In the middle of winter, dreaming of summer…I came across this photo from a meal in Paris last summer, and it made me long for the soft lusciousness of a summer cantaloupe and the warmth of an evening summer breeze in this most delightful city.
A Business Dinner on a Barge
It was a business dinner at a restaurant on “a huge barge resting on the water facing the Bois de Boulogne between the bridges of Suresnes and Saint-Cloud,” according to the description on the Quai Ouest web site. Wowza! I was just a passenger on this dinner journey, a hungry and tired foodie at the end of a long and successful day of workshops. I didn’t have anything to do with the choice of the restaurant or the menu, and I was in for a lovely surprise, along with my 20 colleagues from around the world.

Transported by a Refreshing and Very Parisian First Course
The first course of our dinner on this hot day in the City of Lights was a simple plate of cantaloupe and prosciutto drizzled with syrupy, slightly piquant balsamic vinegar, complemented with a super-refreshing melon juice chaser. For a moment, I was transported to 1950s Paris, walking along the River Seine, an accordian playing La Vie en Rose, the musician wearing a beret…a perfect summer meal in Paris will do that to you.

An Entree Suitable for Winter, but Still Delicious
The jambon et melon starter was the anchor for a lovely meal, followed by the entree of boeuf en daube that would be appropriate for a cold January night by the fire (but also delicious).

A Lovely Place, Inside and Out
I can’t believe I didn’t take any other pictures that night! But here’s what Quai Ouest looks like at night, from their web site. It was a lovely evening and memorable with really smart people and great food.

January Dreaming
I’m January dreaming…and hoping to go back to Paris soon.
That was a lovely surprise and all the better for sharing it with colleagues from other countries – a memorable day.
Looks like a wonderful place to dine! Hopefully I’ll get back to Paris soon too!
I hope you get to Paris again soon, too, once it is safe to travel again.
Fingers crossed things are back to normal soon!
Same here! Is everything ok for Hailee? Washington State is really getting hammered.
It’s fine. Just a lot of things closed. I’ve been out here in Washington since the start of Feb, bad time to visit haha.
Going home on 1st May as things stand.
Hope all is okay down by you!
Wow, that’s some kind of American immersion! Welcome to the monkey house is the way it feels right now.
Haha right? I had a good five weeks here before everything started shutting down. The last couple have been a bit weird. Hopefully things will get back to normal before I go back to England (where it’s equally crazy).