Thursday July 19
Woke up fairly early, about 8. We found out quickly that our plane would be delayed one and a half hours...thus making our wait at the airport 5 hours long. Our arrival was now scheduled for 9:00 am Friday. That means probably making it to the hotel by around 11.
The plane was an airbus 380, maybe the biggest jet I have ever seen or been on. 21 in crew, 500 passengers. Just boarding took almost 40 minutes! We were on the top deck and the ride was a tad bumpy. The wine was good and free, as was the cognac apres diner! The food was unremarkable, pretty weak for a French airline.
We did land by 8:45, but taxiing took almost an additional 20 minutes. CDG is freaking huge! Getting to passport control was a hike and a train ride. The line moved pretty fast, and our bags came out quickly. We grabbed a cab; 50€ to the hotel. We got to 34B almost exactly at 11. The room would be available at 2:00.
FRIDAY July 20
Lisa had her “third wind”, so we were able to walk to Rue Montorgueil and explore. The walk was less than a kilometer, so very easy. It’s supposed to be a carless street, but there were vehicles moving through the pedestrians. We had seen a lot of the stores featured on the YouTube video yesterday, so there weren’t any surprises. We tried to lunch at L’Escargot de Montorgueil but they wouldn’t be open until noon, so we opted for Cafe Centre. 12 escargot, onion soup for Lisa and Pate de Campagne for me. All was delicious except one snail was very gritty. The baguette served for snail butter dunking was exceptional!
Lisa enjoying lunch at Cafe Centre
We looked in some other stores, La Fermette, a cheese shop that smelled like a cheese shop! There were a lot of flies on the cheeses, so that put me off a bit. We probably could have bought some to bring back to the room, which has a minibar fridge, but we were now so full, the urge to buy wasn’t there. Nearby was Boulangerie Collet, which had some delicious looking treats, so I managed to buy a Cafe Eclair and down it before my stomach knew what was happening. It was phenomenal! We also went in an Italian deli and a wine store, but the combination of lack of sleep and a big meal was too much, so we trundled back to the hotel.
The neighborhood has tons of neat restaurants and more, and there’s one strip that seems very American with hamburger joints and a bagel shop. The hotel is really different, with tiny elevators and a big open space for a lobby. We camped out there, and when Lisa passed out, looking like a homeless lady, the manager took pity on us and gave us a room, almost an hour ahead of time.
Le Relais Louis 13
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| Relais Louis XIII |
Amuse Bouche - Gougeres and Quiche, Oyster w/ Cucumber gelatin and cream sauce
Lisa: Lobster Salad, Roast Veal, Comte Cheese
Wayne: Lobster and Fois Gras Ravioli, Veal Sweetbreads, Millefeuille
Apres- Caramel things, lemony cheese Creampuffs
Everything I had at Relais was top notch. I thought the only dish that wasn’t at the highest level was Lisa’s lobster salad, which was slightly underdressed, and had way too many haricots verts. My Ravioli was just one dumpling filled with one half foie gras and the other half lobster, as opposed to it being filled with a chopped mixture of both. The foamy sauce was subtle, not too rich. My Sweetbread was rich and delicious, with a nice sear and a delicious sauce. The description said something about chorizo, but I found none. It felt like an episode of Chopped when one of the chefs forgets to incorporate one of the ingredients. Lisa’s veal was perfectly cooked, and surrounded by some lovely roasted veggies.
The real star of the evening was my Millefeuille, which tasted like a cross between the best Napoleon you have ever had, and the lightest baklava.
After dinner we walked back via the Pont Neuf, past the Les Halles shopping center, the Jardin Nelson Mandela, the Eglise St. Eustache, and up the Rue Montmartre back to our hotel. We then went back out for a digestif to Brebant. I had an Armagnac, Lisa a Passion Fruit Martini, named Pornstar Martini.
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| Wayne on the Pont Neuf |
SATURDAY JULY 21
Awoke to a beautiful morning, low 60’s and clear skies. Had a quick light breakfast at the hotel spread. We then took the #8 Metro to the Filles de Calvaire station, and a short walk to the cafe de la Poste, where we met the guide for our Taste of the Marais tour. Andres is a chef, somm, and food expert who blogs about sustainable and healthy foods.
Our first stop was Tout Autour de Pain boulangerie, which had beautiful baguettes and the best croissant I have ever tasted.
