"After the apéritif follows an entrée (an appetizer); a typical choice is, for example, foie gras, soupe à l'oignon gratinée, or coquilles St. Jacques; (scallops). The main course consists of a variety of fish and meat dishes, accompanied of course by white or red wine. Le plateau de fromages plays an important role in French cuisine. At Le Tastevin, the owner explained to us the cheeses and told us the order in which to eat them for maximum enjoyment. Just as white wines should precede the red ones, cheese should be savored starting with the mildest one. 

"A light dessert, such as crème brûlée or soufflé glacé is the next in line. After that, a good cup of strong coffee, served with a square of dark chocolate, is another special moment of the dinner. And after so many courses, a digestif(usually cognac or armagnac) is not only a pleasure, but a necessity. Bon appetit!" (CC)

"Before we even began eating, we all enjoyed un apéritif - a drink before the first course. Ordering was interesting- like all of the meals to follow, looking at the menu pretty much involved us asking Professor Turk what every single dish consisted of. We started with une entrée, which ranged from escargots to foie gras, followed by le plat principal (the main dish). I had lapin for the first time (rabbit); the lady serving us assured me that the mustard in the sauce was not very strong, but I could definitely taste it. Throughout the entire meal, much of the table was also enjoying a good vin rouge, which the woman always made sure the glasses were full of. When we all finished our food, we got to try a sampling of cheeses, eating them from weakest to strongest in taste, so that the taste of the strongest did not overwhelm that of the others (we all learned a lot during this meal). Josh tried to convince me that he was "probably allergic" to the cheeses, but he was good about trying each one. Before having a digestif andun café, we finished eating with a dessert (bien sûr!). Some people enjoyed a chocolate fondant that melted in their mouths while others had une glace or other mouthwatering, fattening pastry. Three and a half hours later, we all rolled out of the restaurant, convinced that the only way we ate so much was because we did it so slowly, in typical French fashion." (SC)

"The most memorable moment for me in this restaurant came when we were served our main dish. Orlando had convinced me to get the pigeon, since I had never tasted it before; he ordered the same thing. Both of ours came served in ceramic dishes with a cover on top. When we uncovered them to dish it onto our plates, we began to notice differences between ours: "Stephanie, mine doesn't have bacon." "Ummm, yours has a lot more vegetables." Orlando had an entire bird, bones and all, whereas my dish came with two small round things, which I assumed to be pigeon breasts. However, as soon as I cut into one, I was sure it was brain, but no one else believed me. But, after tasting it and asking our waiter, it was confirmed: I had been served "sweet breads" (or ris de veau), a delicacy of calf's brains. Needless to say, it was quickly switched with the pigeon.

"Other than that little surprise, the restaurant was really good. Everyone seemed to enjoy what they had to eat (except for Andy, who expected his oysters to be cooked and not raw, and Cristian, who ordered a sausage made of multiple internal organs of some animal), and we left with a few more good stories to tell." (SC)

"Wherever you go in Paris, you can have a wonderful meal. Well, Vins et Terroirs was the exception that confirmed the rule. The soupe à l'oignon was cold, the salad wasn't fresh, and the list can go on and on. For the first time, Caglar didn't finish his plate. For the first time, we didn't order dessert. However, as always, we had a nice conversation, which is perhaps the most important aspect of the French experience of cuisine." (CC)

"Though the food wasn't very spectacular (I had to swallow my hatred for French onion soup and ordered it for an entrée because the other things offered were even more to my disliking), the conversation and company more than made up for it. The boy was cute, but more importantly, really nice and friendly. All of her friends were engaging and outgoing, and what surprised me the most was that many of them didn't know each other, yet at dinner they all seemed to be old friends." (SC)