Saturday, March 21, 2009

Eating in Paris





What would a day in Paris be with no mention of food? So, breakfast. The hotel where I'm staying sets out a buffet that goes far beyond the usual "continental" to include granola, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. 
  Lunch, because I only had the afternoon free, was a quick ham on baguette. 
   I snapped these seafood and quiche closeups through a store window. Couldn't you just dive right into that salmon thing or, indeed, the little scallop number on its right? 
  Dinner was a recommendation from the concierge. "A bistro but nice and within walking distance," was the Cinq-Mars, empty when we arrived a bit before eight, rocking by the time we left. 
   The menu was classic. I has eggs, "grandma" fashion which meant poached in cream with chopped chives on top. Let's hear it for French grandmas. My friend's was a lentil salad with crisp bacon on top. She moved on to a plate of grilled squid. Show me the word "rognons" on a menu and I'm there. These were large chunks on a large plate in a zippy grainy mustard sauce with a separate dish of mashed potatoes. Cheese for her, fromage blanc for me, coffee and back to the hotel.
   P.S. The post-war, I'm guessing, bungalow is a vintage photograph. A basketful of different photos sat on the bar. The restaurant simply stamped its particulars on the back. How chic is that.

 

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