Notre Dame And Caught In A Tourist Trap

Even a seasoned traveler such as myself gets caught up in tourist traps. Sometimes they turn out to be more fun than you expected and sometimes, well, sometimes not so much.

We decided to head to Notre Dame, you almost have to, don't you? We took the subway and got off at almost the right stop. At least we knew where we were going. Notre Dame is on an island and there are only two here in Paris and they are right next to each other. The smaller island is primarily residential while the larger one has, in addition to Notre Dame, a police headquarters that is quite large, a hotel, and some other stuff that I don't really remember. Oh yeah, and Sainte Chapelle. We had a hard time finding it because it is inside the walls of what looks like a drab government building of some kind. Sainte Chapelle is noted for its stained glass windows but you need to be inside looking out to appreciate the beauty. No matter though, it was closed.

Notre Dame, on the opposite end of the island, has a much more interesting and visible exterior.

Notre Dame From The Front


Of course the Mysterious Chinese Woman insisted on having her picture taken. I am impressed by how much space she managed to clear around her. I am sure she used some kind of a mysterious force field.

Photo Op


I actually think the view from the rear is more interesting. That would be the view of Notre Dame, not the Mysterious Chinese Woman.

From The Rear


We didn't bother to wait in line to go inside. I think most of the stuff that was originally in there was removed and is other museums.

It was getting to be around lunch time and here is where things went horribly wrong. A vaguely remembered picturesque alleyway lined with Greek restaurants popped into our collective conscious. Well, not the Equally Mysterious Sister-In-Law's, she had never been to Paris before. Unfortunately for us it wasn't far (the alleyway, not Paris) and we actually found it.

Oh, Honey, It Looks So Quaint


And So, We Entered


The alleyway is lined with tourist shops, fast food stands, and Greek restaurants. Go figure. There is a certain sameness to them. They all have displays of what looks to be fresh seafood in front and they all have someone trying to lure you into their restaurant. This, actually, is very similar to the practice employed in Little Italy in Manhattan. Well, except for the displays of fish.

Beware The Lurking Man


In addition to the display of fish or things that look like fish, this place also displayed a modestly attired statue.

On Display


The best thing about this restaurant was the free apertif they gave you when you sat down. And the best thing about that was it was free. Kind of a tart and somewhat sweet thing, but I have no idea what it was.

Bon Apetite


Okay, maybe if they display seafood I should order seafood. On the other hand, I never see them taking fish out of those displays so who knows how fresh the fish they serve you are. Maybe they use the ones out of the display when they start to go bad.

Anyway, suffice it to say that my roast suckling pig was a travesty. I leave more on my plate after eating something like that than they served me. Just bones with bits of meat adhering to them and skin. Worse, the Mysterious Chinese Woman ordered something totally different, fillet of pork chop, and she got the same thing. The Equally Mysterious Sister-In-Law got the best of the deal with a lamb shish-kabob. Not that it was anything all that great, but it was a hell of lot better than what we got.

Maybe we should have tried this place, it looks like they might serve game.

New Game In Town


There were gelato shops though and they do make excellent gllato in France. The Mysterious Chinese Woman decided to" splurge." She has to watch her figure, don't you know.

Just A Taste


Well, the Mysterious Sisters decided to go shopping and I decided to pop in someplace for a few beers. Being from Minnesota it was hard for me to pass this place by.

The Great Canadian


There was some hockey paraphernalia hanging on the walls but not too much else to distinguish it as being Canadian. They seemed to be out of most of the Canadian beers that they carried as well. I can't remember what I had.

Having Something


Well, I guess they did have another something Canadian.

Sgt. Preston, I Presume


Let me know if you know the name of Sgt. Preston's dog. And, no, it is not Yuk of the Yukon (but I always though it should be).

Relaxing At The Riviera

My idea of stopping off for a bite to eat in Brighton Beach to avoid the over-crowded subway proved to be brilliant. The first restaurant we spotted was Riviera Grill & Sushi and we didn't bother looking further.

Riviera Grill & Sushi


I guess the only dress code they had was one that included wearing a shirt because this guy, coming from the beach, was putting one on before entering.

Dressing For The Occasion


For some reason the "outside" area seemed more crowded than the inside. Maybe that was because the inside was only for dining. They did have a little bar inside, but it looked to be a serving bar only. Everyone inside was pretty much fixated on the football game featuring Russia against the Netherlands. If you read my previous post you will know that Russia won 3 to 1 to advance to the Euro Cup quarter finals.

The Serving Bar


The first thing I did was order a large beer because I had worked up quite a thirst by that time. It was some kind of a French beer, but I didn't quite catch the name.

Just What The Doctor Ordered


Why a French beer in a restaurant that obviously catered to Russians in a decidedly Russian neighborhood? Well, why a sushi bar?

Fresh Fish


The decor had a French look to it, although like nothing I actually have ever seen in France, and I guess the name of the restaurant referred to the French Riviera.

The walls depicted what I took to be a hectic kitchen in a French restaurant.

Tony Bourdain Might Approve


Here is a closer look:





The French theme was carried forward to the decorative plates at the table:





I thought the artwork in the bathroom was appropriate as well:





Okay, so the decor was nice and the beer was cold, so what about the food? It was delicious and plentiful.

We started out with an appetizer that you don't see too often, grilled tongue.

Hold Your Tongue


This was thinly sliced beef tongue that was lightly grilled. Very tender and served with ribbons of mustard along side that added just the right bite. I think there were five slices, maybe six, to start with so you can see that it was a pretty healthy serving.

I ordered duck with some kind of a tart berry sauce and it was fantastic. Really tender with a nicely crisped skin. Even the mashed potatoes that it came with were tasty and they weren't instant.

