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Tuesday Night was our 3rd date night which means Andrew gets a break from Mom and Dad for a few hours. Lovella, our fantastic babysitter arrived, the little man was all smiles, so Mark and I set off for an evening in Les Halles.
Since being in France and the weeks leading up to our trip, we have read more restaurant reviews than I can keep track of. We got recommendations from travel blogs, French guidebooks, and friends who had either lived here or traveled here recently. My thinking was that, if I wasn't going to get anywhere with learning the language, I might as well have a plan for where I was going to get my next meal. And it can be overwhelming especially when you realize that you're in, what some people consider, the food mecca of the world. Even if you were to take away the cafes and bistros, and strip Paris down to just the basics - the boulangeries, patisseries and frommageries, you would not be hurting.
So with the overload of information, the limitations of eating out with a babe, and our own personal food preferences, we started looking for some common denominators. Frenchie was one particular restaurant that seemed to show up on everyone's list. A hot, young chef relatively new to the scene, a constantly changing seasonal menu, surprisingly affordable and located in a cute little neighborhood on an alley in the garment district. And of course, impossible to get into unless you make reservations 2 months in advance.
But, there is a but. Across that cute little alley street is an equally cute annex to Frenchie known as the Frenchie Bar a Vin. To get into its wine bar, which serves up the same menu as the big sister, you just need to get there when it opens at 7pm and hope the line isn't too long.
Fortunately, by now, Mark and I have the subway figured out well enough to land us across town and in front of Frenchie Bar a Vin to be 2nd in line for the evening. Once inside, the experience did not disappoint. A cozy little 2 room restaurant, dimly lit with communal tables and low ceilings, we were seated right next to the large window that looks into the tiny prep kitchen where we watched every single thing we were about to eat, be prepped right before our eyes. The 3 focused, yet entertaining chefs worked magically to prep some of the tastiest food combinations I've ever had.
I actually remembered to take pictures this time, which I seem to be forgetting to do once I sit down to eat, so you can check out the taste treats that we were able to savor. Veal carpaccio, fresh pea tortellini, smoked mackerel, poulet done so perfectly and with a combination of sides I would not have expected. Cranberry beans? Where can I find you at home? It was all delicious. We went against the norm and ordered two desserts instead of one because when in Rome, er Paris. Will I ever have rice pudding with salted caramel goodness mixed in?
After our lovely little dinner, we strolled down a mainway in Les Halles and stopped to have a drink at an outdoor cafe and do what it seems Parisians have mastered, people watch and take their time. I look forward to getting back to Frenchie someday soon. Maybe next time I'll give myself 2 months notice.
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