Our first dinner was at Les Bonnes Soeurs, which was recommended by our apartment owner. It was a short walk away and was incredibly cute, with nearly every table full and the nicest waitstaff.

Another thing – we had heard horror stories about rude servers (and rude French people in general), but we never experienced that. We knew the basics, and started every conversation with “bonjour” or “bonsoir,” and were polite and excited and open to new experiences. It probably helped that I pick up languages and accents very quickly, and I already knew a lot about French food terms. Still, we had no rude experiences!

We started with a trio of pots: zucchini, salmon, and green pea. So lovely.

We shared zucchini and mushroom soup and seared bass with broccoli-potato puree. The skin on the fish was so crispy, and the fish so flavorful! It reminded me of the fish courses at F&D.

For dessert, we shared the tarte tatin. Whatever I’ve tasted in the States has been nothing like this. The apples were so creamy, like an apple pudding or confit, and the crust so crisp and flavorful. Amazing.

Of course all of this came with plenty of wine. Every glass of wine we had in Paris was great. And cheap. I really miss that.