THE LADY OF SHALLOTS

So, given that I bought a large amount of scallions and scapes at this last week's Union Square Farmer's Market , I thought it rather serendipitous that this recipe from Elly Says Opa! should pop up in my Google Reader feed today! I had lamb shoulder chops on hand, so I figured, why not? I threw together a quick recipe for the chops that would balance the sour/savory qualities of the "chimichurri." I used about 4 scapes instead of 2, and I had some sort of semi-dried pepper in the fridge, so that got pulverized in the food processor as well. As for the lamb chops (serves 2): 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 high quality lamb chops (mine were from Stillman's Farm) 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar rub chops with salt and sweet paprika on both sides heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet/pan over medium heat pan-fry chops until cooked through (about 8 min each side, depending on thickness of chops) just before the lamb is done, pour ...

No, I'm not joking. I've been to a lot of nice restaurants and have had some amazing meals, but while I was in Quebec City a few weeks ago, I had the PERFECT dinner. Where? Restaurant Initiale Rather unassuming from the outside, you might walk right by it. My husband had made a reservation there and we were surprised when they told us that 6:30 was the only seating available (this was a Wednesday evening, not at the height of tourist season). We soon found out why. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted graciously by the host, who was an elegant and classy woman whose responsibilities seemed like a cross between a host and a concierge. She showed us to our table and we soon understood that we were to be only one of four couples in the entire room for the rest of the evening. The room was dimly lit, but not so dark that we couldn't see our food, which would have been a tragedy given the presentation of each dish. We started with lovely cocktails (I had the Kir...