When the wife got home from Paris she went straight for her suitcase to make sure that a certain bottle of smuggled cargo remained intact. In addition to a large supply of french sardines she managed to import a bottle of very strong, very authentic Absinthe. Oh, hell yeah!We planned well in advance to write a review of the most interesting looking tins to go with our illegally imported spirits.
The La Belle-Iloise Sardines in Olive Oil with green pepper corns were without a doubt the finest choice we could have made. All awesome looking packaging aside these fish were top notch.
Upon popping the can I was pleased to see four big ol' fish complete with skin and bones in a bath of nice looking olive oil with some little green pepper corns floating around in there. They tasted beautiful and clean and, I don't know if it were the pepper corns, had a hint of lime to them.I don't know if was the absinthe talking but I felt a sense of privilege to be in the same room with this tin of perfect sardines.
The Albert Menes Skinless Boneless Sardine Filets in Olive Oil. were a pale comparison to the previously mentioned tin. They were nice looking but lacked flavor. They could have used some salt in the very least. I imagine that these fish were intended to be used in cooking and not eaten out of the can.
The La Belle-Iloise Sardines in Olive Oil with green pepper corns were without a doubt the finest choice we could have made. All awesome looking packaging aside these fish were top notch.
Upon popping the can I was pleased to see four big ol' fish complete with skin and bones in a bath of nice looking olive oil with some little green pepper corns floating around in there. They tasted beautiful and clean and, I don't know if it were the pepper corns, had a hint of lime to them.I don't know if was the absinthe talking but I felt a sense of privilege to be in the same room with this tin of perfect sardines.
The Albert Menes Skinless Boneless Sardine Filets in Olive Oil. were a pale comparison to the previously mentioned tin. They were nice looking but lacked flavor. They could have used some salt in the very least. I imagine that these fish were intended to be used in cooking and not eaten out of the can.
Five tins for the LaBelle-iloise sadines. The others were so out shined that it is unfair to rate them at this time. The Absinthe was intense. So intense, in fact, that I had to shave my teeth the next morning.
Whoa, a 5-tinner! Those La Belle's look tres belle indeed!
ReplyDeleteThose look awesome.
ReplyDeleteBe careful with that absinthe. If you drink too much of it, you'll turn into a short guy in a fedora and a duster who reads in bars and won't shut up about the traditional way to drink absinthe.
Seen it happen, and it's not pretty.
Also, since the prohibition on Absinthe was repealed, there have been a few Oregon labels that are actually worth trying.
ReplyDeleteAnd a bunch that aren't.
Those fish look so good. Does anybody know of a store that carries the la belle-iloise in the SF Bay Area?
ReplyDeleteNew to my eyes, and if Hamachi's seen them , he's not telling.
ReplyDeleteI know some people who are going to be in Paris soon, so perhaps we can arrange a shipment?
Wow a 5-tinner!!!
ReplyDeleteI found them for sale online here, on the manufacturers web site, for 15.80€!!! Plus shipping.
Also, St. George Spirits in Alameda makes a really tasty Absinthe! I've got a tad left at home still ...
@Jefferson of course that site has no English version. I'll try to dredge up someone with French language skills to order.
ReplyDelete@A23 I'd like to go in on such a shipment. I consume a tin a day on average, and anything that can top Bon Appetit would be welcome.
@Arrr ... yeah, I kind of had to decipher it as best I could in order to figure out as much as I did. lol
ReplyDeleteI'll bet it's 15.80€ for 6 tins.
ReplyDelete+shipping.
Did anyone ever figure out how to get La Belle-Iloise in North America? I brought an assortment of six cans home from Nice last summer and find them unbeaten by anything offered locally.
ReplyDelete