Mexicante in Lyon!

Jalapenos

Spotted at Monoprix: jalapenos, sliced cactus, tomato and kidney bean dip, Mexican spice mix, plus the usual spread of tortillas and salsas. Mexicante has arrived in France, and I say bienvenido!


Sliced cactus


Tomato and kidney bean dip


Mexican spice mix

All-Time Favorite Cheap Foods in Lyon

The Cheapskate Blog over at TIME magazine recently posted an article on America's All-Time Favorite Cheap Foods. Their choices made me chuckle. Can you imagine how much it would cost to buy these items in Lyon? (If you could locate them, of course!)



Rather than get the homesick blues, I decided to come up with a list of my All-Time Favorite Cheap Foods in Lyon.

Instead of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, may I suggest fresh pasta from your local grocery store? I realize it's not as inexpensive as Mac-n-Cheese, but for a couple euros it's a delicious treat.

Who needs Cheerios when you have Muesli? The Carrefour and Ed brands are excellent - and cheap!

PBJ? I think not. I'll have the quintessential jambon-beurre on baguette.

Skip the Ramen and go for nems at your local Vietnamese restaurant. Starting at around 50 centimes each, these lettuce-leaf-wrapped rolls are amazing.

Friday nights are pizza night at our house. Using this recipe, we keep dinner for two under 2.50 euros. (Tip: Ed has 400g blocks of mozzarella for about 2 euros and we use half a block for one pizza.)

Can you say, "Je voudrais le menu kebab, s'il vous plaît"? If you haven't ventured into your nearest kebabery, you are missing out on one of France's adopted culinary treasures.

I think the French equivalent of bologna is a small can of pâté de foie de volaille. Spread on a fresh baguette, the taste will always bring back memories of traveling à la cheap in France.

We do have a nice selection of canned tuna on the shelves in Lyon, but I much prefer a can of maquereaux à la moutarde over a bed of lettuce with some cherry tomatoes.

Spam, meet my friend terrine. Y'all have lots in common to talk about.

Bon appétit!

Found: 1000 Island and Caesar!

Amora presents two salad dressings well-known to Americans.


Sauce Crudités Caesar, 235ml


Sauce Crudités Mille & une îles, 235 ml

Look for them in the condiments aisle at your grocery store. (Spotted at Champion.)

Found: chocolate chips!

Seen today at Ed supermarket, a bag of 100g mini chocolate chips for €1.27.

Also seen at Ed, a box of cookies obviously designed to imitate Oreos. The verdict: not bad cookies, but nothing like Oreos.

Click here to find an Ed near you.

LIDL celebrates America!

From peanut butter to muffin mix, yellow mustard to American-themed napkins, LIDL's got your American needs covered. The following products are available in LIDLs around Lyon during the week of June 10-17.

Click here to find a LIDL near you.


Blue cheese dressing, Caesar dressing, 1000 Island dressing, Ranch dressing and Honey Mustard dressing
300ml for €1.09


Cranberry drink (25% juice)
1 litre for €1.29




Peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
454g for €1.79


Blueberry, chocolate and classic muffins
€1.39 for a packet



American-themed napkins
€.99 for 30


Marshmallows for roasting
€1.09 for 300g


Brownie mix
€1.59


Hot dog buns
€1.49 for 500g


Microwave popcorn
€.99 for 3 x 100g

Coming soon: Garden State

Garden State Juice Bar & Deli
6 rue de la Charité, 69002 Lyon

Looking for somewhere new to eat in Lyon? Garden State will soon be open for lunch, dinner and tapas. Located just off Bellecour, their menu will include smoothies, organic options and sandwiches from around the world. Perhaps the quintessential American BLT? One can hope!

Dress up your salads: Wish-bone!

Auchan at St Genis Laval now has Wish-Bone Caesar and Wish-Bone Blue Cheese salad dressings!

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

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



The Wish-Bone story

For over 50 years Wish-Bone has been delighting consumers with a tremendous variety of vibrant and delicious salad dressings. It’s no surprise that Wish-Bone has been America’s #1 Italian dressing for over 30 years. Wish-Bone’s popularity extends from the East to the West as it is the #1 dressing in New York and Los Angeles. And when it comes to Blue Cheese dressing America’s top choice is Wish-Bone Blue Cheese.

