memories of a French meal....

A few years ago, I visited Philadelphia for the annual flower show. Late into the night, hungry and wondering what was open, I came upon a French bistro called Caribou - highly recommended. I had gone with a friend who is not adventurous (maybe because she is from the mid-West) and only orders French onion soup and a chicken dish, so she had the coq au vin that I persuaded her to have (surprisingly, she had never eaten it!) and I had escargots fricasee which was unusual but so delicious that my mouth is watering as I write this to you - the tender snails were napped in a creamy sauce with a sprinkling of chives wrapped inside miniature raviolis - so it wasn't soaking in the usual oil and garlic rendition that most restaurants serve which I like, but it's good to have a change. Then I had a steak frites in a caper sauce. The frites were simply sublime - slim, crunchy and soft at the same time. The steak was tender and yet meaty and the sauce just right. Both of us were so full that we actually skipped dessert - a rarity in my case as the apricot frangipane tart with creme anglaise looked so inviting!