We then went across the street to Jacques Genin chocolatier, a store that looked like a jewelry store, with display cases suited to show diamonds and emeralds. The mint dark chocolate ganache was the most amazing....the taste of the herb was powerful and fresh. I also tried a caramel with pistachios that was great.
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| Chocolate display at Jacques Genin |
A short walk down to Rue de Bretagne and the Charcuterie Maison Ramella. Through the Marche des Enfents Rouges, Then across the street to Pere et Fils Fromagerie. After collecting all the meat and cheese, we went to Divvino wine store, picked out 3 bottles, and proceeded down to the cellar.
Highlights were the 1st red wine (La Ferme des Sept Lunes) and the Epoisses cheese. Lowlights were the head cheese and the duck rillettes. Andres was very interesting and I learned a lot.
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The cellar at Divvino
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Back to the hotel 34B, and a bit of a rest. Then we walked over to the area where Mobilis in Mobili is, and stopped at a bar, Cafe Etienne. Happy Hour was 2 glasses of 5€ champagne for moi, 1 Kir Royale pour ma femme. A woman sat next to us and proceeded to chain smoke the entire hour that we sat there.
At Mobilis, we were invited to sit outside, but there was not enough room to fit into one of the seats because of a woman who refused to move to let me in. So we went inside, where it was a bit stuffy, but much more space to sit. We ordered warm scallops in a white wine cream sauce, oysters, crevettes and homard served cold. The frites were soggy and very disappointing, but all else was delicious. We also split a bottle of Sancerre, which I enjoyed.
We finished dinner and walked back to the hotel via Rue St. Denis, and saw the Arch at Porte St. Denis. Then we stopped for Glace on the Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle: I had salted caramel. We walked on that street which eventually turned into the Boulevard Poissoniere, and Rue Montmartre which is where our hotel is. I felt like I needed another glacé hit, so I had a mix of pistachio and chocolate at Amorino Ice cream shop. Tros de glacé!
SUNDAY JULY 22
I woke up and went down for coffee, while Lisa slept a bit later. My plan was to go out for a long walk, get lunch, and get back to 34B in time to catch a cab over to The Westminster to meet with the Barge gang.
After coffee, I packed, and brought our large bags down to the lobby. I then began my trek. Over towards the Louvre, by way of the Palais Royale. I then decided to head back to Rue Montergueil to get a sandwich from Eric Keyser- ham and beurre on an award winning baguette. Keyser Sose was closed, the bastard! Plan B was now to walk back to the Marais and the Marche des Enfents Rouge to get an Alain Miam Miam sandwich, and also,some croissants from Tout Auteur. This was a lot of walking, but I wanted to burn some of these calories. It was about 11:30 by the time I got to the Market. Many places were closed along my route, so I was happy to see everything open at the Marche. I got on a very short line at Alain, and ordered my sandwich....jambon cru, with onions and mushrooms and comte cheese. It took a long time for him to start my order, and then to complete it. It was almost noon by the time I walked out of there, but worth every second of waiting.
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| My sandwich almost ready at Alain Miam Miam |
I bought a Perrier at a different stand, then walked over to the little park across from Tout Auteur and ate my sandwich. I couldn’t finish it, but it was amazing. I got a pain au chocolate and a plain croissant from Tout Auteur, then took the Metro back to our hotel.
Lisa and I grabbed a cab to The Westminster, a very typical old style hotel near the Place de la Concorde. We were about an hour early, so I went in search of some coffee. I found a place that made a shitty cappuccino. Back to the hotel, and we met some of the folks who would be barging with us. As expected, we are definitely the youngest couple. Our chauffeur was a guy named Matthew, whose English accent is a lot like Moss from IT Crowd.
We went through much of Paris to get to the highway, and about 90 minutes later found ourselves in Montargis, where the barge was moored.
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Le Renaissance
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There are 3 other couples, Mike and Lavinia who are 80 something Aussies, Bob and Shirley, who are a touch younger and also from Australia, and Don and Barbara who are from Albuquerque and probably in their late 60’s. All are nice, but nobody is someone I’d choose to hang out with. Bob is the most fun to talk to, but he’s not terribly interesting.
The crew is lovely; it consists of chef Hannah, Captain Hadrian, and stewards Carla and Emily. Matthew is our tour guide.
