I love Paris in the springtime . . .

I am a one lucky girl. My fabulous sister just treated me to un weekend manifique in sunny Paris. She really pulled out all of the stops for our last hoorah of sister food and fun in Europe (she's moving home next month) and I loved every last minute of it.

I arrived in Paris before 6am on Friday morning and headed straight to the George V, our spectacularly gorgeous home-away-from-home for the weekend, right off the Champs-Elysées. If you have a loved one who works on Wall Street and who spoils you with shared fancy vacations in Paris, I highly recommend that you ask him or her to book you a room at the George V.

For breakfast on Friday morning, we walked over to the Place de la Concorde, where we enjoyed two tartines (baguette with butter and homemade mixed berry and cherry jam) and some strong French coffee at a small boulangerie. My sister, after years of living on a modified South-Beach plan, is on what our friend Shannon has described as a "no carb left behind" mission as she makes her way through some of Europe's tastiest cities while they're still only a train or short flight away, and I was happy to help her locate and enjoy some of Paris' best bread.

And we weren't just interested in finding the best bread -- when my sister moved to London nearly two years ago, I got her a comprehensive guide to Paris' top 102 restaurants, "Hungry for Paris," written by Alexander Lobrano, the former European correspondent for Gourmet magazine. In preparation for our trip, Kristy thoughtfully read, highlighted, and tabbed the entire book, before narrowing the list down to about ten restaurants, the reviews for which she photocopied and faxed to me, and we settled on three must-visit places for our long weekend: Le Florimond, Chez Georges, and Chez René.

After I took a brief post-breakfast nap, we headed out for a wonderful lunch at Le Florimond. In fact, Kristy had already eaten there on a previous visit to Paris and I was very eager to try their stuffed cabbage, which she had loved. I started lunch with broccoli soup with fresh peas and mint oil. I haven't had a fresh (as opposed to frozen) pea in a long time and I didn't realize what I'd been missing! The texture is completely different - fresh peas kind of pop in your mouth and their texture was a lovely contrast to the creamy broccoli soup. I don't normally love the flavor of mint, but the mint oil added a surprising brightness to the soup. My sister's lunch started with a cooked carrot salad with fromage blanc and honey. Simple, fresh, and elegant. For our main course, we each had the stuffed cabbage - an enormous green bundle of cabbage stuffed with ground pork and rice, bathed in a brown sauce, and served in a small casserole dish. I probably wouldn't have guessed that I'd find stuffed cabbage in a French restaurant (isn't it Polish?), but there it was. And it exceeded my expectations.

We spent our afternoon walking around and shopping, and eventually stopped at the Tuilleries Gardens to enjoy deux boules of vanilla ice cream on a shady bench - it was quite warm in Paris this weekend and I particularly love French vanilla ice cream -- it has more egg yolks than American vanilla ice cream -- and is incredibly rich.

For dinner on Friday, Kristy and I returned to Chez Georges, where we had enjoyed a memorable dinner during our last trip to Paris together in December of 2004. We were not the only fans -- both Alexander Lobrano and Ina Garten recommend it, too. To start, I had a plate of sliced rosette de lyon - a mild saucisson sec from Lyon, which was served with a basket of baguette hunks, a pot of spicy mustard, and a jar of house-cured cornichons. My sister started with room-temperature ratatouille, which came in an enormous bowl with a spoon with which she was supposed to serve herself a suitable portion!? Such a funny notion to Americans who are used to Cheesecake-Factory-sized portions of everything. For my entrée, I ordered grilled filet of beef with bernaise sauce and fries. There are few dinners I love better than a great steak frites and Chez Georges did not disappoint. My sister had a salmon in a rich buttery sauce, but I don't like salmon, period, even when doused in a buttery sauce, and didn't try it. For dessert, we shared we a tarte tatin - YUM! - and strawberries with a generous serving of decadent creme fraîche. The only downside of our dining experience was how close we were sitting to our fellow-diners. We were practically on top of each other which made it impossible to keep our conversation to ourselves, since we were sitting next to a nice retired couple from the Upper East Side.

On Saturday, we started our day with more tartines over breakfast at the George V and set out for a day of shopping, including a stop at E. Dehillerin, a huge, slightly chaotic, and un-airconditioned kitchenware store where I picked up a tart pan, a fish spatula, and a few small Revol porcelain bowls.

For lunch, we took the Metro up to Montmartre to find Le Grenier a Pain, a small bakery which recently won the annual Grand Prix de la Baguette contest for the best baguette in Paris. As a result, they are now the official baguette supplier to the home of President Sarkozy.

