parisian party

Cruising along the Seine at sunset. It’s a cliché, I know. But it is pretty spectacular, if it’s done right. I have to admit that I’m a bit of a Paris Cruise Snob- all you have to do is take a peak at Les Bateaux Mouche with their blinding spotlights and obnoxious loudspeakers and you’d be as picky as me! The last thing I’d want to do (or suggest to my clients to do) is to spend valuable vacation time crammed aboard one of those monstrosities. That said, not ALL Paris cruise companies are bateaux mouches- just google it, and you’ll find pages upon pages of varying levels of Paris dinner cruises. My snobbishness almost got the best of me until last week when I was invited for lunch aboard the Mighty Mississip! (well, actually it’s just called the “Mississippi”, but I can’t stop saying Mighty Mississip!) The Mississippi is one of a fleet of riverboats offered by La Compagnie des Bateaux A Roue. I had seen these boats before, and had always thought that they would be sort of cheesy- I imagined candy-striped dixieland musicians and hot dogs, but nothing could have been farther from the truth.

La Compagnie des Bateaux A Roue is operated by the Elior group, which also operates Le Ciel de Paris on top of Tour Montparnasse and Les Ombres, the restaurant of the Musée du Quai Branly. Like those restaurants, this is a sophisticated venue which offers refined service and an amazing view. The cuisine, by Honoré James, is fresh, creative and beautifully presented- not a hot dog in sight! The boat itself is very intimate- there’s a small deck with a bar, so that you and your guests can have cocktails outside before stepping into the dining room for lunch or dinner. The dining room looks as if it could seat around 50 or 60 guests for a meal, at least 100 for a standing cocktail. If you’re looking for a dinner cruise in Paris which offers understated elegance, I definitely recommend the (Mighty!) Mississip(pi)