Fireworks and a marzipan mouse at Au Crocodile. Photo: Penny Baird

          Postcard from an 11-year-old in Strasbourg: Au Crocodile woos kids with Ratatouille menu, inspired by the technicolor mouse. Philip Baird Deutsch, youngest son of traveling gourmands, is pretty blasé about three-star dining in France. He usually just orders white fish and reads a book. But Crocodile’s Ratatouille menu made him smile. He’s a fan of the film, having seen it several times in both French and English. “I don’t usually have an appetizer but the mouse mousse sitting on little pretzels was okay.”  The fish came with fries and ratatouille.  “The fish was delicious, Dad ate the ratatouille. Mom took a photo of dessert.  It had cotton candy and balls on top with little pink stuff. It tasted really good.”  Philip’s favorite kitchen is Troisgros, where the chef Michel invited him into the kitchen and gave him an autographed toque. “Most of the chefs in France are named Michel,” he reports.

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