Sunday in France

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8raqLzb3rQ[/youtube]
This last Sunday, Maya went to spend the day with her BFF, leaving Ted and me on our own. I love Maya so much, and so much of being a parent defines me, that I sometimes wonder what we will do when she has grown up and moved away…days like Sunday remind me…we were fine before we had her, we’ll be fine when she is in college, or married, whatever. Days when we can go and see a movie that we want to see, without worrying whether it’s appropriate for a child or not…dinners at restaurants where we don’t need to think about kid conversation…which no wonder how wonderful the kid, isn’t the same as adult conversation. So.

So, on Sunday, we started out with a film, Two Days in Paris, which was pretty much Julie Delpy’s film. She not only starred in the movie, she directed it, wrote it, edited it, produced it, composed music for it, sang some of the songs, and did some of the still photography. If this movie doesn’t work, I’d say, blame Julie. But it did work. It wasn’t my favorite film ever, but like Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, it’s a slice of life where there are moments of hilarity, moments when you feel sorry that the characters in the film have to even deal with each other, and moments when you are slightly bored, though you feel a little bit guilty for being bored. Overall, I liked it, I’d give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5, and recommend it for any adults wanting a nice afternoon movie at the matinee price. The story, since you might want to know, is of Marion and Jack. Marion (Julie Delpy) was born in Paris, but has lived for quite awhile in New York. Jack (Adam Goldberg) is her American boyfriend. They have been together for 2 years, and have just finished two weeks in Italy, and decide to spend two days in Marion’s native Paris on their way home. Well. Marion is 35, and never married, and has been in quite a few relationships along the way. By the 3rd or 4th ex-boyfriend Jack bumps into, he’s starting to wonder if she’s a slut or not. It’s a good thing he doesn’t speak any French, or he’d be truly distressed. Delpy’s real life parents are hilarious as the parents you sure as hell hope you never turn out to be, but boy, they’re funny.

After the movie, we decided we’d go out for a nice dinner. We thought of going to A&Noi, in Concord, since we love their tomato salad and I love their corn soup, but sadly, they’re closed on Sundays. No matter, we decided to continue our French theme, so we went to a local restaurant, Left Bank. Left Bank is kind of hit and miss for us…usually we have yummy food and good service, though every once in awhile they fall flat. I had read a few months ago that they had a new chef, so I was curious. It turns out that they’re currently doing a Tour of France menu…every month, they choose a different region of France, and they come up with an entree, a cheese course, and a wine that represents that region. This month, they are featuring the Cote d’Azur, so the food was somewhat Mediterranean, and very yummy. We had branzani (a fish I had never heard of before, but was kind of like bass) with fennel and bell pepper piperade, Pernod, beurre blanc, fennel confit, cherry tomatoes, and Nicoise olives. It was delicate, flavorful, and very delicious. The cheese course was a lovely, brie-like cheese, with toasted baguette, nectarines, strawberries, and pecans. SO perfect. We had a cheese course in a fancy French restaurant in Philly once, which was kind of overwhelming, whereas this was yummy and just the right amount of rich cheese to sweet fruit, crispy bread, and salty nuts. Delicious.

Overall, I’m going to recommend the movie to any adults out there looking for a quiet afternoon film, and if you can manage it, follow it up with a French meal. Doesn’t have to be fancy. Just yummy.

Song to admire France by…LaLaLa, by Julie Delpy. Does anyone actually click these links and listen? Just wondering…