February Update

Wow, I haven't added any blog posts in over a month! No real excuse, except to say that Melanie and I had some health issues, and following that I've been quite busy.

Okay, so here's the last month and a half in a nutshell:

Melanie and the Sausage Curse

Melanie LOVES sausage, but she has had the worst time finding it here in Paris. BBQ Restaurant "The Beast" has some of the best links she has ever tasted, but they were out the last two times we were there. When I asked if it had been removed from their menu I was told they *always* have it... so Melanie just got really really unlucky.

Melanie complained that she was cursed, but I didn't believe her... until we tried to grab some sausages from the KIEZ Biergarten, supposedly the best German restaurant in Paris. Our first visit was on a Saturday late last year. The restaurant was inexplicably closed. A few months later we tried again, only this time the man with the "beer key" never showed up, so they couldn't open the restaurant that day, either. One Sunday in early January we tried again, but apparently they only serve brunch on Sunday... no sausages.

A Great New Seafood Place

We could have stayed for the German brunch, but I was kind of in the mood for some moules-frites (mussels and fries), so I did a little online research and found a restaurant called "Mobilis" that was pretty close to our apartment. It was great, and reasonably priced!

Mobilis is a pretty popular place... even on a Sunday afternoon.

As a starter we ordered Sea Urchin Roe and Oysters

Melanie and I have always wanted to try Sea Urchin Roe, so when we saw it on the menu we knew we had to get it. We expected a strong briny smell and flavor, but we found it to be slightly sweet, and very mild.

Moules-frites is a very popular dish in France, and we have become big fans

Sick, Sick, Sick

We're not sure if it was the seafood, the flu, or something else, but Melanie and I both got sick the next day. I had a bit of nausea but Melanie really got hit hard for almost a full week. In fact, I've never seen her that sick.

A week later I came down with a nasty flu bug. Had a high fever for two days and was super tired for five or six days.

Fun times.

My Wife's a Damn Good Cook!

After we both started feeling better we got pretty hungry. So one Saturday Melanie decided to prepare an amazing multi-course meal as an early valentine's gift! It was outstanding!  (She was cooking and serving all day long...)

She started me off with a roasted beet and feta stack with micro greens

Parmesan truffle mousse, roasted asparagus, truffle smoked salmon, and crème fraîche with caviar on bilinis

Pan seared scallops in an herb butter wine sauce 

Cucumbers and pears, toasted walnuts, mint, cantal cheese with a balsamic glaze

Filet of cod with a poached egg, mashed potatoes, caviar, and a chive butter sauce

Garlic chicken with pan roasted brussels sprouts

Garlic rosemary pork chop with a roasted carrot

Steak filet with bleu cheese pepper compound butter, and shrimp risotto

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting (best I've ever had!)