What will you eat for you last meal........???

If you knew tonight's meal was to be your last, what would it be? While this is not intended to be some kind of "bucket list" question, I suppose it could be. We used to play this game often when traveling with the kids. Alexa, my youngest daughter since she could talk always wants a steak. A good one. cooked medium rare, seasoned expertly, perfect marble, and of course all the other side dishes to go with. Chandler my oldest daughter would wait a half minute, look up like she could see into a crystal ball, and we would hear her "mmmmm", I want duck at Jean Georges. Which is in NYC right across from central park on the SW entrance in the bottom of Trump Tower Hotel.

If I had to say, the reason without thinking too deeply about a "last meal" for me would easily be French food because of the sauce. while there is SO much more, for me, food is simply an excuse to eat something with exquisite sauce. as I alluded to in the earlier post I have eaten French food on several continents. I was and still am chasing the next sauce I haven't had yet. (thanks to Chef Laurent I don't have to go far right now either)

For me, going out to eat at a French restaurant, I want to see one of two things on the menu. Lamb or duck. That said, I truly don't care what kind of bird is there. something exotic is quite fine for me. Quail, squab, pheasant, goose, grouse, partridge, there are so many more to choose from. Of course if they are smaller I can/will eat two of them no problem.

So, what am I really going to eat? Foie Gras, seared with a reduction sauce (veal) with wild fruit berries, paired with a vintage Sauternes. I must have escargot. if this is my last chance to dance food wise, then it must be cooked in some type of brioche. if I were to have traditional escargot then I would eat the brioche in something else, but you know I must have it. Despite coming from Mexico, I would like a made from scratch Caesar salad, yes, with anchovies and raw egg, and homemade croutons perfectly seasoned. I have to throw out a curve ball to suggest how lucky we are to eat Michelin 2 star French Food in Post Falls Idaho that is available price wise to all. http://fleur-de-sel.weebly.com/ if by chance you do not know what it means to have Michelin 2 stars, we will discuss this rare rating for the best of the best. we are very lucky to have these two bright food/service stars locally. (Laurent/Patricia Zirotti) other chefs who come to Fleur de Sel to eat tells us so.

let us remember, this is our LAST meal. of course we are going to eat the best caviar available. either Beluga or Petrossian will fill this bill nicely and yes, paired with a champagne that tickles more than taste buds. lets share the vintage for another perfect pairing.

when I would host seminars in Vegas I would often choose the Monte Carlo hotel so I could eat at one of my favorite French restaurants nightly. that really was the reason for the venue. we may sit down at the table with 6 or 8 (or 28) of us and start with an order of Abalone,

 this tiny shellfish seafood item was lightly breaded and seared in citrus almond butter with almond slivers. yum. it was also $29.99 for maybe a 2-3 ounce portion. North Idaho is a long way from Vegas and thus we will have to go there and pay for items as such.

So the question is, could I or would I go eat at Fleur de Sel for my last meal? Easily. What we don't know is Chef Zirotti has special items nightly we simply don't know in advance unless you spoke to him quite recently. at work last Saturday I had some dry-aged buffalo that was perfectly marbled and perhaps the best "beef" I've ever eaten. I know Alexa would have loved it. he also shared some "skate", Skates have a mildly pronounced flavor, firm flesh and a high collagen content which gives it a unique texture when cooked. The flesh is light beige to pinkish in color but becomes off-white when cooked. Their taste is similar to scallops. as previously stated, the sauce he prepared with the perfect cooking design with a light "breading" which was more of a seasoning lightly enhancing the mild flavor of the fish with the delicate sauce which did not overpower anything, was simply divine.

lets remind us too, that when I was asking my girls about this adventure, our wallet was able to handle any restaurant prices in the world for anything on the menu. if I could do it, I would simply order one of everything chef has or even better, call him and tell him I am coming in for my last meal, okay, for a meal, in say, 2-3 weeks and I would like to treat 7 others and we will have 7 courses and let him cook it. whatever "it" is. of course for me it only makes sense to eat what is in season at any time anywhere. the fall menu at Fleur de Sel is in place.

due to the fact that I am taking insulin now for 40 years, I quit eating sweet items decades ago. desserts have simply not been my thing. when I go out in NYC or Vegas and go eat French, I usually spoil myself for dessert with a second order of seared Foie Gras. If I were you, I wouldn't let anything stop me from having Chef's homemade chocolate tart. Chef Laurent includes patisserie mastery in his
repertoire for all you dessert lovers.

