Monsieur Marcel

I have a fascination with France. The food, the culture, and the country itself. I had the opportunity to go to France in 2010. I flew in at night to Nice then drove down to Cannes. I was there for the film festival that year. It was an amazing experience that cemented my love for the country. The food was an intense and pleasurable adventure for my palette. I enjoyed a pizza with an egg in the center and some of the best chicken wings I've had in a long time. Both of those places were located right next to the hotel I stayed in. Waking up to fresh Brie and Croissants with a boiled egg is something people need to have in their lives. 

I get back to the states and move to Los Angeles. The food culture in Los Angeles is a varied mix. I found a couple of French food spots but none of those are really worth mentioning. I ended up talking to this French girl online. We became friends and when she was in LA we hung out. I took her to those French places I knew. They didn't wow her in the slightest. She looked up places online and found Monsieur Marcel. Monsieur Marcel is located at The Grove in Hollywood. We went to the Grove and found the cafe in the farmers market area. The place even has its own market where you can buy European imported groceries. We took our seats and looked the menu over. Right away she was impressed by the selection of food. 

She found a menu item that she enjoyed a lot back home called Merguez. It comes as a sandwich or entree consisting of Moroccan lamb sausage. I ended up getting a Poulet Pesto(chicken) sandwich. I know what you're thinking "a chicken sandwich, really". Let me tell you this was an amazing piece of food artistry. It tasted so good. The sandwich came with a side of thin french fries. Hanging out with her influenced my condiment selection to accompany my fries. They like mayonnaise with their fries in France. I tried Ratatouille for the first time. Ive had sautéed vegetables before but not like that. We went back there a few more times before she went back home. One of the last times we were there I got a sandwich called The Normandie. Its a tasty sandwich made with Bacon, Brie, Apricot Marmalade, and sliced Apple. This is one of those sandwiches that after the first bite you have to put it down to savor all the nuances contained within. I recommend this place to anyone looking to expand their taste of both food and culture from France. 

Normandie

Philly's Best

I was born in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. I moved to Maryland shortly after that.  I would go back to Philly from time to time to visit family. Now being from Philly I have a particular pallet for cheesesteaks. Finding a good cheesesteak outside of Philly is one of the hardest things in the world to do. There are many theories as to why that is, from the bread to the type of meat used. But one thing is for sure a Philly cheesesteak is one of the best foods you could ever put in your mouth. Having access to a good cheesesteak was just a two hour drive away. But for a while I was to young to drive so i'd have to wait for my dad to come and pick me up.

Living in Maryland I had friends who knowing I was from Philly would always take me to places that had "cheesesteaks". And none of the places they took me to ever made the grade. Its funny to think about them just raving about a place and then I would come in and shut that down real quick. I remember taking a day trip up to Philly with some friends a few years ago. The suggested we go to a touristy cheesesteak place on South street. They all love it. I on the other hand quickly pointed out how bad it was. The next time we were in Philly I took them to a place I like going to. I told my friend before we get in the car to take a bite out of the cheesesteak. His eye nearly jumped out of his head. He said it was the best he'd ever eaten.

In 2011 I moved to California. Miles away from any good cheesesteak or so I thought. I ended up finding  a place called Philly's Best located in Burbank California. I went in thinking how good could this place be. To my surprise very good. The meat is flavored well, they import the rolls directly from Philly. How can you go wrong with that. They even sell Tastycake products too. If you are from the east coast then you've probably had a Krimpet at one time. Not to mention the assortment of toppings from peppers (spicy or mild) to barrel pickles. Needless to say I am a fan of this place. It is a little taste of home on the West Coast. So if you are in Burbank swing by and grab a cheesesteak for yourself.

Current Situation

I have not worked since June of last year. All my money is running out. Positive thoughts can only do so much. Applying to jobs and hearing nothing back takes its toll. Just have to keep moving forward.

Words For Her

I want to love you every morning, every night, and every moment in between.  I want to love every inch of your body from your head to your feet.  I can’t deny the way I feel. I was afraid of it. Afraid of feeling like this about someone. Not knowing what the future of us is makes me un-easy. Will we last forever or just a few brief encounters? I beat myself up every day emotionally thinking about this situation we could be putting ourselves in. It doesn’t do me any good making myself lovesick over you. You’re not here. I don’t know when I’ll see you again. Dwelling on this is a futile act. An act that I cant help but undertake daily. Admitting to this doesn’t make it any less foolish. I guess this is my life till you change it for good or worse.