《全球美食地圖》（美國國立博物館季刊）
Does the Classic Paris Meal Still Exist?
何處尋覓地道巴黎美食？
Two food lovers set out to learn whether the Paris dining experience of their youth can still be found
兩位老饕打算去尋覓年輕時的巴黎味道。
原文鏈接：http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/smithsonian-journeys-travel-quarterly-copy/
By Don and Petie Kladstrup
作者：唐納德&佩蒂·克蘭德斯特拉普
Smithsonian Journeys Quarterly
《美國國立博物館旅行季刊》
February 9, 2017
2017年2月9日
It happened in MontMartre. One quiet afternoon, on a cobblestone street where Toulouse-Lautrec, Utrillo, and Picasso once trod, an oil painting caught our eye in the window of Galerie Roussard, one of the oldest, most famous art galleries on the Butte. The dream-like restaurant scene featured indistinct black-suited waiters in long, white aprons passing among tables draped in red cloths, a bottle of wine on one, a carafe of water on another. It evoked a long-vanished era, a moment frozen in time.
就在一個寧靜的下午，在巴黎蒙馬特一條鵝卵石鋪就的街道旁，便是在布特（Butte）地區名聞遐邇，經營最久遠之一的魯薩德畫廊。透過櫥窗，里面的一幅油畫吸引了我們。畫面是夢幻般的餐廳場景：侍者們幾乎都一樣的穿著，黑衣服，前面系著白色的長圍裙。他們在鋪著紅色桌布的餐桌間穿梭往來。時而給這桌擺上瓶紅酒；時而給另一桌添上一瓶水。而我們腳下踩著的鵝卵石街道，那些當年著名的畫家，如圖魯斯·勞特累克（注：十九世紀，法國后期印象主義著名畫家），郁特里羅（注：法國風景畫家）和畢加索都曾在上面走過。此情此景喚起了那些久已被時間塵封的記憶。
“Impressive, isn’t it?” The question startled us. We looked up to see the bearded but youthful face of the gallery owner, Julien Roussard, who then invited us inside. Up close, the painting came alive, waiters scurrying from table to table bearing steaming bowls of pot-au-feu and platters of roast chicken. A napkin tucked under his chin, a diner tore apart what looked like a lobster. At another table, a man and woman held hands, their food ignored on the table before them.
“畫面挺感人的是嗎？”這句問話把我們拉回了現實。我們端詳著畫廊主人，朱利安·魯薩德先生留著胡須，但臉龐年輕。他邀請進畫廊欣賞。靠近觀賞，剛才油畫般的景象立刻變得鮮活了：侍者們托著熱氣騰騰的砂鍋燉菜和烤雞在餐桌間不停穿梭。一位顧客脖子下夾著餐巾，切開了一只類似龍蝦的菜品，另一桌上，一男一女正牽著手，完全無視桌上的美食。
“Bouillon Chartier,” noted Roussard, “is still a working restaurant,” first opening in 1896 and now classified a monument historique. “Nothing has changed there in the last hundred years, and nothing is likely to change in the next hundred.”
“這就是夏提耶餐廳（Bouillon Chartier）”魯薩德說“一個還在經營的百年老店。”這家餐廳1896年開業，現在已成為一個歷史景點。“過去百年，餐廳一點兒都沒變，接下的一百年估計也會保持原樣。”他說。
The painting by Serbian artist Marko Stupar took us back to those exhilarating days in the fall of 1978 when we first arrived in Paris and Don took a post as a foreign correspondent for CBS News. Nothing then disappointed us: The Eiffel Tower, houseboats and barges on the River Seine, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the majestic Champs-élysées were just as we had imagined. But it was the restaurants that truly dazzled us. We’d heard, of course, so much about the glories of French cuisine, but nothing had prepared us for the experience. We plunged into the dining scene with unending appetites, worshipping at such temples of haute cuisine as La Tour d’Argent, Ledoyen, and Taillevent, but not forgetting either to pay tribute to the smaller, more modest cafés and restaurants. We were hooked.
