Dinner with Edouard

It's weird. We have to take our final exams a few days before the last day of class. Where's the humanity? Anyway, I think I blew on the passe compose and imparfait, surprise, but did really well in listening comprehension. We'll see.

After the final I met up with Don to go to the Cognac Jay Museum, which houses some additional Fragonards. It's cute, free, and has some obnoxious hyper vigilant security people.

Later that evening, I had dinner with Edouard, who is one of Clementine's friends that I met my first weekend in town. I had sent him an email, reminding him of who I was, and he was gracious enough to accept.

We met by the giant head statue by St. Eustace Church, and then he gave me a quick tour of his neighborhood and the possible restaurant options. Then, we stopped to have an aperitif at a bar before dinner and we talked for a bit about my classes and the vagaries of the french language. And that Marie LaForet, from "Purple Noon" lives in his building.

From the dinner options, I selected Le Grappillon, which seemed to have foie gras in every dish. How could I say no to that? I couldn't. I never have. I had a steak topped with foie gras, in a reduction with artfully arranged vegetables. And for dessert I had something called a Norweigan Omelet, which turned out to be a crepe with liqueur and berries flambeed. Does a body good I tell ya.

I have to say dinner was a treat. Edouard was great. Not only did he insist on making me practice my french- from the dreaded passe compose to learning the terms for cooking meat-he was also a pleasure to converse with. He made a potentially akward dinner with a total stranger into really great evening.

Well, at least for me. I had fun. He probably felt like he was talking to a weird, friend-of-a friend guy spouting romper room french. But hey, being completely selfish: Thanks Edouard for a lovely evening.