Wishing you could (bon) voyage to Paris for the summer? Well luckily, Paris is coming to you!

On Thursday, July 16th, Gilt and Lancôme are launching Je T’aime Paris, a Parisian-inspired online event featuring a curated collection of French experiences in New York City. Because it’s Gilt, you know you’ll find the biggest discounts on everything from the hottest French bistros to fun French cooking classes!

Duet Brasserie is one of the featured restaurants, so we put on our striped shirts, stuck a fresh baguette under our arms, and headed to the West Village for a delicious French meal.

As you can see, the restaurant is beautiful. I loved that there were jugs of fruit-infused vodka lining the walls. They made me wonder if people just grab a glass, go over there and help themselves!

Duet is more than just a French restaurant. Its menu is divided by location, so you can decide what type of food you’re looking for before you narrow down which dishes.

One of Gilt’s Je T’aime Paris offers for Duet Brasserie includes a heavily discounted three-course dinner for two, so we decided on that. It was a French fête after all!

My friend ordered the prettiest dish on the menu, the Avocado Salad with cilantro, lime juice, grape tomatoes and plantain chips.

I selected the Grilled Sugar Cane Shrimp with seared pineapple.

I loved it!

For a main course, my friend ordered the Seared Dayboat Scallops with a brussel sprout puree (don’t worry, it didn’t taste like brussel sprouts!) and a white wine, lemon and butter sauce.

I had the Duck Breast in a port wine sauce and served with mashed potatoes. It was delicious, and made for the perfect comfort food.

Before our dessert arrived, we were given a taste of the fruit-infused vodka and were told to guess the fruit. After sipping the alcohol and glancing at the vodka jugs, my friend decided that it had to be cherries. I was going to pick that, but in the spirit of friendly competition I decided on either white cherries or pears. When the waiter came back, we both gave our guesses and waited to hear who the winner was. It was… neither of us.

The vodka was infused with pineapple, which we probably would have guessed except for the fact that there was no jug of vodka pineapple! The sneaky waiter took the sample from the kitchen as a joke to trick us! Well done waiter, well done.

Finally, we shared a delicious dessert of warm Dulce de Leche Doughnuts.

The fruit was perfectly fresh.

But the doughnuts were the real star of the show. They were absolutely delicious!

Plus, we were given a pen to add more sauce as desired. Or to write our names. We weren’t sure, so we decided to do both just in case!

The food tastes just as good as it looks! To purchase one of Gilt City’s Duet Brasserie offers (beginning on July 16th), click here.

To browse Gilt City’s other Je T’aime Paris offers, click here.

Want to look like a chic Frenchwoman when you go out to dinner? During Je T’aime Paris, Gilt and Gilt City members will receive 20% off Lancôme products. I’m having a lot of fun with French Paradise Collection, which is inspired by the azure blue skies and deep navy coves of Cassis and the sun-reddened, orange-lit cliffs of Cap Canaille. Doesn’t that description just make you want to travel?!

During Je T’aime Paris, you can also shop chic French fashion, including cool Rive-Gauche labels, and receive a Lancôme gift with purchase. To start shopping (perhaps for your next trip to Paris?) click here.

Gilt City has everything you need for your own French getaway, right here in New York City.

~A