這幅塞爾維亞藝術家馬可·斯圖帕的畫作，把我們帶回到了1978年秋天的美好時光。那時，我們剛來到巴黎，唐納德在哥倫比亞廣播公司謀得了一個外籍記者的職位。巴黎的一切沒有令人失望：埃菲爾鐵塔；塞納河上往來的游船；巴黎圣母院，以及宏偉的香榭麗舍大街，都和我們之前想象的那般。但真正讓我們眼花繚亂是巴黎各式餐館。雖然來之前，我們聽聞了很多對法國餐飲贊譽，但并未真正品嘗過。來到巴黎后，我們敞開肚子一頭扎進了當地美食，朝圣了殿堂級的高檔餐廳，如銀塔餐廳（La Tour d’Argent），樂朵頤餐廳（Ledoyen），大伊風餐廳（Taillevent）。同時，對那些不起眼的小咖啡館和小飯店的美食也念念不忘，我們中了法國美食的毒。
In France, eating has traditionally been something more than satisfying hunger pangs. “A profound love of great food and wine has always permeated French society and the country’s identity,” says Alexander Lobrano, author of Hungry for Paris: The Ultimate Guide to the City’s 109 Best Restaurants, one of the most thoughtful guide-books currently available. “The French phrase les arts de vivre (the arts of living) includes good cooking and conveys the deep seriousness with which the French shop, cook, and consume food. They talk and think about it constantly.” Stupar’s painting articulated les arts de vivre perfectly. The motion and energy of a restaurant, the color, taste, and texture of the food, and the care with which it was prepared. The celebration and sensuousness of the act of eating.
在法國的傳統中，飲食的意義遠不止果腹那么簡單。“對美食和紅酒的深愛滲透到法國社會的每個角落，它們也成了法國的象征。”亞歷山大·洛布拉諾說。他是《老饕終極指南：巴黎109家最佳餐廳》一書的作者。該書也是目前最詳盡的巴黎美食指南。“法語中，生活的藝術包括了廚藝。在法國的餐廳，廚師和消費者看來，可是件嚴肅的事。也是他們常常談論和思考的事。”墻上斯圖帕的畫作清晰而完美地詮釋了生活的藝術。繁忙且充滿活力的餐廳，食物的色香和紋理，以及周到的服務，完全是一場舌尖上的盛宴。
But the painting also reminded us how Paris restaurants have changed over the years since our first visit. And in many cases for the worse. Certainly we had become more selective if not more finicky with age: Now authors of a couple of books on wine and veterans of 35 years living in the city, we were no longer ingénues. Eating in Paris had become for us an expensive, often disappointing trial. We had grown tired of having to call weeks or months in advance for reservations. Prices had skyrocketed. The proprietors of small, cozy places, whom we’d come to know as good friends, had retired or passed away. In time, we drifted away too.
然而，油畫場景也提醒著我們，自打我們一次接觸巴黎餐飲后，多年來的發生變化。當然，在巴黎生活了35年，而且寫了幾本有關紅酒的書以后，我們在美食方面不再是菜鳥了。因此，口味也愈發挑剔。現在，在巴黎去餐廳吃飯變得越來越貴，并且試過后口味常令人失望。對于那些需要提前數周或者數月訂位的餐廳早已心生厭煩。菜品價格飛漲。同時，那些溫馨的小餐館老板們，曾經的老朋友，卻退休的退休，離世的離世。看來，我們也得離開江湖了。
But that painting of Bouillon Chartier had tantalized us with thoughts of lost pleasures. When a friend compared our habit of not eating out in Paris to visiting the Louvre and not seeing the “Mona Lisa,” we knew that something had to change.
