There is no sincerer love than the love of food ~ George Bernard Shaw

After stocking up on gourmet groceries at Le Grand Epicerie and Rue Cler, most of our meals have been assembled at home or eaten on the run during the whirlwind museum tour that occupied most of the week. Restaurants have been few and far between, but we did have two more good meals that rounded out our first week.

Tiny Le Florimond is around the corner from the apartment Alex and I are staying in. The first night we were here in Paris, I could smell the delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen as I stood on the sidewalk outside. Our dinner did not disappoint. We selected from the set menu (36 euros for an appetizer, entree and dessert) and added some daily specials. My appetizer is the best dish I have eaten thus far in France: risotto dyed black with squid ink, topped with juicy langoustines and delicate baby asparagus. Alex had a pate of boudin noir. Our main courses were also delicious - I had veal with potatoes and carrots; Alex had beef cooked two ways. We knew we ordered well when we generated jealous looks from the table next to us, and saw them change their appetizer order to the risotto!

Later in the week, we met some of my friends from Wharton for lunch at Aux Vin des Pyrenees in the Marais for a quick-ish lunch before hitting the Picasso Museum. The set lunch menu is a value at 14.5 euros for 2 courses: appetizer + entree or entree + dessert. My appetizer, a salad with roasted chicken gizzard, was great but the main course of lemon chicken with penne pasta was just ok. My friend selected a cote-du-rhone to accompany the meal which was lighter and fruitier than I expected. Alex ventured off of the set menu and got the beef tartare, which he loved. We'll definitely be back to try more things on the wine list.

Luckily, the rich food has not taken a tool on our health yet - we've been walking a ton and today we joined Velib to rent bikes. Looking forward to using our biked to reach restaurants further afield next week!