We selected four of their offerings to share (clockwise from the top): a doughy mozzarella cheese and tomato calzone-like roll, something resembling an alsatian calzone with lardons and caramelized onion, an emmenthal cheese sandwich on the award-winning baguette, and a slice of zucchini and hazelnut quiche, and proceeded to a nearby park bench to enjoy them. Each was very tasty, but the lardon-studded calzone was the real standout.

For dinner on Saturday, we booked a table at Chez René on Boulevard St. Germain des Pres. It was fantastic. Busy but not bustling, old fashioned but not outdated, and upscale but not stuffy. I started with a goat cheese salad. Unfortunately, the arugula in my salad was a little too fresh and I bit into a few sandy leaves before deciding to focus on my two gooey goat cheese croutons. Kristy fared better with a mache and beet salad. For my entree, I ordered a traditional boeuf bourguignon with boiled potatoes. The beef, which arrived in an individual dutch oven, was incredibly tender and succulent. Kristy had coq au vin with sauteed spinach, which also came in its own dutch oven. Both were excellent. For dessert, we shared a gateau a riz (like a rice pudding formed into a loaf and sliced) covered in creme anglaise and caramel along with a mille feuille (puff pastry sheets filled with pastry cream). It was a marvelous meal.

On Sunday morning we shared a final basket of French breads, including a memorable warm croissant, at our hotel, before taking a long walk down the Seine to the Notre Dame. Afterward, we met my sister's friend for a quick lunch at Findi, a perfectly fine Italian restaurant on Avenue Georges V, where we shared a burrata and tomato salad and rotini with four cheeses and toasted walnuts. Then it was time to say our farewells. And for me to set out on my 10-hour journey home. Well worth it.

Recipe: caramelized onion and lentil pilaf

Here's my version of a 2003 New York Times recipe for an Indian/Middle-Eastern caramelized onion and lentil pilaf. I was planning make it on Friday to go with shrimp in a coconut and tomato sauce, but when Judd got stuck at work, I lost my motivation and didn't make it until today. I just had a bowl of this nutty and spicy pilaf for lunch before we take my mom out later for an early Mother's Day dinner at the Red Cat. I think the leftover rice and some steamed string beans or asparagus with a little olive oil and lemon juice will make a great vegetarian dinner for one during the week.

Serves 6 as a side dish

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 teaspoons salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup French green lentils, rinsed

1 cup basmati rice, rinsed

2 cups water

2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion slices and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened and deep golden brown.

2. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander, curry powder, mustard seeds, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat the onion slices and until fragrant.

3. Add rinsed rice and lentils, water and broth. Raise heat and bring to a boil.

4. When the liquid is boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with fork, replace lid, and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Recent hits and misses

Between work and two recent vacations, I have not had as much time to tell you about some of the wonderful and not so wonderful things I've been eating lately. Here are some highlights and lowlights:

Thumbs up

Shredded pork empanadas and ropa vieja (shredded skirt steak in garlic sauce with tomatoes, onions and peppers) at Havana Alma de Cuba, a delightful and inexpensive Cuban restaurant on Christopher Street in the West Village. Add sangria and live latin music (Thursday through Saturday only) and I can't think of many ways I'd rather spend an evening.

A decadent selection of homemade pasta at Maialino, Danny Meyer's new and very refined Italian trattoria at the Gramercy Park Hotel. On our recent visit, my sister and I shared spaghetti alla carbonara (black pepper, guanciale, and egg), green lasagna (spinach pasta with bolognese), and an incredibly rich spinach and ricotta ravioli with a whole egg inside, the yolk of which was just barely cooked, allowing it to deliciously ooze into the sagey brown butter in which it was served. We both felt like we had died and gone to pasta heaven. The fior di latte gelato was also excellent.

An assortment of boldly-flavored and unhealthy starters at Fatty Crab on the Upper West Side including steamed pork buns, steamed veggie buns, fatty sliders (mini spiced pork and beef burgers), and a fatty dog (spicy sausage, pickled chile, radish and aioli on a little hot dog bun). Beware - the food at Fatty Crab is extremely spicy. The sauce for the steamed buns was particularly hot. But it all went perfectly with beer.

Thumbs down

Overwhelmingly salty paella socarrat (chicken, beef, cuttlefish, cockles and fish) at Socarrat Paella Bar in Chelsea. Actually, almost everything about Socarrat annoyed me from the uncomfortable mirror-topped communal table and pricey tapas to the long wait time (since when does it take 40 minutes to cook a little rice!?) and $8 they charged to replace the mussels in our paella with two measly scallops. I will admit that the crust on the bottom of the paella pan nice and crunchy, but it didn't make up for all of other flaws.

