WHAT DO YOU TAKE WITH YOU WHEN A FRIEND INVITES YOU TO DINNER? I found the solution to this a few years ago when I was in London with two of my daughters. You can certainly bring a bouquet of flowers, but that never seemed very original–nice, but not very exciting. You can certainly take wine–but I don’t know anything about wine, so that won’t work. You can take a book like the one you are currently reading and hope they are excited to read the kinds of things you like to read. Or………..
My two daughters Andrea and Kimberly are normally late. They are two sisters who like to be together laughing and giggling as “serious” sisters always do. Even as children it was a job to get them moving in the mornings. They would prefer to miss breakfast than to be on time. Well, nothing has changed over the years. I have no idea what they talk about except it must be funny. Mrs. Moore and I were staying in a flat in St. James’s, and the two girls were staying in a studio in Egerton Gardens. I knew the best plan was for me to collect them each morning; otherwise, I would be waiting until noon.
The first day of the trip, I went to Egerton Gardens, and no one was home. But, in about ten minutes, here came the two girls. The next morning, they were fifteen minutes late, and the third morning, they were half an hour late. I expressed my mild displeasure, but I knew it would do no good. So, I told the girls I would collect them at 10:00 am knowing I was going to their studio at 9:00am to figure out what this lingering tardiness was all about. I arrived at 9:00am promptly, just as the two girls were leaving their flat. I asked them where they were going. They said: COME ON, DAD, YOU WILL LOVE IT.
We walked around the block, out of Egerton Gardens on our way to Harrods. About two blocks before Harrods, the girls arrived at a pastry shop and said LOOK AT THAT, DAD. Before my hungry eyes were layers and layers of pastries and gateaux like I had never seen before.
Of course, next I heard: COME ON, DAD. So we went in and ordered breakfast. But, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the patisseries. I had a small breakfast but I had a very large croissant covered and filled with almonds and powdered sugar. Well, I was hooked. I ordered three croissants to take back to my wife who was impatiently waiting for us. We arrived back to St. James’s, walked into the house and said: LOOK AT THIS. Well, no anger after that.
Since then, when any of our family members are invited to friends’ houses for dinner, we go to Patisserie Valerie for a cake, a patisserie, gateaux, or a huge mound of chocolate cake. I can assure you we have never been turned away.
Since that time, I have noticed that several Patisserie Valerie shops have popped up all over London. I have seen one in Duke of York Square, in Belgravia, in Mayfair, and in Covent Garden. The pastries are works of art, and I like seeing them as well as having a nice, big cream puff. A few years ago, Maureen Walker, our long-time friend and one of our best drivers, had a daughter who was getting married. I offered to buy the cake. Maureen and I went to Patisserie Valerie to see what they could create. All I can say is it was like something out of a fairy tale.
Find the local Patisserie Valerie on the internet, and add a few dimensions to your life. I had a piece of their cream puff cake, and I can still taste all that “puff,” cream, and chocolate. OH DEAR, everything is either, illegal, immoral, or fattening. Have a fresh almond croissant; it isn’t illegal or immoral, but IT IS FATTENING, but worth the calories and the memories. Your hosts will really appreciate you if you show up with a PATISSERIE VALERIE GATEAU.
What a lot of fun.
TOM
http://www.londonconnection.com