The Hellmann's worldwide brand family, consisting of Hellmann's, Amora, Calvé and Wish-Bone, is the largest dressings business around the globe. Hellmann's is also the world's no. 1 mayonnaise brand.

All four brands are renowned for their quality products and have enjoyed long and successful histories. The Amora brand can trace its ancestry back to the late 18th century, becoming a mainstream family brand in the twentieth century. In the late 19th century, the Calvé brand was created by a visionary Dutch entrepreneur called Jacob Cornelis van Marken.

In 1905, a German immigrant named Richard Hellmann opened a delicatessen store in New York City and started selling mayonnaise using his wife's delicious recipe. In 1912, glass jars with the famous blue ribbons were introduced. Today, the ribbon has become an icon of product quality and proof of the enduring popularity of the mayonnaise.

The 'youngest' brand is Wish-Bone. Just after World War II, Philip Sollomi opened a family-style restaurant in Kansas City called The Wish-Bone, serving chicken specialities and spicy salad dressings, made by his Sicilian mother.
Wholesome & straightforward

Nowadays, Hellmann's and its sister brands cover a range of products varying from mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard to salad dressings and table sauces. We are dedicated to offering simple, uncomplicated products, made from wholesome ingredients. Our products are convenient and simple to use, adding taste, texture and pleasure to your meal, whether at the dining table, barbecue, picnic or on the move.

Source: Unilever website

Vegetarian dining in Lyon

Toutes les Couleurs
26, rue Imbert Colomès, 69001
Terreaux (1er arrt) - Centre ville / Croix-Rousse

Come savor flavorful dishes, surprisingly original concoctions, in what used to be, long ago, a silk-weaver's workshop. 100% of the ingredients are certified organic. Here, vegetarianism is not about deprivation, but enrichment. A large selection of organic wines is available. At lunchtime, the plant-lined patio in our courtyard is open. Toutes les Couleurs is a non-smoking restaurant.

Open for lunch Tuesday thru Saturday and dinner Friday and Saturday.



Soline

89, rue Paul Bert, 69003
Part Dieu (3e arrt) - Rive gauche Rhône Centre and Sud

A fresh, tasty, international vegetarian and organic cuisine with menus that change every day. Take away or enjoy your meal in a relaxed, colorful and smoke free atmosphere. In the afternoon, Soline becomes a comfortable tea room and boutique with its fresh organic bread.

Soline also offers cooking workshops for both adults and children.

Open Monday thru Friday from 11:30am to 5:30pm and Thursday evenings until 9pm.

Waffle fries until June 22nd!

Our sources on the ground tell us there's a new fry in town and that it tastes just like Chick Fil A's waffle fries. You'd better hurry though! The Crousty Zik fries are available at Quick only until June 22nd.



Quick restaurants in Lyon:

367 rue Garibaldi 69007
8 pl Croix Rousse 69004
Centre Commercial Part Dieu 69003
163 cours Emile Zola, 69100 Villeurbanne

Bon appétit!

A nicer sounding alternative to "Dig in, folks!" is "Bon appétit!", a French phrase often used by English speakers. But saying it is one thing and actually having a good, or bon, dining experience in France is another. Beyond the language challenges, there are also cultural differences (dinner before 8pm - surely not!), table étiquette (bread on the table, not your plate) and the expectations of your dining companions to take into consideration.

There's no need to feel intimidated. Eating in France, whether at a restaurant or apéritifs with friends, can be a wonderful experience. Overcoming the challenges is easy if you have the right tools.

Bon Appétit ! is now available from the creators of Bien-dire magazine. With 13 years of experience, their multinational team includes specialist writers, language teachers, translators and native speakers. They work together to produce lively and well-structured language products which also develop awareness of cultural differences and equip you with the skills needed to have the très bonne experience you're wanting.

Bon Appétit ! is one of the Bien-dire Essentials, a range of audio leanring guides that caters to specific needs of learners of French and offers a wide choice of topics for different ages and levels. In 2008 the bestseller was Social Conversations in French, which will soon be available in a downloadable MP3 format from Language Routes.



As a follow-up for more advanced learners of French, Dialogues pour tous les jours and Conversations entre amis were released this morning. (That's right! Breaking news here at Lyon Eats!)

So what are you waiting for? Go have that très bonne experience!