Tag: Champagne

Bouillon Chartier – ZAGAT Paris Restaurant Review … MY STEAK FRITES!

I didn’t waste any time, I just landed in Paris – I dropped off my luggage and headed to the 9th arrondissement to have lunch with Ryan Ebner, a BNP Paribas Analyst. He’s an expat Canadian living and working in France and thoroughly enjoying it. Ryan and I both picked Bouillon Chartier to meet for lunch because of its historical charm, its popularity, great prices and good reviews from my 2010 Zagat Paris Guide (page 67).

This bistro is a perfectly-preserved relic of an old Paris, with glass-globe fixtures, tables jammed together, coat racks high above the tables, and a menu that hasn’t made a single concession to any of the culinary advancements of at least the last three or four decades (so I was told by some frequent dinners).

The specialty for lunch was a 20 €/person combination of Steak Frites with a glass of house red. Just barely after putting our order in the waiter came back at rapid speed with our glasses of wine, baguette and butter. We were impressed. The house red was a basic vin de pays and welcoming.

The steak was delightfully tender and flavorful served with remarkably fresh, crispy frites, and topped off with their secret sauce.

We were very pleased with the overall service and we both felt restored. I definitely would go back again for lunch or dinner to Bouillon Chartier to soak in this old Paris setting as it is one of the last of the bouillons standing.

On to my next venture in Paris …… Shopping? Chocolate? Champagne?

Moët & Chandon Champagne Debuts Gold Award Season Bottle

Moët & Chandon has launched exclusive champagne of both the 2011 Golden Globes® (January 16) and Academy Awards® (February 27), with the debut of Moët & Chandon Impérial bottle to celebrate Moët’s 20th anniversary with the Globes.

Champagne and cinema has become a loved tradition in Hollywood. During the 2010 Golden Globes®, over 1,000 Moët & Chandon Impérial minis with chic ‘mini-flutes’ were served to celebrities on the red carpet, over 500 magnum bottles of Moët & Chandon Impérial were served inside the ballroom during the dinner and award presentation ceremony, totalling over 9,000 glasses of Moët & Chandon Impérial being enjoyed on one of Hollywood’s biggest nights.

Armand de Brignac® Presents the Midas: The #1 Rated Champagne Unveils the World’s Largest Luxury Bottle

Armand de Brignac has released the largest bottle of luxury Champagne: “Midas”, a massive 30-liter vessel (equivalent to 40 regular-sized 750ml bottles) and weighing in at 100 pounds. The name “Midas comes” from King Midas (Greek mythology – having the ability to turn whatever he touched to gold).

The first Midas bottle of Armand de Brignac was sold in 2010 for $100,000 at the famous nightclub XS in Las Vegas’ Encore Casino – part of Steve Wynn’s Wynn Hotels group. There, nationally recognized mixed martial arts and UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez hosted his UFC 125 after-party joined by fighters Gilbert Melendez, Urijah Faber, Jake Shields, and UFC announcer Bruce Buffer. Two strongmen were needed to carry the bottle to the table of the anonymous high-roller who made the purchase.

Each metallic bottle, inspired by famed fashion designer Andre Courreges, is crafted entirely by hand; each bears two Ace of Spades insignias and four hand-applied pewter labels. The striking bottle is housed in a black wooden case embossed with the Champagne’s royal crest. The box is lined with velvet and fitted with an engraved nameplate, reflecting the splendor and grand style of the French fashion world and perfectly complementing the Armand de Brignac Champagne within.

Scarlett Johansson for Moet & Chandon Champagne

Scarlett Johannsson has been the face of Moet & Chandon Champagne since 2009. The latest campaign just arrived in time for the Hollywood awards season to kick into high gear with Sunday night’s Golden Globes.

“This new campaign highlights a return to the immutable elegance and glamour that are inherent to both Moet and Scarlett,” says Daniel Lalonde, Moet & Chandon’s President.

TIPS FOR CHAMPAGNE AND CIGAR PAIRINGS – NEW YEAR’S 2011

Leaving aside, for the moment, the indisputable fact that tobacco isn’t as popular as it used to be (the reasons for which have no need of being repeated here), the twenty-first century is hardly devoid of connoisseurs eager to set aflame a finely wound Cuban cigar when the right occasion arises. And what could be a better occasion than the upcoming New Year’s Eve, a time when upbeat outdoor and indoor festivities would seem to call for a Cohiba or two? But, would it surprise you to learn that Scotch and brandy are scarcely the only types of alcoholic beverages that have a tendency to pair well with cigars? In fact, believe it or not champagne, among other types of sparkling wines, can serve as an excellent accompaniment to that set of cigars you might have been saving for a special occasion. The reason? Evidently, according to our sources, the inherent flavour profile of tobacco would appear to have a natural affinity for being paired with white wines that sparkle; and the ethereal delicacy of many types of champagne lend themselves incredibly well to only enhancing the enjoyment of as fine a premium Cuban cigar as a Cohiba – La Línea, Clásica, Maduro, or otherwise. More importantly, like all other premium products, there are certain recommended guidelines to follow when deciding on what specific champagne is best paired with what specific type of cigar. As a general rule, it would stand to reason that lighter-styled champagnes, or ones with a greater focus on finesse and style than richness and intensity, ought to be paired with cigars of a more delicate and elegant disposition, perhaps even a cigar of smaller size. Alternatively, for more powerful types of champagne (from top cuvées to the most prestigious vintages) your best bet would be probably to seek out cigars with greater assertiveness and longevity, not to mention ones boasting a larger dimension. And if you have a few champagne and cigar-loving friends to share these with, so much the better. After all, what is the celebration of a New Year without a little company?

By: Liz Palmer and Julian Hitner