Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Dining at Altitude

A meal at Jules Verne, Alain Ducasse's fancy restaurant high atop the Eiffel Tower, has been on my list of Paris must-dos for some time and yesterday, it finally happened. When I made the reservations months ago, I had fully planned to do so for dinner, but when I saw the price differential between lunch and dinner, I got cold feet. Instead, my husband and I opted for a leisurely lunch together in honor of an otherwise insignificant wedding anniversary, the actual date of which is later this month. Details, details. There's no particular reason to celebrate those round numbered anniversaries and who knows how many more opportunities we will have to mark our years together in such style. As the French say, la vie est courte, profitez-en.

I don't know where our lunch rates among the great culinary adventures we've had in Paris. That is to say, I didn't go into rapture with each bite, but it was certainly a meal I'll never forget. Between the watercress soup, the poulet de Bresse, the citrus tart, the wine pairings, the exceptional views of Paris (in the sunshine no less), and my most favorite person in the world for company, I was pretty much in heaven.

Not so the Italian couple next to us who ordered strangely colored cocktails, refused to order any food, and were asked to leave. "This is not a cocktail lounge," the man in charge told them. They picked up their things, drinks untouched, and vacated the premises. Fair warning. If you want to have a drink and enjoy the view, head to the Panoramic Bar at Hotel Concorde-Lafayette. For the Eiffel Tower, come ready to eat.

8 comments:

debbie in toronto said...

absolutely lovely...I think sometimes lunch is nicer than dinner...you don't have to go home tired and full and then fall asleep..you have the afternoon to go for a walk or whatever..love lunch!...sounds wonderful up there.

Suburban Princess said...

We went there for lunch when we stopped in Paris on our honeymoon...we told the waiter and he quickly ushered us to a table right at the window! I guess 'honeymoon' is a very magical word in Paris!

F Cameron said...

Good to know! We read the dinner menu that was posted during out visit last May to decide if we wanted to make reservations for a future trip. We didn't realize that lunch is also served (we must have missed that point).

Amy Thomas said...

Ah, felicitations on your anniversary *and* crossing a must-do off your list! Sounds like a lovely lunch... but now you've maybe added a must-do to my list!

Starman said...

I've eaten dinner several times on la Tour Eiffel, but never at the Jules Verne.

Duchesse said...

What kind of moron would make reservations months in advance in a famous restaurant and refuse to eat once he's there? I just can't get my mind around this...

I'm really glad you had a great experience! You're right: life is short:)

Happy anniversary!

Christine Amorose said...

What a fun experience! Next time I'm in Paris, I might have to check this out :)

Karin B (Looking for Ballast) said...

I'm glad you got to do this! :) It sounds really special. What a lovely memory you'll have!

That Italian couple sounds pretty wacky, lol.

Related Posts with Thumbnails