A night at a neighborhood bar

Last night we went to the bar just down the street from our apartment--Les Fous des L'Ile. Chris had noticed a sign in the window advertising a young couple singing pop and blues (you can't let her get out of your sight for one minute!).

We got to this cozy little spot about 8:30pm for a 9:00pm performance. The crowd - mostly young French and French/Indian people were in a convivial mood as was the staff. The simple, inexpensive menu featured the type of food you see in Cafes and while I kept my order simple, I was disappointed. I had escargot to start and chicken in the pot to follow - what could go wrong with boiled chicken? Chris had a salad and a cheese plate accompanied by a house Beaujolais.

Chris' salad and cheese plate were fine. So was the escargot, clearly not freshly made, but OK. The chicken was the worst chicken I have ever tasted! It tasted embalmed, not boiled. Even the vegetables (potatoes and a mystery green) were inedible. Only the lone carrot was OK.

The entertainment, however, was absolutely wonderful and made the evening worthwhile. They sang American Pop and Blue songs for two solid hours. The selections were a mixture of familiar and their own material executed beautifully. Their stage presence added to their charm and evoked a lot of reaction from the crowd (the audience was sprinkled with their friends). After three encores they passed the hat for contributions. I felt like we had slipped into the Paris of Ernest Hemingway and his friends.