Good-Bye Duck Breast and Baguettes; Hello Burgers and Wonder Bread

For our last lunch in Paris, we splurged and waited in line for a tiny table at the highly praised Le Comptoir du Relais.  It was worth the wait.  Bill had lamb with cannellini beans and I had roast pork.  When I cut into the small disc of meat, it melted apart. It was served with lentils, and it was one of the best thing I've eaten during this trip.








For dessert we shared a pot of creme au chocolat, a rich mousse type chocolate mixture topped with a little cream.  It was served with a madeleine.
















After lunch we took a long walk from the Chapelle Expiatoire to our apartment.  We were surprised to find that we were unfamiliar with this route.  Among the new things we discovered was this statue, "Ste. Catherine," by Julien Lorieux.  These ladies look more flirtatious than saintly to me.

Since we leave tomorrow, and go to the airport before noon, I won't be posting again for this trip. Thanks to everyone who has followed the blog, and special thanks to those who have commented, either here or on Facebook.

Scallop Shells

First on today's agenda was lunch.  I had suggested a fish restaurant near rue de Buci.  It was tiny and crowded but the staff was very friendly and helpful.  Bill had an appetizer of grilled sardines, which he enjoyed a lot.










I got my favorite seafood, scallops.  It's the first time I've had them when they were still partially attached to the shell.  They came with pureed broccoli, and they tasted great.  As you can see, it's a very small serving, especially by American standards.

Bill got a fish called "maigre" and we're unable to figure out exactly what it is.  The waitress said it's a thin fish, but she couldn't be more specific.  It was served with black rice and radishes.

We shared a panna cotta for dessert.

Our plan had been to tour the garden of the residence of the prime minister.  It's scheduled to be open the first Sunday of each month.  However, when we got there we saw a sign saying the garden was closed due to a terrorist threat.  We ended up walking back to the Marais area.  On the way we passed a large building with beautiful carvings of grape clusters as well as ornate wrought iron balconies.

We saw a guy doing bicycle stunts on the bridge between Ile de la Cité and Ile St. Louis.  We headed home after picking up bread and cheese for the evening.

More Duck

There are only a few more days until we return home, so today we returned to one of our favorite restaurants, Le Petit Canard, for lunch.  I again had the sliced duck breast and Bill had duck à la orange.  I especially liked the mashed potatoes with chestnuts, topped with sauteed mushrooms.  I also thought that wrapping the green beans with smoked duck was a nice touch.














After lunch we went to the candy store À l'Etoile d'Or to make a few purchases and I got a photo with the owner, Denise Acabo.  She's very chatty, no matter how limited your French, and she always wears her hair in pigtails and dresses like an English schoolgirl, even though she is well into her seventies.  Her shop is very dangerous if you're concerned about your finances or your waistline.




Bill needed something to read so we made a stop at the English language bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, which has been an institution in Paris for many years.  The original Shakespeare and Company was a gathering place for writers such as Hemingway, Pound, and Joyce.  It closed permanently during the German occupation.  The current Shakespeare and Company was named in its honor and opened in 1951.