SNOW and the Magic it Brought Along With It

Chez L'Ami Jean


Before I get to our first beautiful snowy days in Paris...

...I must tell you about the night that caused us to frolic through the streets of Paris, bundled in our puffy coats, scarves and mittens, looking like a couple of dancing sleeping bags.  See!

The night began at our apartment with Kyle, Julie and I getting ready to continue our mission to experience all things awesome in Paris.  The next stop on our foodie express was Chez L'Ami Jean (The House of my Friend Jean), maybe the most talked about restaurant on our list of must-eats.  Julie has been multiple times, but it was the first dinner at CLAJ for Kyle and I.  


We knew good things were coming our way when we exited our building to walk to the restaurant and it was SNOWING!  Okay, it wasn't a blizzard or anything, but it may as well have been for these three Texans.


Put yourselves there with us... We walk outside to head to this much anticipated meal just in time to catch the hourly Eiffel Tower sparkle in the background, and realize there are perfect little flakes of snow falling all around us.  I'm telling you, it was magical.  So magical that we couldn't stop talking about just how magical it was the rest of the night :)

Alright, on to the grub.  


The restaurant is small, in typical Paris fashion, with funky decor, like graffiti and cartoon characters painted on the walls.  You can see right into the tight quarters of the kitchen as the super talented chefs prepare the amazingness you are about to enjoy.


Get this, as we walk to our table the head chef sees Julie and remembers her from previous visits!  This is very exciting because we know this means the royal treatment is probably about to come at us.  We were certainly not disappointed.  We were treated with complimentary aperitifs, pate, a wagyu beef appetizer as well as all the chef's specialties of the evening.  Oh, and THREE desserts and digestifs after all this.  Even though each course is a small portion, it was a meal fit for a giant.  A very fancy and refined giant with excellent taste.

Watercress soup - one of the best soups I've ever tasted.   Maybe the best.

Quail breast with... shoot, I can't remember what the emulsion was.  Deliciousness, it was an emulsion of deliciousness.

Scallops in their shell with braised pork. Oh my word.

Lamb with sesame sauce.  I think this was my favorite.  It was really hard to tell though because I was at peak about-to-burst level.

Then the famous house specialty - rice pudding with homemade granola and a drool worthy caramel sauce. I had no clue I liked rice pudding, but I liked it at Chez L'Ami Jean!

If that wasn't enough, the chef sent over a couple extra lovely little dessert tastings.  One was a sort of deconstructed Mont Blanc and the other was a mix of little oranges and frozen yogurt.

Julie had to get one last lick of rice pudding before we left.  You know, for good measure.

Can you believe that meal???  I haven't even mentioned that we were lucky enough to sit next to some really nice folks and that the waiters at CLAJ are excellent!  How happy are we that Julie and the chef, Jego, seem to have an enchanting love for each other?!  We'll be going back soon to make sure they keep that flame alive.


Now, let's compare that meal to our weekday dinners... Quite different, huh?

SNOW


Brrrrrrrr I'm cold just looking at these pictures from my toasty apartment.  I fought off buying the puffy coat in the beginning, but it has turned out to be one of the best purchases I've made here! Especially because Paris is so beautiful in the snow, I would have been very sad if I had to stay indoors because I didn't have the right gear to venture out.  C'etait tres super!

Bisous!
Maygan