A Memorable Lunch in Paris!
Christine chose La Mediterranée on the left bank, just north of the Luxembourg Gardens across from the lovely Odéon Theatre, one of France’s six national theatres, originally inaugurated by Marie Antoinette in 1783.
The theatre that is, not the restaurant, which opened in 1942 during the Second World War. Impressive enough!
Christine Bacoup-Tidas who you may remember. See info in this blog.
Elegant cozy dining rooms with beautiful murals and paintings.
Ladies luncheoning!
I was immediately taken with the calm and comfortable environment of La Mediterranée consisting of a variety of small rooms and alcoves artistically designed for a discrete rendevous.
As the name suggests, this restaurant focuses on seafood from the Mediterranean, primarily fish, with a menu created by Chef Pierre Sahut who has worked alongside Alain Ducasse, the multi-starred internationally renowned French chef and entrepreneur.
I found the menu simple but creative to make it easy to make a choice while wondering what each dish would look like.
Diving right into what we had.
We started with the Tartare de Daurade, sea bass tartare marinated in Greek tzatziki surrounded in avocado soup sauce.
“L’entrée” which in French means “appetizer”
Then we moved on to a delicate Bouillabaisse also with an unforgettable sauce.
“Le plat principal” or ‘entrée’ as we say in English but it is a French word. Go figure!
For dessert, we shared the Paris-Turin aux noisettes de Piemont which was a delicate flaky pastry the size and shape of a bagel, cut in half, filled with hazelnut cream, and topped with hazelnuts and powdered sugar on a plate of drizzled caramel sauce.
For one who never orders dessert this was a wow.
Oh, what I have been missing.
Whoa!
Not sure why they call this a Paris-Turin?
Christine told me that La Mediterranée is a neighbourhood favourite, especially popular with patrons of “les arts et lettres” along with local celebrities and well-known personalities.
She mentioned that a French rock star known as “M” whose picture hangs in the lobby takes lunch here almost every day.
Singer-Songwriter Matthieu Chedid/the picture hanging in the restaurant!
“M’s” real name is Matthieu Chedid was, in fact, in the restaurant that day but at his special table upstairs so as not to attract attention.
Got the moniker “M: when he waxed his hair which formed the letter M.
Now, I admit I had never heard of “M” but I had to hold myself back from not taking a peak upstairs to find him which of course would have been considered very “gauche.” I know how much the French guard their privacy.
Still, it made my visit to this lovely restaurant all the more memorable just thinking that a famous French rock star often compared to the UK’s Davie Bowie was eating there at the same time that I was! (I should have at least asked what he ordered!)
Many thanks to Christine Bacoup-Tidas for this suggestion and for meeting me for lunch. If you remember, Christine is a Buyer’s Agent for foreigners who are interested in buying an apartment in Paris.
She was also a sponsor of the Paris Fan Club and we did a program together about this subject. You can find out more about Christine and her services by CLICKING HERE!
If you go, here is the address:
2 Place de l’Odéon, 75006, Paris
Make sure you make a reservation.
Great coffee too and it comes with this delicious little chocolate thingie.
Everyone is welcome!
Author and Entrepreneur Katherine Berth, founder of La Cuisine Cooking School in Paris
Her new book!
Join me with my guest Jane Bertch takes us to Paris and her French Cooking School called La Cuisine Paris!
Not a chef nor a cook, Jane was in the banking industry when she fell in love with Paris and decided the city could use a cooking school for tourists and visitors who wanted to take a few classes in French cuisine in a friendly setting, then bring their new skills to their kitchens back home.
Predictably, Bertch faced nay-saying French—how dare an American banker start a cooking school in Paris!—along with real-estate nightmares, and a longer struggle to find and attract clients. But she has persevered.
Jane has also recently published her fascinating memoir called The French Ingredient and we will get to hear her story, the interesting things she has learned along with some tips on cooking French — oh yum. And I will be giving away one of her books!
Save the date and here is the link to register! CLICK HERE!
NOTE: Annual Paris Fan Club Members, you will be automatically subscribed tomorrow 10 days prior to the event! Subsequent reminders will follow.
Buy the Book Now!
Special Note: You can buy her book from my Paris Book Club Page by CLICKING HERE!
Giveaway Scarf — Black on Cream
A map of Paris so you will never get lost!
And so without further ado, the WINNER is Level Two Croissant Member, Valerie Hamrick from Seattle Washington.
Congratulations Valerie, and thank you for being a loyal member of the Paris Fan Club!
That’s a wrap!
Love to hear your comments.
So please feel free to leave one below
where indicated!
A la prochaine mes amis!
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Diana Bishop the founder of The Success Story Program and A Woman of a Certain Age in Paris as well as a well-known correspondent with over 25 years working for CTV, CBC News, and NBC News. She loves travel, writing, and all things Parisienne.
Another fascinating Parisian adventure to read about! The restaurant you visited made me almost drool – the food and decor look astounding. Thanks for this peek – definitely on my Bucket List!!!
Excellent post. I am going to look for that restaurant when in Paris.
The dessert! Yummy!
Your Paris -Milan dessert is another take on the famous Paris-Brest (find it in any high -quality patisserie), shaped like a wheel and created to commemorate the Paris-Brest-Paris bike race of 1891. The race continued regularly until the 1950s, and was recycled (!) and run again in 2023.