We walked around Montargis with Matt giving us a quick tour of town, the Venice of whatever this area is called, because of its many bridges. We saw lots of these little bridges, and other sites including the only shop that was open, a candy store specializing in pralines that has been operating for many generations with the same family and recipe. We then went inside the church which dates from the 17th Century and had some beautiful stained glass windows.
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| Gorgeous canals in Montergis |
Back on board it was time for dinner, and a delicious one, indeed. We had onion tartlets with warm goat cheese on top, followed by veal rillettes stuffed with spinach and wrapped in bacon, with a light cream sauce. Dessert was roasted peaches with white chocolate ice cream.
MONDAY JULY 23
We are awakened by the movement of the barge. Suddenly it is chugging away and the sun is moving through the curtains. The boat’s engine is very quiet. We have breakfast which is scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, a lovely basket of breads etc. Soon after we are at our first lock, and watching Adrian and Matthew navigate it is a treat. It’s incredibly tight, like fitting a hand in a small leather glove. Lisa and I got out when the barge was level to the raised lock water, and walked the 2 kilometers to the next one. She got back on, but I walked a second 2 k with Don and Barbara. Then back on board for a bit. We had lunch, which was a buffet featuring Quiche Lorraine, Sausages and Cucumber salad. Very nice, but I like my quiche warm and cheesy and it was neither. The sausages were wonderful.
We got to a stretch of 3 locks in a row, all about 500 meters in between. I got out to walk the last two, which were automated. Unfortunately the boat before us messed up the system, and the 2nd lock was non-functioning. So we waited in the heat for the lockmaster to show and fix. It took about a half an hour for this to happen. Eventually all was solved and we moved on to our next mooring, Montbouy.
It is a lovely little town, with a bridge over both the canal and the river Loing which runs parallel at this point. As in Montargis, potted flowers are everywhere; on the bridge spans, in the water, along the street sides. We had little chance to explore, however, because we needed to hop on the bus and drive an hour to Chateau Fountainebleu, which is pretty much the country castle for the French Kings from Francis 1 to Louis XVI...and three generations of Napoleons.
Before we toured the Chateau, we went for a tour of the Ecole MIlitaire de Eqetrien sic. The Colonel was very welcoming, but spoke no English, so Matthew translated. We saw some huge training carousels, and the stables. Some of the horses were larger than I recall thoroughbreds at the track. They were all very sweet. The school trains the horses, and also uses the horses as therapy animals for soldiers with PTSD.
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| Inside the Equestrian training facility with Le Colonel |
After about an hour at the Ecole, we move along to the Chateau, which is basically another Versailles. Absurdly ornate, with tons of art dedicated mostly to Francis or to Napoleon. The place is ridiculously huge, just wayyyy over the top in every possible manner.
An hour drive back to the barge, and cocktails and dinner await.
Blue Curaçao and Pineapple Juice was the cocktail, with little quail legs in hot chili sauce as an hors d’ouvre. The appetizer was tartare of fish and the main was duck leg confit served over red cabbage. Both were very good. Tonight’s red was a marvelous Margaux....my favorite so far of the trip. Dessert was a chocolate mousse encased in a chocolate shell, with some kind of orange jelly inside. By the time dinner was over, it was after 10:00. I stayed upstairs and BSed with Bob until about 11:30, then wrote in the journal until midnight.
TUESDAY JULY 24
I awoke about 6:45; I can’t seem to stay in bed on this trip. I guess I’m just used to 7 hours sleep. Up for breakfast, and a short walk around Montbouy. Not much to see, sadly. Lisa slept til 9:00, with a vow to stay on board all day, which she kept. At 9:15, Hadrian took us to the old Church which actually was quite different and had elements from almost 1000 years of history,including the etching in marble marking the tomb of the brothers who built the original church. Afterwards, we piled in the van to visit the Chateau Busalliere, a large moated castle who’s family is still involved in its upkeep. It was very picturesque, but inside had a lot of quirky stuff, especially what seems like an obsession by it’s 20th Century owner with fish. It is pretty bizarre.
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| Chateau Busalliere |
The gardens are active, and were designed by the same guy who designed the Versailles gardens. We were invited to pick berries, but the only ones I found were raspberries that were quite sad. I brought back some dried lavender for Lisa to crumble up and smell.
