Bonjour, Art Nouveau Dinner!

Francouzka Restaurant is one of Prague's most famous restaurants.
It was designed by the Czech artist, Alphonse Muca--all in art nouveau style.
It had its grand opening on New Year's Eve 1911, the year the famous Municipal House was opened where it resides today in all it's original splendor.
Very beautiful.  And very elegant.  And it's French!

In 1918 the independent Czechoslovak Republic was declared.  Francouzka Restauran'ts list of patrons includes Czech presidents, the Dalai Lama, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, President Barack Obama and now a certain scientist who likes to be mysterious and moi.

We started with a little amusee bouche of creme fraiche and salmon caviar.

Then we enjoyed a plate of sliced fig with melted goat cheese, argula salad and beets.  At least I think they were beets.  By then the wine was flowing, so I'm not sure.  They had wine pairings for each course.  I can't tell you names, but I do know they were all French and I do remember the Sauternes with dessert, but I'm getting ahead of myself!

Next came the main course--Lobster in pea risotto.  More Italian than French, but am I complaining?!
Don't be silly!

And then the dessert!  (Oh, and more wine!)  My husband had the cheese plate.

I'm a gal with a bit of a sweet tooth, so I went with the apricot creme brulee.  It came to the table flaming and was quite spectacular!

So delicious!  In fact, soon it was all gone!

Thanks for the memories!

And au revoir, beautiful Art Nouveau!

Bonjour, Art Nouveau!

Today I went on an Art Nouveau tour with a group of seven lovely scientist-wives from all over the world.  Our husbands are all scientists and geo-chemists attending the annual Goldschmidt Conference.  We met at the conference steps, took a metro and then walked with our Czech tour guide through New Town over to Old Town, staring up at the gorgeous decorative buildings all along the way.  It's hard not to go anywhere in Prague without staring upward in awe!
Some here's a little amusee bouche of Art Nouveau from the beginning
of the 20th century:

You are not seeing things.  In this last photo, the soldier is actually riding on an upside down horse.  Our guide explained the meaning to this, but I actually didn't understand.  Perhaps when I go on the Franz Kafka tour tomorrow, I'll get a better idea.  In the meantime, here are some lovely examples of Art Nouveau from the Old Town:

The Art Nouveau movement was famous for beautiful stain glass windows and ornamental flair.  The artists were less floral and a little more subdued than the Rococo style of the mid-19th century, but more effusive than Art Deco which came in the 1920's.  J'adore Art Deco!

Of course, we are staying in an Art Nouveau hotel.  Hotel Paris!  (Where else would a French-loving-gal want to stay?)  By the way, it was the French wife of a Czech president Tomas Garik Masarik that brought Art Nouveau to Prague at the turn of the 20th century.  And then soon after, the famous Art Nouveau Czech artist Alphonse Muca who was born in the Czech Republic and studied art in Paris at the Academy, brought his beautiful style back to his beloved homeland.  He became famous after drawing the theatre portraits for the French actress Sarah Bernhardt.  Ooh la la!

Everywhere I go, I see the French influence!
C'est magnifique!  Oui?!