A few years ago I was in Germany for a competition, but my team and I were able to take our way over to Paris for a few days to experience “The City of Light.” Whenever I’m in a new city, one of the most exciting prospects is experiencing the cuisine. It was my first time in Europe, so I wanted to take in as much as I could. We ventured the city hoping to find the best, most authentic French bistro. It was my intention to live the glamorous and decadent French lifestyle I had seen on TV for so many years, even if it was just for a day.

We finally happened on a cute, quaint café in the middle of Paris. I was starving and eager to try everything on the menu. It was all in French and I wanted to take my time to make sure I ordered the most delectable food. My excitement was soon thwarted when our waitress asked me if she should come back tomorrow because I was taking so long to order. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or slap her. I decided, however, to not let her get me down and ruin my experience. I ate quiche galore and stuffed myself on escargot. I wasn’t sure when I would be in Paris again so I savored my experience. I still left our waitress a good tip.

On a recent day of torrential downpour, Mark and I decided it would be nice to forget the rain and lose ourselves in a nice café. After driving up and down Oakland Park Boulevard, we decided on Rendez- Vous French Bakery & Bistro. I had never been there before, and I was curious as to how it would compare to my Paris experience.

Upon entering the restaurant we were both soaked, which made me crave something warm and hearty. I could smell the aroma of bread in the air, which immediately made me feel better. We were seated in a private, comfy booth in the corner of the restaurant. The aura of the restaurant was casual. It was nothing like the restaurant in Paris, which seemed rather pretentious. Our waitress, who was very pretty and spoke with a cute little French accent, politely asked us for our order.

I knew better than to take all day to order, so I decided on the tilapia sandwich and Mark ordered the French dip, both served with chips on fresh, warm, house-made bread. It seemed an unorthodox choice considering I was at a French restaurant, but I had my heart set on something with fresh bread. Some of the other, more popular French favorites included a variety of quiche, crepes and croissants, which I fully intend on trying in the near future; duck confit salad, braised lam shank, sautéed grouper with pesto and skirt steak. Each dish is moderately priced.

My sandwich hit the spot with the warm, crispy bread that I could hear crackle with each bite. The tilapia tasted very fresh and was topped with a sharp-tasting cheddar cheese. The only other fish sandwich I had eaten with cheese up to that point was a Filet-O-Fish from McDonald’s, but this was oh so much better. Mark, who had eaten many French dips in his day, was surprised at the uniqueness of the Au Jus sauce that came with the sandwich. We were both comfortably full from our meal, but decided to save dessert for another occasion.

I would love to make my way back to Rendez-Vous soon. I’ve always wanted to learn French, so maybe next time I’m there I can order in the style of a native Parisian: “Peux j'avoir un verre de l'eau s'il vous plait?” Check out the Surprising Dining section on jumponmarkslist.com for locations.