MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2008

We took the bus to les Halles area and went for a walk up the rue Montorgueil which is one of the best food shopping streets in Paris. It has been a market street since the 14th century and is now a pedestrian thoroughfare. About halfway up the street, we stopped at Amorino for gelati delizie d'Italia. We have had this delicious gelato on previous visits. They have about a dozen shops around Paris. It does not quite compare to the gelato we have had at Vivoli in Florence but it comes close.

We stopped at a cheese shop and replenished our dwindling supply. It always amazes me how the fromager knows all of his cheeses by name and where they were made. We then went off on a side street to seek out a new Alsatian chocolate shop that has been there less than a year. It is called Declinaison Chocolat. We have not yet tasted our purchase but they certainly looked good.

We had spent over an hour and a half walking up and down the street, when we decided to go back home. We had chosen a local restaurant for dinner. It was our cook's night off. The restaurant was called A la biche au bois. We got there a little after 7:30 which is about when we usually arrive at a restaurant. We were surprised to find the room more than half full. Surprise! We did get a table, however. It seems to be a local place primarily, a bit cramped but with a nice ambiance. They had some specials last night including wild boar and venison (what else for a restaurant called At the Doe in the Forest. We elected to be more traditional with salmon and lamb chops. We shared a very good floating island dessert.