The Welcome Home BBQ

I was the hit of the party, or so they had me believe. The Actual Armstrong here: Grandma's twist on homemade arepas.

It starts with 8 ripe plantains, stripped and boiled until doughy. At the same time, finely dice 1/4 cup of green chives and 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.

Your plantains should be sufficiently supple after roughly 40 minutes of high heat, so go ahead and strain the boiling water and then have fun mashing up your plantains into a large mixing bowl. Throw in the chives and cheese and then hand stir until your plantain clumps look equally fromage-y. Salt to taste, then hand rolling your plantain dough into silver dollar-sized pancakes.

Pre-heat your frying pan over medium heat and pour in a thin pool of olive oil.

And alas, the moment we've all been waiting for, lay your plantain cakes into the pan and fry for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp. Let your cooked plantains cool on a paper towel lined dish. This will also help absorb any excess oil.

Easy, delicious, and just the touch of grandma that i'd been missing in my time abroad!

Adieu, Adieu... to you and you and you

From Paris to Austria, thank you little ones Von Trapp.

What more to do but celebrate and bid farewell to my beloved Paris, Parisians and expats alike? Choose the bar. The bedazzling clink of tonight's kir royale will forever resonate. 

One Option:

Le Grand Prairie, brought to us from la Bellevilloise as their way of saying, "There there, my little Parisian. Come sit upon my lawn chair and sip a mojito. You, too, will soon realize that remaining in Paris for August isn't really all that bad".    

Converted from a loft into a very colorful prairie, Le Grand Prairie is an awesome lounge space with a faux, al fresco feel, perfect for an evening cocktail with friends or else an afternoon session with your latest and greatest paperback. 

http://www.labellevilloise.com/

Second Option:

As an ode to my first 6 months in Paris, perhaps commemorate the farewell with a blast from the past: Le Perle, Paris' beloved grunge bar on Rue Vielle du Temple, just in the heart of Le Marais. Ahhh yes, many a weekend after weekend was spent at this fashionista favorite, sipping vin rouge after vin rouge, intermingled with  vodka tonic after vodka tonic. Memories.

Le Perle

78 Rue Vielle du Temple

Paris 75003

+33 (0) 1 42 72 69 93

Third Option and This Evening's Winner:

The infamous Andy Wahloo bar and lounge. Delicious cocktails and nifty, North African pop art aside, the venue is the perfect blend of laid back bar married with fun hipster scene. And with seating that spills out onto the backyard terrace, neighboring the darling "Derriere" concept resto, there's plenty of room for all the fashionably late comers. 

Andy Wahloo

69 Rue Gravilliers

Paris 75003

+33 (0) 1 42 71 20 38

Always and forever,  each and all of the above will remain near and, yes, very very dear.