My niece (AM) treated me to my first meal at an authentic French restaurant. She’d been there before and told me how much she enjoyed it the fabulous food.
I made sure I knew where it was before our set day of meeting. I also wanted get an outside picture so that I could blog about it here. I got the picture and also deleted it by mistake. So the photos you see are other people's photos coming from the WEB.I was impressed with the shabby chic decor. High ceilings, open air atmosphere. Though it was a beautiful day we dined inside as opposed to
al fresco as many Parisians do.
The wait staff was neatly attired and knowledgeable about the menu selections.
AM and I ordered different meals so that we could taste each others. That way you get more exposure to what’s available.
I made sure that I didn’t eat too much earlier in the day so that I’d have a cleansed palate for the evening meal. Not only was my palate cleansed, I was starving. Had the appetizer been a fancy name for fried chitterlings with pineapple sauce, I probably would have eaten it and I don’t eat chitterlings.
Our appetizer was a group of tiny fried balls of something with a pink sauce drizzled around it. It was similar to a crab cake only smaller and round. It was delicious. We were also given a small basket of bread about the size of melba toast along with what tasted like honey butter. Delish also.
AM ordered duck w/fruit red sauce. Her sides included a potato gnocchi and something else I don’t remember.
I had the herb roasted lamb, along with cabbage prepared in a different way and the ratatouille.
We tasted each others meals. The meats were seasoned well and very tender. Everything was scrumptious.
Before we received our meals chef Jean Evens Estinfort came to our table and greeted us with, “Bon soir. Comment-allez vous?”
After having had French in high school and college, all I could come up with was, “Com ci, com ca,”(sp???) I was trying to answer swiftly so that I would seem to be fluent in the language. Now I don’t know if it was French or Spanish.
Chef Estinfort was gracious though. He didn’t comment on whether I’d committed a faux pas (more French) or not. The three of us chatted for a while about France and my desire to someday go there and what to expect. He assured us that it is safe and if we ever decide to go he’d give us the names of some of his friends.
The other chef is Serge Pambo. They are cousins. Both have an impressive culinary background.
AM and I had dessert. She had something that looked like strawberry cheesecake with cake and a fluffy top to it. I had the homemade tart with fresh fruits. It wasn’t too sweet and tasted as if it may have been sweetened with honey.
I took my camera in order to get shots of our meals but that thought went right out of the window once our meals arrived. Though I was eating primly, I was starving like a refugee from a third world country. By the time I thought of taking a picture the meal was half gone.
AM and I laughed and talked about a lot of things. She can have you holding your side from laughing at all of the funny things she says. I had a magnificent time.
Props for the photos
tripadvisor.com
bhamrestaurantweek.com
Au revoir***
For those smokers who are in a hurry or don't want to get out of the car in the rain for a pack of smokes or other tobacco products, 
