Great taxi tips John, thanks!
We were in London a couple of weeks ago and my daughters had a great time hailing for a cab. It's the same system as in NY, the only queue is at the station, no hailing there.
And I have heard of Le Pain Quotidien, although I've never been to one. I guess they're more successfull abroad than they are in their homecountry.
I'm getting a bit anxious, still lots to do and I have to work till noon today. Thank God my husband is doing laundry today.
God, I hate laundry--but I'm very good at packing! Used to be, anyway.
Here's your successful compatriate (I'm in one of his restaurants at least once or twice a week):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Pain_QuotidienLe Pain QuotidienLe Pain Quotidien (The Daily Bread) is an international chain of café-style restaurants specializing in bakery items.
HistoryFounder
Alain Coumont opened
Le Pain Quotidien on 26 October 1990 at
16 rue Danseart in
Brussels, Belgium. As a young chef, Alain was dissatisfied with the quality of bread available in Brussels, so he began making his own, mixing flour, water and salt into the familiar loaves of his childhood. He furnished the store with cabinets scoured from antique stores and a large table purchased at a local flea market: the first Le Pain Quotidien’s many communal tables. Gradually, items were added to them menu to complement the bread, including pastries, salads, beverages, tartines (traditional, open-faced sandwiches) and specialty retail products.
MenuLe Pain Quotidien offers tartines, soups, salads, quiches, pastries and desserts. The menu includes vegan and vegetarian options.
InternationalLe Pain Quotidien currently operates 151 bakery-restaurants worldwide in 26 cities and 19 countries, including
Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, India, Germany, Turkey and the
United States (with a strong presence in
New York City and
Los Angeles).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_CoumontAlain Coumont (born 4 March 1961) is a Belgian chef and restaurateur, and founder of
Le Pain Quotidien.
Alain Coumont is the son and grandson of grocers. His grandmother ran a hotel in front of the train station in
Huy, Belgium. As a child in Belgium, Coumont spent countless hours perched on a chair, watching his grandmother make bread. Then, in 1977, after a voyage to the United States, where he was impressed by the success of
Michel Guérard, he abandoned his classical studies and enrolled in the
Hotel School of Namur in Belgium. After graduating, Coumont worked in a number of highly regarded restaurants including Michel Guérard (Eugenie Les Bains, France),
Georges Blanc (Vonnas, France) and
Joel Robuchon (Paris, France).
As a young chef in Brussels, Coumont could not find the right bread for his restaurant. Passionate about quality, he returned to his roots and opened a small bakery where he could knead flour, salt and water into the rustic loaves of his childhood. Coumont opened his bakery in
rue Antoine Dansaert in
Brussels in 1990, in those days an avant-garde quarter of Belgian fashion. He named his bakery “Le Pain Quotidien.” Brussels quickly took to the taste of this traditional bread. Alain evolved his offering to include simple salads and tartines, keeping bread the cornerstone of the menu. At a local flea market, Coumont found a long table where his guests could sit to eat together; it became Le Pain Quotidien’s first communal table.
Success was rapid and Coumont had numerous candidates who wanted to open other Le Pain Quotidien outlets. In the space of a few months, 10 locations opened in Brussels. Coumont then followed his dream to open restaurants in the United States. In 1997, Coumont opened his first store on Madison Avenue in New York City, which was an instant success. Shortly thereafter, he met a group of Belgian investors who backed his U.S. expansion plans. With this financial support, he opened several locations in New York City and later in Los Angeles.
Coumont currently serves as the Company’s Chief Creative Officer. In this role, he remains the driving force behind the brand’s dedication to organic ingredients. Coumont spends most of this time traveling to support the concept throughout the world. Coumont is also the co-founder of BioGhetto.com, which he established in 2005 with
Gilles Valeriani. The company produces a line of organic vins de pique-nique (picnic wines) under the RN13 label, which are produced in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. Coumont currently resides with his family in Clermont l'Hérault, France.