那幅描寫夏提耶餐廳畫作，讓我們對失去的好時光唏噓不已。而當一位朋友聽說我們生活在巴黎，卻不再習慣上館子，就說我們像是到了盧浮宮，卻沒有參觀《蒙娜麗莎》一般的遺憾。我們突然明白要改變一下了。
圖為2013年時的夏提耶餐廳
But where to start? Much like a first-time visitor, we felt lost and confused. We dusted off our trusty red Michelin, albeit out of date, but how could it compete now with the stack of much newer guidebooks, slew of blogs, and dozens of Internet crowd-sourced sites? We decided to start with a few places we remembered from the old days.
但一切從哪里開始? 我們很像是是初來乍到巴黎的游客，感到不是所措了。拿起曾經信賴的紅色封面米其林餐廳指南，撣去上面的灰塵。然而，這本老舊的指南，真能夠和現在一大堆新出版的餐廳指南，美食博客，還有那數十個資源豐富的美食網站媲美嗎？我們決定憑著舊時的記憶，從記憶中的餐廳開始尋覓美食。
First stop, Val d’Isère. As the first place we ate when we arrived in Paris, it was our sentimental favorite. Just off the Champs-élysées, near the Arc de Triomphe, the charming, old-fashioned brasserie featured ancient wooden skis on the walls along with photographs of ski champions of yesteryear. The same waiters always served and took great care of us. Aside from the plat du jour, the menu never changed. Val d’Isère felt eternal.
我們的第一站是“溪谷”（Val d’Isère）。當年，剛來巴黎時第一次嘗試的餐廳，也是我們情感上的牽掛。餐廳就在香榭麗舍大道，靠近凱旋門。記得這家老派的啤酒屋的墻上用古老的木制滑雪板做裝飾。旁邊是一排去年滑雪冠軍的照片。那里的侍者也都是我們熟悉的面孔，而且對我們照顧很周到。除了推薦的當日特色菜，他們家的菜單從來沒有變化過，那時感到，溪谷啤酒屋好像會永遠存在下去。
To our dismay, we found that it wasn’t: Val d’Isère had been transformed into an African-themed bar called the Impala Lounge. We couldn’t bear to go inside.
但令人沮喪，我們發現現在“溪谷”已變成了一家名為“黑斑羚”非洲主題酒吧。我們實在不想進去了。
We then approached Jamin, which we remembered as a simple, yet elegant, small restaurant—not far from the apartment we first lived in near Place du Trocadéro—that the equine-loving owner had decorated with engravings of famous horses. Since our first visit in 1978, ownership had changed, with the restaurant at one point becoming the home of celebrated chef Jo?l Robuchon, who had earned his third Michelin star there.
隨后我們去了雅明餐廳（Jamin）。記憶中，它是一間裝修簡單但雅致的小餐廳。離開我們當時居住的夏樂宮附近的公寓不遠。餐廳的老板鐘情馬匹，餐廳也用那些名駒的雕刻來裝飾。自1978年我們首次造訪后，餐廳幾番易主。一度它還成了名廚布松的家。期間，他第三次獲得米其林之星。
Much to our relief, Jamin had reverted to its more humble roots as a solid neighborhood restaurant, serving delicious food in a relaxed, warm, and friendly atmosphere. Don’s delicately grilled coquilles Saint-Jacques (scallops) were served on a bed of crème de poireaux (leeks), while Petie’s cannelloni aux légumes (vegetable cannelloni) was surprisingly rich and bursting with flavor.
慶幸的是，雅明餐廳現在還是一家低調的街坊餐廳。餐廳的菜品可口，氛圍愜意溫馨。唐納德點的烤扇貝，制作精致，扇貝底下鋪滿了大蔥末；我點的意大利蔬菜卷令人齒頰留香，令人稱奇。
Now, feeling more confident, we returned to La Tour d’Argent, where we had enjoyed one of the most spectacular meals of our lives. Seated at a table overlooking the Seine and the Cathedral of Notre Dame, we had celebrated our 25th anniversary, gorging ourselves on foie gras, scrambled eggs with truffles, and roast duckling, all washed down with glasses of champagne and a sublime bottle of Burgundy.
