The Wait at Louvre
Cafe Mollien is the only place to eat at Louvre. It is an L-shaped restaurant at the corner of the stairway. The small round tables and scenic view windows match comfortably with the artsy palace, which is nothing like a fast-food station for visitors to come and go with a rush. For the hungry visitors, they have to wait in a line, stand next to the gift shop next to the cafe while stand on the tip of their toes to peep at the menu and the food on the tables. After about fifteen minutes of wait with ten people ahead of me at the beginning, I was let in.
I was handed a menu which I got to look at already when I was waiting in line, and I got a little impatient when I was given a lot more minutes to face it. It still puzzled me whether it was because of some French custom or just the unprofessionalism of the waiter that kept me wait for so long to order. A waiter finally came. He was nice — spoke English, and smiled. I wanted to try the Pesto Penne with Parmela cheese, but after the waiter confirmed with the chef, I was told that they just ran out of it. All right, I just saw a dish of it went past me and I must be lucky. Then I replaced my choice of Pesto with the Chicken Penne with Parmela cheese, with a Warm Apple Pie with Cream.
The pasta was served soon after I put my order, which was very delightful visually. The snowy grated parmesan cheese, red sun dried tomatoes, eggplant chunks and green vegetables (basil/spinach?) made the chicken pasta dish very lively. Looking like a small portion, it actually gave me a struggle when I tried to eat the bowl up. In the end I gave up some cracked penne and some tomatoes that were too hard to chew. Later I started to feel my mouth very dry under the effect brought by parmesan cheese. In here, water is served in bottles and there is no free water.
My appetite was sated by then before I realized I might have to call off my dessert order. But…fine, I could use the dessert to diffuse the pasta shock.
The pie came within a short notice. I cut a piece out and dipped it in the cream. It tasted amazing. When I went to Julian with my friends in California, we all tried the apple pie there because Julian is the town of apple pie. I have to say that the apple pie there was too sweet for me to eager for more. However, this apple pie here at Cafe Mollien, with the fresh crunchy apple slices on top of the croissant-like-base, excites my palliate with the right amount of sweetness. The apples had its original flavor locked in the crispy wrap and lit up by the whipped cream.
Yup I ended up cleared this plate. Looking back, the line at the entrance was even longer.
Waiting in line to get into the Louvre, waiting in line to use the lady’s room, waiting in line for the tickets, and now, waiting in line for food. I am glad that I waited.