Barbra Austin

Casanova is an olive oil lover. Cédric Casanova, that is.

A dark, wet and wintry afternoon was perhaps not the best time to visit the Paris Catacombs and the cimetière de Montparnasse, but it was a perfect day to tuck into the nearby Crêperie de Josselin for lunch.

I love a restaurant that recognizes its limitations.

I like À La Biche Au Bois for what it is, but I like it more for what it’s not.

It’s game season, and all manner of fowl and four legged creatures are showing up on menus here. Recently spotted in the not-so-wild near the Gare Montparnasse: wood pigeon, wild duck, boar, grouse, and hare.

We went to Le Repaire de Cartouche to drink, but we ate surprisingly well.

I will admit that I was nervous when we walked into Le Cotte-Rôti last weekend and found the place barely half full. Had I only imagined that it was so good last spring? Had there maybe been a drop in quality since my previous visits? Was I crazy?

No, no, and no.

There were many things to love about this meal, three of them being the ventrèche, jambon de Bayonne, and filet mignon that made up the plate of Basque charcuterie we started with.

We almost didn’t order dessert the other night at Bistrot Paul Bert.

Is Coco & Co always as full of young women as it was yesterday afternoon?