Le Tastevin
Tuesday, 1/6/09
The outside of Le Tastevin:
For dinner, we went to a restaurant called Le Tastevin for la cuisine traditionelle. Prof. Turk takes his JSF students to this restaurant every year. Le Tastevin is a restaurant in l'Ile Saint Louis, about a fifteen minute walk from our hotel. Emilie accompanied us because she is a French food expert. The atmosphere was very cozy: a small room of tables with candles on each table and wine racks on the wall. When we arrived, there was only one table full, and we stayed for over four hours- from 8 to midnight; we were in fact the last customers to leave. This seems appropriate because the quote on the inside cover of the menu described the magic of the dinner table through every age and every condition. I felt very comfortable- à l'aise; the staff even took our coats as we entered the room. The owner talked to us about the changes in Paris- l'Ile Saint Louis specifically: it is becoming very expensive and many foreigners have apartments there that they occupy only briefly each year, so boulangeries and other shops don't have enough business to stay open. She also kindly brought out a genuine tastevin to show us: this is a little cup for tasting and smelling wine, which gives this restaurant its name.
The Tastevin menu and an actual tastevin:
Emilie explained to us many French customs- how to be polite, in fact, when enjoying a meal. When you toast, you must look each person directly in the eye as you touch glasses. Emilie also told us that toasting originated from when cups were much sturdier and people clinked their glasses rigorously to make sure that some of the drink splashed in the other person's cup- to make sure they were not being poisoned.
Prof. Turk, Melissa, Elizabeth, Alina and Koyel (Emilie had to leave before we took the photo):
We started by ordering un apéritif- something new to me, a drink before dinner. I had white wine with berry syrup, but there are many other sweet choices. The menu offered many dishes and we were all adventurous with our selections. We had two different types of foie gras and escargots. For the plat principal, I had beef with shallots and potatoes on the side, with a Bordeaux wine for the table. We also had two types of bottled water- plate and gazeuse- flat and bubbly. Our table received a total of 6 cheeses, and each person sampled 3 different ones. Emilie explained to us that we should eat the mildest cheese first. I then had the dessert of the day- a whole poached pear cooked with cinnamon, and served with berry sorbet on the side. Everyone's dessert looked delicious! We did not stay for coffee or un digestif because it was already so late. Even though there were a lot of courses, there was plenty of time for conversation in between each one, so digestion proceeds pleasantly – and it is expected that you will finish what’s on your plate!
This was truly une expérience très française. I loved it.
M.D.
Scenes from our evening:
