<< June 10, 2005 >>
une nuit de destin et au revoir

finding nothing of real interest in place d'italie, i walked around for a while. there were a bunch of indian places, but eventually i decided to try the place i couldn't get into yesterday. i headed to the nearest RER station, still having an RER ticket left. it was a little after 10 at this point, so i was worried that the restaurant would close, and when i saw the next train was coming in 15 minutes, i decided to walk to a metro station.

but before i reached one, i saw the bright green neon sign for LE SELECT, which meant that la coupole was across the street. i had found where i was going to have dinner.

the last time i ate at la coupole, in 2001, was when i got sick and pretty much had to stay home for the rest of my trip. i've been convinced that as long as i stay away from mollusks, though, i'll be fine.

the menu had not a trace of english, but melon, jambon, saumon, and riz bismati were pretty clear to me. there were a few words i didn't understand with the salmon dish, but i figured where's the adventure in knowing exactly what you're getting? a quick check on the desserts menu pointed me to the raspberry and chocolate cake that i remember so fondly from 2001.

first off, the melon et jambon was excellent. i think i had it in 2001 as well, but i didn't remember it being so good. usually, canteloupe and watermelon makes my gums itch, but none of what i had in paris did this. i wonder why.

a while later i found out what some of the words i didn't understand with the salmon was. one of them was mussels, and there were some other little things in there that i really couldn't identify. it didn't matter, i wasn't eating them. the salmon and rice were fine, but by this point i was distracted with anticipation for dessert. it arrived and was exactly what i wanted. it only came with three raspberries, but they were so ripe and delicious that it was better than the whole plate at le train bleu.

it was pretty late and i had to get up early to go to the airport, so i didn't stop at le select on my way to the metro for one final trip to the hotel.

stumbling upon la coupole was the perfect way to end my trip. after a rough couple of days, i really enjoyed my last two nights in paris. hopefully i'll get to go back soon, as phil hasn't been and i think he would really like it.