Underground Dining At Naglee Park

Another fabulous vacation day around Walloon Lake in beautiful northern Michigan. Started the day with a visit of the local farmers market. There, we were greeted by fresh, succulent and beautiful fruits and vegetables displayed on large stands manned by very warm, welcoming and chatty local farmers. We were lucky to be reintroduced to a local chocolatier (beijo de chocolat) we met earlier on our arrival in the region. Later we enjoyed lunch at Legs Inn, a polish restaurant a...nd a famous landmark. The food was excellent and I could not get enough of the sausages, stuffed cabbage and pierogi. Delicious! Day ended on a huge bang with a fantastic concert by the always amazing Pink Martini at a brand new theatre complex nearby. In conclusion, I think we have truly fallen in love with Northern Michigan and we are so grateful to have had a chance to visit this place and experience its awe-inducing natural beauty, delicious regional cuisine and its warm, fun and interesting people. See more

Attending the largest wine festival in the world in Vevey, Switzerland. A two week celebration that only takes place every 25 years honoring the wine makers of Switzerland and their craft. 500,000 bottles of wine consumed during the festival 20 performances in a 20,000 seats pop up amphitheater on the shore of Lake Geneva 5,500 performers... 900 singers Directed by Daniel Finzi Pasca who directed the Olympic ceremonies in Torino and Sochi and several Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Eloize productions. See more

On our bucket list for years but moved up as a high priority after we watched Netflix’s Chef’s Table and was recognized as the #1 Best Restaurant in the world. Somehow and by chance, Philippe was successful at scoring the impossible, a table for us at El Cellar de Can Roca in Girona, Catalonia. There are no words that can truly express this sensual, fun, classy and whimsical culinary experience for it must be experienced!

Summer amuse-bouche ready for the table. Strawberry foie gras parfaits.

A Raclette and a glass of fendant are always a welcome break from shopping at the Farmers Market in Sion.

Pop-Up Dinner at a place known as the goat house in Lens. The house was surrounded by goats back in the day thus the name. Last night, ten of us gathered for dinner in a house built in 1664 high in the Swiss Alps to learn more about the history and origins of the amazing vineyards and unique wine varieties grown and produced here expertly presented by Catherine Antille, owner of Valais Wine Tours. The history and tasting were followed by a spectacular dinner with the theme of yesteryear prepared by local chef Benjamin Menge. A warm, intimate, fun and passionate evening with a lovely group of people from Paris, Silicon Valley, St Leonard, Lens and Corin seated around the communal table.

One of the things I like about UD@NP is that neighbors and guests share there garden bounties with us which always ends up in our menus. This morning these eggs appeared on our door step. A thank you from one of this weekend’s guests. The eggs are so beautiful that I could not use them right away but choose instead to put them on display. As I admired their beauty, an inspiration arose for our upcoming spring menu!

2019 Winter Menu - Comfort Food In January each year we travel to French-Speaking Switzerland to spend time with family and friends, to ski and to explore this region of the Alps. Time here, away from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley is always relaxing and renewing. In the mountains here, we can leisurely spend quality time with family and friends; on the ski slopes or around our dining room table sharing good food and life stories and of course, laughter. This year h...Continue reading

Dinner and Jazz at our local neighborhood gem of a restaurant with friends and Jacqueline, my belle-sœur. Damien, Vincent and Crew, you guys all knocked it our of the park last night with the food, ambience, service and the band playing there. We will miss your taste creativities, impeccable customer service and your passionate conversations about local food and culture. Thank you for sharing your love of good food and good times with us. See you in August and have a wonderful rest of this amazing Crans Winter Season!

Just received my copy of the 11 Commandments of Raclette in the mail. The Swiss take this cheese and racletting seriously

We were the first ones on the slopes this morning and after a full morning skiing with my brother-in-law, Jean-Bernard, we chairlifted to the top of the mountain to the rustic restaurant Bellalui for a delicious lunch of tomato cheese fondue. Tomato Fondue is typical in this region and is ladled on top of boiled potatoes on your plate (my fave) or you can dip bread into this cheese/tomato heavenly mix. The local tradition calls for breaking a fresh egg into the fondue at the end and whisk the whole thing into a soufflé like consistance....le paradis sur terre! #WineAndCheeseCulture

RIP Chef and Thank You!

Life seems so much simpler in summer! The days are longer meaning we have more time that can be devoted to cultivating our garden or to visiting local farmer’s markets. With all the abundance of fruits and vegetables, the hardest part of summer becomes deciding what to eat, cook, and bake with. With all this bounty around, we plan our menus to showcase garden vegetables, fresh fruits and seasonal cheeses. With the sun rising early and temperatures rising, our daily lives mov...e outside where we find ourselves shucking corn on the back porch with our chicken begging for the husks while meats and veggies are grilled on an outside wood-fire rôtisserie. Inside the kitchen, the gentle buzzing sounds of ice creams and sorbets being made early morning before the temperatures get too hot. All this fun activities give each of our summer day a rhythm. Tend to the garden; visit the farmers market; prepare dinner and enjoy it as the sun hangs low and the nights’ cooling air envelops us in our candle-lit garden as stars fill the sky. Before bed, hints of anticipation for the next lip-staining berries, sun kissed tomatoes warm from the vine, crispy beans, sweet melons, and juicy corn makes it easy to fall asleep knowing that all of it is and will remain to be enjoyed during these relaxation and vacation summer months until October and the arrival of fall in October. We are so excited to share our summer with you! Bon Appétit! Small Plates Les Entrées Crêpes Estivales Vegetable Garden Crêpe, Tuna Sauce L’Été Dans L’Assiette Tomatoes and Maine Lobster Salad Chaudrée De Palourdes Clams, Sausages, Peppers, Potatoes, Corn, Green Beans Le Plat Principal Bifteck De Faux-Filet Wood-Fired Aged Rib-Eye and Eggplant Le Fromage De Saison Fresh Seasonal Cheese Le Dessert Le Verger Sur Glace Summer Berries, Ice Cream