Please don't wait to have your "last meal" with us and enjoy many well before that time in your life. I hope my girls know dad was always telling them "i love you" when we ate. sharing good food has always been a sign of our families telling others they are loved by us. in writing this blog I am telling you that you can come into our "home" (Laurent's and Patricia's for sure) and feel the love easily. when the next post comes, we will discuss some of France's history with food and drink and how they are available today at FDS. remember to make a reservation as we fill up quickly most nights. I guarantee if you tell Chef you came in after reading this he will treat you at dessert to a homemade caramel. Le Plongeur.

Welcome to All Things French!

I can say this easily. When I listen to Laurent speak English, he makes it sound great. I have never heard "our language" spoken so eloquently. that said, I am not an eloquent person whatsoever. nor do I wish to be. see, I've already stopped using proper punctuation.

this blog is dedicated to amongst most things, food lovers. for most of my life I had not eaten exquisite food unless I had worked in that restaurant. such was the life of a paycheck to paycheck person who loved food and yes, worked in the food service industry. what I didn't know was, that I was a career entrepreneur who used the flexibility of the food industry to support my "habit", but that is another story.

French food. have you truly eaten any of it? yes? where? when? please lets not talk about fries either as pommes de terre frites, but more commonly pommes frites, patates frites, or simply frites, is French.

Wikipedia has a good history of fries article.

http://fleur-de-sel.weebly.com/ here is where you can experience French at its best locally and for more than reasonable prices. this literally undiscovered gem sits in a "destination only" location. I have driven right past this spot for almost 2 decades not knowing it was there. who knew Post Falls hid such treasure! less than 2 minutes off of exit 7 off I-90 in Idaho.

as someone who had spent decades in the food industry, I know quite a bit about food, service, cooking, but then I realized, not about the industry itself. how did it come into being? how long has it been in existence? you must know our country is not too old to begin with and of course our ancestry stems from Europe.

while wars and history are not my strongest subjects, okay not even close, the revolution and our history have much in common hence. food. yum. what a wonderful piece of life that ties so many binds into our relationships of life.

I am currently reading about France and its food history. who knew there was so much to learn when it comes to cheeses, champagne, food, cooking, restaurants, and so much more.

my life changed in the later 90's when a business I started as an independent contractor (sales rep) resulted fairly quickly into seven figures. this was done so from having nothing too. I had never been to vegas and soon was finding myself down there on business as we were in the seminar industry. to this day, vegas to me is great meal and a good show. the hotel I first stayed at has a French restaurant in the front of it. a classic one at that. the food was what I always thought French food would be. more than off the hook.

skipping forward to today. my business ventures progressed into my own ventures with incredible results by most persons standards. I have seen several continents and over 25 different countries. flying from 1997-2007 I eclipsed 1 million miles in the air. I tried French food in the Caribbean, south America, Italy, and all over the united states. mostly NYC and Vegas. corporate tax evasion took this adventure into my own "misadventure" for the last 3 years.

I am now out of prison and living in a halfway house. in doing so we must all get a job as part of our "programming". Laurent was kind enough despite my past felony to give me a chance at rebuilding. his generosity with his staff and food is practically legendary. he cooked us some treats and asked me what I thought. I couldn't help it. as I am eating this exquisite version of "foie gras", which I have eaten not only in the big city restaurants earlier mentioned, I have ordered it in and cooked it at home many times. as I was eating the food, (Foie Gras Panna Cotta) that was paired expertly with homemade rhubarb preserves, I thought I was rich again. it took me back to all the times I had eaten in NYC and vegas and all over the world. of course it delighted my taste buds to no end at that moment especially after a 3 year absence of real food and prison diet. I would not wish that upon anyone.

cheers to Laurent and his lovely wife Patricia who grace us with their love and mastery of food, service, and hospitality. ultimately it is a cheers to us who are able to celebrate culinary delights so modestly so close to home. if you have not eaten here, now is the time to come join us before it becomes a missed opportunity.

Stay tuned as we will discuss all things French in its history and present soon.

Au revoir. le plongeur. (please feel free to comment or question about this wonderful place)