Winter's Here

Well, we were off from school yesterday, so one of the other students, Kimon, from Greece, and I decided to meet and explore a little. It was a beautifully sunny day, but damned if it wasn't ice cold. There was a chill breeze blowing through town that left the sky clear and blue and our skin similarly so.

Kimon and I took a walk over to the Grand Epicerie, associated with Le Bon Marche department store. It really is an amazing food store - kind of like a prettier and more full-service and larger version of Dean & Deluca. Fabulous produce, cheese, meats, fish, condiments, etc. plus a huge selection of beautiful prepared foods.

Afterwards, we sought out a Zagat recommendation for a typical brasserie - Balzar - for an early dinner. I had the Raie (Skate wing) in brown butter with a side of steamed potatoes (shockingly delicious for steamed food) and steamed spinach. All very competently prepared and tasty, but not cheap (40E/person and only I had a glass of wine, we shared a bottle of water, and no dessert or salads), and, perhaps not surprising given our early dining hour (near 6PM) and the Zagat recommendation, it was filled to the rafters with Les Américaines! Pas pour mois, merci.

Walking home after dinner, the city was alight and alive...and although I haven't yet figured out how to take a steady night shot without a tripod, the stunning view of the Pont Neuf over the Seine was yet another reminder of why I keep returning again and again.


Have a good weekend, all!