Post by roundtowngirl on Nov 12, 2007 10:50:51 GMT -5
I must admit it...I am having a full blown PPD attack. I've never felt this way after returning from a trip. It's just something about Paris! To help alleviate my symptoms, I'll take some time and share details of our dinner cruise.
Being our first time in Paris, my S/O and I wanted to plan something romantic. We decided to book a dinner cruise. I must admit, we were really looking forward to this. The cruise boarded near the Eiffel Tower, so our evening began with a stroll to the ET from our hotel. It was dark so we were able to see the tower lit up. This was my first glimpse of the tower and words can not describe it adequately. We arrived a little early but were shown onto a docked boat where we took care of checking in and paying for the trip. We were given a map and copy of the menu. As we waited to board we looked over our meal choices and just enjoyed being together. (It is amazing how comfortable silence can be between two people when your life back home revolves around work and two young children.)
You have three choices for this cruise:
Etoile Service - seated in the middle of the boat with no choice of before dinner drink and different wine selections
Select Service - seated at a small window table and a choice of before dinner drink, I believe the wine selections are a little better as well
Premier Service - seated in the front of the boat with a choice of before dinner drink and better wine
We had chose Service Select because we wanted to see the sights and this was our splurge for the cruise. We did not have to wait long and then we were seen to our table. It was perfect! We were at a small table near the front right beside the window. There was a table next to us but no one ever sat there so we were all alone. The waiter attended to us right away. His name was Jeremy and he was very charming. We were offered a choice of water (sparkling or "plain"). Bread was served and we were offered a choice of aperitif. We both decided on champagne. It arrived just as the boat was departing from the dock. We were able to toast our trip in true style!
The dinner consisted of three courses with 4 choices each.
For our entree I selected Cassolette of snails and wild mushrooms in a Bourguignonne sauce and my husband chose Scallops with cooked and raw chicory in a truffle gravy. Our other choices were duck foie gras with cherry plum chutney and crayfish and slow-cooked chanterelles in a creamy veloute sauce. Believe me, it was difficult to decide! Both dishes were delicious, although he liked mine better and I preferred his. The scallops were huge, delicate, and very sweet.
For our main course my husband ordered slow-cooked chicken breast, vegetables in broth with Albufera sauce. He is not real adventurous so he was glad to see that there was something "normal" to choose from. I tried his chicken and can say that it was just okay. (I don't think you take these cruises for their outstanding cuisine. You pay for the ambiance!) I had the loin of veal with a velvet sauce. Now my dish on the other hand was very good. It came with leeks in a fabulous cream sauce. (I did have a moment of guilt for ordering veal, but it passed surprisingly quickly. ) The other two choices were poached pike and pan-fried Black Angus beef.
During our meal we were treated to singing. The cruise had a three piece band which entertained us with a variety of French songs. They encouraged dancing and while we weren't up to it, we did see some couples dancing up front.
Our wine selections were not bad. We had a white wine with the entree and a red wine with the main course. The menu said that we would share one bottle for every three people, but we were given our own bottles. It was adorable to see my husband do the whole sniff, swirl, and taste thing when the waiter presented our wine. He commented later that perhaps he will begin to take more interest in wine after the trip.
My favorite part of the trip was when we turned at the small statue of the Statue of Liberty. I could see the ET twinkling and I had this emotional moment (my, I had a lot of these in Paris). For dessert my husband selected a chocolatte and praline feuillantine . I asked the waiter for a suggestion and he advised the tropical fruit delight. I couldn't say no so I took his suggestion and then worried that he was "pushing" the fruit because it was cheap or I looked like I needed to be on a diet. The dish turned out to be a small piece of sugar dusted sponge cake with a slight cardamom flavor and fresh fruit in an amazing light syrupy sauce. It was not what I had pictured as a my desert (my mind was thinking chocolate and rich) but it was a perfect end to a heavy meal. I almost felt healthy!
By the time coffee was served and the music ended (there was an awful lot of disco by the end and more people were dancing...I guess the wine was kicking in) we were back at the dock. It was a nice cruise with average food and great views. I would recommend it to any first time visitors.
Just a few other tips:
Beware of men with flowers when you get off the boat. If you take them you must pay for them.
Take pictures...we didn't want to disturb anyone so we didn't take pictures. Now I wish that I had something to remember the night by.
As I said before, it was a great first time event. Anyone who has been to Paris before, I would recommend booking a night cruise, but use the extra money to have dinner somewhere else. The food was okay and my finicky husband enjoyed it but it is not haute cuisine.
