I saw Borat, the hysterically funny movie by Sacha Baron Cohen, best known as Ali G, and celebrated the arrival of Beaujolais nouveau at my corner bistro last night.
Borat opened here on Wednesday after being a smash hit in the States as the #1 box office movie 2 weeks in a row and the theater was filled with a laugh-hungry audience. Ali G’s sibling alter ego Borat Sagdiyev is a highly offensive yet endearing character from Kazakhstan who does the quintessential American road trip, with hilarious escapades including being saved by a Christian right evangelist church, coached by a southern etiquette expert on how to act at American dinner parties, and a pilgrimage to Los Angeles to marry Pamela Anderson, the girl of his dreams. The presumably French audience surprisingly got all the American references. If you like laughing out loud movies, this is a must.
After all the belly laughing from the movie, my belly was ready for some food. At about 10:15 I went to my corner bistro Au Bouqet St. Paul, on the corner of rue St. Paul & rue St. Antoine, and the joint was jumpin’ with a jolly crowd celebrating the new Beaujolais Nouveau. It seemed like an excellent vintage as the diners kept asking the cheerful waiters in black berets to open more bottles . I am mostly a teetotaler, but I indulged in a few sips and, not being a wine aficionado by any stretch of the imagination, the most I can say is that I liked it very much. (In fact, I always kid about my non-drinking, saying that if the person who invented liquor had met me when they were trying to determine if it would be a successful product, they probably would have decided there’s no money in it.) I enjoyed a fresh salad of poached chicken, corn, tomatoes, and Emmenthal cheese and was caught up in the celebratory spirit of the occasion.
I love the French because they always find cause for celebration.
A Bouqet St. Paul
85 rue St. Antoine, 75004, Metro: St. Paul
Open 7 days 9AM-11PM
Sounds fun!
I'm still on the lookout for stories of expatriates who celebrated Le Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé. Since I dropped by after reading about your blog on expatica.com, Rue Rude, and The French Journal, I found your post. I'll add it to my list!
Meilleurs voeux!
Posted by: blueVicar | November 30, 2006 at 03:47 PM
I must have schlepped past this restaurant last time. Richard, is there a ritzy deli in your neighborhood?
I cannot recall the name, but it had food in the window and it was on either the north or west side of the street,
Posted by: mimi | December 08, 2006 at 12:02 PM