My best restaurant experience was a restaurant in Paris called Le Jardin. I went there on my last night of vacation, and although I had already eaten at delicious restaurants throughout the trip, this one outshone them all. 

First and foremost, the food was excellent. Although almost all the restaurants in France give you bread as an appetizer, so the bread at Le Jardin wasn’t any special service, theirs was particularly good. For dinner, I got muscles. They were very different from other muscles I had had before – having been served on a plate without shells instead of in a bowl with shells – so I was a bit weary. However, I remember tasting the muscles and thinking, Wow, this is so much better than I expected! They were super buttery and bursting with flavor, even though they weren’t served in a broth like in the traditional presentation. My mom also got the muscles and my grandma got the steak frites, and they both loved their meals. For dessert, I got the chocolate mousse and my mom got the creme brulee. The chocolate mousse was probably the best chocolate mousse I’ve ever had, and it was cool because instead of individual servings the servers would bring out a huge batch and scoop some onto your plate right in front of you. It was very rich, so I couldn’t eat that much, but it was very well made and had a perfect, soft texture.

Additionally, the service was really good. Even though we did have to wait an hour before being seated, the service once we sat down was quick, so we didn’t have to wait long to get our food. Our server was nice and also funny, and he joked around a lot. While ordering dessert, he exclaimed to my grandma, who still had a few fries on her plate, “But you haven’t finished your food yet!” The service improved the overall experience and made for a fun and memorable meal.

The restaurant also had a very interesting atmosphere, and it had dim lighting that made for a cool ambiance. It looked a lot like a classic French diner you might imagine when thinking of Paris, which made the meal even more enjoyable.

Overall, I felt very happy with the whole experience and if I ever find myself back in Paris, I would definitely go back.