Dining at Altitude

A meal at Jules Verne, Alain Ducasse's fancy restaurant high atop the Eiffel Tower, has been on my list of Paris must-dos for some time and yesterday, it finally happened. When I made the reservations months ago, I had fully planned to do so for dinner, but when I saw the price differential between lunch and dinner, I got cold feet. Instead, my husband and I opted for a leisurely lunch together in honor of an otherwise insignificant wedding anniversary, the actual date of which is later this month. Details, details. There's no particular reason to celebrate those round numbered anniversaries and who knows how many more opportunities we will have to mark our years together in such style. As the French say, la vie est courte, profitez-en.

I don't know where our lunch rates among the great culinary adventures we've had in Paris. That is to say, I didn't go into rapture with each bite, but it was certainly a meal I'll never forget. Between the watercress soup, the poulet de Bresse, the citrus tart, the wine pairings, the exceptional views of Paris (in the sunshine no less), and my most favorite person in the world for company, I was pretty much in heaven.

Not so the Italian couple next to us who ordered strangely colored cocktails, refused to order any food, and were asked to leave. "This is not a cocktail lounge," the man in charge told them. They picked up their things, drinks untouched, and vacated the premises. Fair warning. If you want to have a drink and enjoy the view, head to the Panoramic Bar at Hotel Concorde-Lafayette. For the Eiffel Tower, come ready to eat.