There's one sort of tradition we have when visiting Paris. On every trip we make an effort to view the Eiffel Tower at night. So, after taking a break following our morning of walking around the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Arrondissements, we headed off to the seventh. On this day we hadn't made any plans for dinner. We were wondering how Les Cocottes was doing. Due to the location it was the scene of our first dinner in Paris and it had been four years since our last visit. The simple, unpretentious food at Les Cocottes had been satisfying and in 2021, the restaurant's namesake, Christian Constant retired. So new owners are in place.
The gentleman working the front of house was very professional and guided us to a table. While the 7th has always been quite popular with ex-pats, we've noticed even more over the last couple of visits. And on this visit we found that all the customers in Les Cocottes seemed to be tourists.
We ordered two starters and noticed that the special for the evening was cassoulet, so we got that to share.
First up was the Creme de Champignon et Lard Paysan – a creme of mushroom soup with bacon. It was also crowned with a soft boiled egg.
When this I arrived I told the Missus; "uh-oh….I must have Covid!"
She rocked back in Her seat and said "why?"
"Because, I must have lost my sense of smell….I can't smell any mushroom!"
The Missus cracked up! In all seriousness, this was very bland, boiled egg wasn't "soft", the bacon soggy, very little mushroom flavor.
Next up was the Foie Gras Terrine.
Check out the "toast"…….did they lose their bread knife and have to tear this by hand? The bread was dry and mealy. The foie gras was fine, quite livery-offaly in flavor. The temperature was off as it was way too cold and hard.
And lastly, the Cassoulet.
Good lord, this was terrible! The pork was on the tough side and the tops were incinerated. This needed some help in terms of seasoning as well. The garlic sausage was undercooked and tough. Worse of all, the beans were also undercooked and hard. One of the worse versions of cassoulet we've had.
This was very sad. Les Cocottes held a special place in our memories, but now….. And to think this is Christian Constant's legacy! Man, we thought our last visit to Arnaud Nicolas was bad!
Les Cocottes de Christian Constant
135 rue Saint-Dominique
Paris, 75007
We were feeling a bit down; but that was soon quelled as soon as we saw this.
We strolled on over to the Tour Eiffel, the glowing beacon in the night, the iconic symbol of Paris, instantly recognizable by billions.
We crossed the Seine on Pont d'Iéna and watched the tower sparkle at the top of the hour and then headed back to the apartment strolling along the Seine.
At at Place de l'Alma we took time to pause at the Flamme de la Liberté.
Presented to the city in 1989 by the International Herald Tribune to mark the 100th anniversary of the English publication in Paris. In 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in the tragic crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel and Flamme de la Liberté became a de facto memorial to the beloved Diana. The place officially became Place Diana in 2019.
It reminds me of the lyrics to that Elton John song….the version he performed live only once in 1997.
"And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned our long before
Your legend ever will…"
Elton John – Candle in the Wind 1997
to kick back and enjoy things. So, a visit to our favorite little spot on Rue Montorgueil, 
The wrapper was too thick and chewy, the filling tender but on the bland side. The black vinegar provided was really weak. These weren't very good.
The dough was too rubbery, though the pan fried portion was better. It was fairly yeasty in flavor and not overly sweet. The filling here was more tender and juicy, but still on the bland side, in need of a ton of the watery black vinegar.
The sausage had a firm, "snappy" casing. The filling had some good herbaceousness but was quite dry and overly chewy. Not a bad version by any means, but definitely not great. We tasted the Jeow Mak Len, the tomato dipping sauce provided which was mild, tasting like a weak tomato salsa and decided not to use it.
Yes, this is "half-rice" at Nanay's. The rice, which is predictably not of the best quality was decently cooked.
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When this arrived, the Missus and I gave each other a "look". This didn't seem quite right. And yes, it was overcooked, lacking in flavor, the filo like pastry was hard instead of crisp. And that egg; that poor overcooked, unseasoned egg. 'Nuff said.
The Missus ordered the combo with banh cuon trung, with eggs folded into the wrapper and the ground dried shrimp. First things first, the nuoc mam cham was way too sweet and really watered down. It was in dire need of more fish sauce and spice. In fact, the Missus was hatching a plan to possibly sneak in our own stuff next time.
This was interesting in a way. The banh mi was nicely heated, a light crusty-flaky-yeasty, all that better to soak up the rather mild tomatoey "sauce-gravy".
The hot dog cracked me up. It was….well, a hot dog, like something you bought at the grocery, a salty-sodium laden, tubular mystery meat. My favorite item by far were the meatballs which, while laden with filler were moist, tender orbs of beefy goodness. The eggs had a bit of "fishiness" to them and lacked seasoning, obviously not of the best quality, but decently sunny side up.
Shriners Hospitals for Children will sponsor this float, "Believe In Tomorrow", keeping with the Theme of the 2024 Parade, "Celebrating A World Of Music, The Universal Language". Floats are colored in to help with decorating.
"A Lovely Day for Hope", presented by the City of Hope hospital system was tested for mechanics and maneuverability with 'weight' on board. 
The 2024 entry from Trader Joe's is titled "a-one, a-two, a one-two-three-broccoli" and includes Trader Joe (collapsed at the back of the float, now but will be raised for the Parade) conducting a trio of broccoli and various vegetables playing musical instruments. The beaters in the yogurt cup at the front will produce bubbles along the parade route. Another beautiful float.
A new entrant in the Parade for 2024 is from Coding for Veterans. Unsure about the title. The center looks like it will have a screen. The outlines of aircraft are a H-60 and F-35. 
This entry is from Western Asset. It is backing into the barn. You can see the Driver of the float (who proceeds down Colorado Boulevard by looking down and following the Rose Colored Line on the street) to the right in the photo and the Spotter (who looks out the front, communicates with the Driver via a headset) to the left. You can see rectangular vented 'windows' at the fronts of the 'completed' floats, where the Spotters are seated.
Walking inside, we were directed to the last open table. Tam's opens at 8 a.m.
The breakfast menu was handed to us. 
At the top of the menu, beverages are included! (Iced beverages are an additional $1.50). The tea was good and strong and kept refilled constantly.
From the menu, "C"- vermicelli with Satay Beef plus scrambled egg & bun with butter (the price was $12.99, not the $13.99 as on the menu). Great broth with tender, flavorful beef and non-mushy noodles. The scrambled eggs were soft and fresh made (I did add some chili crisp to them after a few bites) and the steamed, soft bread was just enough.
"F"- beef stew with steamed noodle too plus scallop congee ($13.99). I saw the noodles being rolled in the kitchen when I went to the back toward the restroom. Fresh, soft, a thin layer…really nice. That beef stew was excellent, tender and such flavor. The scallop congee was really a great version. The scallops were dry/shredded and interspersed throughout each bite. 
Well, along with lines, I found that ASA likes their signs. Like the one above that states only 3 pastries per person. Good thing I didn't promise anyone else some goodies from here right?
This is baguette in name only and absolutely does not have any attributes of bread. It was hard as rock….hope you have good teeth if you get this. You basically didn't tear this; you cracked it into pieces. The chocolate was fine, not too sweet, but since whole macadamia nuts were used, the distribution was haphazard and you'd only occasionally find one.
This was a decent sandwich. I’ve always liked the thin shaved turkey and even though the bacon is in “bits” there’s a good amount of it in the sandwich.
My order was ready when I arrived….I just sauntered in, gave my name, and headed back to the car and office.