Thursday, August 28, 2008

Nicole's Gourmet Foods

It’s not quite Montparnasse, but Meridian Avenue offers South Pas a little taste of France . First, there is the lovely Bistro de la Gare – my favorite French café – and right next door is Nicole’s Gourmet Foods. If it’s French and fabulous: Nicole’s carries it. We’re talking pates, caviar, foie gras, truffles, duck confit, olives, butter, chocolates, wines (of course!) and literally hundreds and hundreds of cheeses. You can also find some delightful oils and vinegars, baked goods and a yummy array of soups, salads and sandwiches. Nicole Grandjean and her son Steven opened their first spot in Pasadena in 1996. Lucky for South Pas, they moved here in 2001.

This jeune fille seemed unimpressed with the many varieties of brie but appeared content to munch on some potato chips. Mais naturellement!

25 comments:

Julie said...

Those eyes are just fabulous. I suspect that are in response to the emptiness of the upturned chip tray rather than to you taking her photograph. The little ballet shoes are to treasure!

Even though this is a "busier" image than your library one, it is still obvious where you are expecting our eye to go first. I am not really sure why this image works - but it does.

Webradio said...

Hello !

Vey pretty photo "black & white"...

USelaine said...

Not so many French delicacies in Willits, but it would be soooo easy to over-patronize such a place. I'll just do so vicariously...

M. CHRISTOPHE said...

I could believe this picture was took in France...Nice catch and good idea this post treatment in B&W

Jim Klenke said...

The little girl is cute. I am interested in the Belgan Chocolate written on the window.

Layrayski said...

nice b&w photo of a busy cafe... that little girl is just adorable.

Virginia said...

Love this street scene Laurie. So much to look at. The two shops sound fab. Wish I could grab you and go inside!

Rob said...

Street scenes like this are what I enjoy about traveling. Cute child, I like her culinary defiance. ;)

Hilda said...

She's a cutie! The café and shop sound fabulous.

Now that I think about it, I haven't heard about having a French gourmet shop here in Metro Manila. Italian and Spanish, yes, but not French. Strange.

Sharon said...

I love the way she's totally engrossed in her chips and so totally detached from the grown-up conversations.

Anonymous said...

Laurie, it is amazing how well you capture the poignancy of everyday scenes. Of course the little girl is adorable... but sitting alone in the white glow of her clothing, ignored by the adults above her, she becomes a metaphor for the loneliness of childhood. C'est expressif!

Victor said...

Another brilliant moment. You're working on a book right? Bravo!

Meead said...

She's looking at you.

Knoxville Girl said...

Everyone is so involved with their food, except for the girl - who is making eye contact with you. That's what makes the picture memorable for me. Also the thought of pate & wine. sigh.
Thanks for your recent comments on my blog - it means a lot to me that you would take the time to write such thoughtful replies.

Unknown said...

This is an absolutely perfect photo! Amazing!

Profile Not Available said...

I just adore the expression on her face! I also enjoyed enlarging the photo and looking at each of the patrons one by one! Excellent scene you captured!

Anonymous said...

L, your, "...a little taste of France", reminds me of my, "A little taste of Provence."

Actually, a client from the south of Pas (i mean, France) had a French bistro which used this line as their, i guess, slogan.
Even celebs like Madonnaaa visited our WLA cafe.

That's another nice bw (no, not ben weiderman!). Just imagining how it would look under golden shades....

Columbo said...

I wish we had Nicole's up here, everything sounds yummy. Great B&W shot to capture the feeling.

Laurie Allee said...

Thanks, everyone! This little girl captured my heart when I saw her munching that chip. It's only fair that I captured this picture, right?

Judy Williams said...

I love that this could be in Europe but isn't. Love the little girl sitting on the curb. Makes me want to go read Camus or Voltaire. hee hee

Great composition and contrast.

Patrizzi Intergarlictica said...

Laurie,

I'm so glad you blogged this. I was across the street from Nicole's a couple of days ago and I had never noticed the place before. I was going to take a picture and blog but it was too early in the morning and no one was there. I vowed to go back for a late summer late afternoon repast.

Your photo reminds me of a modern photo version of Renoir's The Boating Party.

Jane Hards Photography said...

I became so tansfixed with your writing that I almost lost sight of the image.It's haunting, or should I say the litlle girl is. It's almost as if you see her we see her but the others in the image don't, so is she really there. pw an images an be so different to each of us.

Eki said...

Hi Laurie,
Thank you for your kind words you left on my yesterday's post.

The picture for this post would not upload in my computer. :( (probabaly it's just my slow internet). But those are really thought-provoking questions.

I like the candid moment you captured on yesterdays's post. That's the kind of moment I would look for in my photography too.

Dixie Jane said...

Amazing photograph. It could have been taken in 1930. She is all I see with her piercing eyes, Mary Jane shoes and seemingly belongs to nobody. It took a second and third look to see anyone else in the picture even though they are lost in a vast array of food and wine. Now that takes talent.

Laurie Allee said...

Jude, you wre walking ahead of me when I shot this!

Miss Havisham -- The Boating Party! Yes! I couldn't put my finger on it but I was reminded of that painting, too!

Babooshka, thanks. I'm such a fan of your work so i really appreciate your kind words.

Eki, I always love having you here. I wonder why the picture wouldn't load? Maybe blogger is having issues again...

Dixie-Mom, I thought of you when I captured this.