Dinner at La Fontaine de Mars

We had our first Frech dinner tonight at a cute place on the same street as the hotel (La Fontaine de Mars on Rue St. Dominique....translated means "The Fountain of March").  As you walk down the street you can't help but notice the red-checkered tablecloths, outdoor seating and bistro setting inside.  It's bustling yet cozy.  We noticed it on our first day in Paris as we sat outside across the street at our favorite boulangerie/patisserie called "A la Fontaine de Mars" (which we've already visited 3 times for baguette sandwiches and cafe au lait).  On two separate visits to this boulangerie/patisserie, we saw the same waiter come in to get bread for the restaurant and, given the name, we are guessing it's owned by the same owner.  Joe also just told me that Obama ate there in 2009, so it's only natual we were drawn to it!

We ventered down Rue St. Dominique tonight after a long walk in the city.....our Endomondo clocked 7 miles today!  We first checked 2 other restaurants on our street recommended by Paris Pefrect...."Cafe Constant" and "Les Cocottes"...owned by the same owner Christain Constant, but both places were jammed and we didn't feel like having a long wait. 

So, our next stop was La Fontaine De Mars and we were able to get a seat outside.  It was a nice night and the first day with no rain since we arrived.  We immediately liked our waiter who took our wine order.  And, then came the bread!  It was a good sized basket of bread with a wonderful side of butter!  I honestly could have been happy just eating that all night!  We ordered white wine for me and red for Joe....came in our own personal bottles....that served 3 glasses each (12 euro per bottle, which we thought was a good deal). 

I ordered roasted chicken breast with a morel mushroom sauce and rice....it was delicous!  Joe ordered a "cassoulet"...a clasisc French dish with sausage, duck confit and white beans.  It was definitely not for me, but Joe absolutely loved it!  (I still think I ordered the better dish.) 

We also ordered a side of French green beans for the table, which were buttery delicious!

After our dinners, we were both full (good portions), but the waiter gave us the dessert menu and after a while we decided that we would share a dessert and boy did we pick a good one........the black chocolate mousse.  It was the perfect dessert to share and so much bigger than I would have imagined.  It came in a big glass sundae style dish with a cannoli shaped cookie on the side filled with cream.  It was delightful! 

My first comment to Joe when we left was that we might be back before the end of this trip!

After our wonderful dinner, we took a nice evening stroll around the neighborhood enjoying the scenes of pepole dining al fresco and looking at all the beautiful buildings.  The end to a perfect day!