Jour Deux

Day Two: The Day of Blending In

Scarves are very much a thing in Paris. We saw quite a few being worn by both men and women. And so Julia, as a member of the Sisterhood of the Travelling Scarf, knew she would blend in and look just like a native Parisienne.

The Travelling Scarf has now been here.

As for myself, well, it would take more effort. We have seen no Parisians wearing berets. We did see two other people wearing berets the previous day; both turned out to be American.

Omlette du frommage…

Today was to be a laid back day, with one sight planned to see though yet to be chosen, and one dinner reservation preexisting. Between those two things, we planned to simply stroll, and to stop somewhere for a small bite.

***

Paris has a fantastic metro system, and we had planned to make use of it today. To that end, we purchased a packet of ten metro tickets for €14 at a Tabac across the street from our hotel. A Tabac  is an establishment that sells tobacco, lottery tickets, sim cards (as a reseller), and metro tickets. They are identifiable by a distinct sign, and are conveniently quite common.

It is possible to get metro passes for €25 that alleviate the need to purchase tickets. However, the passes expire after a week, and we would be leaving Paris tomorrow, to return in a few days. Also, the passes cannot be shared. The tickets, on the other hand, could be shared between us as needed, and did not expire. This approach is working out very well – tip of the hat to Rick Steves!

The Kiss, study in plaster

We selected for our destination Les Jardins Du Musee Rodin. Our concierge had advised that renovations to the main building in which the museum was housed had been completed and that the full museum was available to tour. Upon our arrival, however, we learned this was not so – the main exhibits were closed – although there was a gallery we could visit, as well as the gardens.

Balzac studies

Balzac

We did not know what we would find there, but decided to go ahead and see what we could.

Gates of Hell studies

Gates of Hell

We are both very glad we did. The gallery contained studies and descriptive materials for some of his best known works.

Thinker, study in plaster

In the gardens we found installations of original castings of those same works.

The Thinker

***

It was early afternoon by the time we wrapped things up at the museum, and we set off on foot toward the river to find a bite to eat.

Escargot again, because they are just so incredibly tasty. Green beans because vegetables are important, though God only knows why.  And a planche de charcuterie, which most accurately translates in this particular instance to “platter of pig”. There were both lighter and darker pig bits, porc rillettes (little bowl thingy of pig salad), and a slice of leftover-pig-part-loaf. There were salami bits also.

All of the meat products, accompanied of course by chunks of baguette, were delicious. But what we are discovering is that it’s often the small things we notice about the food. After taking a bite of something, Julia mused that pickles would be a perfect accompaniment – just before noticing the pickles on the platter. The pickles were themselves something we hadn’t seen before; a combination of sweet and dill - in the very same pickle!!1!11!!! There was also a small container of some kind of Dijon mustard on the table, with just the right piquancy to set off the salty meat.

We stuffed our faces, and made moaning noises. We were sitting outside on the sidewalk, but another couple was just inside next to us, through the glass. I was sure that whenever they happened to observe us, they were thinking, “Yup Americans.” We paid, stood up, and left. As we walked to the corner to cross the street to a metro station, a man ran up to us, “Monsieur! Monsieur!!”, and advised us, in French, that I had left my vest over the back of my seat. It was the man from the couple on the other side of the glass. The kicker was, they were American. Apparently, they thought I was French.

So, evidently I do look like a Frenchman, albeit an addlepated one.

***

We returned to our hotel room to nap off the rest of the jet lag, and then get ready for dinner. We have reservations on four evenings, one of which was tonight. On this night, we had reservations for Cinq-Mars.

For starters, champagne and Lagavulin 16. Julia went for the foie gras, and I let my chevre freak flag fly.

The foie gras was accompanied by marinated fig, and a ramekin of something gelatinous that had the dense flavour of beef. The foie gras itself was subtle in flavour, and to me had an initial impact reminiscent of a light fruit jam – before the umami kicked in. The goat cheese was served on a bed of grilled pepper, mushroom, and eggplant.

For the mains, Julia ordered lamb-pops, and I got fillet. I had wanted the tartare, but was informed that was unavailable. To accompany, a 2008 Echezeaux grand cru, from Domaine des Perdrix.

The shanks were served with grilled zucchini. They were quite mellow – not as gamey as we had expected, though the crisped lamb fat added just the right pungent accent. The fillet was served with a cream pepper sauce. This sauce was, was… tremendously understated, yet the perfect accompaniment. I don’t have the food words. We both agreed it was the best of its kind we had ever had. I used the leftovers for gravy on my potatoes. We almost asked if we could have a bowl of it for dessert. The Burgundy was soft and full. If the lamb were gamier or the sauce for the fillet more bold, it might have been overpowered. But as it was, it was perfect. Lithe and mellifluous. Because wine can be those things.

Of note, we both were pretty impressed by the… mashed potatoes. They tasted fresh, which I thought was a strange thing to think about potatoes. Yet it was true; they tasted bright and happy.

For dessert we chose Mont Blanc, a chestnut puree topped with whipped cream, and chocolat mousse. With espresso, and moar champagne, because we had absolutely no resistance or sensibilities remaining.

Seriously. That's a #10 bowl full of chocolat mousse, with a serving spoon stuck in it. What would YOU do?

The chocolat mousse was billed on the menu as Never Ending, and when it arrived we understood. As it turned out, we were only able to finish roughly a quarter of it. So, we failed at food, and we will have to try again soon.