savoring france

i recently returned from france. i want to describe the most beautiful meal…

we went to les oenophiles in dijon. it was a little out of the way place that we never would have found without our guide book.

i asked for a table for my family, “cinq personnes.” after seating us, a waiter came almost immediately with a tray of amuse bouche: salmon mousse with caviar alternated with prosciutto-wrapped sundried tomatoes studded with roasted garlic on crostini.

i ordered the filet mignon for my husband and the rosettes d’agneau for myself. the kids had pommes frites avec steak hache. the kids meal alone would have been a great. but i must say, our plates were even better. sorry, kids.

now for the wine. the sommelier suggested a moray st denis 2002. the moment he poured the first glass, you could smell the perfume of the wine. i can’t recall a single time i’ve ever used the word sublime to describe something before. now i can.

the kids opted for dessert. they had homemade ice cream. vanilla made from real beans. raspberry sorbet bursting with real fruit. and the chocolate—oh the chocolate. intense. deep. rich. full. the best chocolate ice cream i’ve ever tasted. understandably, the kids loved it more than the pommes frites.

my husband and i decided dessert was best enjoyed with the stinky cheeses. morbier, rouquefort, a small selection of goat cheeses, and plenty more that just melted on your plate before it melted on your palate.

there are moments that are simply invincible. they stay in your mind. you never forget them and refer to them often as a beautiful time in your life. that moment—smelling that beautiful wine, eating that incredible meal—was my moment. life doesn’t get any better than that.

photo courtesy of les oenophiles.