Le Loir in the Teapot

"Some places you find. Others you come back to. This was the first stop on our Paris holiday. We had been before and wanted to see if it still hit the same. It did. The roast beef came sliced thin, pink in the center, with a small ramekin of remoulade on the side. Pommes sautées, crispy the way only confident cooking produces. The lemon meringue pie after was taller than it looked, the meringue torched dark at the peaks, the curd sharp enough to cut the richness. The interior is what photos don't capture. Every wall layered with posters and theatre bills. Mismatched chairs, a marble tabletop painted like a child's art project. Staff treated us like regulars. The menu changes regularly. Check the blackboard. Go for the citronnade. Bring someone who remembers what home cooking tastes like."