In St. Germain-des-Pres

Blogging has made me bold - maybe too bold sometimes, but I'm much likely to strike up conversations in cafes or restaurants with neighboring tables especially if people look a little bored. Last night, the woman seated next to us told us she came from Buenos Aires. She and her husband had spent the last few weeks in Greece (and what have you heard about Greece travel lately?) and a few days in Rome. "My husband went back to Buenos Aires, but I decided to stay in Paris for a week because I feel as if I haven't gone anywhere if I haven't been to Paris." After having talked for the last month to Parisians who've abandoned the city which they find no longer tenable, it's reinvigorating to talk to a tourist who considers the city the high point of her trip (with or without husband!). I wish for her sake that she had picked a better restaurant! Which leads me to the subject of bad meals in Paris. Yes, there is such a thing as having a bad meal - and sometimes the worst meals are served in the cutest looking places. A number of years ago, Maryanne (a New Yorker) and I took in the Pernety neighborhood. (This is definitely off the tourist radar.) The owner of a restaurant waved to us to come in (this is ALWAYS a bad sign - do NOT go to restaurants where people try to wave you in) but because the restaurant and tons of geraniums in cute pots - we did get suckered into this one. The veal cutlets were grilled to obllvion, the carafe of beaujolais was flabby, the service was pathetic. Not only have we never gone back to the restaurant (obviously), we've never set foot in the neighborhood which is only one Metro stop away from Gaite and Montparnasse. This is one city where you're probably better off using a restaurant guide, perhaps spending a bit more on one or two good meals, and snack on sandwiches or crepes rather than wasting your money on a mediocre restaurant.