Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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Shopping in the food market at Saint Germain was downright fun yesterday. The two butchers were in a jovial mood, and we left there with smiles on our faces. Everyone the market was so pleasant. That visit to the Marché Saint Germain was perhaps our last for the season; what a good final impression! We had a little more work to do at the computers after our marketing, and then it was nearly time for dinner. I checked into LaFourchette.com, and found a highly rated little restaurant nearby, on the rue de Medicis, called Le Petit Medicis. Four-hundred and some reviews with an average rating of 9.5! That’s incredible, I thought. We must try it! Icing on the cake was that via LaFourchette.com, Le Petit Medicis offers a 20 percent discount. I reserved in time for us to have a walk in the Luxembourg Gardens before dinner. We had almost completed a round through the gardens, when I realized we hadn’t really looked at the photo exhibit in the picnic shelter structure (that never has picnic tables in it). The subject of the display is what happened to the Luxembourg Palace, home of the Senate, at the end of the WWII occupation of Paris. Interesting images.
As we examined the photos, the guards began to blow their whistles, telling us all that the park was about to close. It was time to leave. We exited at the east gate and then walked along the sidewalk, admiring the nature photographs now on display on the park’s beautiful fence. The photographic show is sponsored by Biotope, a French ecological engineering company. The images were by Philippe Martin, who uses a digital technique called hyper-focus. The photos of creatures – many reptiles, and many insects – were gorgeous. A special edition book, called Hyper Nature, contains images from this exhibition and is being sold for 30 euros.
When we reached the beginning of the rue de Medicis, we crossed the street and found the little restaurant at number 13, right next to a bookstore that still had books stacked on tables under the awning out front. We were warmly greeted, and our name seemed to be recognized. It must be because of those “stars” on LaFourchette that the Coté Bergamote server told us about, I thought. Throughout the dinner, I was impressed by the boss and the server. They were so genuinely helpful, especially to the table of six Scottish people who came without a reservation. They gave excellent explanations, in English, so that this well-dressed bunch of Brits could make wise choices. We were given a mis en bouche of cod fish spread on toasts to munch on while we perused the menus. We had to ask for the French language menus, and that was a good idea; later, when I looked over the English language menu, I found it to be very confusing and not adequately descriptive of the restaurant’s delicious offerings. I’d noticed that the foie gras was a specialty of the house, so we started by sharing an order of that. It was heavenly. This would be an excellent place for someone to try foie gras for the first time. Loved those diced peaches that came with this dish!
My main course was a magret de canard, and Tom’s was a tasty beef Carpaccio, which was accompanied by first-rate fries, served piping hot. The duck slices were delicious and perfectly cooked, and the sauce was excellent. The accompanying puréed potatoes were as good as can be, and generous; I could only consume half of them. Even so, the food was so good that we both decided to order dessert. Tom’s was the dessert of the day, a fig and raspberry concoction with a little scoop of ice cream. It was good, but he wished he’d taken the server’s suggestion and ordered the millefeuille instead. I had a moelleaux au chocolat, which was delicious. But in both desserts, the little scoop of ice cream was a bit disappointing because of ice crystals in it. But that was a minor detail. Overall, we adored this restaurant, and its food. The service was delightful. The dining room was like a Beaux Arts jewel box, with its curvy dark wood trim, mirrored panels, ornate plaster moldings, and Lalique glass light fixtures. And the location, right across the Luxembourg Gardens, is perfect and picturesque. The walk home was just the right length. We slept well after that fine repast, and this morning awoke to the news that Air France has abandoned its plans with the low-cost Transavia airlines. However, this has not yet meant the end of the pilots’ strike. I’m confused about why it hasn’t. We are now being told that all Air France passengers between now and September 30 have about a 50-50 chance of their flights being cancelled. Will we depart on Sunday or not? On va voir.
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Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Image of a damselfly from the Hyper Nature exhibition on
the fence of the Luxembourg Gardens.
Interior of the restaurant Le Petit Medicis.
I adore Lalique glass.
This chandelier graces the dining room at Le Petit Medicis.
The beef Carpaccio with mozarella and Parmesan, with fries
(above), and the magret de canard
(below).
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