I took the elevator up and Butch, Carol, and Rich took the stairs. Whatever. The views from Castle Hill out over the beach for the rich on one side and the Nice boat harbor on the other are stunning. The weather started kicking up again and, from our perch several hundred feet above, we were ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the big waves crashing on to the beach. Then we noticed big wooden things floating in the sea about 100 yards out. Turns out they were big beach chairs, restaurant tables, and parts of roofs from what used to be beachside cafes! The waves reached heights of over 20 feet during the worst storm to hit the

French Riviera in decades! When we got back down to ground level the Promenade des Anglais that runs along the beach was covered in debris and parts of the road were washed out.

Good thing we went to Cannes the day before because they got slammed on Tuesday when the 20 foot waves took out many of the big white tents and other temporary structures erected in preparation for the Cannes Film Festival. The festival workers had to do it all over again only 6 days before the festival.

The damage along the coast forced road closures that caused major traffic delays. Normally a 25-30 minute bus ride, our bus ride back to Juan les Pins took 2.5 hours! Whew. Once back at the apartment, we opened a few bottles of wine, cooked pasta, and cut up with Cathy & Jon.

After the big traffic jam on Tuesday, our favorite mode of transportation from Antibes switched from the 1 Euro bus rides to the local train service. On Wednesday we took the train along the coast through Nice and Villefranche sur Mer to Monaco. The whole country wreaks of money! We took in the sights - gorgeous architecture, shiny Lamborghinis & Ferraris, shiny people, and yachts the size of small cities with helipads and all! We enjoyed a lovely meal at Cafe de Paris next to the Monte Carlo Casino. Carol & Rich wanted to try their luck at the slots and Kathy & Butch and I relaxed in the park across the street. When we met up again, Rich reported Carol won 1,700 Euro at the nickel slots! Woo hoo! Drinks at the train station were on Carol! Fun day in the playground of the super rich.

Our goal on Thursday was to take the antique train from Nice up into the Verdon Gorge known as France's Grand Canyon, but didn't get to the out-of-the-way Chemin de Fer de Provence station in Nice in time to catch the 9 a.m. train. So, we opted to get back on the train in Nice and continue east to Menton.

Menton is the last city in France along the Cote D'Azur before crossing into Italy. This coastal gem has belonged to Italy, Monaco, and France during its long history. Famous for its gardens and its annual Lemon Festival, Menton is a quaint, gorgeous city on the Mediterranean.

On our last day on the spectacular Cote D'Azur, Cathy joined Kathy, Butch, and me on an adventure to Ventimiglia, Italy - the first town in Italy across its border with France - and the last stop on the local, coastal train line. Every Friday Ventimiglia hosts a huge open market and we wanted to check it out.

I knew we were in for a great day the minute we walked off the train into the Ventimiglia train station. Walking through that station was like taking a step back in time. Sweet setting! The town is small, beautiful and not overrun with tourists. The market - that went on for blocks and blocks along the water - offered leather shoes and purses, silk pashmina scarves, expensive jewelry, cheap jewelry, clothes, etc. The food "trucks" offered outstanding fresh Italian sausages, salamis, cheeses, olives, breads, and gelato. Nirvana! The flower market was exquisite. Perfect way to say goodbye to the Cote D'Azur.

On Saturday our driver picked us up at Juan Flore and delivered us to the Nice airport on time. Our flight to Paris was uneventful. Problems were in our future at CDG though. First, our departure to ATL was delayed for an hour and a half without explanation. Two and a half hours after our original departure time, we were allowed to board the massive Air France 747 transporting us to Atlanta. Once seated, however, the captain announced another 2 hour delay! He also advised the beverage carts were open and the movies were available immediately. If you must sit at the gate - unlimited cold, French champagne eases the pain. We finally took off 6 hours after our originally scheduled time. Turns out the delay was due to that blasted volcano erupting again in Iceland. Kathy & Butch were on a later flight than ours and while they made it out of CDG, they missed the connecting flight with Carol & Rich and me in ATL to NOLA. They had to spend the night in ATL. All things considered, we were lucky - at least we weren't stuck at a European airport for days like so many others earlier in the year as a result of the volcanic eruptions.

