La Vie En Rose

Last Friday night I made a happy discovery. I was heading home after a week of Mondays,and intended to stop at the dollar-thirty-five a scoop Chinese place. I didn't feel like cooking or even microwaving; and the place is cheap and conveniently located halfway between my bus stop and home.

Two doors down I saw the sign, "La Vie En Rose", proclaiming tea, gifts, catering, take out, and music. That sounded intriguing, so I figured I could pop in and have a quick look-see. I think the music playing on the CD player was Edith Piaf. A small blackboard on an easel advertising the daily specials; one of those was broiled salmon.

And I knew I was staying.

Chiffon, the owner came out and greeted me warmly. When I asked how long she'd been there I was surprised to learn she'd been there for a couple of months. I walk past that shopping center every weeknight and had never noticed it. It's a small place located next to a nail salon, which could account for why I'd looked past it.


First out was fresh French bread with homemade garlic butter. I would've been happy to stop there, I think. The debate rages on over which is healthier or less unhealthy, margarine or butter. My palate is only concerned with taste and wants butter. And who doesn't like garlic? Well, okay, a lot of people don't, but we're all God's children, so we can let such idiosyncrasies slide. Fact is, is was a great way to start my meal.

Next, the "house salad". Now, a "house salad" is generally a few large leaves of iceberg lettuce, two pieces of not-quite-ripe tomato, and a very few shredded carrot bits, right? Not so here. Romaine lettuce (crisp!), two hearty slices, halved, of perfectly ripened (as in, "did you just pick this from your garden out back?") tomato with Italian seasoning, slices of white onion and the best vinaigrette I've had at any restaurant -just enough to season the salad without drowning it. I could have stopped there, too.

Whether my timing, the cook's or the waitress's, I do not know, but I was finishing the last bite of salad when the entree arrived. I didn't realize how important timing was until I was the happy benefactor of it in its perfect mode. Saffron rice accompanied a very large piece of salmon - larger than any of the chain restaurants have ever served me, and at a lesser price. Capers on the side.

A unique thing about this restaurant was how homey it felt. Besides myself, the only other diners were a couple who obviously knew the proprietress well, judging by their friendly banter. The man wondered aloud what capers were. The jar was called for from the kitchen, but yielded no clues; he complained that he couldn't read the ingredients because they were in Italian. It was the type of complaining that one does in a family, and it was fun to listen to them. By this time my own curiosity had gotten the better of me; I'd eaten capers once before this but I too really didn't know what they were. Since I'd come from work, I had my organizer and e-reader with me, I looked it up and shared with them the definition: the pickled buds of a flowery southern European shrub. Chiffon told the man he owed me for that definition, as information is valuable. I told him the first definition is free.


At the end of my meal I took home a smaller portion than I generally do at a restaurant, not because the portions were smaller, as they weren't, but because the food was... well, as I'm not a professional restaurant reviewer, I think I am allowed to use the descriptor yummy. 

I stopped in again tonight and tried the onion soup, which was incredibly good. I cannot remember the last time I had an onion soup so hearty. And I'm sure the amount of cheese topping the bowl raised my cholesterol levels. But it was worth it.