This blogging phenomenon has flung open the doors to the world and connected me with people all over the planet. This particular evening I was having dinner with a woman from Los Angeles who, like me a few years ago, wants to make a change in her life and being a Francophile at heart, is naturally drawn to Paris. She stumbled on my little web site, felt a kindred spirit, et voila, two months later she lands in Paris!
We met at Le Pré Verre, a bistro du vin (wine bar) in the 5th arrondisement. It is on the corner of rue Thenard and rue Sommerard, 1 block south of blvd St Germain and 1 block east of rue St Jacques. My friend Antoinette enlightened me to this local gem that I never would have stumbled upon. Chef Delacourcelle lived in Asia so he works with ingredients such as a cassia (cinnamon), bard and tamarind and he also trained with the late Bernard Loiseu and mastered French pastry at Fauchon. Needless to say, we were in for a memorable meal.
I had the exact same plat (main course) and dessert I had the week before as it was so superb I couldn't stop thinking about it. I opted for a different entrée (appetizer) as the petite pois et fois gras (baby peas and duck liver) terrine was too tempting. Last visit I started with the velouté de cresson (watercress soup) topped with chorizo sausage flavored foam and chopped peanuts. The melding of flavors and textures was a wonderful surprise and simply delicious. This time, in honor of spring blooming around me, I opted for the petite pois et fois gras terrine. Once again a subtle combination of flavors and textures and combine perfectly. The lettuce on the bottom was unnecessary and distracting but the lovely radish disks and slightly spicy vinaigrette added a wonderful crunch and spice to this already perfect dish.
For my plat (main course), I selected the morue avec purée fumée (Cod with Smoked Mashed Potatoes). The cod was seared in cassia (cinnamon) which not knowing this when I ordered it (on my first visit) made my first bite a brilliant surprise. The cod simply melted in my mouth and the unctuous cinnamon cream sauce enhanced the caramelized spice. The puréed potatoes were other-worldly. They were smoked first so they had that earthy, smokey, hickory taste and puréed perfectly smooth. When scooped with a bit of the cinnamon cream sauce, I didn't want to stop eating them...ever.
