An evening at The Juliette.

Juliette Récamier was a French society leader, whose salon drew Parisians from the leading

Famous picture of Juliette Récamier

literary and political circles of the early 19th century.  She was also a native of Lyon and quite beautiful.  The street our apartment is on, rue Moncey, turns into rue Juliette  Récamier just a block away from our apartment.  On that street, there is a fun place called The Juliette that serves drinks and a variety of appetizers.   




We enjoy going to The Juliette for a light dinner with wine, and we have been there a couple of times so far on this trip.  We get there early enough to get a table outside so that we can enjoy the

The Juliette (we usually sit in the covered
area out of the picture on the right)

weather and people-watch.  This first time, the weather was lovely, a light breeze and sunshine, and we settled in for a pleasant evening’s repast.  After about 7/7:30 things really picked up with lots of people arriving after work for a glass or so of wine before heading home.  (This included a bunch of “suits” who arrived looking like refugees from IBM – dark blue/charcoal/black suits with white or light blue shirts and conservative ties.)  Anyway, the people-watching was at its best , and our waitress added to the fun with her repartee and occasional English comments and kept us supplied with a variety of olives.  We exchanged a few pleasantries with some of the people sitting near us as we enjoyed our Viogner and plate of four different hams, cornichons, and baguette pieces.    We finished off our evening  with flutes of Ruinart Champagne and strolled back to our apartment. 

This last week we went to The Juliette again.  The crowd was different (very few suits), but the place was packed never-the-less.  We were early enough to get a table outside.  This time we tried a bottle of Gascogne, a pleasant wine from the home of the Three Musketeers.  There were three women next to us with notebooks in hand and staring at a computer screen - they were obviously working while enjoying their drinks.  Soon one of the women left, and we found ourselves conversing with the remaining two.  One spoke excellent English with a lovely French accent.  (Why is it that English spoken with a French accent sounds so great, and French spoken with an American accent does not?!)  By the end of the evening, we had written suggestions for two auberges, a business card, and a personal invitation to come by for a glass of  wine on the way to an auberge.  Can't say that we will take her up on her offer, but it was very kind. They also asked how long we have been married then sighed and agreed with each other that there was hope for them and their spouses, then.  Anyway, we had a very pleasant conversation that touched on many subjects. It was getting late so we said good-bye and wandered back to our apartment.

You can rest assured, we will definitely be back to The Juliette this visit and have more stories to share!  How could we not return?  Lots of people watching, good wine, good options for a light dinner, and, best of all, fascinating and delightful people and conversations.  (Anyone who says the French are cold and unwelcoming has a major problem!)