Tuesday, May 19, 2009

jour no. 18 - mon vieil ami


After yet another cinema excursion (afternoon showing of "Good Morning England" in a big comfy theater with a huge screen and good sound - take that, New York!), I met my friend Michael in the Marais for a drink. We sat outside at Les Philosophes, which is prime people-watching territory, and had some chablis and enjoyed the newly warm weather.

We strolled over the Pont Louis Philippe to Ile Saint-Louis and had an amazing dinner at Mon Vieil Ami. After all the rich food of the previous couple of days, I nearly swooned with the arrival of my first course: a beautiful shallow bowl of vegetables - beets, carrots, broccoli, peas, favas, new potatoes, tomato, cauliflower, sprouts - you name it. They were bright and fresh and lightly cooked, with a little bit of a simple broth as seasoning. And Reader, I confess: I was so thrilled, it never occurred to me to stop and take a photo.

We then had a terrine of lamb, with a chickpea puree and some zucchini and summer squash, all followed by a cherry clafoutis with ginger ice cream and raspberry sauce, and all accompanied by a bright and refreshing mineral-y red from Languedoc.

Mon Vieil Ami is a lovely restaurant - an elegant and modern room, serving elegant and modern food. It's one to make note of, especially since it's open on Sundays, unlike 99.9 percent of the restaurants here.

1 comment:

  1. I, too, have fond memories of Les Philosophes. Try their Tomato Tarte Tatin. It made the day for this humble vegetarian.
    We've really enjoyed the blog. It makes me cry.

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