The Pairing by Casey McQuiston
Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other's lives once and for all.
Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but ― yeah. It's in the past.
All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.
It's not until they board the tour bus that they discover they've both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they're trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It's fine. There's nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game.
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Along with his uncle Jay, James Paré is co-owner and operator of two other Whistler restaurants, Quattro and Caramba Beef tartare and bone marrow. Brent Harrewyn photo Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. With Lorette Brasserie, Whistler's restaurant scene is expanding with rich, hearty servings of Quebecois cuisine. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors 'Our impression was that there was nothing really like this in Whistler,' said Lorette co-owner James Paré. 'People will do French or whatever, but no one is really doing what we're doing. And I feel like the culture is growing. Customers are becoming more aware and more excited to try different things. We have some unique flavours and some items that people are excited to try, and maybe not just one night, but maybe a couple nights in a row.' Along with his uncle Jay, James is co-owner and operator of Lorette's parent company, Paré Restaurant Group, which includes two other Whistler restaurants, Quattro and Caramba. Caramba serves European-inspired comfort food, including steak, duck, and pasta, while Quattro is Italian. For their new restaurant, the Parés wanted to draw on their Quebecois heritage. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The recently opened Lorette Brasserie brings hearty, rich food in the Quebecois tradition to Whistler. Brent Harrewyn photo 'We knew cretons for sure would be on the menu, and that tourtière was going to be on the menu,' James said. Cretons, a pork paté with pear served on toast, was a favourite of his when he was a kid, Jay said. 'Tourtière was something we had usually at breakfast time and special occasions.' A traditional French Canadian meat pie, the Lorette version of tourtière is made with suckling pig, confit duck, 'grandma's ketchup' and pan-seared foie gras. However, it's temporarily off the menu, probably until fall. 'It's such a heavy dish,' James said. Other plates include rillettes, a cured salmon spread served on crostini; petites pois à la Francaise, a braised peas and lettuce dish with lardons, baby gem, and lemon cream; coquilles St. Jacques, scallops and morels with comté and pomme purée; and beef tartare and bone marrow. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Endive with Fuji apples, bleu d'elizabeth, herbs, and walnut vinaigrette is one of the hare plates on the menu at Lorette Brasserie. Brent Harrewyn photo Trained in the classical French culinary arts, James developed the menu with Lorette head chef Shane Sluchinski for six months before the Parés opened the doors on April 26. 'We did a lot of tastings, with Jay and myself, and we did a lot of collab that way as well, where we kind of just cooked food, tried it, and said, 'Oh, that'll be great with a nice Pinot Noir' or whatever,' James said. 'We were always trying to think of what that was going to look like. We haven't had to make a ton of tweaks, because we cooked so much of it.' The wine list is petite. 'We wanted to keep it nice and tight while appeasing all palates,' Jay said. 'It's predominantly French, with some BC wines that are French-focused as well.' Signature libations include the Montreal Margarita (Altos Plata tequila, china china, lemon lime, sea buckthorn cordial) and Lorette Fizz (Citadelle Jardin d'Ete, a French gin, with Lillet Blanc, lime, honeyed Riesling, and elderflower orange blossom foam). For beer, the brasserie is pouring an exclusive, a full-bodied, layered blanc from Whistler's Coast Mountain Brewing. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We were down at a Seahawks game with Kevin [Winter, co-owner of Coast Mountain] last year,' James said. 'And he just said, 'Hey, I want to brew a beer for you guys.' When we tasted it for the first time, we were stunned.' Family photos, including one of Jay's mother who was Canada's first certified female ski instructor, add to the chic rustic charm of the restaurant's interior. She helped inspire the brasserie's name. 'My late mom's name was Lorene, and Jay's mom's middle name was Loretta. We were sitting at the bar one day and Jay said, 'What about Lorette?' And I was like, 'Oh my God, I love it. So we stuck with that from that point forward.' Another notable Paré is Jessica, who is perhaps best known for her role in Mad Men as the character Don Draper's French-Canadian wife Megan, the actor is one of the many cousins that show up for the annual 200-strong Paré Labour Day family reunion in Quebec. 'She needs to endorse us,' said James. 'We need to get her here.' Read More
