The OPMOM Blog

Le Petit Prince

At first blush, The Little Prince (le Petit Prince) appears to be a simple children’s tale, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French author, journalist and pilot, in 1943, the year before his death.  However, almost everyone who reads it finds something more profound within its pages, layered with riddles, philosopy and poetic metaphor.  Take for example, one of its most oft-quoted lines, “Here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

After spending the day in Montmartre, our eyes, our hearts, and our palates saw our way rightly through a tucked away, rainy alleyway in the Latin Quarter, to a tiny yet exquisite restaurant called Le Petit Prince. No connection to the whimsical tale of a boy who makes friends with a tree on a distant planet, this place was named, rather, for the nickname the owner’s grandmother gave him at a young age.  Finding our way in, after securing the last reservation for the night before the post-theater crowd lay claim, was like stepping through the wardrobe into Narnia, only the men were so, so much better looking.  We flirted madly, which was safe, because they were all little princes in their own right, if you know what I’m saying.

 
Sara ordered Kir Royal, her favorite new apero, and I, being the more flirtatious (translation:  obnoxious) of the two, started asking questions.  So, here, mes amies, is how it’s done.

As  you can tell by the video, the ambience is dark and warm.  The decor is somewhat mysterious — a stairway to nowhere??  But the duck breasts with fig sauce were so essentiel to the dining experience of this entire trip, perhaps my entire life! So essential were they that I immediately began a quest to find the recipe.  Though the dinner at Petit Prince will never be duplicated, the misty skies, the gorgeous wait staff, the wine and cheese and profiteroles for dessert, this recipe does come as close as I think possible on these shores to replicating the night.  In my memories, my mind’s eye, and my heart of hearts, I think I see it rightly.