Traditionally Paris

Rue des Petits Ecuries, Paris, June 7, 2010—

LINDSEY'S BIRTHDAY. She wanted a quiet one, with a walk along the Viaduc des Arts, and a baroque concert in Ste.-Chapelle in the evening. Sounds good to the rest of us! So the main meal was taken in the middle of the day at a neighborhood restaurant we just happened upon, down near the Gare de Lyon, where she and I ate Italian while Hans and Anneke ate Dutch.

We had a green salad with artichokes and shavings of Parmesan to begin with, then Lindsey had an entrecôte and I had beef tartare; cheese plates (Brie, St. Nectaire) in lieu of dessert. (The Dutch had herring salad and grilled daurade.)

Chablis by the glass; Côtes de Rhone en pichet.

Restaurant Entre les Vignes, 27, ter. Blvd. Diderot, Paris; tel. +33 (0)1 43 43 62 84

Then, after the concert, we strolled over to the Place St. Michelle for crèpes — well, galettes, really, buckwheat crèpes with Emmenthal, ham, and egg inside.

Rosé de Provence by the glass

Tabac de la Fontaine, 3, Blvd. Saint-Michel, Paris; tel. +33 (0)1 43 54 08 02