My Virtual Vacation Day 4—Paris

Posted by Imagery Photography on July 2, 2020

We had hoped in retirement to travel the world. So far we have done a pretty good job with trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and The Czech Republic. However the pandemic has stopped all of that for a while. So while waiting for Africa, Alaska and Scandinavia, our current travel is going to have to be virtual. Today’s stop is Paris in the summertime. Of course the trip would not be complete without some real onion soup and a real french terrine.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Bienvenue a Paris

Paris from the Pompidou Centre

L’Université Paris-Sorbonne

A delicious terrine in a Parisian Cafe

Real Onion Soup

Hamming it Up

Posted by Imagery Photography on March 6, 2019

You can buy excellent prosciutto aka Parma Ham in the USA. Every good Italian food store and deli will offer a variety. They are always in delicatessen cases. Most USA Italian restaurants offer a variety of dishes offering this delicacy.

The restaurants that we visited in Italy didn’t hide it away. It was almost presented like a lead actor in a play. If a dish require Parma Ham a waiter or chef would go to the center of the room where this beauty was displayed and with a very sharp knife cut what they needed. Food and entertainment.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Parma Ham

The Old Oyster House Revisited

Posted by Imagery Photography on January 14, 2019

This time of year I like to revisit old images and sometimes edit them with newer tools. This is one of the first images I ever took with a cell phone. When I returned to Pittsburgh five years ago one of the first places I visited was Market Square which had changed dramatically in my 35 year absence. One thing that seemed unchanged was The Original Oyster House.

I took this image while sitting at the bar. It was in color but thought it should really be a monochrome image so I edited it with the NIK Silver Imaging tool.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

The Old Oyster House

French Meatloaf

Posted by Imagery Photography on December 22, 2017

I have always liked Pâté. As a Jewish boy in Pittsburgh I discovered chopped liver which is really nothing more than liver Pâté but made with rendered chicken fat or schmaltz. In Europe I discovered terrine. People said it’s just another word for Pâté but no its not. Both are served cold or at room temperature but they are different.

Pâté is spreadable and usually spread on bread or crackers. Terrine is like cold meatloaf and can be eaten with a knife and fork. Both are usually served as appetizers but also found for lunch and as part of a dinner. It can be made from really anything and you can find vegetable terrines as well as meat varieties. One of my favorites.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Terrine

My Stupid Soup Rule

Posted by Imagery Photography on December 21, 2017

So for a long time I have held the position that soups and stews were only for the cold weather moments. I never had soup in the summer. The last time we were in Paris was the summer of 2009 and of course my wife, being smarter than me ordered the onion soup. All onion soup in France is French Onion Soup. I had a lovely shrimp and avocado dish but when I saw her Onion Soup I knew I had made a mistake.

Next time in France I will order the Onion Soup even if I am wearing shorts!

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Real Onion Soup

Pork Enchilada in Mole Sauce

Posted by Imagery Photography on December 18, 2017

There are many great restaurants in Cancún Mexico. However one stands out in my memory from my last visit and I can’t wait to return. Julia Mia not only has incredible food and service but they will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the restaurant in the heart of Cancún and return you safe and sound at the end of your feast.

This was a dish from one of The Prix Fixe menus. A fried pork enchilada in Mole sauce.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Enchilada Mole at Julia Mia

Dessert at Julia Mia

Posted by Imagery Photography on August 15, 2017

Earlier this year I wrote about having dinner at Julia Mia Cancún which is an upscale authentic restaurant loved by locals. In the article I mentioned dessert but recently found this image of the table-side preparation. Can’t wait to revisit this place when we travel to Mexico next year.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Dessert at Julia Mia

Julia Mia Cancún

Posted by Imagery Photography on April 4, 2017

Some friends of mine are visiting Cancún and I was excited to recommend a restaurant to them. I then realized that I have never written about this experience and it is truly one of the best places I have ever dined. Cancún has many great restaurants. Restaurante La Habichuela has wonderful and authentic Mexican cuisine. Trattoria Limoncello is a wonderful Italian restaurant overlooking the bay with great sunset views.

I asked our hotel concierge where to get the best authentic regional cuisine and he said you have to go downtown where the locals dine. He arranged for a free ride to and from the restaurant which is great because it is easy to get lost in downtown Cancún and hard to find parking. I believe we were the only Americans in the place but it didn’t matter. Everyone spoke flawless English. The facility was beautiful and elegant. Our waiter suggested we try either the meat or seafood sampling menu which featured seven signature dishes from the restaurant. This was the way to go because the menu was large and each dish sounded better than the next.

From the special cocktail made from mescal and papaya. Next they presented an edible version of the menu and then one amazing dish after another. The service was friendly and evenly paced from the first dish to the table side cherries jubilee at the end. The total cost was about $65 per person plus tip and after two hours of dining we were happy and enjoyed our chauffeured ride back to our beach hotel.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Honey Can You Pick Up Some Cana?

Posted by Imagery Photography on July 14, 2016

I love going shopping in supermarkets in Mexico. It’s so similar and yet so different. You see different cuts of meat and different types of produce. Even the groceries are different and I have never seen so many different types of yogurt. I have never seen sugar cane available in a US Market, even in Florida. Maybe I just wasn’t looking.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.

Cana

Yes Chicago Does Have a Chinatown!

Posted by Imagery Photography on June 22, 2016

We were in Berwyn Illinois this weekend to visit my daughter over Father’s Day weekend. They all decided to take me out for Father’s Day Dim Sum at a place called MingHin Cusine. I have enjoyed Dim Sum in many places including New York’s ChinaTown, Los Angeles,San Francisco but this place WAS the best.

The reason was they didn’t have the silly carts where the food is sometimes not real fresh. You order from a menu and they bring out each dish as it is done. Our local Pittsburgh restaurant, Sun Penang also does this but MingHin has a much bigger selection.. If you go, make a reservation like my brilliant daughter did,the wait was at least one hour.

I was also quite surprised at the size of the Chicago Chinatown which is easily as big as New York’s but not as grand as San Francisco. Here are some snaps from the area, I was too hungry to take food photos.

To see other images and buy apparel or prints, please visit my commercial gallery.