The drive was nice, not too long, and we drove past the inn where we will be dining on Wednesday. We were met by Hannah and a cocktail of Mango nectar (and a few other things) that was tasty but a tad heavy for the hot temperature. We then had lunch consisting of pork tenderloin on a bed of lentils with a brunoise of veggies. The pork was tender and well cooked, but like with a lot of Hannah’s meats, would have benefitted from a nice sear or some kind of browning. Dessert was a panna cotta with berries, the best thing I ate all day, which as you read on, you will find out why.
We pushed off for a 5 hour cruise to Rogny de Sept Ecluses at 1:00. Did some walking along the towpath, and even tried bike riding, but I really felt out of control. When we arrived at Rogny, a “jazz band”, consisting of a saxophonist, a chanteuse and some awful karaoke tracks set up on board. He played sharp and kept playing the head on everything. She sang well, and deserves a better setting musically. They are definitely married, so I get why he’s there. This is probably a pretty sweet gig. I’m sure they drove here from Paris, and it looked like they got fed too, since after their performance they were still hanging around for almost 2 hours! They had an extra wireless, and Lisa and I both sang with them, so that was cute. The guy told me I sounded like Yves Montande. I’ll take it! Anyway, like everyone else so far, they were the loveliest people.
Dinner was another story entirely. The appetizer of smoked salmon mousse was tasty, a bit like taramosalata, but there was no pita or anything but the baguette we’d already eaten to spread it on. Then came the main; quail in red wine sauce over mushroom polenta. Mine was virtually raw, especially the legs. Again, no browning. It was truly disgusting. The polenta was very dry and bland. Hannah should not make this again. The dessert was a lemon tart that was very acidic, but I liked it because it was not sweet. The wine however was the best white I’ve tasted so far, an exquisite Cotes de Beaune Premiere Cru. Crisp, fruity but with some body. Complex and delicious.
After dinner it was almost sundown, so I walked towards the seven locks and saw them from a distance. The town is very cute, so I will look again in the AM.
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| Rogny des Sept Ecluses- The 7 locks are to the left. We went right! |
WEDNESDAY JULY 25
We woke up before pushing off, and Bob, Lisa and I walked over to the 7 locks, which are hundreds of years old. There were folks constructing grandstands which will be used for spectators who come for a big fireworks display, apparently the 2nd biggest in France after the Paris Bastille Day celebration. It’s called Pyromelodique de Sept Ecluse.
At 9:00, we piled into the van for our trip to Gien, and its Porcelain Factory and outdoor food market.
The factory was interesting, Matthew really knew his stuff, and we saw how all are made, including some of the hand-painted items. This sort of thing is not very interesting to me, but the market will be! After touring the factory, we went into the museum, and eventually the gift shop which was gigantic.
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| Hand Painted porcelain in Gien |
About a kilometer walk towards the bridge which originally was built by the Romans but was destroyed by the Luftwaffe, at the bridge’s base is the downtown area of Gien, where there is an old church and a square with a carousel. The plaza with the food market is adjacent, and we tasted some wonderful meats, including a garlic sausage which tasted a lot like Kosher Salami. The cheeses were wonderful too. The veggie stand had some of the most delicious berries I’ve ever tasted, and something I’d never seen, tomatoes shaped like peppers.
Lisa and I went to the chocolate store and she had a passion fruit drink, I a latte and salted caramel glacé. The little chocolate they gave me with my cafe was amazing.
Back to the barge for our trip to La Gazonne, which it turned out was the middle of nowhere.
Hannah prepared a lunch made of the stuff we’d bought at market and some other things. It was the best meal so far on the barge. All the meats and cheeses, a gorgeous Caprese salad, some flavorful couscous, vinaigrette salad, and more.
I felt like I’d need a walk before our big dinner at Templiers, so I made a point of doing the long one. It was 5 kilometers, and really hot, with very little shade. I never got woozy, but I definitely got parched. Fortunately Hadrian saw my distress, slowed down the barge and threw me some water. I poured most of it over my head and drank the rest. I was soaked when I finally got back on board, but I think that is a good thing. It helped me get rid of all the alcohol I’d been drinking without forcing my liver to process.
