Fit for a king

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These guys looked like they were eating some yummy Asian soup noodles. I scoured the area, but couldn't find any place selling it.

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A lot of art is on display down by the river.

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This reminds me of Ben Ho's box story.

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I thought this artist's Geisha-themed works were pretty amazing. Also check out karinebrailly.com for some pretty amazing works.

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Musee de Agustins.

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Rodin's "The Kiss" is still way better, but this is also a decent sculpture.

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I found these statues kind of creepy.

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Gothic sculpture ... who cares?

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Entrance to the Hotel des Arts.

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Lunch - burnt quiche, and the eggy interior wasn't all that eggy, just really dry. Blah! 7 euros including a dessert and a drink ... not worth it for this poor-quality food.

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The dessert du jour - I couldn't communicate with the guy well enough to figure out what desserts were available with the deal, so I went with the default. Some form of apple tart, sprinkled with slivered almonds and dusted with powdered sugar. Not bad, but not great ... way better than the quiche, but that doesn't say much. The place was called Paul's, and I wouldn't recommend eating here.

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Dumbass on the train - talking loudly for much of the ride, disturbing everybody. He ended up taking a nap, and his cellphone kept ringing very loudly, disturbing everyone else even when he wasn't yapping, only napping. Some lady finally woke him up to get him to answer the phone, so people were no longer disturbed by the loud, annoying ring tone ... they were now again disturbed by the loud, annoying, obnoxious guy yelling on the cellphone. You sir, are a dumbass!!!!

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Sarlat - an exciting evening of laundry.

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Needing change, I went over to a nearby restaurant to get some - they ended up giving me 20 euros in coins! I couldn't explain that I needed less, so I was stuck with it.

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Pastis, with way too much water.

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The starter was a salad, with bitter lettuce, incredible tomatoes, and an incredibly tender duck leg ... a bit dry, but the flavour was excellent. The slab of foie gras was SO good, and there was something sweet in the salad, which I couldn't quite put my finger on. The dressing was a simple mix of oil and vinegar, and walnuts provided a nice accent - they weren't overpowering, as walnuts tend to be. So rich, this salad was almost a meal in itself. It was a heck of a start to dinner.

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Excellent red wine ... mmmm ...

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The duck breast was smothered in gravy, and looked a bit dodgy. It looked more like soup, than an accompaniment. I wasn't sure how it would taste, but ... wow!!! It was a St. John truffle sauce, and it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!! I can only describe it as being the sweet, sweet, so beautifully sweet, gravy of the gods. Served with potatoes Sarladaise, thinly sliced potatoes fried in duck fat, and seasoned with garlic and parsley. Horrifically bad for your heart I'm sure, but heavenly for your taste buds and stomach. They were a bit chewy but crisp on the outside, and thus could have been better ... but it was unimportant, as the gravy was so delicious that it masked any shortcomings on the plate. The duck breast itself wasn't too shabby, either - very sweet and tender. Crisper skin would have been nice, however. The slice of tomato on the side was incredible, but it paled in comparison to the duck. Duck was definitely prominently featured tonight - duck fat ... you foul temptress! You're going to make my pants too tight!

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Cabecou de Rocamour - a little disc of locally-produced goat cheese. Delicious with a soft rind, it wasn't pungent, and was so creamy that it simply melted in your mouth, leaving behind only a sweet aftertaste.

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Dessert - tough decision - apple tart or gateau ... already having a crappy apple pastry today, I didn't want to chance having another bad one, so I opted for the gateau. The cake was dry, but I wondered if that was the intention - because it was swimming in a pool of creme anglaise, which it soaked up like a sponge. The cake was a bit like a cross between a cake and a biscuit, and wasn't overly sweet, it just had a delicate walnut flavour - the creme anglaise provided the necessary blast of sugar. It was excellent and would have been perfect with some excellent French coffee, but I needed to sleep tonight after a few recent bad nights of sleep.

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17 euros for the 4 course menu, 3 euros for the pastis, and 5 euros for 250 ml of good wine. $40 CAD, including tax and tip, for a phenomenal meal with wine, an aperitif, and a dish that featured foie gras. Great value for a meal of this calibre. Now that I look at the photo of the money ... I think I accidentally short-changed the restaurant!!!