my happiness is slowly sinking back

paris – le chateaubriand part 1

there are really no words to describe an experience like this. the food I mean. it was mind blowing, thought provoking and phucking enjoyable all at once. I actually walked past the place 2 days before I went, just to find it, and I saw inaki aizpitarte standing out the front. talk about getting a bit star struck!

actually the entire lead up to the dinner is almost equal in eventfullness as the dinner.
nothing goes smoothly when it comes to me.
so there are two sittings at le chateaubriand, the first at 7.30pm for bookings and the second from 9.30pm for no bookings. I did try calling to make a booking but obviously being the worlds 18th best restaurant, they were a bit busy. I got the metro to goncourt and arrived out the front of the restaurant to line up at 9.15. and the line wasn’t bad actually, I arrived as one of the waiters was counting the people and ensured us we would have a table.

I should mention I didn’t really eat lunch today because I knew I was coming here for dinner and a) should try to save stomach space, and b) to save money for the upcoming splurge on dinner. well I did eat special k, without milk, so it was kind of a snack… but it most definitely was not lunch.

I was standing behind 4 americans, who I started talking to after offering to take a photo for them. turns out they were in paris for a business meeting, which took all of an hour, then they went to the french open for the rest of the day, before lining up for dinner here. talk about living the life!

so we’re lining up, and its rather a warm night but I’m only wearing a dress… but definitely start getting pretty hot and bothered. not because of the fact I was standing in the same spot for almost an hour, but I was actually getting clammy and irritable and a little dizzy. but I mentally slapped myself in the face, thinking this is potentially the only time I will ever be able to eat here so suck it up and you’ll be fine. oh how wrong I was. we gradually start moving inside to stand at the bar whilst tables are leaving and being cleared for the next sitting. one american guy asked me if I’d like a glass of champagne to celebrate getting inside, to which I replied of course… even though all I wanted was a glass of water. the bar staff were run off their feet, so as I was waiting, things started going black and fuzzy, I couldn’t really hear properly and felt so faint it was horrible. so, in classic dramatic-vic fashion, I run out of the restaurant, past the long line of suckers who probably wouldn’t make it in, and sit down with my head between my legs. a really good sight for a girl in a dress. after recuperating a little, I felt better so went back inside to my ‘spot’. they asked me “wahhhhhts wrahhhhng?”, so I just said I was feeling really dizzy, so they tried to get some water for me. but to no avail. within 5 minutes the same thing happened again and I’m back to not being able to see or hear anything, so I do my dramatic escape (although this time, I tried to make it less dramatic than last time… no flailing arms) and went a bit further down the street to the milk bar where I downed one bottle of water and then half of a second. the relief was almost instant, except for the jitteriness and shakiness.

now if I had have been acting responsible like the newly graduated paramedic and nurse that I am, I would have quickly got my sugars up too by smashing a bag of chips… however, I was far too focused on the meal I was about to have… and for good phucking reason too.

so I re-enter, probably to the scorns of the suckers in line outside, to my new mates at the bar, where they shove a glass of champagne in my face and tell me that will cure me of anything wrong with me. I think I found the first group of americans I actually like. so I did, and just as we were toasting, tables became available and off we went. me to mine and them to theirs. they did offer for me to sit with them but being a fiercely independent woman, I politely declined and said they should enjoy their meal together as mates.

then the fun started.