Found: dried cranberries!

Spotted at LIDL in bags of 200 grams for 99 centimes.

Why should you eat dried cranberries? They provide antioxidant vitamins and flavonoids, and they also have an anti-adhesion quality that keeps certain bacteria from sticking to cells in the urinary tract, the mouth and stomach.

Lidl is a European discount supermarket chain of German origin that operates 7,000 stores.

Found: Yellow squash!

Just last week I told a friend that I hadn't seen yellow squash (also called summer squash) since moving to Lyon three years ago.

Today I am happy to report that huge baskets of the bright yellow beauties are available at Monoprix for 4.90 euros/kilo. They're imported from Holland and sold as courgette jaune.

Need some recipe ideas? Go here.

Happy Fourth of July!

Just in time for this weekend's picnics, Mark Bittman has come up with 101 picnic dishes that can be prepared in 20 minutes - and most of the ingredients are easily found in Lyon.

Read his full article in the New York Times here. Or, read by category:

9-19: Raw Vegetables

20-30: Cooked Vegetables

31-42: Bean, Rice and Grain Salads

43-54: Potato Salads and Egg Salads

55-60: Fruit

61-70: Seafood

71-80: Meat and Poultry

81-90: Sandwiches

91-94: Cold Noodles

95-101: Desserts

New SUBWAY opens at Perrache!

The SUBWAY® brand arrived in France in 2001 with the first location opening in the historic Bastille district in the center of Paris. Since the beginning, the SUBWAY® brand has continued to grow to more than 90 restaurants in France.

One of the newest franchises opened recently at Perrache on the upper level. Up next, a new opening at Gerland! These are in addition to existing locations at Place des Terraux, rue St Jean in Vieux Lyon, Part Dieu 4th floor, Charpennes, and Place Dorian in St Etienne.

"The city of Lyon, home to the famous Museum des Beaux Arts, the National Opera house and the magnificent “Hotel De Ville,” with its tall clock tower and blue-domed pavilions, is considered by many to be the food capital of the world! The heart of Lyon’s social life can be discovered at La Place Des Terreaux; where “cool” has been turned into an art form in the bars and the cafes. You can also find a Subway restaurant at La Place des Terreaux. It is across from the Palais des Artes and just behind the famous, “Fountain of Liberty" – a granite and iron masterpiece created by the renowned French sculptor Bartholdi, who also created the Statue of Liberty. Customers of the Lyon SUBWAY restaurant are greeted by the chain’s new Tuscany decor, framed in stone arches and massive oak beams. The setting, as well as the menu, has set SUBWAY® restaurants apart from other Quick Service Restaurants."

-- From the SUBWAY website

The sub of the day special is a 15 cm sandwich for 2.95 euros.

Monday: roast beef
Tuesday: tikka
Wednesday: ham
Thursday: Italian BMT
Friday: tuna
Saturday: turkey
Sunday: meatball


SUBWAY at La Part Dieu







All images from SUBWAY® Reastaurants International

Auchan's got a secret: Pop Secret!

Auchan at St Genis Laval now has Pop Secret!

Centre Commercial, St Genis 2
Les Basses Barolles
BP 60
69563 St Genis Laval

Open Monday - Saturday from 8:30am to 9:30pm



Cheesy popcorn balls

8 cups popped popcorn
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely shredded Gouda cheese

Place popcorn in a large bowl. Melt butter and cheese in a small pan over low heat, till just melted. Dribble the butter and cheese mixture over popcorn and mix thoroughly to coat. Form mixture into balls, using about 1/2 cupful for each. Serve immediately or wrap and refrigerate.


Tex-Mex popcorn

8 cups popped popcorn
2 teaspoons ground chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup cubed Gouda cheese (about 1/4 inch cubes)

Keep popped popcorn warm. Mix seasonings together and toss with popcorn. Add cheese and mix thoroughly.


Popcorn de Provence

8 cups popped popcorn
1/4 cup butter
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tablespoon Herbes de Provence

Melt butter in small saucepan; add garlic and cook one minute. Stir in Herbes de Provence. Place popcorn in large bowl. Toss flavored butter mixture over popcorn and serve immediately.


Caramel popcorn

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
12 cups popped popcorn

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. In a large bowl, mix popcorn with butter mixture until evenly coated. Arrange on a large baking pan. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 8 minutes or until crisp. Serve warm.

Best cheesecake in Lyon: City Bagels

Located conveniently downtown at 32 rue Férrandière (near Starbucks), their menu offers more than just freshly-baked bagels. Delicious cheesecake, plain or with raspberry, is also on the menu - and just as good as what you find in the US. The fresh bagels are pretty amazing too.



Bagels
(5 to 6 euros, with coleslaw or chips)

Wall Street: guacamole, lettuce, cucumber, mozzarella
Chinatown: cream cheese, salmon, cucumber, red onion, dill
Soho: mayo, lettuce, pastrami, tomoato, pickles
City: cream cheese, lettuce, magic chicken, onion crisp
Central park: tuna, mayo, tomato, red onion, lettuce
Little Italy: cream cheese, lettuce, smoked ham, goat cheese, honey

Philadelphia: cream cheese or peanut butter


Wraps
(around 4 euros)

Brooklyn: tuna, mayo, tomato, lettuce, corn, olive
Greenwich: guacamole, tomato, mozzarella, corn, lettuce, olive
Manhattan: cream cheese, tomato, magic chicken, lettuce, onion crisp


Salads

Coleslaw: white cabbage and carrots
Broadway: lettuce, tomato, salmon, corn, cucumber, surimi
Vegetable: lettuce, grilled eggplant, mozzarella, tomato, pine nuts
Madison: lettuce, smoked ham, goat cheese, tomato, fig, pine nuts


Paninis
(around 4 euros)

Chelsea: mozzarella, goat cheese, gruyère, cream cheese
Empire States: cream cheese, pezzicosa, magic chicken, tomato, gruyère
Big Apple: pesto, tomato, mozzarella


...and Hot Dogs!


