The Carnavalet, Le Sergent Recruter, Victor Hugo, archives, and fallafels
Today was centered around our reservation at 1 Michelin star restaurant, Le Sergent Recruter, on Ile St. Louis, at 1pm.
We first visited the Carnavalet Museum in 2005 and it was terrible, if I'm honest. Dark rooms with tiny displays, all in French. But it has undergone a multi-year renovation, reopening in 2021, so it was a priority for this trip.
And seriously, it's fantastic! The website says reserve but, digging deeper, that's only for special collections. We got there around 1130am. It was lightly crowded and we did wear our masks.
The hotel particulier in which the Carnavalet is located in the Marais was gleaming in the sunshine. It was another hot May day. Entrance is free.
Louis XIV welcomes you in the Coeur d'honneur.
We only had 1.5 hours and that was just not enough time! The displays are done in several languages and make it easy to follow the development of a small settlement into the amazing Paris we have today.
Our reservation at Le Sergent Recruter was at 1pm so we cut our visit short, but we will definitely be back on our next trip!
We walked through the pretty streets of the Marais, narrow but not as crowded as around L'As du Fallafel, to Ile St. Louis and the restaurant.
The price for lunch was not outrageous for a 1 Michelin star place. And since they didn't have a wine pairing, we decided to trust the sommelier to choose for us. It's always a good idea to trust the sommelier!
They don't seem to understand that their popular first name is really my last name! :)
Amuse bouche was smoked mackarel which I normally wouldn't like but quite enjoyed. It was not fishy and the bread was delicious.
It's a small restaurant. The back wall is a mirror with a cutout for the kitchen. It was fully booked while we lunched.
The wine list was several pages on an iPad. Thus our decision to trust the sommelier!
My delicious white asparagus starter. With a poached egg on a potato pancake. Yum!
Husband loved his leak starter. It was charred with smoked eel, mussel, and a citrusy, sweet dressing. He said it's one of the best dishes ever!
My main was a delicious trout and potatoes.
Husband loved his rabbit and bok choy.
I still dream about this dessert, called "Le Classique." It's a chocolate and caramel tarte with caramel ice cream. TDF!!!
This was the only real cheese course husband got on this trip.
The restrooms, upstairs for a change, were really cool
I had my lovely cafe noisette and the final desserts. Yum
A terrible picture of two very happily stuffed people. Highly recommend Le Sergent Recruter and will definitely be back next time we're in Paris.
We walked through Ile St. Louis revisiting some of the beautiful mansions and cars we saw the day before. Our goal was the Victor Hugo Museum at Place des Vosges, but we weren't in a hurry. It was a glorious, warm day for a nice leisurely walk.
The National Archives at Hotel des Soubise was our next stop. It's only open from 230pm to 6pm a few days per week. The mansion is beautifully set on large grounds but we didn't actually walk about the gardens :( It's free to enter, not much was in English. Lots of old maps and plans and books, and a few really pretty rooms fit for royalty. 
We found an agreeable cafe nearby and sat at a sidewalk table for a respite to watch the people and cars (and buses and sanitation trucks and motorbikes) parade. It was quite a busy, entertaining spectacle!
The Victor Hugo Museum at Place des Vosges is free. He lived there from 1832-1848. It's quick and easy and pretty interesting.
We walked into the Place des Vosges and found a shaded bench under the plane trees. There were families with happy, playful kids and folks of all ages enjoying the respite from the heat.
Because we were in the Marais and were a little hungry, we made our way back to L'As du Fallafel for that old, delicious, stand-by meal and it was fabulous as always.
It was still pretty hot so we decided to head home for the night. It had been a beautiful day!
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