I'm afraid I'm falling a bit behind with my posts due to spending more evenings out with my latest companions. So this is back to Saturday night and the wonderful meal Meg and Jason had at Maison Blanche on Avenue de Montaigne. Recommended by Uncle Jay, the restaurant, and the evening, were a great success.
The meal began with an amuse de bouche, a small but very good cup of vichyssoise. Appetizers followed, consisting of salade de haricot vert avec oeuf, where a soft boiled egg with its top trimmed off, was centered over the green beans, and an asparagus extravaganza with the bottom layer containing chopped up oysters and asparagus in a sauce, topped with smoked salmon and then surrounded by more asparagus. Meg's main course was fillet de turbot en sauce de beurre topped with whole baby artichokes, roasted red peppers and a sardine, along with a fritter which also had roasted red peppers and a sardine inside it. Meg pronounced it excellent but for the sardine, especially the one hidden inside the fritter. Jason's entree was une piece de boeuf <> with some sort of delicate green, perhaps parsley sauce not normally served with beef but even better because of the unusual association. Along with the beef were mashed potatoes exceptionelle, really potato flavored, capturing the essence of potatoes so often lost in mashed potatoes found elsewhere. The wine, a fruity Bourgogne Catherine, though a bit lacking in maturity, made a splash on everything it touched, which was quite a lot since Meg unfortunately tipped over a full glass before taking even the first taste. Not to worry though, the waiter was there immediately with napkins to hide the stain on the tablecloth and to whisk away the asparagus with huitres and replace it with a brand new one. Meg's dessert finale was tarte fine des pommes avec glace des ananas et ananas chip, rated tres magnifique with the puff pastry light and airy as puff pastry should be. Jason's biscuit chaud de chocolate was trop grand and a bit overwhelming but superbe nevertheless. Their early arrival, actually during the waiters' pep talk, momentarily disrupted the ambiance of the restaurant but it was restored as the evening continued. The service was especially accomodating when the wine was spilled and the French was flubbed, with the view of the golden dome of Les Invalides and, around the corner, the sparkling Eiffel Tower overshadowing any sense of discomfort. All in all, a special Paris treat.
(Note - this post contains actual quotes from the meal participants.)