Dinner at the oldest restaurant in Paris

Glenda and I had a date tonight while my in-laws looked after the kids. This was our first date since we moved to Europe and we decided to go a little bit extravagant.

We went to Le Procope, which was founded in 1686 and is the oldest restaurant in Paris, on rue de l'Ancienne Comédie for dinner. Luminaries who had dined at this restaurant in the past three centuries included Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, and Benjamin Franklin.

We arrived at this cafe at the time of our reservation punctually. We were led to a table in a dining room of red and gold decor with magnificent chandelier lights. We were given an English menu (hey, I speak some west-coast Canadian French, not Quebecois, and Glenda speaks some French of unknown geographic origin). On its menu, there are items such as calf's head stewed in 1686 style or coq au vin. The price is not excessively expensive if you don't order individual plates. The prix fixe dinners are 32€ after 19:30 hr.

Glenda and I ordered a couple glasses of champagne, some Brittany oysters, then a carafe of vin rouge and two prix fixe dinners. The salad with smoked salmon, escargots, and canard (duck) were all great. The duck was so tender that it was perhaps the best duck I have ever had (honestly).

When the bill came, it did not give me a heart attack. There are certainly haute cuisine in Paris that would cost a fortune, but the cost at Le Procope is similar to a moderately fancy night out in the Bay Area (including the babysitting cost). And this was our first night out in four months!