New Year’s Eve á Paris, 2023

As the title suggests, this will be a post about spending the end of 2023 in the City of Lights, Paris. I had never been to this country or city before and was very much looking forward to it. It did not disappoint. Over only three nights, the city and its people made us all feel welcome. It was a wonderful way to usher in a new year. Please enjoy these images and quips…

Hotel for the trip, quaint rooms and lively first night…

Sacré-Coure…

Always take the funicular…

Art in Montemartre…

Time for NYE…

And New Year’s Day…

Small sidenote – this will be my last blog post. Over the last 16 years, this blog became something of a diary for myself. It’s a great way to show the history of the last number of years, but people and technology have now moved away from this format. I’d like to say I could keep it up and keep it going, but that doesn’t really seem to make sense, especially as we usher in 2024. It really has been a great ride, a wonderful place to leave memories, and something I truly hope at least a few people found entertaining.  Thanks for all the reading. 

Italian Eatery, Minneapolis, MN

Being back in the Twin Cities for a weekend afforded me an opportunity to not only try some restaurants that I'd not been to before, but more importantly to meet up with old friends, like we used to - eating out at our favorite places.

With that theme in mind, two of my favorite female friends and I decided to meet-up at Italian Eatery on the near-southside of Minneapolis. We decided to tackle the menu by ordering some small plates & salads to share, then got our own pasta entrees if desired (uhhh, yes!). Drinks are available and well done - beers, wines, etc. Get what you like.

The three of us started "al fresco" on their gorgeous patio... but the storm coming in would not relent. Around the time our entrees arrived, and with prodding from the staff, we decided it would be best if we were whisked inside to our new waiting table. It was pretty seamless, and much drier.

Here's what we shared that night:

- Goat Ricotta with Honey

- IE Classic Meatballs

- Roasted Asparagus, with soft-boiled egg and Parmesan

- Shaved Root Salad

- House-made Rigatoni with Fennel Sausage crumbles

Though we were full, we also had a sweet treat in mind, and the waiter mentioned gelato. While we each didn't need our own desserts, we did want to try a few the waiter had mentioned. The waiter wound up making us a small "tasting menu" from all their frozen desserts. Again, this was maybe 2-3 spoonfuls of each flavor, so we each could get a taste. It was really nice of them, quite a perfect end.

Clockwise from upper right - Nutella, Pistachio, Raspberry Sorbet, Fresh Milk, Vanilla.

I still feel bad that this was my first visit to this restaurant, as it was in business before I moved out of MN. It was very very good, and I would love to back there, right now even! It's now on my list for when I go back or for when anyone in the areas needs a new go-to spot. Please visit if you're up there and haven't been.

The Garage Food Hall, Indianapolis, IN

It seems like many cities have virtually always had these markets or food halls, with the latter option now becoming more popular. I recall grabbing a cheese steak in Philly's marketplace decades ago. Many large cities in other countries have something like this as well. Well, now Indy has stepped-up to the plate and created their own.

To be clear, I don't think you should be visiting Indy without a stop to this new, refurbished former production space. The food hall is in the former "garage" for a historic Coca-Cola bottling plant. From what I gathered being there, this was the spot in Indy where Coke was bottled and delivered by trucks to the entire metro area for a long, long time. I can imagine back in the day that this was a very busy, bustling plant and area. It's now been renovated inside and out as a mixed-use development. In a ~2-3 block area, it already contains this food hall, a hotel, a day spa, retail shops, a really cool duckpin bowling alley/bar, a very nice new movie theater and more. It also has a second phase for residential development in the works. This is going to be one hip, happening spot in no time (if not already).

Since it has this Coke history behind it, that's what I focused on for this post. In reality, there are so many food options that I wouldn't have been able to to them all justice with only my single stomach to partake. Know that it seemed like anyone in your clan would be covered for food options at this place, including: raw oyster bar, Indian, lobster/seafood, tacos, arepas, fish & chips, pizza/Italian, burgers, plenty of beer/alcohol options, and many more food types and spots I'm sure I'm forgetting. It also seems like more are opening everyday.

Many of the art deco buildings are faced with a wonderfully rich, glazed-white terra cotta tiling, with gilded lettering that makes it almost feel like you're stepping back in time. That's a nice way to invite people in and welcome them to a new space. You can read more about it HERE.

Inside the Food Hall, you find relics of the bottling history of the buildings. You can see pumps, historic workwear, Coca-Cola memorabilia, and more. It was all very fun to run into these things as I wandered around trying to pick my perfect food spot for the day. You certainly get the feel for the history that this area and these buildings contain. Many of us know think of soda/pop as a bad thing, but back then, this was a highly in-demand product and many workers would have been very proud to work there and represent this brand in the community. For me, I can feel that as I walked through the spaces.

This is one quote that stuck with me from my short research - "Over the years, the Massachusetts Avenue plant grew into the world's largest bottling plant, with 260 workers who produced 2.25 million bottles of Coca-Cola a week, he said. It thrived until cans took over the market in the 1960s."

I wonder if these was breathable on a hot day, {gulp}... just grab a cold Coke!

This is their first automated bottle "capper". A person would use this machine to cap the bottles.

See the little red Coke bottlecaps?

I already know that I need to go back - for more history lessons and more food options. Again, I don't think this place should be missed if you're in Indy.

Freddy Jones Band @ Hey Nonny, Arlington Heights, IL

A quick but awesome night in Arlington Heights. Hey Nonny is a formal concert venue, with food and drink attached next door. This area of AH is right near the Metra line and almost all new construction. They have condos, restaurants, and venues like this in a couple block radius. They're all grown up!

These guys were the reason to attend, and it was a very small venue, not packed in like sardines, but also very good sound and an excellent show. Loved it, will be back.

Manai Gastronomia, São Paulo, Brasil

A recent work trip to Brasil provided me with a unique look into this country, its people, and most importantly, its food!

How do you feed 20 million people at lunchtime? Buffets. It took until my 3rd day of eating from a buffet at lunch to ask why this seems like the de facto method of eating lunch for Brasil's office workers. And it was explained simply enough - this is the only way everyone can eat good food in the time allotted for lunch. Restaurants would simply not have the time to take individual orders and make each person's meal choice if it was run like a traditional restaurant. Makes sense to me and my stomach!

Below is a look at one of the buffets we visited twice during the week. It's one of the best according to my taste buds and has been voted so by an online poll in years past.

The space is inviting, with an awesome, sunlit 2nd floor seating area, but you have to go up one of the nicest staircases I've ever seen to get there...

And the food...

Everything I ate at all the lunch buffets was good food, tasty, and much of it at a very reasonable price.  You could also go back for a little more Reais and get some dessert - uhh, yes please!

Sorvetes...

And those little torts and cakes, so good.