Cocktails: Experimental Cocktail Club, Paris

We are fans of the craft cocktail over here, and try to find places with them in every city we go to. Now in 2013, Paris seems to be in the earlier stages of developing this scene. One total home run of a place to visit is the Experimental Cocktail Club. It's a bit off the beaten path, and I loved it. The cocktails were truly great. Between the two of us, we had 4 Old Cubans (you really need to get one, it's a rum and champagne drink), and 2 others. I had a great drink called L'Attrape Cœurs (the French name for The Catcher in the Rye), which was a beautifully balanced drink with chartruse, whiskey, lemon juice, and grapefruit zest.  IB13 had the Experience #1, a lovely herbal drink. The Old Cubans were masterpieces, though, which is why we went for seconds.

The Old Cuban

The ambiance was great, as well. It was a cozy place, with exposed walls and beams. There was a DJ which worried us when we walked in, but he played a mix of blues and jazz you've probably never heard but will love, and played it at a level that still allowed conversation.

We really couldn't be happier. Everything was great about this place, and the  cocktails match anything we've had. If you love drinks and are in Paris, it's a must-stop.

Veg Option: 16 Haussmann, Paris

Paris is a hard city for vegetarians. I did my homework before this trip, so we ended up at places with vegetarian options and tasty food. 16 Haussman was one of those places. They are near the Opera district, which happened to be by our hotel, and have vegetarian options marked with a check on their menu.

I had a vegetable panna cotta to start and an artichoke risotto with chestnuts and mushrooms as a main. None of this was surprising or deeply sophisticated, but it was very tasty. The atmosphere and service were good, and though I didn't have dessert, my partner IB13 did. His and those delivered to everyone around us looked great.

Add it to your list of veg friendly places in Paris if you're here.

Local Eats: Handel's Ice Cream in Ohio

Handel's Ice Cream has been rated as one of the best ice cream places in the country. More importantly to me, my friend Wendy has recommended them a few times. They are mostly concentrated in Ohio, and since I pass through Youngstown on my DC to Chicago drives, I finally managed to stop.

IB13, my travel companion, joined me. He got the mouthful chocolate chocolate chip cheesecake chunk and I could not resist a hot fudge sundae.

The chocolate ice cream base of IB13's choice was great. I generally don't like chocolate ice cream because the chocolate is too strong, but this was nice. It was definitely chocolate, but the other flavors and the creaminess of the ice cream were right there.

My sundae was also excellent. They use a mix of salted, roasted nuts which were particularly nice, even for me, a not-huge-fan of the sweet-and-salty combo.

The ice cream itself was almost a gelato texture, softer and creamier than what you'd normally get scooped out.

It doesn't top my absolute favorite ice cream experience, the hot fudge sundaes from Ghirardelli, but it was great and is well worth a stop if you are near a location.

Fine Dining: La Degustation, Prague

We have eaten at a lot of great places, but I think La Degustation in Prague is my favorite. Lead by Oldřich Sahajdák, their Michelin star is well deserved. They had a truly outstanding vegetarian tasting menu, and IB13, my travel companion, loved the traditional tasting just as much.


The ingredients were amazing, the flavor of all the dishes was intense and well balanced. The presentations were beautiful, and the staff was truly incredible. We closed the place down with our late reservation, but didn't feel rushed or pressured. It was an amazing night.

I had already posted pictures over on my Tumblr page, Drinks and Dinner, so here are some links there.