While in Paris, most of our dining was in cafes; as stated in the previous post, it was much cheaper than going in a restaurant. It also lessened the pressure of having an actual meal, especially if we weren't feeling too hungry. For our anniversary, however, we went to two different restaurants: The Restaurant at the Musee d'Orsay for lunch (which was planned) and Le Hangar for dinner (which was unplanned).
Needless to say, I was VERY excited that we would get to celebrate our anniversary in Paris (especially since I tend to choose French restaurants on our anniversaries!). I chose the Musee d'Orsay as our activity for the day, as it is a museum that features many of my favorite artists, such as Degas, Monet, Renoir and Rodin (extra important, as our very first date was a visit to the Rodin exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery). My guidebooks recommended going to the Restaurant for their set lunch, which includes a main and a dessert. We headed upstairs to the Restaurant after visiting most of the main floor of the museum (we finished going through the museum after our meal).
The dining space is stunning. The mural on the roof is simply breathtaking, and you have great views of the city through the many windows. We ordered the same main for lunch (quail with tagliatelle tossed with chopped tomatoes and greens), but chose different desserts (hubby had the pecan brownie and I would get to choose my dessert from the dessert cart).
The quail was quite tasty, as was the tagliatelle. The pasta tasted incredibly fresh and light. However, after having the superb chicken from Dinner by Heston Blummenthal's the previous week, it definitely wasn't the best poultry we've had in a restaurant. Not a miss, but not a hit out of the park either. My dessert definitely redeemed the meal; I had a choice of several different cakes and pies, and went with the framboisine. It is a layer cake with raspberries and cream. The cake was very light and fluffy, and the cream and raspberries gave that extra little pop. Overall, it was a lovely meal, but it left me wishing for a little more.
The restaurant is tucked away in a little alley, and is right next to the Jardin Anne Frank. We were able to walk right in; reservations are put outside, whereas walk-ins go inside. We were put right by the entrance and by the window, so we were able to people watch a little during our meal. The waitress was very friendly and answered any questions we had right away. The interior of the restaurant is very cosy and warm, almost like being in someone else's home for dinner. The menu is probably the most authentic you can get for a true French restaurant: it is handwritten, which basically means that the menu changes with the seasons and ingredient availability.
Once we ordered our meals, the waitress gave us a small plate with olive tapenade and baguette toasts. I'm not a huge fans of olives, but the tapenade was very nice and smooth. Hubby was shocked that I was even eating the stuff!
Our mains arrived fairly quickly after we've gotten through most of the toast and tapenade. Hubby ordered the beef stroganoff and I ordered the duck parmentier with foie gras, which is basically a duck shepard's pie. I didn't know what parmentier actually was until it came to our table. I immediately wondered "Where's my duck?", but quickly got my answer after my first bite. The duck in my parmentier was HEAVEN: so tender and flavorful, and the foie gras gave that extra punch of flavor to the dish overall. The mashed potatoes topping were the fluffiest and smoothest potatoes I've ever had in a restaurant. They made me wish that I could replicate that with my own mashed potatoes at home! Hubby gave me a small bite of his stroganoff: WOW. The sauce was so smooth and flavorful, and the beef just melts in your mouth. His mushrooms were just bursting of the beef and sauce goodness. Easily the best stronganoff that I've had in a restaurant!
For dessert, I decided to have some good 'ol creme brulee (this one was infused with saffron) and hubby had their crepes a l'orange et Grand Marnier. My brulee was delish; the saffron was very subtle and gave just that little bit of spice to the dish overall. Plus, it's fun to give that first crack of the sugar crust with your spoon! Hubby gave me a bite of his crepes, which were bursting with orange-y goodness. To end the meal, we were given a small plate of tiny cookies and bite-size fudge. One cookie was a yummy little Florentine, the other was like a chocolate chip cookie, but without chips. The fudge was VERY yummy, just the right balance of chocolate and cream together.
Overall, I'm so glad we decided to go here for dinner. This restaurant is a little French treasure for sure!
Here's the meal plan for the week. I didn't make the risotto, but I will make it for this week. I decided to up the ante on my mac & cheese dish by using just a smidge of white truffle oil, which we bought in Paris (more on that in next week's post!) Yum! Enjoy the long weekend and happy cooking all!
September 1-6th
Sunday: Oven-BBQ brisket, mashed potatoes, veggies
Monday: Risotto with carrot, sausage & red pepper
Tuesday: Chicken strips, fries
Wednesday: Corn chowder (new recipe)
Thursday: Linguine with white clam sauce
Friday: Steak, mashed potatoes, veggies