Entre Les Murs

Another Local

Two blocks down our street is an elegant seafood restaurant that we've never tried.  It's not the only one so close that we've skipped, but others nearby are clearly lunch-counter tabac sorts of places, or too far up the other end of the scale.  Whereas we've probably overlooked Marius because it's hard to see.  While it's on a corner on the main boulevard, it has only a small sign and is hidden behind a wall of shrubbery.  This creates a psychological distance that I imagine they feel is necessary: the terrace might otherwise be washed away by Parc des Princes crowds when there's a game on.  But it's not very good advertising, if you can live by a place for a year and a half and not think to give it a whirl. 

Of course, after a while it occurs to you that with such a low profile it must be excellent or it wouldn't still be in business.  And B's visit has bounced us out of a rut, so last night we decided to finally give Marius a try.  We found that another reason it hasn't become our local haunt is that it's a wee bit on the pricey side.  But if a tad expensive, the service is efficient and food excellent.  The reviews say its a nice neighbourhood restaurant; but in any other city you'd drive across town for this kind of place.

posted 6.6.07