My Favorite Meal in Paris

After some extensive planning by my amazing wife, we're finally making like the Griswolds and romping through Europe on a European vacation. We're coming to an end on our brief stop in Paris and will be leaving for Venice soon. Considering the fact that I'm currently on vacation and these internet cafes only take euros which isn't favorable due to the exchange rate, I've decided to only post about my favorite meal in each city. After all, I am on VACATION. =D

My favorite meal in Paris was lunch at Cave La Bourgogne at 144 Rue Mouffetard. In full disclosure, we stopped into this restaurant because it was mentioned in a guide book and we were desperately hungry. So this wasn't one of our usually preplanned, well-researched meals. It also didn't help that only tourists were in the dining area while the locals were in the outdoor cafe/smoking area. I entered this place not expecting much. Luckily, I was proven wrong...thank goodness.


My wife ordered the smoked-salmon salad. As you can see, this thing was overflowing with smoked salmon. The fresh greens and tomatoes along with the hard-boiled eggs made for a nice break from the butter-laden carb-filled meals we've had thus far. And the fact that smoked salmon is one of my favorites didn't hurt either.


My dish was the confit de canard, or duck confit. This is without a doubt one of my favorite dishes of all time. FYI, I'm also a huge fan of duck. This was a quarter of a duck. The thigh and leg were cured and then fried. The pan drippings, i.e., wonderful duck fat, were then used to fry the golden potato coins that accompanied the duck. It was love at first bite. The fatty, salty duck went great with the fatty bland potatoes. The greens were merely there to break up the fat. Now I better understand why drug addicts always chase that first high...I'm not sure if I'll ever taste something like this again.