Last night, CS and I were treated to dinner by another couple as a thank you to work CS did for them. I LOVE getting the perks of CS’s freebies! They took us to a place I hadn’t yet been–Martinique Bistro on Magazine Street. This place is so cool! It’s got a great courtyard that we dined in. The restaurant (including the courtyard) is quaint and romantic. They have a great wine list (I am told); the three of them enjoyed a nice Pinot Noir. For starters, I had a crawfish cake (YUM!) and CS had the salmon tartare–he said it was delicious, though it looked like I can of cat food had been placed on arugula; they may want to consider reshaping this appetizer into a triangle instead of a circle. Our friends started with escargot and a spinach crepe. By all accounts, the four appetizers were a hit.

For the main dish, I eyed bouillabaisse on the menu and thought, hey, a French bistro is the place to finally try this dish. Oh. My. God. It was heaven. It had clams, shrimp and fish in this incredible broth. I was sorry not to have been able to finish it. At least by the eighth month of being pregnant, I am finally learning not to over eat and cause myself heartburn. CS had a pork dish that was also perfectly cooked and divine.

For dessert, I had their homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream, and I sampled the other couple’s white chocolate bread pudding. That bread pudding kicked the ice cream’s ass.

The weather held out and so it was another beautiful, mild, bug-free New Orleans evening. A true delight.