Les Philosophes

For dinner, we ambled across the Seine into the Marais, where they not only have the best falafel in town but a lovely little restaurant called Les Philosophes.
My duck was superb: moist, deeply savory, and with that crunchy skin I love so much! The chef had paired it with a cracked pepper and honey sauce as well as a simple salad and frites. Yum! Cecco, of course, had the lovely tuna steak with curry sauce over rice and little mounds of mushrooms, roasted peppers, and eggplant. One of the best things about going to dinner with your friends is sharing each other's food -- so I can say with confidence that his dish was delicious. Here are some pictures...they really capture the vibrancy of the meal.

شاي بالنعناع

Is that my rag-tag Italian alley cat dragged in from the streets?
Yes, Cecco finally made it home after his long Mardi Gras weekend. But Cecco, baby, I don't think the Madonna is going to help you now!


Luckily, I know something else that might: Mint tea!

One of the first times I was in Paris my girlfriend Janae and I wandered over to La Grande mosquée de Paris where the sun peeks through the trees of the blue and white tiled courtyard and sparrows flutter up to take bits of baklava from your fingers. It was the first time I tried that magical North African brew, mint tea. Janae promises it works wonders for digestion (and hangovers too, Cecco!), but I drink it just because it tastes so good.

Here's a recipe so you can try it for yourself:

Mint tea*

10 fresh mint sprigs, plus 4 for garnish
3 teaspoons green tea
3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for serving
4 cups water
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Bring water to a bare boil. Pour a small amount in teapot with the green tea and swish around to warm the pot and "clean" the tea leaves. Pour this water out, retaining the tea leaves. Combine the mint and green tea and sugar in the teapot, then fill it with the rest of the hot water. Let tea brew, stirring the leaves once or twice, for 3 minutes. Pour tea through a tea strainer into glass teacups to serve. Garnish with pine nuts and remaining 4 sprigs of mint, passing more sugar for guests to sweeten the tea to their tastes.

Mardi Gras!

I wondered: What would Mardi Gras be like in Paris? Would there be a parade? Drunken co-eds? Would they be bartering beads for flesh? Would the venerable lenses of "Girls Gone Wild" be there to capture it all for posterity? Most importantly, would I be able to get one of those giant plastic green alien cups? And if I did, would it have a beret?

These questions have followed me since last week -- when I came across what seemed to be a Mardi Gras call-to-arms plastered against one of the walls along the rue de la Roquette. But the poster was elusive...prominently featuring a large red dancing cow in a shower of daisies. Hmmmm.....

Curiosity getting the better of us, Cecco and I walked up to join the celebration yesterday. You know what our biggest surprise was? ...That that poster wasn't elusive at all! There (in fact) was a big red cow -- the parade's mascot -- and showers of paper "daisies"! Apparently, the tradition is to march this cow all through the streets on Mardi Gras. Why? Who knows! But while there may not have been any beads or peek-a-boo, and all the giant plastic beret-wearin' alien cups may have been waylaid at the border, there were plenty of drunken French co-eds making merry (a group of whom Cecco befriended and wandered off with)...as well as musicians and street performers...even some capoeira dancers. My favorite, though, was the old wino climbing the awnings and shouting hurrahs into the crowd. Too bad "Girls Gone Wild" had to miss it....

The Year of the Boar

Since it's Chinese New Year, Cecco and I wandered over to the Hotel de Ville to watch the parades and pick up some dumplings.

The dumplings were delicious. Thin rice pastry, savory pork and ginger filling, just a touch of crunch, and juicy enough that after you bite the top off, you have to hold the rest of it like a little cup! They're the kind you pick up from a bored street vendor, who just doesn't seem to understand just how happy he's made you by being there.