Carnivore Alert: Where to Find the Best Steak
Date: 04/16/2007Dear Europhile,
As you read this, I will be swanning down the river in style, exploring a hidden corner of France’s Burgundy countryside. It’ll be hard work trying the local Pinot noir, inspecting the curious museums and restaurants along the way, and appreciating the fields and forests as I sail past, but I promise you’ll be the first to hear about the treasures I uncover.
Starting next week, you can read the first installment of our mini-series on the waterways of Europe and follow my journey on a luxury barge.
This week sees St. George’s Day on April 23—the dragon slayer being the patron saint of England. We English make more of fuss about King Arthur, however, who still fascinates. Read on to find out why.
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Your Best Paris Address Next time you spend a night in Paris, don't make like a tourist--stay in a chic apartment as if this city was your home. Enjoy all the charm and elegance of the French capital, but with modern, U.S.-style comfort and convenience--even your own kitchen. Have the best of all worlds--for less than the cost of a three-star hotel. Weekly or monthly rental options, from 185 euro per night. Sleeps four. E-mail: paris@internationalliving.com |
Bests,
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Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European
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A beefy address in Paris
by Leigh Fergus
Though not a great carnivore, I occasionally get a craving for a big juicy steak. Usually this is solved by a trip to the local boucherie for a
fresh entrecote, or, indulging my secret passion for horse-meat, to one of the dwindling numbers of boucherie chevaline that you can identify
by the ceramic horse head over the window.
But last week I wanted more, and I wanted fries to go with it. Spurning the oddly named Hippopotamus steak chain and the upmarket Louchebem in Châtelet, I made for Denise’s, aka La Tour de Monthléry.
Mammoth portions
Not an address for timid souls or those with still hesitant French, you need to be loud and assertive to place your order here of an evening. Owing nothing to the minimalism and refinement of nouvelle cuisine, here the ambiance is rowdy, the portions enormous, and the patronne has that uniquely Parisian way of seeming not to care about her customers. The formula appears to work, however, and she no longer needs to open at weekends. Hungry souls better plan the steak dash for mid-week to be guaranteed a red-checkered draped table in this long, narrow eatery.
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Stake your steak
On the slate menu you can always find steak in one form or another—whether onglet, entrecôte, or filet cuts—and a fish version of sauerkraut with haddock, cod, and salmon served with at least two other sea creatures. Top grade chitterling sausage ( andouillette) was on the slate—for gourmands, it’s the best, the AAAAA type.* Also on offer on my last visit was wild boar casserole, calf liver, and traditional pot au feu, a traditional slow-cooked type of beef stew with root vegetables in a light broth.
The rare, tender onglet I was served was the size of an infant’s leg. My advice is to skip the starters unless you haven’t eaten for a week—you won’t be able to do justice to the steak otherwise.
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A shortcut to French steaks
The art of butchering is taken seriously in France and merits an article of its own, but here’s a shortcut (no pun intended) to help you. |
La Tour de Monthléry, 5 rue des Prouvaires, Paris 1st arrondissement. Nearest Métro station: Les Halles. tel. +33 (0)1-4236-2182
Average price of steak and fries: 22 euro ($30).
A bottle of Beaujolais served in a heavy-bottomed glass pot averages 23 euro ($31), but the waiters will check the bottle and you’ll pay only for what you have drunk.
Desserts—if you have room, try the sorbet with Calvados (apple brandy) or the substantial chocolate mousse.
This bistro is open all night—the last order is taken at 6 a.m.
*AAAAA is given by the association of the same name founded by gourmet lovers of this French specialty, the Association amicale des amateurs d’andouillette authentique. They give their award to producers of andouillette that correspond to the association’s standards of quality—and taste—and restaurant owners offering this high-grade product will not fail to mention this rating on their menus.
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Arthurian romance in southern England
by Steenie Harvey
Some of England’s most famous legends revolve around “the once and future king,” King Arthur. Guarding one of Cornwall’s myriad windy headlands in England’s west country, Tintagel Castle has long been linked with Arthurian mythology. A tourist magnet since Victorian times, the 12th-century ruins receive thousands of visitors every year. Few care that the Arthur story is far older than the castle itself.
More layers to the myth
Ignore the dozens of “Arthur” shops and cafés in Tintagel village—instead, let imagination take over.
If you’ve an ounce of romance in your soul, you can almost picture The Sword in the Stone, the towers of mighty Camelot, and the silken banners of knights riding into battle. Listen closely: the Cornish wind seems to carry the faint sound of clashing swords
and axes chopping off Saxon heads...
Arthurian tales are complex, as, throughout the centuries, writers continuously added more layers to the myth. Along with Arthur, the cast includes Queen Guinevere, Merlin the Magician, Sir Lancelot, and the wicked Morgan le Fay.
The other great Arthurian site is in Somerset, at Glastonbury and the Isle of Avalon. In 1130, the chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote History of the Kings of Britain, which mentions that, after Arthur was mortally wounded on the battlefield, he was “carried to the Isle of Avalon.”
