Rising to the Ocaccsion

Verjus

Place de Voges, where we are staying

Casey Casey, a favorite of ours

Living room of our suite

Avocado Toast or is it Salmon with Avocado?

 

Beans with Verjus Sauce and Raisins 

This was a very slow-starting day. I stayed up late and woke up early. Jet lag is a bitch. I think it gets harder as you age. Of course, last night’s excessive dinner and all the wine we drank might have been contributing factors. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to tonight’s dinner.

Spoiler alert: I rose to the challenge.

We finally managed to crawl out of bed and head downstairs to eat. In honor of Lynn, whose mission in life is apparently to try every avocado toast on earth, I had to order it. It arrived buried under smoked salmon. I began to wonder if, in France, salmon is cheaper than avocado. No matter. It was good.

I had done some research and wanted to buy Cathy a custom cane. Because of her back, a cane is a godsend for long walks. She doesn’t need one around the house, shopping, or going out to restaurants in Los Angeles, but for an extended walk it is a must.

Naturally, I researched canes. There probably aren’t many people who come to Paris with “find the ultimate cane store” on their itinerary, but I found it: Galerie Fayet.

I wish I had taken some pictures inside, but either due to my slow recovery from last night or the excitement of finding myself in the Louvre of walking sticks, your faithful photographer missed the moment.

The store was filled with hundreds of canes, made from different woods and with every imaginable kind of handle—leather-covered, silver, bone, and who knows what else. I expected Cathy would choose a cane, they would custom-make it for her, and several months later a French walking stick would arrive in Los Angeles.

Wrong.

Cathy picked a beautiful red cane with a two-tone handle. The saleswoman measured her, took out a saw, and cut the cane to exactly the right height.

That was it.

Who knew? There is an advantage to buying a wooden stick. No software update. No app. No waiting for FedEx. Just a saw.

From the cane store we went to Casey Casey. Cathy and I both like Casey Casey clothing, and their Paris store is their only retail outlet. We looked around, Cathy found something perfect to buy and then we returned to the hotel, where I was exhausted from jet lag, lack of sleep, and the previous night’s overindulgence.

A nap was in order.

Later we went back out shopping and eventually returned to the hotel for a drink. Apparently I was recovering, because I was now faced with another tasting menu, this time at Verjus.

I really wondered: Could I do this again?

It turns out I could.

We eventually found the restaurant, our Uber driver had to ask for assistance her navigation was failing her. In retrospect I forgive her and Google, the restaurant had no sign we were actually there. Our driver lowered her window and called out to a woman sitting on a flight of stairs: "Where is Verjus"? The woman pointed up toward the stairs, we hiked up and there it was. The restaurant was a delight. The tasting menu was only four courses, with four different pared wines. After some of the marathon tasting menus we’ve had, four courses almost seemed like diet food.

The food was great. This is a restaurant I’m very happy to recommend.

More importantly, there was a bean dish we loved, so we asked about it. They actually told us how it was made. The secret was a verjus sauce with raisins marinated in it, giving the sauce a wonderful combination of sweet and vinegary flavors that was perfect with the beans.

Now, of course, we have to try to reproduce it at home. This is should lead to some fun cooking experiments.

Tomorrow night will be the culmination of all my Parisian food desires. There is one restaurant I have dreamed of going to for over 40 years, ever since I first read Patricia Wells writing about it: L’Ami Louis.

Forty years is a long time to build up expectations for a roast chicken. We finally have our chance to decide for ourselves.

Tomorrow we find out if the chicken can transform itself into an ultimate dining experience.