A week in Paris followed by a week on the French Riviera with good friends made for a terrific vacation!

April in Paris!

I spent the last week of April in Paris with 5 friends. We left New Orleans on a Saturday afternoon. After the long overnight flight and dealing with lost bags for 2 of our travelers at CDG, our pre-arranged van and driver dropped us off at our apartment at 17 Rue de Malte around noon on Sunday. We rented a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment in the 11th Arrondissement between the Republique and the Bastille. The 11th Arr. has undergone quite a renaissance and accommodations are much cheaper there than in the adjacent Marais area. The apartment was across the street from the Oberkampf Metro stop, on the orange 5 and the olive green 9 lines. It turned out to be a perfect location!

After a good lunch - an open-faced hamburger topped with a fried egg - at the bistro next door, we began our discovery of Paris. Knowing we would be exhausted the first day, I booked a 2-day Les Car Rouges hop on, hop off bus to get us acclimated. We took the Metro to the Cite stop and walked to our bus pick up in front of Notre Dame Cathedral.

What a wise decision to chill out on the upper deck of the red bus our first day. The weather was cool and sunny. The fresh air was welcome after the long flight. Les Car Rouges took us past all the major, and a few off-the-beaten path, sites for a couple of hours. Perfect beginning.

On Monday we all slept in and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of fresh brewed coffee - so nice to have a full kitchen - and delicious pastries from one of the many patisseries in our neighborhood. Divine almond croissants! Once fortified with caffeine and sugar - we were off to explore.

First stop on the Les Car Rouges - the Tour Eiffel. 5 of us went up to the very top. Wow! What an incredible view! And how nice to not have much of a line. After the top of the tower, we hitched a ride on the red bus again to finish the tour loop. Once the tour was complete, we did a practice run by metro to Gare St. Lazare from our home stop because Carol & Rich were catching a 7 a.m. train from there the next morning to get to their tour of the Normandy Beaches. Once back to our home Metro stop, 4 of us decided to go to the Bastille. Carol & Rich had to wait at the apartment in hopes of hearing from Air France about their lost luggage.

The area around the Bastille was bustling. We walked around the Bastille neighborhood and into the Marais. Lovely neighborhoods. We decided to hunt for a restaurant I read was a "don't miss." We walked and walked ... and walked. After an hour of walking in circles, we found it! And it was closed.

As we were walking back towards the Bastille, a small cafe appealed to us so we went in. Another wise decision. Paris Main D'Or is a Corsican restaurant at 133 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. The food was hearty and delicious. I had the daube in a rich, dark brown gravy served with vegetables and egg noodles. The beef was tender and the brown gravy delectable. Kathy ordered the Corsican lasagna that was layers of chunks of tender beef and cheese in the same dark, rich brown gravy as my daube. Talk about good! We sipped a nice bottle of Corsican red wine and Butch enjoyed a couple of cold Corsican draught beers. We had an early night because we were getting up at o'dark thirty to make our 7:30 train to St. Malo to begin our tour of the Brittany coast including Mt. St. Michel.

Our train to St. Malo left from Gare Montparnasse in Paris. The TGV fast trains in France are on time, comfortable, reasonably priced and, well, FAST! Well in advance, I booked 4 of us on a private tour of the Brittany Coast through Link Paris online. Upon arrival at the St. Malo train station, our driver

Paul was waiting for us and we were off in our 8-person van. Paul, from the Brittany Coast region, was a wealth of information and a delightful man. First stop on the tour was St. Malo, a walled, fortified city on the Atlantic's Brittany Coast. Absolutely gorgeous ancient city situated on a sparsely populated area on the coast known for its extreme tidal surges. We spent about an hour and a half walking atop the wall that rings the entire city.

From St. Malo we drove through beautiful farm land on our way to the next stop - Dinan, a walled Medieval town complete with ramparts, towers and castles. It is full of half timbered buildings dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, with cobbled rambling streets all carefully restored and preserved. Very steep streets! Dinan is a lovely village.

