Monday, January 7, 2008

Le dejeuner au bord de la mer

One of the perks of living in a vacation destination and thus hosting a slew of visitors, is that they often insist on taking you out to eat. Whether they are grateful for lodging or just tired of my "healthy" cuisine - why look a gift horse in the mouth?

We enjoyed this delightful lunch at Marie-Michelle's - a French bistro, right on Venetian Bay in Naples. Warm, sunny day, the sight of dolphins frolicking in the water and a slightly fruity Chardonnay...need I say more?

Every dish was finger-licking good, but I personally recommend the Saumon Poche aux Fruits Tropicaux - Poached Alaskan King Salmon served with a mixture of exotic mango and papaya, laced with lime ginger Beurre Blanc.

Oh, I almost forgot: halfway through the meal, Marie-Michelle herself, came out and double kissed all the diners. The French way ;-)

28 comments:

Nikon said...

Very tastefully arranged photo.
I wish I had invested in square plates :)

Wayne said...

I was enjoying some crackers and cheese... and now it tastes like cardboard! :D Neat shot, neat commentary.

Wayne said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Wayne said...

Oops, and forgot to say, Isabella, in response to your question:

My first instinct was to say that unless Naples is far less attractive than I remember, they may not notice any difference. Just another gorgeous Florida beach. But then I thought there may be some places here that will make it worth trip. So I will think if over and let you know.

Janet said...

An elegant table setting and such colorful food! You are so lucky!

Olivier said...

une belle table, pour un déjeuner à la française.

A beautiful table for a lunch at the French.

freefalling said...

Did you actually eat all that on your plate?!!!
And what is going on, on those other plates - looks like a smoked salmon croissant, salad nicoise and some sort of chickeny type salad.
Look at those packets of sugarine on the table - they are everywhere these days - they just don't look right, do they?!

Olivier said...

Go Giants Go, rappelle moi Isabella, le classement de tes favoris l'année dernière "Les Chigagos bears" ;o)).
Bon cela va être dur pour les Giants, mais ils vont écrasés Dallas, tu veux parier une carte postale ? ;o))

Giants Go Go, reminds me Isabella, the ranking of your favorites last year "bears Chigagos" ;o)).
Well it will be hard for the Giants, but they are crushed Dallas, you want to bet a postcard? ;O))

Jilly said...

I could cope with this lunch! All looks delicious and served in a very simple way, very basic glasses and plates, as per a French bistrot.

It's 9 in the morning here and I've just had breakfast and now I'm hungry again...

GMG said...

Alaskan salmon over the water looks great! Anyhow, as far as I remembered, the French way used to be (before globalization) triple kiss... ;)
Blogtrotter is on its 150th post, and you've a dedicated picture at the Revival 90's... Enjoy!
Have a great week!
Gil

Peter said...

Happy to see some French traditions around (eating, drinking, kisses...! Concerning gmg's comment, double or triple depends on the person, but also on the region. A nice working tradition when starting the new year is also to go around and kiss all lady colleagues... (double or triple)!

Z said...

In my personal experience, the Swiss seem to do the triple kiss, while the double kiss is the French thing...

Oh, and the food looks divine!

Dsole said...

wow, Isabella, that's a great way to start a new day, plenty of energy and kisses!

oh, and Happy new year!

Anonymous said...

Don't they have any burgers?

Anonymous said...

While we are basking in the glow of winter, some people down south know how to rub it in with beautiful photography, shirt-sleeve weather, and glowing, steaming food. Wow.

Shammickite said...

This photo holds a lot of promise... the promise of delicious food and drink, shared with friends in a delightful location, and possibly followed by a walk along the beach and possibly a nap under a palm tree, by the swimming pool..... ahhhh.... lovely!

JaamZIN said...

I like that blue light on the knife and fork:)

Jules said...

Yum, yum - there is nothing best in the world - friends, good food, wine and a view of the sea - heaven!!!

isa said...

Me - I've come to the same conclusion...I think we will concentrate on the east side of the state. Thanks for your input!

Freefalling - spot on! I think the other salad was Salade Côte D’azur (crab meat or such thing).
No, I did not wolf it all down - I shared ;-)

Olivier - non, j'ai appris ma leçon - tu as de la chance!

Desole - Happy New Year!

Frank - sorry, not even steak tartare!

Abe - please forgive me...I will try to post gloomy photos until your spring arrives ;-)

Neva said...

A beautiful table setting.

Gwen said...

Beautiful table setting on the water's edge.

Ming the Merciless said...

Awesome looking lunch. I love the color palatte -- the blue-ish hue.

I must try your trick the next time I have guests staying over. I will stock the fridge with healthy food too. :-)

Anonymous said...

Sounds delicious with beautiful presentation!

Felicia said...

Lucky you! Oh la la - my mouth is watering, it looks delicious!

Bergson said...

The plates give me hunger; all the dishes seem appétissants

Troop 1309 said...

Looks like a wonderful meal. Nice photo.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Wow! This is THE place I would like to go to, wonderfull great style, it looks very good to me!

JAM said...

It all looks tasty, but the first thing I noticed was the bright red, fresh tomato there. One of the best perks of living here is garden fresh tomatoes all year long.