我們現在變得更有自信了。我們再次去了銀塔餐廳（La Tour d’Argent）在那里，曾經嘗到了我們生平最難忘的美味。坐在餐廳，你可以俯瞰塞納河，遠眺巴黎圣母院的美景。在那里，我們慶祝了結婚25周年紀念日。記得那天，我們盡情享受著鵝肝醬，混合著松露的炒雞蛋，法式烤鴨。暢飲了幾杯香檳酒，外加一瓶頂級的勃艮第紅酒。
On the way to our table, we passed photographs of patrons that included kings, queens, and movie stars. Nothing seemed to have changed.
就在侍者領位時，餐廳的墻上滿是曾經來這里用餐的名人照片，其中有國王，皇后，影星。似乎一切都和當年一樣。
But the magic had faded. The restaurant had shed two of its coveted three Michelin stars and taken harsh criticism in the press. Lobrano believes many high-end restaurants have lost their way and become distant and patronizing. “The rites and rules of traditional three-star dining weren’t making people happy anymore,” he told us. “Prices had become astronomical, and everything was too formal.”
然而，餐廳已風光不在，因為備受媒體批評，它已經從令人垂涎的米其林三星級餐廳降級為一星餐廳了。洛布拉諾相信很多高端餐廳都迷失經營方向，對顧客變得冷漠且自我感覺高人一等。“在這些傳統的米其林三星餐廳用餐時的繁文縟節不再讓顧客感到愉快。菜價也高的離譜，里面的一切都讓人感到拘謹不已。”
A chef who once worked at La Tour d’Argent agreed. “Before the current problems, gastronomic restaurants were lively places, jovial places for enjoying yourself. But then we created museums—that’s what went wrong—museums with heavy atmosphere. People want warmth. We have to make everything lighter, including the bill.”
一位曾在銀塔餐廳工作過的廚師也贊同這一看法。“當年，這些餐廳是生機勃勃的場所。置身其中，每個人都能感受到愉悅。后來，我們把這些餐廳經營成了博物館，死氣沉沉。我們走錯路了。顧客需要溫馨的體驗，我們應該讓一切變得輕松，包括賬單。”
Yet despite these dire observations, there’s never been a better or more exciting time to eat in Paris. “In the last ten years, there’s been a pretty spectacular renewal of the Paris landscape,” says Lobrano, who has eaten in more Paris restaurants than practically anyone else. “A new generation of really talented young chefs has created a new type of bistro. That’s where the best eating is in Paris today.”
盡管這些現實很骨感，但巴黎餐飲仍有不少可圈可點的地方。“過去10年間，巴黎的美食地圖經歷了巨變。新一代的大廚確實富有才干，他們重新定義了小酒館。這就是現在城中最佳的餐飲場所。”洛布拉諾說。他品嘗過的巴黎餐廳可能比任何人都多。
Parisians call it bistronomie, from the mashing together of bistro and gastronomie. Whereas bistros traditionally featured limited menus and a casual dining environment, bistronomie boasts a range of rich, inventive dishes, often reflective of globalizing forces. New chefs are coming from Spain, Scandinavia, Japan, Australia, and the United States. Antoine Westermann, who earned three stars at a restaurant in Alsace and now runs Mon Vieil Ami, summed up the bistro world when he told us, “My goal is not to impress but to bring out emotion, like a nice soup, a really nice soup, so nice that you can’t remember when you last had the same.”
