The Lebanese Dinner in Saint Germaine

After visiting the Louvre yesterday, we decided to cross the Seine and explore Saint Germaine.  You can see the corner pictured below on Google Maps Street View here.  You'll notice there was no graffiti when Google took their picture.

A primary source of Paris transportation parked on the corner of Rue de Seine and Rue Jacob in the Saint Germaine area.

If a Parisian needs to get home in a hurry, they don't hail a cab -- they rent a bike.  These self-service bike rental stations are located all around the city.  We haven't tried it yet.  I assume you pay by the hour.  The convenience comes from being able to rent a bike in one part of the city and turn it in across town.

A self-service bike rental stand in Saint Germaine.

Saint Germaine is quite active.  The area is full of restaurants and bars that were packed on Friday night.  Here, Roxana pauses to observe diners in a corner bistro.

Roxana takes in the sights of Saint Germaine's active night life on a Friday evening.

Saint Germaine, like all of Paris, has wonderful bakeries.  Here's an example of some treats we saw sitting in a window.  I don't know how Parisians stay so skinny.

Confections, as seen through a bakery window in Saint Germaine.

We found a Lebanese restaurant and decided to try it out, even though there was not one customer in the establishment when we arrived.  The waiter, who was probably the proprietor, spoke almost no English.   Everything we attempted to order, was not available.  Finally, he indicated we should just order the prix fixe selection so the chef could make our selections for us.  He said we would get lamb, chicken, and a vegetarian dish.  We quickly agreed so we could end the ordering ordeal and move on to the eating part.


When we sat down, I noticed that every table had the dish below with almonds, olives, and what I guessed were marinated beets.  Our waiter brought us some water, and we enjoyed the olives and nuts while waiting for our first course.

Our waiter was quick to deliver the first course to the table.  We quickly summoned the waiter back to the table and asked him what we were to do with this dish of vegetables.  He said "salad".  There was no dressing, but there was a whole lemon on the plate, which we assumed was intended to serve as the dressing.  We looked at each other puzzled, as we had never seen a salad as deconstructed as this.  


We waited to see if perhaps, like in the fine restaurants of home, the waiter was going to prepare the salad for two, table-side -- no such luck.  But we had no sharp knife to cut the vegetables ourselves, only a butter knife.  What were we to do?

"Salad" for two!

Eventually the next course arrived, just as other customers began to wander in from the street.  As each table was seated, we watched the same ritual unfold.  There would be a discussion over the menu selections, the waiter would serve the drinks, and then each time he would bring the plate of vegetables and set it on the table.  Each time the diners would look at each other with a puzzled look, then slyly look at the other diners seated nearby to see what they were doing with the plate of vegetables.  


By the end of the evening, the restaurant was nearly at capacity, filled with what appeared to be tourists, all with untouched plates of vegetables on their tables.  We surmised that these salads were probably washed and reused until the freshness was gone -- a good lesson in saving food costs for someone in the restaurant business.


As the dinner progressed, we were brought hummus and baba ganoush.  Next came a plate of pastries stuffed with a lamb mixture, cheese and what may have been grape leaves.  The main course was chicken wings and falafel (vegetarian).  It was all good, but to our amusement, being the first diners in the restaurant, we watched as each new table of diners proceeded through exactly the same courses, without a single deviation.  Apparently, this Lebanese restaurant serves one fixed menu.  If you try to order anything else, you are steered to the chef's selection.  


Oh well, the food was good, and satisfied our desire for Middle Eastern cuisine.  But next time, I think we will find a restaurant where we're not the only customers brave enough to enter.


We left the restaurant and started for home -- in exactly the wrong direction.  We saw even more of Saint Germaine as we wandered around lost for about half an hour.  After finally regaining our bearings,  we crossed the Seine at Pont Neuf.   I shot the picture below of a tourist boat passing by at night -- a beautiful and romantic ending to an eventful evening.

Looking east on the south branch of the Seine as it parts at Pont Neuf.

It wasn't just eventful because of the dinner experience and getting lost.  We also stumbled upon something unexpected at Pont Neuf.  Roxana had a telephoto lens on her camera and was able to get some good photos.  The unexpected event will be the subject of the next installment.