I met a lovely lady the other day that mentioned how she's slowly eating her way through Paris, indulging in two-three-sometimes four course meals at restaurants on her days off, always with a glass of wine and sometimes a flute of champagne. Commonplace in Paris perhaps, but what surprised me about her rather extravagant lunchtime ritual is she's enjoying it as a solo diner... which made me wonder, can dining alone be as pleasurable and rich an experience as when there's company? Does it paint a lonely picture or a romantic one? Does it matter what anyone thinks when it gives you great pleasure? And when company is simply unavailable, is there a choice?
The other morning I stopped at Cafe St. Regis on the Ile Saint-Louis and had a full breakfast, which I counted as progress from my going to a café alone for just a coffee or hot chocolate and viennoiserie. It was a perfect place to try and dine solo, mainly because it was familiar and this lovely bistro has great food (the meal above was from lunch with my family a few months back), the service is friendly and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. As a first go, I found the experience enriching...
How about you, do/would you enjoy going out and having a meal solo?
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