這就是巴黎人說的“小酒館運動”，傳統小酒館和美食充分融合。以前，傳統小酒館特點是用餐氣氛休閑，但能提供的菜品有限。而今的小酒館能做出大量創新菜品滿足客戶需要，這也是拜全球化力量所賜。新一代大廚群體來自世界各地：西班牙，斯堪的納維亞，日本，澳洲和美國等。安東尼·韋斯特曼就是其中之一。他以前在阿爾薩斯工作的餐廳贏得了米其林三星的榮譽。現在，他在巴黎經營一家名為為“老友記”（Mon Vieil Ami）餐廳。他總結道：“我希望這里的菜品能喚起客人的情感，而不是留下個印象。好像一碗真正的靚湯，讓你感到這碗美味好像在你人生中初相見。”
Four years ago the American couple Braden Perkins and Laura Adrian opened Verjus, a restaurant and wine bar near the Palais-Royal in the heart of Paris. “It’s been exciting to discover French products for the first time and to be cooking with them,” Perkins says. “It’s thrilling to be in the kitchen.”
四年前，美國夫婦布雷登·帕金斯和勞拉·艾德里安在巴黎市中心的皇宮附件開了間“酸葡萄汁”（Verjus）的餐廳兼紅酒吧。“當見到這些法國食材并進行烹飪時，我們真是感到激動。”
But it didn’t start out that way. “Center of Paris Under Attack by Americans!” screamed one French headline. Today it’s much different. Most of the French press now raves about their cooking, and that of other foreign chefs as well.
事情一開始并不順利，“巴黎市中心被美國人攻陷！”當時有法國媒體頭條這樣報道。而現在不同了，大部分法國媒體都對他們的廚藝贊不絕口，包括其他外國大廚的手藝也被熱議。
“There’s a real brotherhood among the guy and gal chefs in Paris,” says Wendy Lyn, creator of The Paris Kitchen, a website that serves as the true insider’s guide to the culinary scene. “They are very open and welcoming.”
“巴黎的男女大廚之間的關系如同手足，他們之間非常包容和熱情。”溫迪·琳說。她創辦了名為“巴黎廚房”（The Paris Kitchen）的網站，為烹飪工作提供真正的內行指引。
Now even the French chefs, many of whom had left the country after becoming disillusioned with the stultifying traditions, are returning, armed with new ideas and more experience. “French cooks are excited to be cooking in their own country again,” Perkins said. “They are thrilled to be doing something different.”
而今，那些曾經對老一套烹飪傳統感到乏味，進而遠走他鄉的大廚們也紛紛回來了。他們有著各種新點子和更豐富的經驗。帕金斯說：“在自己國家烹飪法國菜更帶勁，他們充滿激情地嘗試新的菜品。”
圖為：克里斯丁·勒·史奎爾在五號餐廳
圖為：雅尼克·阿賴諾站在樂朵頤餐廳門口。
圖為：安東尼·韋斯特曼在德魯昂餐廳的廚房工作。這是他負責的幾家巴黎餐廳之一。
圖為：菲利普·拉貝在其工作的銀塔餐廳。
We asked Westermann whether Paris still stands at the epicenter of world-class cuisine.
我們問韋斯特曼巴黎是否仍是世界級美食之都?
“No, no,” he responded vigorously. “It was, but it isn’t now. To a large extent, French cuisine has become world cuisine.” He challenged us to go to another country, close our eyes while eating, and try to identify where we are. “You can eat fabulously in so many different places.”
“當然不是。”他迅速答道，“曾經是，如今法國菜在很大程度上已遍布世界各地。”他讓我們可以去個其他國家，閉上眼睛去嘗嘗當地的法國菜，看能不能吃出這個國家的味道。“世界各地能做出可口法國菜的餐廳多不勝數。”
Still, it came as a shock when the New York Times last year reported that a hefty percentage of French restaurants relied on ready-made meals produced offsite in large industrial kitchens. “Can Anyone Save French Food?” the paper asked.