After a short nap, I was ready for our trip to the restaurant. It was situated by a secondary highway, but the grounds were quite beautiful. The old building has been integrated into the newer lodges and thatched roof room buildings so as to be seamless. We had cocktails outside, and placed our orders with a little maitre d’ who was wearing red framed glasses. The entree choice was between smoked trout and foie gras. I tries to ask lunettes rouges whether it was seared foie or not, but he had some response like, it is how we do it. I let Lisa order it, knowing full well that she would hate it. I ordered it also. For mains, our choice was squab or Zander which seemed like a light fleshed sea fish. Lisa of course ordered the squab, which I figured she would also hate. I ordered the fish. Choice for dessert was Grand Marnier Souflee or Chocolate something. Lisa souflee, me chocolate.
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| "Yves Montand" at the exquisite grounds of Templiers Michelin starred restaurant |
They brought out an amuse bouche to our patio table, and eventually moved us inside. The inside dining room was a beautiful combination of rustic and modern. All the design and plating of the food was top notch. Another amuse, I can’t recall what it was. When the apps came out, I knew Lisa would hate them. The foie gras was cold, and I told her to swap out for the trout. The trout was served in little rillettes topped with caviar, so that seemed like more her deal. I liked my foie gras, but the trout was much better. Anyway, they did swap it out, so she ate something.
The mains were also a win/lose proposition. The Zander was delicious, with a crispy skin and REAL artichoke hearts. The sauce was a jus of the bones, and very subtle. The squab on the other hand, was weird, tough little cylinders of meat, and a leg bone sitting in the middle. Hard to eat, and not terribly tasty.
The Comte cheese was softened and in an S shape. A little weird, because the nuttiness of the cheese makes it like Parmesan and that gets lost.
There was a little pre-dessert of apple 3 ways....cooked apple, apple sorbet and a transparent crisp of apple sitting atop. Very good. Now we are finding out what this guy’s strong suit is. The souflees looked and tasted amazing, with a dropped bomb of ice cream to cut them open.
My chocolate was also shaped like an S. It was very good, but I am having a hard time remembering the details. Here's a picture.
Both wines were terrific, but I haven’t really tasted a bad one yet.
THURSDAY JULY 26
In the morning we pushed off to go to Briare. I did some walking alongside at the beginning where there were a lot of locks. One was in the little town of Ouzeurre sur Tresse, and I attempted to walk into town with the extra time allowed by the multiple locks. Sadly, I was behind a garbage truck, so it was not as picturesque as it could have been. We all had to be aboard by 11:45 for the final leg, since there were no more locks. When we arrived we were just about 300 meters from the canal bridge across the Loire.
We had lunch on board, then off to wine tasting in Sancerre. On the drive there I saw no vineyards at all, just corn fields and harvested wheat fields. Suddenly we climbed a hill, and approached a turn off, and voila! A panoramic view of the lushest hillside vineyards I’ve ever seen.
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View of the vineyards of Sancerre
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We first went to the winery, Henri Bourgeois, which is in a modern looking building. Henri’s granddaughter gave us a tour of the plant, which showed their process for the reds, roses and whites. We had a tasting in a different building, far more rustic. A couple of decent Pinot noirs, a so-so Rose and some very good whites. I do love Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc. The best for me was a “Damned Mountain” aka Mont Damne. It is harvested on the most vertical hill in Sancerre, thus the name. We were shown that the different soils are the main determinants of flavor variations in these wines. We also learned that the east bank of the Loire, across the river is the area known as Pouilly Fume.
After tasting, we went into the town of Sancerre itself, which could double for any Tuscan hilltop town. As always, an ancient Church dominates the ville, with stone streets and buildings. We had about a half an hour to explore, and since most stores were closed, that would have been fine. The only problem was that Matthew’s instructions for where to meet the van were misinterpreted by me, and I took us in the wrong direction, arguing with Lisa all the way. In this bizarro world, the “human compass” was bested by Ms. Wrongway Peachfuzz.
After hustling back up the hill to the main plaza, we walked in the direction that Lisa originally said was correct, and there was Matthew walking up to find us. Was my face red. We had delayed everyone by about 6 minutes.
On the way back, we stopped at an estate in Pouilly Fume territory that looked like a fairytale castle, owned by La Doucette, where they say they make the finest Sauv Blanc in France. You can only find it in French restaurants I believe, is what Matthew said, and it is tres cher. After that quick visit, Matthew told us the story of his grandparents in the war. It was fraught with running from the Nazis, and hiding some gold.
