Dinner and a Parrot

July 17, 2018 -- Tom and I were ready to eat well yesterday evening.  I had perused the ratings of restaurants in lafourchette.com, and discovered a place within walking distance that had fine reviews, and lots of them.  The location, on one of the leafy avenues of the 7th arrondissement near UNESCO, appeals to us -- especially if we take the scenic route to go there.

Filet de dorade royale at Restaurant Félix.

However, when we left the apartment, we were in a bit of a hurry to meet our reservation time because work at the computers had delayed us longer than it should have.  We didn't hurry too much because of the summer heat, but we moved efficiently along the less scenic, more direct route to Avenue Segur.  Still, we made it to Restaurant Félix at 79 Avenue de Segur right on time.  We were the only English speakers there (but of course we spoke French).

The place is named for its chef, Félix Michau.  He trained at fine restaurants in France and Scotland, and then opened this place of his own in 2016.  His philosophy is to offer only the freshest, seasonal products, prepared "without arrogance," emphasizing quality above all else.  As a result, the menu changes so frequently that it is simply printed on a page that is then placed on a clipboard -- no vinyl covers at Restaurant Félix!

We did not order any starters, but instead focused on a bottle of cold sparkling water to begin the repast.  The bread that soon arrived was of that delicious dark sourdough variety, with a crunchy crust.  Nice.

Filet mignon de cochon at Restaurant Felix.

Tom had a filet mignon de cochon (pork) that came with a rich, creamy sauce and delicious wild mushrooms.  My filet of dorade royale (golden sea bream) sat upon a small pile of perfectly cooked fresh spinach, and was topped by a colorful mix of finely chopped vegetables and capers

The evening was very warm, but the restaurant was completely open in front.  Still, the dining room could have benefited from a fan.  Tom decided to have ice cream for dessert.  True to the chef's philosophy, it was top-quality ice cream.  I had a little scoop of it inside a profiterole that was covered in very dark, rich chocolate sauce -- like the sauce we used to get at Le Pario.

Bravo, Chef Félix Michau!  We shall return.  I must try the razor clams next time.

The profiterole with rich, dark chocolate sauce at Restaurant Félix.

After dinner, we walked slowly up the Avenue de Segur and the Avenue de Suffren to the Champ de Mars, catching a soft evening view of the Eiffel Tower just before sunset.

We enjoyed serene views in the Champ de Mars, just as I had done in the morning.

Yesterday's lovely evening view of the Eiffel Tower, from the
Champ de Mars.

One of the unusual sightings I made in the morning on the Champ de Mars was a parrot.  That's right, a bright green, full size parrot!  Research tells me that these are rose-necked parakeets from Africa.  I thought parakeets were smaller, but the one I saw was really parrot-sized.  Evidently, they were introduced to the Paris region as escapees at the Orly airport.  Now they have become an invasive species and are disrupting native bird populations.

I made a mental note of the sound of the parrot's cry, so that I might listen for it as I walk through the Champ de Mars.  The apple-green bird was very hard to see when it was sitting in the green foliage of a tree.  One reason I saw it was that I happened to be staring up at a space between trees when the parrot flew there.

Another reason I spotted the bird was that I was making myself sit still for a half hour on a park bench yesterday morning.  As all bird watchers know, it is amazing what you can see if you simply sit still and remain observant for 30 minutes or more.

So I will try to pause more, to soak it all in.