paris, take two

my husband and i recently returned from a trip to europe. we spent four days in paris for the first leg of the trip. we went to paris several years ago, and it was a lovely first visit-we got engaged, we saw wilco, we spent an afternoon in chartres, and we drank wine in the centre pompidou between floors of the most glorious collection of 20th century art I've seen. what we didn't do very much of was eat, not like a person should eat when she finds herself in paris, anyway. we were a bit intimidated by the process of deciphering the menus and didn't have a lot of money, so we mainly ate crepes (albeit delicious) that we bought from street vendors and bread and cheese that we bought from the corner shops near where we stayed.

when we decided to return to paris, i made a list of things i didn't want to miss this time around, and most of them involved food and drink. the exceptions were a visit to the Rodin Museum, and Les Arts Decoratifs at the Louvre-both of which exceeded my expectations. but, eat and drink we did-the highlights: delicious and decadent breakfasts every morning, a wine and cheese tasting at O Chateau, Josselin for crepes in the 14th, L'As du Fallafel in the Marais on Rue de Rosiers just a few blocks from our apartment, chocolat chaud at Angelina's...we certainly saved the best for last, though. we had a late lunch shortly before we left for Berlin in the Marais at Cafe des Musees. i had a lamb dish with the most delicious ratatouille I've ever encountered; i don't quite remember what my husband had, but the star of the meal (and of the whole European trip) were the steamed mussels that we had to start. the server brought them in a small cast iron covered pot, and when he set them on the table and removed the lid, i knew we were in for a treat. since the trip,i keep ordering steamed mussels when they are a menu option, but nothing has even come close yet. they say everything tastes better on vacation, and i believe this to be true, but i also believe the steamed mussels at cafe des musees were the best i've ever had.