The piece de resistance of the tour was our last stop - Mt. St. Michel. The monastery sits atop a rocky tidal island in Normandy. For more than a thousand years, this rocky islet was the destination of pilgrims beginning in 708 A.D. Today, tourists flock to the abbey. What a breathtakingly beautiful sight it is when driving up! Paul gave us an inside tip to enter the path up to the abbey through a little-known entrance. He advised it was steeper but less crowded and more enjoyable. Paul was right - it was less crowded and it was crazy steep! A gilded statue of St. Michael adorns the top of the abbey spire. The inside of the abbey is immense and full of peaceful cloisters connecting the many rooms. Mt. St. Michel and its bay were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. From Mt. St. Michel, Paul drove us to the train station in Rennes with plenty of time to spare before our 7 p.m. fast train back to Paris. We had a wonderful day exploring the Brittany Coast!

After spending a leisurely Wednesday morning at the apartment, we made our way to Versailles. Because we planned to visit several museums and Paris attractions, we bought the 3-day Paris Museum Pass to save money and to avoid lines. Smart move. We moved through the line very quickly at Versailles

and began to meander through the vast and opulent "country" house of kings. Oh, it was good to be king! The palace and chapel are impressive but the most incredible part of Versailles are the vast gardens that go on and on and on. The gardens are dotted with cool little restaurants perfect for enjoying a snack and sipping champagne. Not so bad to be a visitor to Versailles, either. We walked for hours in the gardens and didn't come close to seeing one quarter of the grounds.

Back in Paris after our Versailles excursion, we decided to go to Hemingway's Bar in the Ritz Hotel. Well ... Rich wasn't allowed to walk in the front door of the hotel because he was wearing "jogging pants" according to the doorman. This should have been a sign, folks. Kathy & I were ahead of the gang and were allowed in the lobby. What a walk it was through the hotel lobby where one was blinded from the bling on display! The rest of the group had to walk around to the back of the hotel to enter the bar directly. We took our seats in the very small bar and started reading the drink menu. Holy crap! The cheapest drink was $45 and the Sidecar, for which the bar is famous, was $515!! The special cognac was ... $1,598! Yes, you read that correctly. Needless to say, we laughed our asses off ... and left. That was our "Westbank does the Ritz" episode of the trip.

Butch decided to go back to the apartment to ... wash clothes. The rest of us continued on our adventure and we wanted to see the lights of Paris from Place de Concorde. We walked around the Opera section of town and stumbled upon a lovely Italian restaurant, Romantica Caffe at 7, rue du Chevalier St-Georges. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at this popular and, unbeknownst to us, swanky cafe. Once seated, we noticed several Rolls Royces and Ferarris out front. The food, cocktails, and wine were all impressive and reasonably priced. After dinner we strolled along the street to the Louvre then back to Place de Concorde looking down Champs Elysees and up at the sparkling Eiffel Tower. Definitely a "Wow" moment.

The next day was museum day - the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, Les Invalides,

Palais de Justice, and Musee D'Orsay. From Musee D'Orsay, we made our way to the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne where we enjoyed a great lunch at an outdoor cafe. Then it was on to the Jardin du Luxembourg - gorgeous gardens including a large Medici fountain.

Our last day in Paris was spent in Montmartre - one of my very favorite areas of Paris. We walked through Sacre Coeur, of course. And took in the panoramic view of Paris from atop the Montemarte hill. Chez Eugene was our choice for an outdoor lunch. There I had some of the best lamb chops I've ever had! Tender, juicy, simply seasoned, and perfectly grilled. We rambled around the winding streets of this old artists' quarter then made our way to the Moulin Rouge. Ooh la la! Across the street from the Moulin Rouge we had the most expensive beers we've ever had.

On our last evening together in Paris we went to dinner at a sweet little restaurant near the apartment. La Pharmacie at 22 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud is a small corner restaurant located in a converted pharmacy. The menu was in French with no English translations - a good sign. I ordered the lapin and was delighted with the dish. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals.

On Saturday morning, Toma left us to return home and the 5 of us caught the TGV fast train to Antibes.