The facade.

The sugared madness.

We filled our bag with homemade marshmallows, tangerines covered in chocolate, pate de fruit, truffles and more goodies to take home to Atlanta.

We just finished the last of it. Le sniff.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping and art.

We walked across the Siene as the sun went down towards

The Champs-Élysées

where we saw the Eiffel Tower and this ferris wheel in the distance.

Being the dork that I am, I dragged Moon towards it for a quick spin.

The view wasn’t shabby.

We still had time to kill before dinner so we decided to go have a drink, but found this winter carnival on our way there. We naturally had to stop and see the sights. The French know how to throw a mean winter carnival.

Grilled salmon with creme fraiche and chives.

Sausage sandwiches.

Crepes.

While we practiced restraint at the carnival, we couldn’t pass up a stop at the famous Laduree for some macarons. It is always this crazy in there.

There was a clear winner in Moon’s macaron taste-test insanity. He gave Pierre Herme first place with Gerard Mulot in second.

After a ridiculously overpriced drink on the Champs, we hopped in a cab and headed to Le Severo, a charming little steak place run by a former butcher. The owner is an odd man who almost seems uncomfortable playing front of the house. But he has a good thing going. The little restaurant is always packed and the beef is plentiful. The kitchen also serves some mean fried potatoes. You get your choice of a few different cuts, a few classic starters and a fabulous wine list.

If you don’t like your meat rare, don’t bother.

My gorgeous steak frites. I want those potatoes in my belly RIGHT NOW.

The days were blurring together. We slept, saw the sights and ate more food. This time fresh seafood from this random seafood market/cafe in the Marais.

We got the Platter Royale, a chilled abundance of sweet pink shrimp, whelks, langoustines, clams, oysters and more.

French seafood completes me.

We had reservations at a bistro that night, but we just couldn’t eat another bite of pork, rilletes or bread. I was jonesing really hard for Asian food. We canceled and went hunting. Guess what kind of salvation was just around the corner from our hotel?

Hello lover. I’ve missed you.

We ordered the beef, duck, dumplings and some Korean-style tartare. The banchan arrived and I attacked it with the steel chopsticks as Moon watched me with an approving (and goofy) grin on his face. He likes to see his wife happy.

Our meats for the barbecue, which are very lean, but surprisingly tasty and very well marinated.

Moon’s steak tartare.

Our Korean feast the night before gave my stomach a fresh start for our last day of Parisian food. We had plans to eat at my aunt’s home on our final night, so we chose a special lunch to finish off our trip. My parents raved about their meal at Benoit just months before. And they serve cassoulet, something that is normally cooked in Parisian homes and generally hard-to-find in restaurants. Most Paris natives will laugh at you when you ask where to get a decent one. Try it. I did. We started with a lovely Champagne and moved onto a serious 2005 Bordeaux chosen by my dear enophile of a husband. It was the perfect foil to this serious food.

Gougeres.

Veal tongue.

Cream of langoustines.

My beloved (and DELICIOUS) cassoulet.

Moon’s Tete du Veau.

And, that’s that. We spent a lovely night at my aunt’s house overlooking the Sacré-Coeur Basilica.

After a requisite mad dash through the food stores at the airport to gather up last minute gifts for our loved ones, we settled into our comfy business class seats (my parents’ wedding gift to us) for the long ride home.

We’re thinking Venice and Tuscany for our first anniversary trip. Stay tuned…