Spring in the 1st; Where Else to Go but There on July 4th?

By Johntalbott

So, all Duded up in red, white and blue for the 4th of July we headed off with two friends to "the" only place to go for lunch on our fete nationale (except for L'Office I guess) - Spring.  As usual we were warmly greeted and treated and again as usual repleted with a cascade of dishes that included:



Top to bottom and clockwise they were: encornets with ham, radish halves with fish eggs, inventive marinated or lightly pickled sliced eggplant that was almost tomato-like and chard fritters; rascasse (to my ears) but corrected twice by my friends in charge of the kitchen and salle to rouget with fresh almonds and a sauce of honey, olive oil and dill; pigeon breast and thigh (jokey pix I assure you); divine crispy, light as clouds and teeny-tiny girolles with astonishing bits of dried apricot; apricot halves sweetened and blow-torched on top with chevre ice cream and cherry halves in red wine; and (whew) chocolate, rum granite and lemon cream.


With 2 bottles of Red Loire Orleans Clos St Fiacre, 3 coffees, his usual good rolls and butter and no bottled water, our three meals (actually they did slip our fourth, late-arriving from his falafel feast guest, a few items) were billed at 197 E but it really would be 116 E a couple.