Cashing in
Glastonbury’s Abbot cashed in on this medieval bestseller by unearthing what were reputedly Arthur and Guinevere’s bones. Pilgrims began flocking to the town in droves—willingly donating money for a new abbey. No DNA checks were available in the Middle Ages, but few visitors doubted the skeletons belonged to Arthur and his queen.
The old Celtic name for Glastonbury was Avalon and its “isle” was Ynis-witrin or the Isle of Glass. Although not strictly an island, it was once surrounded by flooded marshes. These marshes probably made Glastonbury Tor (Hill) seem to be rising from a mirror.
Reputedly hollow, Glastonbury Tor is a legendary entrance to the Celtic otherworld. To reach the summit, you take a spiral path that winds for seven circuits—seven is a magical number in Celtic mythology. It’s hard figuring how this ties in with Arthur’s bones, but legend has it that the king and his knights lie sleeping inside the hill. If England needs them, they will awake.
Tintagel Castle, Cornwall PL34 0DB; tel: +44 (0)1840-77-0328. Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in winter. Closed Dec. 24, 25, 26 and Jan. 1. Entrance: £4.50 ($8.75) adults, £2.40 ($4.70) children.
B&B accommodation can be found locally for around £35 ($70) pp/pn. Check the website: www.cornwall-online.co.uk
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A bookshop with a history
by Judith Nappo
Under the midday sun, I meander onto the cobblestone of the Piazza San Pietro and study the different architectural styles around me. Although bordered on the south by the Lago Maggiore, the Swiss town of Ascona receives no breezes from Italy today.
The slanting bell-towered church covers me with its shadow as I turn to admire the baroque façade of the Casa Serodine. Built in 1620, it now houses the tourist office and one of Ascona’s treasures: the Libreria della Rondine, an antique bookstore. Once a meeting place of the Intelligentsia, today it is lovingly managed by owner and book expert Angelika Sowinski, who radiates passion for the tomes she sells. For the main part, these books are about the writers, artists, philosophers, and revolutionaries who settled here throughout the 1900s.
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HQ for free thinkers—and anarchists
The spirit of the individualists who came to Ascona to live out their artistic convictions is not only found in the heart of the Libreria, but also on the surrounding hills. Monte Verita, the Hill of Truth, just above the town, was home in the 1890s to a colony founded by a group of naturalist vegetarians. Its reputation spread and soon after it became the headquarters for all free thinkers and even anarchists. Personalities such as Thomas Mann, Paul Klee, Isadora Duncan, Herman Hesse, and Leon Trotsky came to share the air with other adventurers in search of refuge.
P.S. An indescribable sweetness permeates the air of Ascona at this time of year—the wisteria is in full bloom and the vines cover the buildings, laden with clusters of small purple flowers like puffy hearts.
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Ascona essentials One of the best places to stay is the Eden Roc Hotel. The only hotel directly on the shore facing the Lago Maggiore, it combines five-star luxury with old-world hospitality. www.edenroc.ch Libreria della Rondine, run by Angelika Sowinski is at Casa Serodine, Pizza San Pietro, Casella Postale 712, CH-6612 Ascona; tel. +41 (0)91 791-2280; website: www.antiquariat-ascona.ch For a brief and colorful history of Monte Verita: www.csf.ethz.ch/about/history |
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Finding the light in Moldovita
by Kevin Stillmock
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The secret of lasting color Moldavita is one of the five ancient painted monasteries in Romania that make up a UNESCO world heritage site. Founded by Petru Rares in 1532, the church building was painted both inside and out a few years later. Three towers were added to the church in the early 17th century and the compound also contains the former treasury, now converted into a museum. The local craftsmen who undertook the job of decorating the church had cracked the secret to creating colors with exceptional endurance—they are still bright to this day, particularly on the south side of the church. Located in northeast Romania, the entire region of the country known as Moldavia is rich in spiritual history. The regional capital, Iasi, Romania's second largest city, has more churches per square yard than any other city in Europe. |
We were way off path, having made a wrong turn somewhere. It was after nightfall as we traveled through Romanian hills and valleys in a large forest range far from civilization—sometimes we were not even sure if we were on a road. As wintry weather set in, we began to worry.
Just then an opening in the clouds appeared in the night sky and the moon shone directly over our destination: the Moldavita monastery. We followed the light to the 500-year-old monastery and an elderly nun opened the door. She silently motioned us to follow her, the candle in her hand our only light. Entering a building in the compound, we heard the nuns chanting. And then, at the flick of a switch, we saw where we were.
Thousands of centuries-old religious paintings seemed to come to life in front of us. The beam of light from above revealed the brightest shade of blue and illuminated one of the world's most precious historical sights in a breathtaking way.
The journey, with all of its hardships, had suddenly become worth the effort.
Access to the monastery
Fly to Iasi (served by daily flights from Bucharest and Vienna) and hire a tour guide to travel to the area known as Bucovina to see this and four other painted monasteries.
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