3rd Weekend Off

SATURDAY

Dinner at Il Gusto Sardo

It was a great weekend for socializing despite the intermittent drizzle. On Saturday night Julia and her husband Steve invited a few of us for a very welcomed Italian meal at il gusto SARDO, a great little restaurant in the 16th Arrondissement. It was a nice change to see one another in regular clothes after almost 3 weeks of looking at each other in white. Besides Steve and Julia, the group consisted of the inseparable Asian contingent (Jennifer, Yuka, and Kelsey),  Alan, Will, and myself. As any other like-minded group, every

conversation regardless of topic would eventually morph into a Cordon Bleu story. Poor Steve was a good sport taking in an earful of our stories the entire night. We ordered 8 plates of various meat plates, and salads for Antipasti and shared them family style. Then for the main course we were presented with an array of pastas of all shapes and colors. I had a black pasta dish with shrimp and tomatoes pictured to the right. It was delicious! Classic Italian desserts followed for I Dolci. The wine of choice for the night, selected by Steve, was a Chianti Classico with the trademark rooster label. It was truly a feast. What a nice way to celebrate the mid-point of our time in Paris. Thanks Steve and Julia for a wonderful night.

A good thing must not end. So, we all took the metro and came over to my place for a little more wine and of course more LCB stories. We managed a quick photo shoot in the Metro as the train pulled in to the station. It would be easy to underestimate these innocently pretty faces, but collectively they pack an impressive resume. Represented here is an MBA from Cornell, Statistics major from Berkley, Finance major from USC, and a Systems Engineer from Japan. WOW! And they can cook too :)

The Girls at the Metro

SUNDAY

On Sunday, Alan, determined to have a Holiday meal, invited a bunch of us to his apartment in the 6th Arr. for a belated Thanksgiving meal. He spent most of Saturday buying and prepping a turkey and hunting down ingredients for the side dishes. Finding some of the traditional ingredients in Paris proved to be challenging. We all brought some breads, cheeses, and wine to add to the loot. Sjoerd, Who had just dropped Jayne off at the train station, was able to join us as well. He was like the Senior star dropping in to impart his wisdom to the Freshmen.

Apps

The Big Guy proudly posing by his spread before

being run down by the mob

The big guy Chef Alan assisted by Chef Will put together a very impressive feast. We were wowing the entire night. This Thanksgiving meal rivaled any past Thanksgiving meal I have ever had. The guys put together a Turkey, 2 kinds of stuffing, mac and cheese, gravy, spinach, and a pumpkin pie. Excellent! We were ALL impressed and very satiated. Steve even got the skin. I'll spare the rhetoric because the pictures capture the night more accurately. Thanks Alan and Will for hosting this event and all of your effort.

Jorge showing how it's done in Peru

Steve, Julia, Jorge, Will, Me, Kelsey, Jennifer, Sjoerd, and Eduardo.Picture taken by the Big Guy himself

What a great weekend. Isn't it amazing that none of us knew one another 3 weeks ago!