A Moveable Feast--Paris 1

I know everybody and their Uncle Bob has been to Paris but not everyone has the same experience. This little "blague" is about some of the food I savoured in this great epicurean capital. Anyone who knows me knows that eating is one of my biggest priorities so anticipation of the delights to follow was almost fever pitch.

Shortly after tossing our baggage into our little room at the Hotel Absolute in the 11th Arrondissment, we crossed the broad boulevard towards a small cafe called "La Grisette." The idea was just to order a simple sandwich. Well, the glorious baguette stuffed with country style pate was just so enticingly delicious to look at I was hesitant to take that first bite. Crusty baguette heaven! Mon Dieux! The texture! The flavour! Now, a healthy mouthful of that bourdeaux to wash it all down and.... ahhhhhhh! This is what lunch should be all about: simple food with great flavour in a comfortable environment and at a decent price. My baguette was only 4 euros and I would have happily paid more based on the freshness and flavour alone. The tradition of wine with meals is just plain good sense, but more on that in a bit.

I've always been a huge fan of onion soup and have tried it in many places over the course of many years but this was my first one in Paris. We selected a small, traditional eatery called "Perraudin" in the Latin Quarter on rue St Jacques which hasn't changed much since the turn of the 19th century. The place is an absolute delight from the moment you enter the front door. "Bon soir, Madame!" says the friendly male waiter, as he leads you to that perfect little table by the window. The food was so wonderful, we returned the next night to try more! The onion soup was perfectly savory with the cheese broiled on top to a perfect turn, the beef bourginon was brought to the table in a cast iron pot, set down and the lid lifted with a steamy flourish to reveal the tender beef swimming in a bath of rich gravy and tiny patates. Thick slices of crusty bread served to sop up the last precious drop! Just when you think you've died and gone to heaven, the waiter brings the dessert. The chocolate profiteroles topped with toasted almonds at Perraudin are reason enough to go. You talk about what you want for the last supper before you leave this earth?? I want those profiteroles. There is no way to describe their chocolaty perfection except to say...orgasmic!!! Now, I haven't described the lamb, the silky cheesiness of the scalloped potatoes or l'escargot, but I do have to mention the pate. The picture really doesn't do the pate any justice in terms of it's flavour when combined with the fruit compote and a sip of the recommended Monbazillac. That ten minutes of eating goes down in my personal history as the best eating minutes of my life and if eating like this kills me, I will go with pleasure.