L'Orangerie--Isle St. Louis, 5/October/03
"I can't believe we are the first to arrive again!" This from Paul as we enter the restaurant for our 8:00pm reservation. It's been a running battle with me wanting dinner no later then 7:30pm (keep in mind, we haven't eaten since breakfast and that was a cafe creme and tartine!) and Paul (and the French) thinking that entering the resturant before 8:30pm is sacrilege! People are still coming to dinner after 9:30pm--doesn't anyone work??? So here we are--the first ones to arrive again--but wait, here comes a second group and yes, they too are English speaking and of course are seated right next to us. This has been the first establishment where things felt a little 'stuffy'! Waiters insisted on speaking English, and although we were early, they were eager to have our order.
L'Orangerie is on a very quiet street on Ilse St. Louis, and a leisurly walk from our apartment across the river. It is a beautiful room and our meal is a delight: Paul's never tires of escargot and followed this with 'steak au poivre', while I enjoyed a green salad (at which the waiter was a little aghast--probably because in true French fashion this should come after the meal), and breast of duck which has a slight taste of prunes. Lately I have been having prunes and figs in all manner of combinations and wonder what will replace this taste when they are no longer in season. This night we spoted Sidney Poitier at a corner table with a young blonde; looking only slightly older then he did in "Guess Whose Coming to Dinner"! Our landlord Irv would be delighted to hear that the bathrooms (which are located at the bottom of the steepest, narrowest winding staircase I have ever seen) have toilets with the magic button that covers the seats with plastic for each 'sitting'.
On our walk home we were heading off to Hotel de Ville to check out the action for the Nuit Blanche (sleepless night) celebration in its second year in Paris. The Louvre is free all night and there are special cultural events and light shows all over the city--more then one million people participate so just imagine the crowds. On our way across the river, Paul and I stopped to peer over the bridge to see what the commotion was on the banks below. There at the waters edge were a group of young students 'mooning' the Baton Mouche as it passed by. It seems that things are really the same where ever you go!
CDF
5:36:25 PM 
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