Bergamot

At the end of our first day in Paris, we ate dinner at Bergamot, a restaurant near Faubourg St. Germain on the left bank. Bergamot is a herb (also known as monarda or bee balm) so not surprisingly fresh herbs played a part in all the dishes.

I had pasta - a vegetarian stand-by. The penne was mixed with a small amount of tomato sauce to make it orange, tossed with some cooked carrots and zucchini, and served with fresh mint, basil and chives sprinkled on top. Very nice.

Larry had a piece of meat. On the side came the meal's highlight - a round of mashed potatoes topped with a drizzle of pesto and half a cherry tomato.

The round was made by packing the mashed potatoes into a tall round cookie cutter (or by cutting rounds out of a rectangular dish of mashed potatoes - I don't know which).

Round things were very popular in Paris. At a cooking store we visited, I found a French cookbook devoted to preparing food using these tall round metal shapes. I did not buy the book. That's just too fussy for me.

But I do plan to drizzle pesto over mashed potatoes - it really is an excellent match.