Three years ago or maybe four years ago Deb and I stayed in a nice little apartment out on the western side of Paris in the 16th arrondissement, next to the ring road. It was an interesting neighborhood and we very much enjoyed getting familiar with its charms. One of the charms, this will surprise you, was that we found a wonderful restaurant. We liked it so much that we ate there several times during our visit. It’s called the ‘Table de Ternes’ and it’s located right next to one of the large covered markets that are found all around the city. It’s also about a 15 minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe, but in an almost unknown neighborhood. We first dipped our feet in the waters of this area almost 30 years ago on a house exchange. Then, when we had our year’s stay, our dentist was located right here in the same area. But ever since finding the restaurant we’ve made it a priority to visit. It is run by a couple from the West Indies, but with one exception all the offerings are traditional French dishes. They have one of the most extensive wine lists for a restaurant its size that I’ve encountered anywhere. But it is almost an hour by
bus away from our apartment. That is inconvenient but by no means impossible so we decided that today was the day to visit for lunch. It started out chilly and was forecast for rain so the ride over was damp. But the walk to the restaurant from the bus stop is about 5 minutes so a bit of rain was not daunting. When we arrived and entered we were immediately confronted with a group of diners standing in the open space between tables. Behind them was a table set for around 15-16 people so they were just drinking an aperitif and visiting. Our fears were unfounded when our host came out and said ‘ no problem, take that table by the window’. So we sat down and perused the menu. Today there was a broad array of fish and meat possibilities. But some, like kidneys and andouillette, were immediately discarded as they were already try-once adventures. We shared an appetizer of the house made pate de campagne. Then Deb opted for grilled coquille St. Jacques surrounding whipped potatoes and I ordered roast
chicken with fries. As we ate our appetizer, one of the standing group came over and apologized for making noise and crowding our table. We responded that they were no trouble at all. The man detected that we were from the U.S. and said the French will never forget what the Americans and British did for France during WWII. We responded that, at least from our point of view, France and America will always be strong allies even with the present divergences of our governments.
Earlier our hostess had been very prompt is making certain we were served because she was the only one to serve the entire large group. And there are only two people in the kitchen as well, a chef and a helper, so getting 16 meals together in relative short order is a challenge. While we were eating I looked out the window and noticed that it
was lightly snowing. When we finished we opted for dessert And a serving of the only non-traditional item in the restaurant. She got a great smile on her face and replied “Avec Plaisir” and then laughed heartily. She makes a ginger infused digestif (liqueur) that is out of this world. At some point you may have tasted Deb’s effort to recreate it during one of the dinners at our house. Each time we try it we find a new item to incorporate in our efforts. To return to dessert, I ordered fromage blanc with marron glacé and Deb asked for the crème brûlée. As we donned coats to leave Deb went over to the large table and wished them a happy new year and I wished them a bon appetit. They all responded with thanks and good luck.
To get back to the apartment we had to go back to the bus stop. It was sill lightly raining as we retraced our steps back. But before boarding a bus we made
a quick trip into a big Monoprix facing the bus stop. It’s a major one in a very nice neighborhood so we were able to pick up some of the items that will be coming home with us. When we finished we caught the bus and as we got to Gare St. Lazare I finally spotted the elusive bus stop for the #26 bus that we’ve had so much trouble finding. So we made a snap decision and got off right there instead of much further along the line. We caught our bus and were able to ride it right back to the stop we use for our apartment. Each of the train stations have public art in the plazas in front of them. I’ve always liked the ones for Gare St. Lazare. One is a column of suitcases and the other is a column composed of clock faces.
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