盡管如此，《紐約時報》去年刊登了一篇令人瞠目的報道，稱不少法國餐廳都是采購工業化廚房里制作的成品來充數的。“誰來救救法國菜？”報紙問道。
The primary reason for the reliance on mass-produced food appears to come from diminishing profit margins brought about by new labor laws, which cut work hours to 35 a week. The article deeply embarrassed France’s culinary establishment. Soon afterward, authorities launched a promotional campaign encouraging restaurants that prepare food on the premises to display a fait maison, or house-made, label.
而發生這事的主要原因在于法國的新勞動法。新法規定雇員每周工作時間不得超過35小時。這大大壓縮了餐廳的利潤空間。《紐約時報》的報道令法國餐飲業界十分難堪。沒多久，當局就推出了一項活動，鼓勵那些自制菜品的餐廳，能掛上“自制菜品”的標志。
But when most of the country’s restaurants turned up their noses at the program, the government quickly dropped it and said it would try something else. The “kerfuffle” over industrial kitchens has not, says Lebrano, “impinged on the quality of French food.” Paris is still the ultimate destination for those seeking that classic meal. “I don’t think there’s a pyramidal hegemony of dominance in the realm of gastronomy anymore, but France remains the ultimate gastronomic reference.” Top among the reasons are the country’s extraordinary produce and rigorous system of culinary education, as well as the presence of a food-educated public with a keen interest in good food.
當法國大部分餐廳準備這么做時，政府又迅速終止這項活動。洛布拉諾認為，圍繞工業化廚房的這場風波，沒有影響到法國餐飲的質量。巴黎仍是尋覓經典美食的老饕們的終極目的地。“餐飲界如金字塔般的森嚴等級已不復存在。但法國仍是終極美食的標桿。”主要原因在于法國獨特而嚴格的烹飪教育體系，以及受過烹飪教育的公眾對于美食的熱情。
Still, the question we dread the most when a friend comes to France is “Where should I go for a classic French meal?” We tossed that question to Lyn, who advises many Paris restaurants and leads food tours for professionals and private individuals. She laughed. “It’s all about expectations,” she said. “Recommending a restaurant is almost like setting up a blind date. You hope it works out.”
每每被來法國的朋友問及“去哪里才能嘗到經典法國餐？”時，我們就會怕得要命。把這個棘手的問題丟給溫迪·琳來回答吧。她向專業人士和個人推薦過很多巴黎餐廳。她笑著說：“這都要看顧客的心理預期。推薦一家餐廳，猶如替人做媒，你只能盼著有好結果。”
While bistros may claim much of the inventive energy now in Paris cuisine, the high-end restaurants should not be written off. “A three-star is not the experience people are looking for in the way they used to,” Lyn points out. “People were hit in the wallet too hard, but I think the creativity is still there.”
雖然巴黎的小酒館不斷積極推出創新菜品，但高端餐廳的魅力仍不能被一筆抹殺。“在米其林三星餐廳的美食體驗，可不是隨便就能獲得的。雖然價格不菲，但那些餐廳仍有其獨到之處。”溫迪·琳指出。
In restaurants like Le Cinq and Ledoyen, new young chefs have taken over, bringing a creative and provocative flair to high cuisine. It’s still possible to come to Paris and enjoy that blowout, once-in-a-lifetime experience of fabulous food, presented with great service in elegant surroundings.
如在五號餐廳（Le Cinq）和樂朵頤（Ledoyen）這樣的高檔餐廳，新一代主廚已開始當家。他們在制作高端菜品中，不斷發揮他們的創造力和天分。因此，來巴黎，你仍能在優雅的氣氛中，享受優良的服務，還有一輩子難忘的美食體驗。
For that kind of meal, we like Epicure, a chic, discreet restaurant that focuses on traditional French haute cuisine, in the renowned Bristol Hotel. “It’s the hardest level to cook at,” says chef Eric Frechon, “because at its best, all of its complexity should be invisible.”