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| La Doucette Chateau |
Once back at the canal, we walked over to the pont du canal and took some pictures. It was still pretty sunny, and the length of the canal was too backlit to be clear. Before dinner, Hannah had put out a tray of Escargots, which made us very happy. Dinner tonight was beef, in the form of Steak Diane, but not the flavor I remember, and with mushrooms. It was more like cream of mushroom sauce, not the flavorful shalloty taste I remember from Kenny’s.
Also, again no browning of the protein. Still, it was nice to see Lisa actually eat something. The app was small sole filets in little spirals in a tasty but mild tomato sauce. Dessert was double chocolate tarts, made out of white chocolate filling with berries, and the crust of dark chocolate and graham crackers. After dinner, Bob and I walked into the Pont to take dusk pictures.  |
The Bridge that takes the Canal OVER the Loire river
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FRIDAY JULY 27
We strolled into town after breakfast to go to the Friday market in Briare. It is similar to the one in Gien, but with more clothing and jewelry stalls. Some of the same people we saw in Gien were there also, including the fromagerie and the boucherie. So I bought my pate de foie, and Lisa her Napoleon cheese. I also found this rotisserie cart, which had the most beautiful looking roto chickens, ducks and sausages. I bought an andouille de canard, which was crisp, and meaty and unctuous. Loved it!
Back on board for the crossing of the Pont de Canal. They gave us Kir Royales to drink as we crossed, and Bob and I both got off the barge to walk the crossing whilst drinking our cocktails.  |
Enjoying my Kir Royale on the Pont Du Canal Briare
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It was very decadent, but also kind of wacky and fun. Once across, we were served our lunch of Salad Nicoise, with strips of ahi tuna medium rare, quail eggs, olives, boquerones and potatoes. A nice vinaigrette which needed to be tossed in more. It was preceded by Leek Mimosa, which was basically 2 leek hearts in a champagne sauce. Dessert was Apple Rhubarb pie, which I liked a lot.
After lunch, we docked in Chatillon Sur Loire. Matthew soon after took us to another Chateau, a “proper” Chateau called Ratilly. Built in the 11th Century but actually fully constructed in the 13th, it looks like something out of a Medieval melodrama, with turrets and arrow slits, a moat and gates. |
Chateau Ratilly
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It is now used as an Arts Center, with modern art exhibits and music classes. We saw the ancient dovecote, and galley. We also saw one of the family who owns the castle, Natalie, who was making pottery. Yes, that’s right: Natalie of Ratilly. Because the music classes and rehearsals were in full swing, we had to cut the visit short. Matthew compensated by taking us to Moutiers, a tiny town with a population under 100. The Church dates from the 10th century, and in the 1980’s when they were cleaning the walls in an effort to restore the church, they suddenly uncovered some amazing frescoes, some dating from the 12th century!! To be in the room with those murals was magical. It was obvious that many were painted in a different era, but the consistency of the images was fascinating. I thought that this was the historical highlight of our trip.  |
12th C fresco in Moutiers
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After that mind-blowing experience we returned to the barge in Chatillon, with about 90 minutes before the Captain’s farewell champagne toast and dinner. I took the opportunity to walk into town to see what the center was like. It turned out that the Eglise was all the way at the top of a steep hill, and the climb nearly knocked me out. When I got up there, it was closed, so I couldn’t look in. There were some weird paintings on the walls, one of two crusaders in armor, and one of a foppish looking chevalier. I have no idea what they represented. I walked around the center, and a few stores were open, but not much. There was a bit of activity, and the Mairie was very nice looking. As I walked back on the road to the bridge, I saw another of these cartoonish drawings near the Poste. I found out later from Hadrian that this was Robert Louis Stevenson! He’d been mistakenly arrested for vagrancy when visiting Chatillon, and I guess they felt like they needed to represent that error for posterity!