Hope this helps someone. Here is a link for those of you interested:
www.bateauxparisiens.com/
Being our first time in Paris, my S/O and I wanted to plan something romantic. We decided to book a dinner cruise. I must admit, we were really looking forward to this. The cruise boarded near the Eiffel Tower, so our evening began with a stroll to the ET from our hotel. It was dark so we were able to see the tower lit up. This was my first glimpse of the tower and words can not describe it adequately. We arrived a little early but were shown onto a docked boat where we took care of checking in and paying for the trip. We were given a map and copy of the menu. As we waited to board we looked over our meal choices and just enjoyed being together. (It is amazing how comfortable silence can be between two people when your life back home revolves around work and two young children.)
You have three choices for this cruise:
Etoile Service - seated in the middle of the boat with no choice of before dinner drink and different wine selections
Select Service - seated at a small window table and a choice of before dinner drink, I believe the wine selections are a little better as well
Premier Service - seated in the front of the boat with a choice of before dinner drink and better wine
We had chose Service Select because we wanted to see the sights and this was our splurge for the cruise. We did not have to wait long and then we were seen to our table. It was perfect! We were at a small table near the front right beside the window. There was a table next to us but no one ever sat there so we were all alone. The waiter attended to us right away. His name was Jeremy and he was very charming. We were offered a choice of water (sparkling or "plain"). Bread was served and we were offered a choice of aperitif. We both decided on champagne. It arrived just as the boat was departing from the dock. We were able to toast our trip in true style!
The dinner consisted of three courses with 4 choices each.
For our entree I selected Cassolette of snails and wild mushrooms in a Bourguignonne sauce and my husband chose Scallops with cooked and raw chicory in a truffle gravy. Our other choices were duck foie gras with cherry plum chutney and crayfish and slow-cooked chanterelles in a creamy veloute sauce. Believe me, it was difficult to decide! Both dishes were delicious, although he liked mine better and I preferred his. The scallops were huge, delicate, and very sweet.
For our main course my husband ordered slow-cooked chicken breast, vegetables in broth with Albufera sauce. He is not real adventurous so he was glad to see that there was something "normal" to choose from. I tried his chicken and can say that it was just okay. (I don't think you take these cruises for their outstanding cuisine. You pay for the ambiance!) I had the loin of veal with a velvet sauce. Now my dish on the other hand was very good. It came with leeks in a fabulous cream sauce. (I did have a moment of guilt for ordering veal, but it passed surprisingly quickly. ) The other two choices were poached pike and pan-fried Black Angus beef.
During our meal we were treated to singing. The cruise had a three piece band which entertained us with a variety of French songs. They encouraged dancing and while we weren't up to it, we did see some couples dancing up front.
Our wine selections were not bad. We had a white wine with the entree and a red wine with the main course. The menu said that we would share one bottle for every three people, but we were given our own bottles. It was adorable to see my husband do the whole sniff, swirl, and taste thing when the waiter presented our wine. He commented later that perhaps he will begin to take more interest in wine after the trip.
My favorite part of the trip was when we turned at the small statue of the Statue of Liberty. I could see the ET twinkling and I had this emotional moment (my, I had a lot of these in Paris). For dessert my husband selected a chocolatte and praline feuillantine . I asked the waiter for a suggestion and he advised the tropical fruit delight. I couldn't say no so I took his suggestion and then worried that he was "pushing" the fruit because it was cheap or I looked like I needed to be on a diet. The dish turned out to be a small piece of sugar dusted sponge cake with a slight cardamom flavor and fresh fruit in an amazing light syrupy sauce. It was not what I had pictured as a my desert (my mind was thinking chocolate and rich) but it was a perfect end to a heavy meal. I almost felt healthy!
By the time coffee was served and the music ended (there was an awful lot of disco by the end and more people were dancing...I guess the wine was kicking in) we were back at the dock. It was a nice cruise with average food and great views. I would recommend it to any first time visitors.
Just a few other tips:
Beware of men with flowers when you get off the boat. If you take them you must pay for them.
Take pictures...we didn't want to disturb anyone so we didn't take pictures. Now I wish that I had something to remember the night by.
As I said before, it was a great first time event. Anyone who has been to Paris before, I would recommend booking a night cruise, but use the extra money to have dinner somewhere else. The food was okay and my finicky husband enjoyed it but it is not haute cuisine.
Hope this helps someone. Here is a link for those of you interested:
www.bateauxparisiens.com/