品嘗這種高水準的佳肴，我們愛去布里斯托酒店（Bristol Hotel）里的“老饕”餐廳（Epicure）。餐廳時尚而又低調，專攻法國高檔美食。餐廳主廚艾里克·福瑞雄告訴我們：“要做好頂級菜品十分困難。因為，廚藝的最高境界就是將所有食材的味道融為一體。”
But most of the time we find ourselves these days at bistros. Top on our list is Le Grand Pan, a neighborhood spot advertising cuisine sans chichis, a meat-lover’s paradise. Our marvelous c?te de boeuf pour deux (rib steak) was enough to feed an entire rugby squad.
當然，這些天我們大部分時間在光顧各式小酒館。首選就是“大潘”（Le Grand Pan），就在我們家附近，餐廳廣告牌寫著“本色餐廳”。“大潘”是“肉食動物”的天堂。他家的牛肋排足夠喂飽整支英式橄欖球隊。
We are also fond of Mon Vieil Ami, Westermann’s little bistro on ?le Saint-Louis. Vegetarians can eat well there (and carnivores too). One of us had paupiettes de veau with fricassée de légumes (stuffed veal with vegetable fricassee); the other ordered velouté de potiron and risotto aux épinards et champignons (a pumpkin soup with spinach and mushroom risotto). Both dishes elicited sighs of pleasure. Other bistros drawing rave notices include Paul Bert, Akrame, Le Chateaubriand, Frenchie, and Septime.
我們也挺喜歡位于圣路易斯島上，韋斯特曼打理的小酒館“老友記”。我們品嘗了燉小牛肉時蔬卷；菠菜蘑菇燉飯和南瓜湯。菜品都做得賞心悅目。還有些小酒館也口碑不錯，如：保羅·伯特（Paul Bert）,阿克雷米（Akrame）,大牛排（Le Chateaubriand），法國佬（Frenchie）和七分位（Septime）。
In our journey through Parisian cuisine, we had, of course, one place we had to visit: the restaurant in that painting, Bouillon Chartier. Gallery owner Roussard offered to call the artist and arrange a lunch there. “It’s the best I can do, because Marko won’t sell the painting. He’s decided he wants to keep it for himself.”
尋覓巴黎美食之旅我們豈能錯過夏提耶餐廳，也就是油畫中描繪的餐廳。畫廊老板給那位畫家打了電話，安排一起在夏提耶餐廳午餐。“我只能做到這些，馬可不會出售這幅畫作，他想自己留著。”
Stupar, a 79-year-old who sported a ponytail and a Vandyke, had captured the place beautifully, down to the waiters in black vests and white aprons pirouetting expertly among the tables, writing orders on the paper tablecloths. Complimentary glasses of champagne arrived at our table. As the waiter turned around, he knocked a glass into Stupar’s lap. Before we could blink, a replacement sat in front of him and a thick wad of napkins appeared to soak up the spill. Stupar laughed as he dabbed at his shirt. “I’m glad I wasn’t sketching.” The hubbub, happy diners in animated conversations, the waiters moving too quickly among tables crowded closely together—they were all part of the dining experience.
畫家馬可已經79歲了，留著馬尾辮，下巴蓄著尖髯。餐廳和他畫作中表現的一樣漂亮，侍者們穿著黑背心，前面系著白圍裙，在餐桌間輕盈而熟練地穿梭，在紙桌布上點單。侍者給我們端來了贈飲香檳酒。當其中一位侍者轉身時，不小心把一杯香檳灑到了畫家的膝蓋。我們還沒有來得及看清，旁邊一位侍者已經用一大塊厚毛巾把灑出來的香檳吸干了。馬可拍了拍襯衣大笑了起來。“好算好，剛才我沒有在寫生。”餐廳里的喧嘩，顧客們愉悅的交談，侍者們在擁擠的餐桌間飛快地穿梭，這些都成了我們用餐體驗的一部分。
The food? Let us put it this way. The restaurant is a place where atmosphere is truly everything.
美食？這么給您說吧，餐廳的用餐氛圍真的是最重要的。