Delicious Duck


The Mysterious Chinese Woman ordered the veal saltimbuca with couscous and it was delicious as well.

Saltimbuca With Couscous


It was exceptionally tender with a very flavorful sauce. The couscous was the large kind but it was done just right. A bit of a crunch on the outside but nice and soft inside.

All and all it was a most excellent meal and I wouldn't hesitate to go back again. As I said, the portions were large so we asked for a doggy bag. They packed everything up in a separate container instead of lumping it all together, which was thoughtful. I ate the duck cold the next day and it was still great. The veal held up to the microwave just fine too.

Oh, the bread basket was good too. My favorite was a rye bread roll with raisins and nuts inside. It came with a herb butter. They also set out a little plate of mixed olives.

You can find Riviera Grill & Sushi at 3100 Ocean Parkway just a block or so back of the boardwalk and only a block or two from the subway stop. A bit out of the way, perhaps, depending upon where you live. But you can always stop at The International, the biggest and most popular Russian deli in New York, on the way home and pick up some exotic treats that you aren't likely to find anywhere else. They also have a large selection of Russian beers.

As you can see, my plan to let the crowds thin out worked just fine.

No Crowds


And just like that, the Q train arrived to take us almost home.

Right On The Dot, The Q


We transferred at Atlantic Avenue, although we could have walked from there. We had been walking enough though.

Mermaid Parade - Part Deux

Still having some time to kill before the parade started, I decided to head to my all-time favorite beach dive bar in the whole, entire world.

I Bring You - Ruby's


It was more crowded than usual, as you might expect. In fact, it was downright packed.

Like Sardine's


There was still room for a mermaid to preen a bit though.

Water Repellent Lip Gloss


And I managed to find a place to belly up to the bar and have a hot dog and a beer. Actually, I was just holding the hot dog for the Mysterious Chinese Woman while she took this picture. Jeez, she ate a whole pulled pork sandwich and now she was eating a hot dog. She said it was a tradition to eat a hot dog at Rudy's. Who am I to argue.

Just Holding


Notice the authentic Ruby's tee-shirt that I am wearing. This is one that Sam, the manager, gave me a couple of years ago. Note the mustard stain that was there when I got it. It has faded a bit, but I hope it never disappears.

I had a couple of beers and gin and tonics and then the parade started to arrive. The combination of my alcohol ingestion and the huge crowds blocking the way made it difficult to get many good shots of the paraders, but here is what I got without further ado:

Mermaids? On Parade

































Well, as you can imagine, there were many more mermaids, or whatever, than that. Thousands even. Way too many to endure. I decided to head out a bit early and try to beat the crowd. I got side-tracked by Beer Island though.

As you can see, it was really crowded. There was a line waiting to get in and they were carding just about everyone.

A Crowded Beach


I mentioned that the wait staff here was very eager. They were, however, a bit confused about just what they should be doing. When we got there in the morning we bought our beers at the stand by the entrance. As soon as we sat down someone came over to ask us if we wanted anything to drink, even though we had just walked to the table with full glasses. We said we were going to order something to eat though. She said she would send someone over. Well, someone did come over, but she didn't have a menu so she had to go back and get one. We ordered and she left only to come back a few minutes later to ask us if we wanted lettuce, tomato, or onion on our sandwiches. The Mysterious Chinese Woman didn't want anything but I asked for onion. I didn't get it though.

This time around we got seats at a table and I ordered a beer and a water for the Mysterious Chinese Woman. She decided she wanted to head back to the boardwalk to take some more pictures. After a bit I had to use the toilet so I told the waitress that I would be back and to not take my beer. Of course when I got back another waitress had cleared the table and seated someone. I had enough to drink so I wasn't going to complain too much, the operative word being "too."

We headed back to catch a subway home and passed by another of my favorite sights in Coney Island.

A Fun Facade


That, again, like Ruby's, is something that probably will not survive whatever redevelopment takes place here. Just too much valuable real estate that has, according to some, been under-utilized for far too long.

In some respects, I have to agree. There are few cities in the world that have a beach as nice as the one at Coney Island, and no cities that haven't utilized the beaches to much better advantage. Take a look at this piece of land just behind the boardwalk. Where else would you see something like that other than in New York. Think Far Rockaway, for those of you familiar with this neck of the woods.

Vacant, But Not For Long


We headed back to the subway but couldn't cross the street to get to it. The parade was still going and this was its route. This, however, turned out to be ill-advised. The crowds were starting to pile up from behind and it was just about impossible to turn around and go the other way. Luckily we were at the front of the back and managed to head to the right towards Brighton Beach. I didn't read about any deaths in this morning' paper so I guess everyone got out alright.

The Crowd And An Icon


It looked way too crowded at the subway stop so we decided to just walk down to Brighton Beach and have a leisurely dinner at an air-conditioned restaurant and wait for the crowd to thin And that is just what we did. I will put up a short post on the place tomorrow. Let me say though, the food was delicious, the service was attentative, and there was a Russian crowd glued to the many televisions (even in the restrooms) watching Russia play the Netherlands in a quarter-final match in the 2008 Euro Cup. This is a big deal, almost as big as the World Cup. Only one team has ever won the World Cup and then followed up by winning the Euro Cup. That was France who won the World Cup in 1998 (I was in Paris, too) and then the Euro Cup in 2000. Last time Italy won the World Cup and they are now out of the tournament so it won't happen this time either.

Russia won the match 3 to 1 so there were a lot of happy Russians toasting each other with vodka when it was over. I would have hated to have seen them if they lost. I think they weep and eat boiled potatoes when that happens.