amy in paris

i saved the day to spend with amy. we were heading to the carrousel du louvre for a photography exhibit but decided to have lunch first. one of my favorite little restaurants in my past life in paris, was the “cafe marly” located in the louvre. this is not named after bob marley, but rather, the marly court. the marly court is a collection of sculptures from the town of marly-le-roi, on the outskirts of paris:
"The monumental statuary displayed here was carved for the park of the Château de Marly. Most of the works were commissioned by Louis XIV at the end of his reign. However, the courtyard is dominated by Guillaume Coustou's celebrated Horses of Marly, completed in 1745 under Louis XV."there are a few tables on the inside of the restaurant that overlook this exhibit inside the louvre. i love sitting there watching the museum visitors and the statues. we have sat there in the past, but today the restaurant was full. on the outside you can sit on the terrace overlooking the glass pyramid of the louvre. it was a brisk day, so the outside seating was empty, but they had heaters. so we decided to sit out there. we had a lovely meal – opting for the reasonably priced "prix fixe" lunch menu, we had an appetizer and the supreme de volaille, with mashed potatoes and green beans. very delicious.


the carrousel du louvre is mostly a high end mall, but they have a large exhibition space. the photography show turned out to be a collection of galleries exhibiting the work they have for sale. it was like visiting 100 photo galleries in 2 hours. it covered the full range of photography for sale, from ancient prints of the earliest days of photography to works from the latest hip artists.
afterwards we went to the fancy cafe on the rue de rivoli, called 'angelina".  they are famous for the hot chocolate which can practically "stand up to a spoon".  it is a touristy destination and there was a line - even now in mid winter.  finally, there was a table open for 3-4, and we asked the lady in front of us in line if she'd like to join us, and she accepted.  i had a delicious mille feuille which is a napolean.  we had a lovely conversation (practicing our french) with the lady and it was a very enjoyable experience.  she was very classy.   
that evening we were going to go the restaurant across the way from us, but as we entered we learned that it was the first day of the beaujolais nouveau.  they had a special menu, which included all the beaujolais nouveau you wanted.  i really don't like beaujolais nouveau.  it is a marketing success story, making a big event for a not great wine.  we opted instead to try another restaurant on my list, up the street, called "la gauloise".  this had a lovely ambiance - old french bistro feeling.  the food was reasonably priced and very nice.  i give it an "8". Print this post