Without further prompting, Arnaud pulled out a second glass and the bottle of malbec he’d opened earlier, filling the empty glass and topping off his own. “Easiest wine pairing to remember: red wine with red meat,” he said, handing Ana her wine. He took a long drink of his before returning to the prep counter, where most of the ingredients he needed were already prepared.
“Certainly you can appreciate a good steak, yes?” Not that it was actually a question, because Arnaud was already in front of the range, moving through the preparation of steak au poivre with the ease of decades of practice. “There is also cassoulet, and of course the potatoes dauphinoise that apparently half the cirque are mad for.” There were other dishes as well, the results of his attempt to re-work the menu for their stay here, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her with choice.