it's my last night in paris, and i have to find a restaurant with available reservations on a friday night (and it's already 2:00 p.m.). unable to secure a table at restaurants suggested by friends, real life friends and rick steves, i turned to trip advisor for help (again). the choices! so overwhelming. i narrowed the search to neighborhood and only looked at the places with recent feedback (and by recent i mean within the previous two weeks). i finally landed on l'ilot vache -- primarily because of location (a 10 minute walk from the flat, along a route that i had come to know well) and also because i was growing weary of sorting through recommendation after recommendation after recommendation (the mention of "discreet service" on the restaurant's website had no influence on my decision -- what does that even mean?!?). plus, i could reserve a table online for the time that best suited me (8:000 p.m. --2200 hours). decision made.
i didn't get a picture of the exterior (though, you can catch a glimpse if you visit the website), but here's a shot of the inside.
when i walked inside, i was greeted by the owner -- amy! (said in a french accent, so it sounded more like "any"), who seemed genuinely happy to welcome me to his establishment (the same experience i had when i dined at les papilles, too). the place, which is quite small -- maybe 20 tables? -- is really decorated something fierce (as you can see). and, though it's hard to tell, the little orange spot behind the glass next to the cow on the table in view, is a live goldfish. seriously. a live goldfish. as over-the-top-as it seems, i know i like the place as soon as i walk in and hear the owner's voice. i am seated at a table in the corner, offering me full view of the entire dining room floor (which i am sharing with several other tables). once seated, the waitress brings me the dinner and drink menus and a small ramekin of olives (which were quite tasty).
i knew what i was going to order before i even arrived because i studied the menu online after i made the reservation. what i didn't know, however, is that wine was not available for purchase by the glass. so, i had to buy a whole bottle, which i did without regret (and without care that the bottle of wine would cost more than my entire dinner). look: a romantic dinner for one.
first course, the entrée or starter, escargots de bourgogne au beurre persille (burgundy snails in butter with finely chopped parsley). i made the mistake of failing to order fois gras (sorry, sarah!) when it was presented as an option, so i knew i was not going to leave paris without having escargot, the popular french appetizer. my commitment to this endeavor was so serious that i even googled "how to eat escargot" and watched several youtube videos so i would not look like an amateur when served the dish. i was ready, man, ready. turns out, though, that the snails were already removed from their shells upon presentation, so my research was for naught. oh well. at least the risk of sending a shell flying across the room (ala julia roberts in pretty woman) was completely eliminated. whew! the snails, themselves, didn't taste like much (they were slightly rubbery, though, a texture for which i was prepared, thanks to google), but the sauce! the sauce was a buttery, garlicky delight -- a perfect condiment for the crusty baguette (and trust me: i did not let any of that sauce go to waste).
next up, the plat or main course: boeuf bourguignon au chocolate noir (beef bourguignon with black chocolate). this ordering decision was inspired by julia child, my favorite french chef (and would be a perfect complement to the nice bottle of bordeaux i was happily enjoying). frankly, this dish left much to be desired. it certainly wasn't anything special (not horrible either), which i think you can ascertain from the photo. the beef was tender and fairly flavorful, but the broth (or gravy) was limp, lacking in complexity, and overly salty. i thought, at least, the vegetables would have absorbed some of the dish's flavor since it was a stew of sorts, which would have given them some depth, but no; they seemed to be cooked separately and added at the last minute. and i am positive the pale potatoes would have been better had i been able to dress them up with some of the sauce from the snails(!). yet, even though the dish wasn't anything spectacular, i was still enjoying my dining experience quite a bit, actually (ok, so maybe the half-bottle of wine i'd consumed by this time (coupled with the 3/4 bottle of wine i consumed at the flat before even leaving) had something to do with my unbreakable good and festive mood). and, lest anyone need reminding: i'm in paris!
and then there was the fromage -- the cheese. the presentation wasn't anything great (unlike the chèvre platter from two nights before), but the cheese was good (then, again, it's nearly impossible to ruin a cheese course, since slicing and plating are really the only required preparation techniques). i ate the cheese with a smile and pretended it was the best cheese i've ever eaten ...
dessert is next, and i've made my way through three-quarters of the wine (see ol' drunk eyes below). oh, and ps: i know the wine was having its way with me because i took roughly 20 selfies of myself making funny faces in the bathroom (and, no, not while actually using the bathroom) before i left the restaurant after dessert. i'm so weird.
the dessert choice du jour: crème brulée, an egg-based custard dessert i've always claimed i don't like (because i don't even like eggs!). well, when in paris ...
and, as you'll see when you scroll down, turns out that i do like crème brulée because i had no problem eating every last bite (and, again, would have happily licked the dish clean if it weren't unbecoming of a lady). of the three courses, dessert was, by far, far, far, far the best (next to the wine, which was actually my favorite part of the meal -- probably because it was the most expensive wine i've ever knowingly consumed).
although my last meal in paris was not outstanding, the experience of dining at l'ilot vache was highly enjoyable and satisfying. i walked back to the flat feeling sated and happy and content. and, really, even consuming the most well-prepared, most delicious food can't beat feelings like those.
au revoir, paris! for now.
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