The hearty quiche and the saucy menu
We expected to pass out any minute from jet lag, so we had dinner in the neighborhood. Our friend took us to a restaurant called L’été en pente douce. Meaning “Summer on a gentle slope”—slope, as in the side of the hill, which requires climbing these stairs. (A second flight of stairs takes you to the basilica of Sacre Coeur. A week or so of this and we should have quads of steel.)
The restaurant serves a very good quiche, which is a meal in itself. We had champagne, this being our welcome dinner. A glass of champagne is only slightly costlier than 6 ounces of Coke. Around here Coke is more expensive than the house wine, so have the wine.
Even before the quiche arrived, we were royally entertained by the menu, in French and English versions.
According to various translation apps, the title means “the pot-gossip of summer” or “the pewter-pot summer”, but according to a native it could also be interpreted as “the ass of summer”.
The translations, though perhaps overly literal, sound very grand. The French menu even asks: “Do you have an emptiness?” Why do restaurants back home never ask us existential questions?
Who could resist “a dry wine, so very dry for a muscat that it causes raised eyebrows among wine connoisseurs”?
We were so fascinated by the menu that we had to ask for a copy. The waiter feigned hurt and said, “If you’re just going to laugh at it…” but we assured him that it was the laughter of genuine admiration. The menu doesn’t just offer specials, it proposes them. (“We are the only restaurant to offer this” becomes “We are the unique restaurant to propose this.”)
Outside, a cat waited to be served.
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
October 28th, 2014 at 06:22
Jessica, I’m glad your Paris trip is starting off very well. I just said that so this comment will have some relevance to your blog post. I just want to thank you for writing about The Bone Clocks. I haven’t finished reading but I want to run outside and whack people on the head with it. I have that tick when I get to read really good books.
October 28th, 2014 at 11:02
The first pic reminds me of Christopher Moore’s Sacre Bleu :D
October 28th, 2014 at 13:56
UVDust: The restaurant IS a former bakery so it probably is one of the locations in Sacre Bleu!
October 28th, 2014 at 13:58
thegreatcornholio: Excellent, you have gotten into the spirit of it.
October 28th, 2014 at 16:24
Hi Jessica. May I recommend a day trip to see the castles in the Loire Valley that served as summer homes of French royalty, their wives and mistresses. On a very, very tight budget, my friend and I managed to join a bus tour to the chateaux Amboise, Chambord, and Chenonceau, and it was one of the highlights of our trip. Also, I read that the Picasso museum in the Marais has just reopened, so you might want to check that out as well.
October 28th, 2014 at 17:57
avignon: Thanks, we’ll think about it. We have no plans, which is great because it’s a vacation from overthinking. It’s all random. Vienna occurred to us because we caught Before Sunrise by accident and remembered that our favorite writer on the Philippines James Hamilton-Paterson lives in Austria. Brittany occurred to us because our friend mentioned Mont St Michel, which was the model for Minas Tirith in Peter Jackson’s Rings movies. Someone brought up the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela—you walk from France to Spain—and we said okay, but it turns out she meant next year. (We’re not religious, but we like walking.)
October 28th, 2014 at 21:11
Another fantastic option is to spend 2-3 days in the south of France. Take the train (TGV) from Paris to Avignon. Use Avignon as your base and take day trips to the surrounding Provence villages; in fact, a single day trip will already bring you to several of those picturesque villages (and wondrous outdoor markets) one sees in movies and travel books (Roussillon, Gordes, Aix). My friend and I penny-pinched every step of the way (we went at the tailend of winter 2009 because it was off-season and therefore much cheaper) and we had the trip of a lifetime.
You are right, it is good not to overplan the itinerary. It’s great to just walk aimlessly, sit on some park bench, picnic on baguette and cheese, and then resume walking. I do regret failing to visit a few places because of some train snafu or other; but then again, even those missed trains and skipped destinations simply give added punch to one’s memory of the whole experience.
Looking forward to your posts.
October 29th, 2014 at 15:59
cats! wherever you go.
October 30th, 2014 at 15:27
avignon: No, no, no, that goes against our definition of vacation, that’s a lifestyle network feature. The idea is to not be a tourist, and to engage the natives. Arguments, like: Yang Marquis de Sade exhibit ninyo ay sangkaterbang bola. Kaya rin namin yan.
October 30th, 2014 at 16:47
Hahaha. I see your point. I don’t mind being a tourist kasi—cramming as many places and museums into each day until my legs and eyes scream “enough!”, valuing the sights more than engaging the natives, fearing running out of camera battery instead of completely savoring the moment. Guilty, guilty, guilty. Next time around (if there is a next time), I’ll do it your way.
October 31st, 2014 at 15:09
avignon: Well, you’ll be back. Congratulations on being able to travel with friends. We’ve tried it, and inevitably people get irritated with each other.
October 31st, 2014 at 16:26
A friend. Well, it helps if you are the designated trip planner and said friend just leaves the activity of the day, navigating the metro, booking tickets, that sort of logistics, up to you. Hugely instrumental in keeping the stress level down. But you are right, even with the most agreeable companions, at some point, magkakainisan talaga kayo. It’s just more fodder for funny anecdotes after the trip.