Desserts

Cheesecake
Chocolate muffins
Brownie
Cookie
Fruit salad
Donuts
Crumble
Fromage blanc
Ben & Jerry's ice cream
Milkshakes


Drinks

Dr Pepper, Bud, cranberry juice, capuccino and flavored coffees, among the the usual selections.



* Open Monday thru Wednesday, from 8:30 am to 7pm, and Thursday thru Saturday from 8:30am to 9:30pm.

City Bagels
32, rue Férrandière, 69002

This week's spotlight: Eden Rock Café

In the mood for onion rings? Maybe grilled ribs? What about buffalo wings with celery sticks?

Try Eden Rock Café, located between the Saone and the Rhone. Also on their menu are cheese tortillas, chicken fajitas, beef fajitas, shrimp fajitas, guacamole, fish & chips, and eight kinds of burgers. Take your pick, from the BBQ bacon and cheddar to the Double-double (over 1 1/4 lbs of ground beef!), all served with coleslaw and fries.







Eden Rock Café
68 rue Mercière, 69002
04 78 38 28 18

Gourmet bookshop: Badiane

"Don’t leave place Bellecour before stopping off at Badiane. Lyon’s answer to Notting Hill’s Books for Cooks (London) offers a deluge of gastro-literature along with gadgety gifts that will astound even the most weathered foodie."
- Inflight by EasyJet, 2007

"Lyon also has a Gourmet Bookstore, Badiane where one can buy gastonomical books in English or French - a little piece of Lyon to take home with you!"
- TripAdvisor

Conveniently located at 1 place Bellecour, Badiane is foodie and booklover's heaven. You can shop their store or their online shop. Currently Badiane is offering flat priced shipping within France for 2.50 euros. Anthony Bourdain, Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay, Paul Bocuse...all your favorite chefs are there!

A word from the owners, Marianne Vellieux-Motus and Catherine Guérin:
"Badiane is a one-stop-shop for all things food. We offer a wide assortment of books on cuisine (but specializing in the French genre, of course), cooking courses taught by renowned regional chefs, and an art gallery devoted to food. The wide selection of material, the convivial atmosphere and the helpful, bilingual staff make Badiane a must-see."

From Badiane's website:

Step into Badiane, the bookshop for every type of cuisine. You’ll discover thousands of books; a genuine feast of savours.

From floor to ceiling, the shelves are loaded with works, each describing dishes more succulent than the last, while the tables are laden with piles of books that evoke cuisine, wine, good products and healthy eating!

Next to the cookbooks, you can also leaf through novels, poems, stories, photo albums, essays, studies, biographies, dictionaries, and more besides.

Whatever your age, you’ll find something to chew over at Badiane!



Badiane: A book for every cuisine
1 place Bellecour, 69002
04 72 41 18 00

Open Mondays from 2 pm to 7 pm
Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 am to 7 pm

By métro : lines A et D - Bellecour
By bus : lines 28, 29, 30, 91 10, 14, 15, 88
By car : car parks at Bellecour, Célestins, Antonin Poncet, Saint Antoine

In the mood for Tex-Mex?

In the late 1800s the Texas Mexican Railway was built to connect Corpus Christi, Texas to Laredo, Mexico. As Mexican laborers crossed the border into Texas, they brought with them their traditional foods. Vendors sold the foods to their new Anglo neighbors. The best vendors realized that in order to sell more, they needed to adapt to Texan tastes. From these adaptations a new cuisine was born...

Serving since 1985, Buddy Burd's is Lyon's original Tex-Mex restaurant. Nachos, quesadillas, chimichangas, chili con carne, tacos, guacamole, fajitas, margaritas - you'll find it all here!

Located next to Place des Terreaux, the restaurant seats 120 on two floors. The shaded terrace opens in summers. Buddy Burd offers take-out and delivery services. Fixed price menus range from 15 to 20 euros.

Buddy Bird's has been featured in Marie-Claire magazine as well as Promocash Magazine.

4, rue Rene-Leynaud, 69001

04 78 39 27 75

photos from www.buddyburd.fr

Taking coffee a step further

The Paul Bocuse culinary institute and the coffee merchant Malongo pool skills to create the very first “Coffee Studio”, a dedicated teaching establishment on “coffee culture”. “Coffee studio” is part of the Institute of Culinary Arts in Ecully and offers several courses on coffee not only for the students of the Institute but also to professionals of the hotel and catering industry, and amateurs. Practical courses will give an insight into the historical and botanical aspects, the various harvesting methods, roasting, storage, as well as techniques and methods used to prepare various specialties and handling machines. The course also includes coffee tasting and sensorial analysis, coffee varieties and aromas, serving the right kind of coffee with food (deserts, alcohol, cigars, etc.), coffee and health.



Studio Café is thus an extension of Malongo’s commitment to vocational training and part of its awareness approach on the “coffee culture”. It is also truly in line with Paul Bocuse Institute‘s philosophy of passing on knowledge and supplements workshops on gastronomy, oenology and the art of dining.

Studio Café courses are offered in both English and French. See the course catalog here.

Source: Aderly Lyon

If a Studio Café course is a bit more than you're wanting, you can also visit the Malongo Café in Lyon-Ecully at the Galerie Marchande Carrefour, 69130. All the great arabicas are there, with some 45 pure origin coffees such as Guadeloupe Bonifieur, Haïtian Blue or Blue Mountain from Jamaica. They also offer more than 60 varieties of tea: black, green, smoked or flavoured teas.