On the barge, it was time for champagne toast with Cap and the crew. Hannah had prepared little (actually large) spoons full of steak tartare, which only I enjoyed, and they were great, too. She also had foie gras on crunchy toasts with jam on top, and THAT was exquisite. We all toasted and took pics with the crew. I haven’t talked about them much, but they are the nicest lot. Matthew is just great, very knowledgeable and he has his raps down. Carla is so very Dorset, a fun Brit through and through, who grew up in the hospitality biz just like me. Her folks run a B&B near Dorset. Emily is by far the youngest, very sweet and pretty, and like Matthew, half French, half British. Hannah is all Brit, she learned how to cook by doing. No school, but her techniques are pretty sophisticated. I wish her food was a bit less anodyne. Hadrian is a bit over 30, very handsome, and extremely intelligent and accomplished.  |
L to R: Lisa, Carla, Hadrian, Hannah, me, Emily and Matthew.
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Our meal was cheese soufflé made with what Hannah says is the best cheese in the world...cheddar! Hahaha. Main was lamb loin in a red wine jus. Pretty good, but as usual under seasoned for me. Dessert was poached pears which I enjoyed immensely. Sadly, Lisa is really having some issues, possibly disintery, so she is having big problems enjoying her food.
Hadrian sat with us, and proved to be a great conversationalist.
After dinner, Bob, Hadrian and I went out to the deck, where we had digestifs (cognac for me, Armagnac for Hadrian and G&T for Bob, while Hadrian and I smoked Nicaraguan cigars. I enjoyed my smoke thoroughly, but had some wild dreams all night, almost like I was on opium.
Review of the foods:
Hannah’s best dishes were the red onion and goat cheese feuilleté, the mousse au chocolate in a hard shell with orange jelly, panna cotta with berries, Mediterranean couscous, apple and rhubarb pecan crumble.
Her worst were the quail, the steak Diane, and the cold cheeseless quiche.
At Auberge de Templiers, the best dish was the Grand Marnier Soufflé, the worst was the squab.
After our last two days in Paris, I will do a best and worse for those meals.
SATURDAY JULY 28
We awake to another healthy (not) breakfast. Everybody passes on the blueberry pancakes, and we get our bags together to go off the barge. Goodbye hugs all around, then a quick 110 minutes drive to the Westminster. We say goodbye to our fellow passengers, and jump in a cab to our Hotel 123, which was really an eye catching spectacle. It’s carved into a series of shoddy looking buildings, but looks so nice from the outside, with a movie reel as the doorknob. The interior design is much like a theater lobby, with a big marquee and posters all over. Each floor is associated with a star or behind the camera person. I don’t know a lot, but the two I know well are Ennio Morricone and Jean Paul Belmondo.  |
Lobby of Hotel 123 Sebastopol
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The room is very nice, and the bathroom is great. We drop our bags, with the assurance that our room will be ready by 1:00. In search of escargots and duck confit we go out. The cafe Arts and Metiers where we dined in 2009 is right around the corner, so we go there, but they don’t open until 12:00 for lunch. We walk down the block which is Rue Beaubourg, and find a nice looking place, Le Puy Des Arts. I wasn’t sold on it, and we kind of wanted to try Arts and Metier, so we wandered around the neighborhood in search of other options. We saw a bunch of little joints that looked ok, but Lisa wanted to go back to A&M. We went back once the clock passed noon, and looked at the menu which did NOT have duck confit. So we opted for Puy des Arts. They seemed a bit flustered by our order, but worked it out. Lisa’s onion soup was not as good as the one on Rue Monterguiel, and the escargots seemed a bit meager, although the sauce was good. My duck was another non crispy mess, but the meat was tender and delicious, with a sauce au poivre on the side. The fries were great too, made with duck fat it seemed.
Back to 123, Lisa deciding to stay close until dinner. I walked over to the Canal St. Martin, to find Du Pain et des Idees, which.....was closed. I walked on Rue de Lancry which was a small street crowded with cafes and pop up fashion stores. At the canal, many people were enjoying the spectacular weather, eating and drinking on benches and the little bridges. |
Canal St. Martin
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Back to the hotel, and together we Metro-ed to St. Germaine neighborhood. We walked around, saw our old friend Cafe Constant, walked over to Champs de Mars to find a good view for the lights. We then walked on Rue St. Dominique back towards Invalides to find the Cafe we ate lunch in with the funny waiter. Lisa had the name wrong, but once we got there we recognized the Cafe Centennaire. We would have gladly stopped for a drink but their outdoor seats were in the sun. Instead, we sat across the street and enjoyed a Leffe for me and a giant fruity drink for Lisa. At 7:00, our reservation at Bistrot Chez France came due, and we got there right as they opened up. It was stuffy inside, but cooled off in a few minutes. Lisa ordered Escargots, which I thought were the best of the trip, but a little shy in the butter sauce department. She got mad when I tried to sop some up. I ordered the Southwest Salad, which was the app special. Field greens in vinaigrette with a chunk of foie gras, and some little tiny cubes of mystery meat, possibly gizzard. It was ok.
