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Carbonara from Pasta a Gogo

Pasta a Gogo serves a handful of pasta dishes that they make fresh — it’s mostly a take-out joint, though they do have a couple of tables outside.  The woman behind the counter spoke English fluently, so I asked her what her favourite was, and she answered “carbonara” without even a millisecond of hesitation.  So that makes ordering quite easy; carbonara it is!  And yeah, she’s not wrong to be enthusiastic about it; it’s ultra-rich and creamy, and the crispy pieces of guanciale are salty, porky, and satisfying.

Jose Andres is a celebrity chef who specializes in higher-end Spanish eats.  He has a bunch of restaurants in various States, but I mostly know him from a delightful cooking/travel show called Made in Spain he hosted several years ago.  His enthusiasm for Spanish cuisine was infectious.  I wish he’d do another one.

I was trying to go to a bistro called Le Comptoir du Relais; it was completely full (it almost never occurs to me to make reservations, so this actually happens a lot).  They do, however, have a small take-out window with sandwiches and pastries.  I figured this was a pretty good opportunity to try a ham and butter sandwich, which is supposedly the second most popular sandwich in France.

(The first?  Burgers.  Everyone loves burgers.)