France Day 1 - Americans in Paris

So after an uneventful and unrestful overnight flight, I landed in Paris and headed to the hotel. Finally met up with RRR & Mitch and we decided to head to Chez Catherine for lunch. We were at the end of the lunch crowd and the restaurant was filled with Parisian businessmen but not for long...

We settled into a table near the front and eventually won over the heart of our server, Cyril.

RRR & Mitch (the wine gurus) chose a 2004 St Joseph Bordeaux and we started our lunch off with the following appetizers:

mushroom carpaccio - plain, simple and delicious. Thinly sliced mushrooms topped with peppercorns, tomatoes, olives, walnuts, and scallions brought together with a light coated of olive oil.

fricasse de girolles (mushroom fricasse) - sauteed mushrooms of various types and again plain, simple and delicious - no ingredient overpowered the freshness of the mushrooms.

tartare de tomatoes et fenuil crouquat mousse lecere a la ricotta glace aux herbes - this tomato tartare looked like tuna tartare but was a bountiful blend of fresh veggies - the basil mousee was the most interesting part of this dish, it was chilled almost to a desert-like status.

For our mains - Mitch went with raie aux framboises et vinaigrede framboise and was a bit disappointed simply in the amount of bones in the skate. Not the best way to start a dining extravaganza but read on, she made up in cheese what she lost in bony fish.

RRR chose filet mignon de pore aux fleurs de courgettes farcias - filet mignon with zucchini flowers. The zucchini flowers were stuffed and the standout item on this plate.


And I went with one of my favorites as you will see as our journey continues
magret decarnord aux figues pommes allumettes - duck breast with figs and fries.
The sweetness of the figs which were beautifully roasted and presented on a stick of rosemary were the perfect accompaniment to the duck which was perfectly cooked medium rare. The meat was pink on the inside, soft but not overly chewy and not gamey, just the way it should be. The fries had just enough crispiness without being burnt and just enough salt not to be overseasoned.





Mitch made up for her entree with a whirl around Chez Catherine's fantastic cheese plate offerings, our first of many experiences with the wonderful world of French cheeses. I think we shocked the waiter a bit by asking for tastes of just about ALL of the cheeses they brought by on the cart - I'm sure the Parisian businessmen don't chow down like this, pass around tastes of everything so they all can taste and take photos of their meal along the way, but hey, we were excited and wanted to sample & discuss everything!

By the end of the meal we were joking and laughing with Cyril & the maitre d' who were telling us about some good vintages of Beaujolais and hoped we'd return to Paris at the end of our trip with a special bottle or two for them. They also gave us some recommendations of good non-touristy restaurants worth a look in Paris.

After lunch, we searched and searched and searched and finally found a chocolatier that RRR had read about La Maison du Chocolat. The saleswoman was no fool, she knew a chocolate junkie (that would be me) when she spotted one and after some chatting about the beauty that is chocolate we all bought a few pieces to enjoy during the week. The whole place seemed vaguely familiar and then the salewoman asked me if I was from New York and told me they had a shop on the Upper East Side! And to add insult to injury, they were present at a chocalate tasting and panel discussion I had gone to at the 92nd St Y a few months back! Oh well senior moment aside - excellent chocolate in two countries - not a waste of time!

By this point, jet lag had set in so after a jaunt down the Champs de Elysses and a visit to the Arc de Triomphe, we decided to pass on dinner and catch up on some sleep. So we called it a day and got some rest for our first FULL day in Paris!

There's a lot more eating and drinking to do and we've only just begun to dine!