Robert et Louise

Paris! Easily one of my favorite cities!

About 5 years ago, my wife and I took a trip for our

The Eiffel Tower

anniversary. It was her first trip, my second. She spent weeks, if not months, ahead of the trip researching and finding everything she wanted to do, breaking it down by arrondissement. The trip was fine tuned, even with a few restaurant selections based off of the location of the museums we would be touring each day.

So one afternoon we traveled to the 11th Arrondissement, with the hopes of stopping by the National Picasso Museum. Which we did. But they were closed. For renovations.

What to do, what to do? There were no specific dinner guidelines on the plans for the evening. So we went exploring. I'm sure we found some shops to poke around in, but the standout discovery was a little restaurant we came across, called Robert et Louise. We had just seen Anthony Bourdain eat here on No Reservations and were both immediately drawn to it! We past our time waiting for them to open in a cafe down the street sipping espresso and watching the occasional parade to celebrate the French National Football Team's advancement in the UEFA Uero 2012.

Finally it was 7:00 and Robert et Louise was ready open the doors. Out of excitement, we may have been the first people in the doors, promptly as they opened. We were kindly greeted by the hostess.

Do you have a reservation?

No. We did not. What to do?

The Grill at Robert et Louise

The hostess graciously seated us in their downstairs room, where we ate a steak dinner, French style. On the way downstairs, we walked past their amazing open flame grill! This is truly a thing of beauty! Steaks searing on a flat top with firewood stacked around. How could you not enjoy a steak off of something like this?

We paired our steaks with some roasted potatoes, mushrooms, and some greens, munching on fresh baguettes while we waited. I don't honestly remember, but I am sure we allowed ourselves to be tempted by a creme brule or any other spectacular French dessert on the menu.

With our bellies full and our appetites satisfied, we stepped out in to the French night to continue enjoying the beautiful city. Someday, I hope we will return.

I Think Cheesecake Pretty Much Speaks for Itself

Paris 2012

We all have recipes we're fairly proud. My cheesecake recipe is one of them. I grew up with a friend down the street whose mom would always have a cheesecake made, and sometimes she would make a second one just for me. We would put that pre-made canned cherry pie filling on top of. Looking back, that part wasn't that good, but that was before I really discovered great food.

For our wedding, we were trying to go low budget and had a friend of a friend bake some cheesecakes. They baked them ahead of time and brought them in a cooler. I looked for a picture of the wedding cakes or maybe even us at our wedding, but all I could find was this one from our trip to Paris for our 4th anniversary.

For her birthday this year, Jessica asked me to make a cheesecake for her party. I was more than happy to.



The recipe:

For the crust:
1 1/2 Cups cinnamon-sugar graham cracker crumbs
2/3 Cup unsalted butter - melted
1 Tbsp sugar

Combine. Spread the mixture on the bottom of a spring form pan. Press the crust down with your fingers, making sure to spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

**Note: I have found that spring form pans leak, no matter how good quality they may be. Place the spring form pan in a sheet pan to avoid a mess in your oven,


For the filling:
16 oz cream cheese
2/3 Cup sugar
1 Cup plain Greek Yogurt
4 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 Cup heavy cream (you can also substitute 1/2 cup of plain Greek Yogurt in place of the heavy cream)

Combine ingredients in the order listed, letting mix well in between ingredients. You may have to scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure everything is well mixed. Pour in to the spring form pan with the crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and let cool overnight in the oven with the door closed. This will help to minimize settling. Chill before serving.

Slice of delicious cheesecake. Fruit optional.