French Fun with Friends

While playing tourists in Paris, we met up with some friends from Victoria.

So we set about to enjoy some of the typical French highlights - fashion, food and Florida.

First up, the fashion. While Scott looks dapper trying on a striking orange check blazer, the show is stolen by the shop owner, head to tails (three piece no less) in seersucker:

And onto the food. Where to dine? What did we want to embrace while we were here?
Romantic Paris? Artistic Paris? Historic Paris? Or Heavy Metal Paris.....

Option four it is! The Black Dog. A truly unique restauant experience.
If you come, make sure you have:
1) an open mind as you walk through the bar in the front and,
2) an empty stomach for the restaurant that lays at the back.

Compared to the average patron, our group was low on tattoos and piercings - but only a love for good food is a prerequisite here. Strains of Slayer and Metallica were blaring over the sound system as we sipped our pre-dinner drinks. Then we made our way into the back restaurant - an Argentinian steakhouse.

Choices are wide ranging here - meat, more meat or one kilogram of meat.
Mouth-watering, cut with a butter-knife, grilled to perfection, meat.
This place is packed, and for good reason - the service is delightful and the food is fabulous.
Brad and I couldn't decided on which cut, so we split the mixed platter (and added some token green beans for some colour on the plate).

An option we didn't choose was the 1KG serving of steak (really, it's a roast at that point, isn't it?). If you finish it, you used to be able to sign your name somewhere on the restaurant (as they're running out of room, now you get a t-shirt).

Here is a photo of the ceiling with the numerous roast-eaters:

We actually had a started of beef empanadas and chicken empanadas...but they were so good, we couldn't get the camera out in time. For dessert, we ordered more empanadas....chocolate ones.
Before attack:

During attack:

And before leaving for good, Cassie snapped a quick photo of Scott, Irene, Brad and a couple new friends (the one of the left who is now sporty a 1KG shirt!):

And for the Florida part - The Paris Beach - right along the Siene. For a touch of summer in the city, Paris trucks in sand (and a few palm trees) and creates a beach/boardwalk that stretches for about a kilometre.

As you stroll along, you pass kiosks for beer, foosball tables, giant deck chairs and...
Bands playing:

Comfy chairs to enjoy an evening picnic in:

And nearby pétanque to round out the authentic atmosphere:

Definitely one of those surreal settings - noshing on a picnic at 11pm at night, on the beach, with the twinkling Eiffel Tower in the background. Ahhhhh.