Ahhh, France. That was what I thought as I took my first perfect bite of this wonderful meal. Eight…read morehours on a crowded plane, an hour in the taxi, a quick shower and dropoff at the room, half an hour on the metro, an hour on the SNCF and half an hour on the bus: what is that, an entire day of travel?! Yes, I needed some good food and wine before I could even think about appreciating anything architectural.
L'Ovale has a great setup outside, under the shade of trees and umbrellas and a nice distance from the street. Perfect for people-watching, but not too crowded either.
It was hot enough that we wanted something light, so we all ordered salads. My husband's had mozzarella, tomatoes and tomato confit, and my friend and I each got the plat du jour, an adventurous salad whose title translated as "Paella Revisited." A bed of lightly-dressed butter lettuce was scattered with a light paella mixture (saffron rice, peas, bell pepper) and crowned by a generous skewer of grilled marinated chicken. The plate's edge was a parade of shrimp, chorizo and tomato wedges. Every bite was a new opportunity for innovative flavor combinations.
Our elegant glasses of kir were fairly inexpensive: the perfect indulgence in the heat. I felt the stress of all that travel melting away, and by the time l'addition arrived, I was ready to conquer the chateau.
It was beautiful, by the way. But the meal might have been even better.
