Hello, you! I did something crazy today. I decided not to work! I know, I know – it’s nothing woahhhh, like jumping from a bridge or saving the world. But for those who know me, not scheduling anything for one whole day is major. Even my 10-year old daughter looked at me like I might have fallen on my head. She quickly got over it though when I told her I was taking her out for lunch.
Gone are the days I would look online for a restaurant recommendation. Nowadays, I prefer suggestions coming from clients and friends and Chez Luigi or Da Luigi came highly recommended. After hearing repeatedly what a great pizza/pasta place this was, it was on my top priority. Plus, I knew that if I asked Baby Girl what kind of restaurant she wanted to have lunch at, she would reply a pizza place. I was hitting two birds with one stone.
So Baby Girl and I walked in Chez Luigi with no reservation, but we were immediately seated at a table by the entrance door. Thankfully we came in a little before noon, because a lot of the tables were already reserved for lunch. The restaurant decors were quite simple and the paint on the wall was peeling off. But I refused to dwell on that. What matters is the magic in the kitchen, right?
Baby Girl and I started our meal with some Coke (3.50 Euros) and complimentary crackers. Say what you like about Coke – I know it isn’t good for the health. I am aware of that. But once in a while, we like to indulge.
The ever internal battle in a place like this is – pizza or pasta? I decided to go with my all-time pizza choice of Quattro Stagioni (13.90 Euros) or Four Seasons. I expected the usual toppings (ham, mushrooms, bell pepper, black olives, the chorizo – not so much), but what I didn’t expect was the size of it! This was probably 3 times the size of my hand and the dough was a little thicker than what I am usually used too. It’s definitely worth the price and as you can see from the photo above they weren’t stingy with the ingredients. But in a country where a doggy-bag is still frowned upon, I tried my best to finish it all. As delicious as it was, I just couldn’t.
As any respectable Italian Pizzeria would do, they gave me a bottle of chili oil. Whether it is homemade or not, I couldn’t tell. But it did its job well.
As mentioned earlier, the paint was peeling off the wall, but who cares when the food is this good!
Baby Girl ordered a Pizza Flamme (6.00 Euros), because in her own words « we never have pizza or flamme at home, but we always have pasta ». Good girl. Her Flamme was reasonably-sized. She loved it and then loved licking her fingers afterwards. I later found out I could have had half a pizza and half a salad. That’s what I will probably do next time. But then again, the woman beside me ordered a Shrimp and Zucchini Pasta dish which I have been thinking about the whole day. I might order that the next time or ….. maybe try making it at home.
Nowadays, I don’t work as much as I used to a couple of years ago. That was a time when I first arrived in France and I guess I needed to prove myself to others and to myself too. That was just crazy. But now, modesty aside, I don’t need to do that anymore because people know me and they know what I am able to do. Sure, I work more than full-time, well French full-time that is, and I bring home work. But when I see that innocent face smiling back at me, I realize what I did today isn’t in fact crazy, it’s just love.
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