Tour Eiffel (Day 6)
We finally got up and left the hotel around noon, but only because we had a lunch reservation at the Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tower for 12:30pm.
The taxi got us there in no time so we decided to roam a bit. Fifteen minutes later, we waited at the base of the tower at the Jules Verne pillar for the doors to open to the elevator.
Jules Verne is the higher restaurant (there are two) on the tower. It was booked for dinner, but still available for lunch. The view during the day was spectacular.
Most, if not all, restaurants in Paris seem to have set menus. As nice as the restaurant was, Jules Verne was no different. Given the occassion and because we didn't fully understand what was being served on the set menu, we decided to order a la carte.
The waiter brought out a salmon pate before anything else was served. It was actually okay with some bread. I don't think Ivy liked it much. I wouldn't normally have eaten it either.
I decided to order prawns in some sort of creme sauce as an appetizer. That was so good. Ivy had a sea bass and I had a veal sirloin something with stuffed chicken wings for our main course. The veal was okay, much better with my bordeaux wine.
The waiter brought out an assortment of little tarts, truffles, cookies and treats before serving creme brulee for dessert. Mmm...the tart and truffles were really good.
Overall the food was good, nothing exceptional, but the service was unbelievable. It seemed like the waiters had esp and anticipated our every move. Our glasses were filled with either wine or water after every sip and we were given new dishes and silverware for the appetizer, meal, and dessert.
Lunch at Jules Verne
Per person I have to say that was the most expensive meal I have ever had. The total came out to 230 euros, which was about $300 at the time.
After lunch, we stopped to buy a bottle of Evian at a mini market along the Ave de Suffren before visiting the Musee de Orsay. The huge 1.5ml bottle was only .65 euros. Not bad considering how expensive everything else here is.
Orsay was definitely a lot easier to navigate than the Louvre. We got in at the student rate since the lady decided that we were under 25.
The first thing you notice upon entering the museum is how modernly beautiful the interior is. There's a huge clock on the entrance wall and the air condition was a nice relief from the hot weather.
The highlight of the museum was definitely Van Gogh. There were quite a few of his works including "The Siesta", and his self portraits. The Monets, Manets, and Seurat "the dot" were also amazing to see.
We avoided taking a taxi and decided to try the bus from the museum to Ile Saint-Louis. This area that looks exactly like what you would imagine Paris to be. The streets were narrow filled with charming little shops.
Our first stop was Berthillon of course.
Berthillon Sorbet
I had a vanille and cafe 2 boules (scoop) sorbet to start our walk down the Ile. We stopped at Cacao et Chocolat, a gourmet chocolate heaven. We ordered a large cold chocolate drink (thank you for the suggestion Dan) and it was incredible. A couple of shops down is L'Epiciere, a spice store and further down we stepped into Foie Gras.
Foie Gras at the Ile. St. Louis
We were given a sample of duck foie gras over a slice of bread followed by a glass of champagne. It was so good that we brought back two jars of the stuff.
From the Ile St.-Louis tortured our feet my walking to the Rue de Bastille. We wanted to have dinner at Le Petit Bofinger, a restaurant that was recommended in the LA times. Of all the places we've eaten at, Petit Bofinger ended up being our favorite.
We ordered from the set menu. Ivy had the escargot and I had the potato wrapped with bacon to start. For our main dish, Ivy ordered 3 fish with sauerkraut and I had a medium rare steak. For dessert, we each had a scoop of lemon sorbet in a cup of fruit. This was by far the best meal we've had in Paris.
The weather was hot and humid, so we decided to try taking the subway home. Quick and cheap, we made it back around 10:30pm.
The taxi got us there in no time so we decided to roam a bit. Fifteen minutes later, we waited at the base of the tower at the Jules Verne pillar for the doors to open to the elevator.
Jules Verne is the higher restaurant (there are two) on the tower. It was booked for dinner, but still available for lunch. The view during the day was spectacular.
Most, if not all, restaurants in Paris seem to have set menus. As nice as the restaurant was, Jules Verne was no different. Given the occassion and because we didn't fully understand what was being served on the set menu, we decided to order a la carte.
The waiter brought out a salmon pate before anything else was served. It was actually okay with some bread. I don't think Ivy liked it much. I wouldn't normally have eaten it either.
I decided to order prawns in some sort of creme sauce as an appetizer. That was so good. Ivy had a sea bass and I had a veal sirloin something with stuffed chicken wings for our main course. The veal was okay, much better with my bordeaux wine.
The waiter brought out an assortment of little tarts, truffles, cookies and treats before serving creme brulee for dessert. Mmm...the tart and truffles were really good.
Overall the food was good, nothing exceptional, but the service was unbelievable. It seemed like the waiters had esp and anticipated our every move. Our glasses were filled with either wine or water after every sip and we were given new dishes and silverware for the appetizer, meal, and dessert.
Lunch at Jules Verne
Per person I have to say that was the most expensive meal I have ever had. The total came out to 230 euros, which was about $300 at the time.
After lunch, we stopped to buy a bottle of Evian at a mini market along the Ave de Suffren before visiting the Musee de Orsay. The huge 1.5ml bottle was only .65 euros. Not bad considering how expensive everything else here is.
Orsay was definitely a lot easier to navigate than the Louvre. We got in at the student rate since the lady decided that we were under 25.
The first thing you notice upon entering the museum is how modernly beautiful the interior is. There's a huge clock on the entrance wall and the air condition was a nice relief from the hot weather.
The highlight of the museum was definitely Van Gogh. There were quite a few of his works including "The Siesta", and his self portraits. The Monets, Manets, and Seurat "the dot" were also amazing to see.
We avoided taking a taxi and decided to try the bus from the museum to Ile Saint-Louis. This area that looks exactly like what you would imagine Paris to be. The streets were narrow filled with charming little shops.
Our first stop was Berthillon of course.
Berthillon Sorbet
I had a vanille and cafe 2 boules (scoop) sorbet to start our walk down the Ile. We stopped at Cacao et Chocolat, a gourmet chocolate heaven. We ordered a large cold chocolate drink (thank you for the suggestion Dan) and it was incredible. A couple of shops down is L'Epiciere, a spice store and further down we stepped into Foie Gras.
Foie Gras at the Ile. St. Louis
We were given a sample of duck foie gras over a slice of bread followed by a glass of champagne. It was so good that we brought back two jars of the stuff.
From the Ile St.-Louis tortured our feet my walking to the Rue de Bastille. We wanted to have dinner at Le Petit Bofinger, a restaurant that was recommended in the LA times. Of all the places we've eaten at, Petit Bofinger ended up being our favorite.
We ordered from the set menu. Ivy had the escargot and I had the potato wrapped with bacon to start. For our main dish, Ivy ordered 3 fish with sauerkraut and I had a medium rare steak. For dessert, we each had a scoop of lemon sorbet in a cup of fruit. This was by far the best meal we've had in Paris.
The weather was hot and humid, so we decided to try taking the subway home. Quick and cheap, we made it back around 10:30pm.
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