For our mains, we both had entrecôte frites, which came with bearnaise. When they came out, they were just as non browned as anything Hannah had made. WTF, frenchies? Anyway, they were tough, but the big problem was the bearnaise which was separated and disgusting looking. We complained, and the chef made a new batch which took almost 20 minutes. By the time it came out, Lisa had lost her appetite, and I had pretty much finished my steak. The maitre d’ was very nice and apologetic, but let’s face it, this was substandard and they should have adjusted our bill. Dessert was included in the price fixe, and I ordered for us both knowing Lisa wouldn’t touch it. Mine was a chocolate something that was like a flourless cake but smoother. Lisa had the Creme Catalan, that was Creme Brûlée but with a more flannish flavor. I liked both desserts.
After dinner I was in a sour mood, since this was one we’d looked forward to, and I had to try and enjoy myself while Lisa complained the entire meal (rightfully so).There was no way to even enjoy the parts I liked, so I was angry with her and shut down. We walked across the Seine to look for a good bar to watch the Eiffel Tower light up, and realized that it wouldn’t happen til 10 since it got dark so late at this time of year. As we walked towards the Trocadero, we saw a bar near the Musee de Arte Moderne and thought it might be a good place to find a couple of seats and drinks to wait till the light show. From this vantage point, the tower was close, but the bottom half obscured, so we were not sure if it was a good idea. Tired and footsore, We just went with it, got a couple fo chairs and I went and ordered some drinks. All they had was gin and gin drinks (seemed like some promotional deal from the gin company) so I got a weird negroni and a weirder spritzerelle. Whatever...we hung out, waited till 9:55 when the sparkly show started, then left. We grabbed a cab back to the hotel. I’d walked 6 miles that day!!!
SUNDAY JULY 29
I had a bit of a rough night sleeping, but still woke around 7:30. Went down for their very nice breakfast spread, with lots of meats and salads and some fruit. Of course the bread basket is the best. Lisa was game for walking to our brunch, so we did. We left around 10:00 or so, and made our way over to the Marais to meet Samantha and Tom at the restaurant they’d picked, Les Bonnes Soeurs. It’s right around the corner from Place Des Vosges, that beautiful park we walked by on our Food tour. First we walked over to see the place where our dinner rezzies are, Les Petites Bouchees. The walk was very pleasant. When we got to the restaurant, we got a table when we realized that they had not made a reservation. Then I messaged Sammie that we’d arrived and got a table, and she said she was running late. Spaced out, basically. She and Tom showed up about 11:50, and were thoroughly apologetic.
The brunch was great, soft scrambled and bacon, frites, with dessert of pancakes and juice and coffee included. Lots of food. We went to their apartment which is around the corner and a bit of a walk up.... maybe 6 flights. After hanging about there, we put Lisa in a cab back to the hotel, and the three of us walked around town. We went to the Iles, walked through the Deportation Memorial, then across the Seine again and up to the hotel, talking all the way. It was fun talking to people younger than me for a while!  |
Sammie and Lisa at brunch
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Upon getting back to the hotel, I needed to rest my barking dogs, which had done over 11 miles in two days. After a bit, we took the Metro right back to the same neighborhood and got to Petites Bouchees right on time. You could order 6 small plates for about 36 €, but I also ordered their large plate of Pulpo. We got for our package deal: salmon crudo, calamari beignets, gazpacho, kefta, pork ribs and ham and cheese quesadilla. The pulpo and the calamari were in my opinion the best, with the kefta 3rd. The Crudo was good, the gazpacho pretty boring and. The ribs and quesadilla the only weak dishes. The beignets were crispy and flavorful with very tender calamari rings and a delicious aioli to dip in. The pulpo was nice and crusty, and it came with potatoes in the same crusty style. This was my second favorite restaurant experience of the trip, after Relais Louis XIII.
We grabbed a cab back to the hotel, and were back in the room by 9,so I watched one of my Netflix movies.
