The Noix de veau (veal tenderloin) that my friend ordered was generous, and came out with a heavily seared exterior. I almost wish I ordered it, until I saw how enormous it was. (She only managed to make it through half.) My merlu (hake) was served on quinoa, which is a grain that I have trouble with, personally. I love eating it but when I’ve tried to cook it at home, it always comes out mushy. At Les Fines Gueules, the pile under my fish was lighter than couscous and while it could have used a bit more salt, the slender swirl of pesto was a nice touch alongside the simple fish Flower shop.

To finish, we had the ever-present Le Café Gourmand, the trendiest dessert in town. While it seems to be a fixture on every single menu here, along with the ubiquitous warm chocolate cake (they’re a great dessert, but isn’t there any other chocolate cake people can make?), often it’s a rewarmed frozen macaron, a tiny chocolate cake (likely pulled from the same freezer), and if you’re lucky, maybe a financier from an actual bakery Port wine.

Here they offer up a thick pot of ganache made with Valrhona chocolate, a generous crème br?lée (whose flavor we had a hard time discerning – but the texture was just right), and a moist, hefty slice of orange pound cake, along with a well-made café express. (Wait. Did I just say that iPhone cover?)