Shattered!

For a year now, I've been comparing all meals in Paris to one: my beef bourginon at Le Montebello. I had fond memories of the traditional French dish with its rich sauce, juicy beef, succulent potatoes and sweet carrots. Tonight, however, I discovered my gold standard of Parisian dining was now nothing more than a bland pot of kitchen leftovers.

My friend Kerry is in town from New York. So, based on an experience from last year, Chris and I thought returning to Le Montebello would be enjoyable. We were wrong - completely wrong. With crying babies to my right and obnoxious Australians to my left, my beef bourginon arrived sans resemblance of the stew I originally enjoyed last September. I was crushed.

For a moment, I thought my pallete might have changed - not the meal. But as I gazed into the ceramic pot in front of me, I realized it had indeed morphed into bland and unappealing cuisine. If anything, I can now move on from my beef bourginon to another meal by which all others will be compared. The falafel stand in the Marais perhaps?