Nasi Lemak (curried chicken with coconut rice and a poached egg) at Fatty Crab . Chicken on a bone grosses me out as do dark meat chicken, slimy chicken skin (i.e., the non-fried variety), super-undercooked egg whites, and anything besides Caesar salad dressing with anchovies. This chicken was a complete strike out. I tried to find something on my plate to enjoy, but the practically-raw egg white had spilled all over the coconut rice, and I bit into a little piece of anchovy that had been hidden underneath a pile of garnish peanuts, which nearly made me gag. Such a disappointment!

Tonight, since Judd got unexpectedly detained by a document production at work, I had a very satisfying dinner for one: spaghetti with some of the marinara sauce I made last weekend and a dollop of ricotta cheese followed by a piece of toast with crunchy peanut butter and sliced banana - one of my favorite snacks/breakfasts/desserts of all time.

Southern Nevada/Northern Arizona tour

Apologies for my absence - Judd and I were visiting family in the Southwest and just returned home last night.

I was a very irresponsible blogger and left my camera in my suitcase for our entire week (with the exception of our visit to the above-featured scenic lookout in Sedona, Arizona). But here is a recap of some of the culinary highlights of our trip:

Las Vegas, Nevada

We celebrated my uncle's birthday with a fantastic dinner at B&B at the Venetian Hotel. Those "b's" stand for Batali and Bastianich, the award-winning pair behind Babbo, Otto, Lupa, Del Posto, etc. And two of my personal heroes. In fact, I have a framed photo of Mario Batali in my kitchen. I have given those guys a lot of my money over the years, and we gave them even more last week. The menu at B&B is almost identical to the menu at Babbo, one of my very favorite places on nights when it is not filled with tourists. I had a memorable first course at B&B - grilled ramps (wild onions/leeks that only grow in the spring - my first time ordering ramps! they kind of taste like scallions, but milder), tossed in a vinaigrette, and served with burrata. In honor of my uncle's birthday, they gave us a bonus pasta course, penne carbonara with lamb pancetta, along with a nice red wine wine pairing. For my entree, I ordered pappardelle bolognese, which is my favorite item on the Babbo menu. It was just as good at B&B, though I think the serving was a little smaller. I especially loved my glass of Bastianich Tocai Friulano "Tocai Plus" - good thing, since it was $35 for a quartino (!!!).

No trip to Las Vegas for me is complete without a stop at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Hotel. I love French brasserie food and I really love the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel, which Mon Ami Gabi's patio overlooks. Which means a wonderful meal is made even better against the backdrop of the dancing water shows from the fountain in the Bellagio's 8-acre lake. Our waitress steered me toward scallops instead of steak since they serve grain-fed beef, which she explained would have a gamey flavor. The scallops were great, and, as always happens with scallops, too few in number. Am I the only person out there who can eat more than 4 scallops?

Flagstaff, Arizona

Believe it or not, it was snowing in Flagstaff when we arrived on Thursday afternoon. Yes, you read that right. Snowing in Arizona. In the last week of April. I didn't realize that Flagstaff is actually 7000 ft above sea level - think Park City, Utah - and it often gets lots of snow well in to the late spring. For lunch, we stopped at Josephine's Modern American Bistro, a particularly cozy place to eat on a cold snowy day. After snacking on some roasted red pepper hummus on warm curry-flavored pita, I had a delicious crab cake salad with a roasted corn and cilantro vinaigrette. I recommend it very highly if you ever find yourself in Flagstaff.

Kingman, Arizona

On our last night visiting Judd's mom in Kingman, we had dinner at Cracker Barrel, a guilty pleasure of mine. For my fellow NYC natives, let me explain: Cracker Barrel is part old country store, part southern/comfort food restaurant. There are almost 600 of them all over the country, most of which are right near a big highway, but I'd never been inside a Cracker Barrel until I met Judd. In fact, I didn't even know they were restaurants - they all have rocking chairs outside, so I thought they were furniture stores that maybe also sold Cracker Barrel cheese. (FYI - they do sell those rocking chairs in the country store part of the restaurant, but don't sell Kraft cheddar cheese.) On this visit, I ordered fried chicken tenderloins (more commonly known as chicken fingers) with macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. Decadent, I know. Most of their entrees come with cornbread OR a biscuit, but since I couldn't decide, our waitress offered me one of each - lucky me! Not healthy, not fresh, not fancy but extremely delicious.

I am happy to be back home, though this Times Square car bomb has me feeling a little rattled. I soothed my frayed nerves this afternoon by making a huge pot of marinara sauce with the nearly 7-pound can of San Marzano tomatoes that I picked up at Costco a few weeks ago. It helped.