Side trip to Paris

I wish. But no, I'm staying right here for the moment. I think the author of this book on Paris food shops is my old boss Pierre Rival. It was reviewed in the L.A. Times' food section.

The reviewer finds his writing a little stuffy, but a) it's translated from French, so it's probably the translator's fault b) If it's the same Pierre Rival, he was a trade journalist for many years, so what do you expect? Gourmet Shops of Paris is available on Amazon and looks like it would be worth it for the food porn photos alone.

In today's Times, S. Irene visits Dusty's in Silver Lake. I have to admit, the prospect of trying poutine (the French Canadian snack of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy) isn't making me want to rush over there, but it looks like a nice place for brunch. I finally found the link by using the search box, but hey, L.A. Times, the restaurant review from Thursday doesn't appear on either the Calendar Weekend page or the food page...not the easiest thing to find.

Same with the L.A. Weekly's Where to Eat: Glendale. Here's the link, because the Weekly's link from the food section doesn't work.

The L.A. Times also delved into cupcakes, mentioning that there had been entries about them on blogs, as well as blogs devoted to cupcakes. Who knew? Next time, please name the blog! I recently made some terrific cupcakes from a recent Bon Appetit. The Blueberry Hill cupcakes were filled with blueberries and topped with a tangy, lemony maple sugar frosting...yum. The recipe hasn't been posted on Epicurious.com yet, though.