“When invited to parties, be the last to arrive. Sip your champagne, but never get too drunk.”

I’m not going to bore you with the over-beaten, dead horse that Paris is my favorite place in the world. I was feeling a little beaten up on this particular day and needed a sweet escape. Aleksandr from Paris was working the champagne line, so obviously it was love at first sight.

I’ll let you try to figure out for yourself if it was a love of man or a love of bubbles.

I was also starved, figuratively not literally.

So, here’s what I dined on…

Boef Bourguignon, Puree de Pommes de Terre, basically a beautiful way to say braised beef with mashed potatoes. Ugh, the French have such a lovely way with words.

To pair with it, which I don’t recommend because it’s not a formal pairing but I can’t resist the bubbles, was a St. Germain Sparkling Kir. Allow me to translate…sparkling wine and St. Germain elderflower liqueur.

And to finish it off, because a true Parisian can’t resist the sweet side of life, I had a Crème Brulee a la Confiture de Framboises. Wow. How can you not fall head over heels in love with such a beautiful label for a decadent dessert? If you want a translation (and to drool a little bit) it’s a crème brulee with raspberry jam. Also, you’re welcome, it was gluten free!

So, here I am forever falling more and more in love with France. Je te voux, Paris. Oui oui.

One last thank you to our friends at Food and Wine Festival. As always, all opinions are my own.