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Photo Opportunity | Le Pain Quotidien
I have been waiting for a good excuse to show you this picture - this is the window of Max Azria in Soho, New York. Isn't it superb? Truly gorgeous - those dresses, that brick wall and the dusty old store front - perfect.
I took the above picture right before we stopped for lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. Have you ever eaten there? It's a wonderful experience. Roughly translated Le Pain Quotidien means The Daily Bread. The restaurant revolves around a couple of concepts - bread as the centre of a meal and communal tables to meet, eat and gather. The restaurants have an authentic, organic, paired down, freshly scrubbed feel. High ceilings, simple furnishings, pale wood and minimal decor. The design and ambiance of a restaurant is very important to me and if the food is great, well that's a bonus!
The organic meals are served on porcelain cutting boards. Cheese platters and open faced tartines. Chunks of bread with olives, nuts and prosciutto. The long tables have bottles of olive oil and bowls of sea salt down the centre. The food is deliciously perfect and the experience is calming and refreshing. Each restaurant also has a retail bakery and catering service.
Le Pain Quotidien was established in Brussels in the early 1990s. They have restaurants and stores all over the world including a brand new one in Toronto. Their menu is beautiful and you can see it here on their website.
Of course this is not a restaurant review - Le Pain Quotidien is a perfectly executed concept from the simple design of the room to the sophisticated simplicity of the menu. It is a a respite from the city and from the frenetic energy of the street.
Aaaaah blogging makes me hungry.
