Les Petits Pois sur Paris

14/05/2024: Amazing Experience! The service was excellent, food was exceptional, and it was a smooth comfortable ride as we experienced the city at night. It was the highlight of our trip to Paris!

14/05/2024: We took a trip to Paris for our 30th anniversary since it's our favorite city. I've never been tempted to have dinner on one of the boats on the Seine - they seem glitzy, all glass and chrome, and very touristy. But we wanted to do something special for an anniversary dinner. I hunted around and found Calife. It's certainly not glitzy. It feels like an intimate Parisian cafe/restaurant, not like a tourist destination. It's calm and quiet with lovely soft jazz playing discretely in the background. The boat has a lot of character to it - much more pleasing than the large modern ones that float the Seine. When I made the reservation I mentioned it was our 30th anniversary and we'd appreciate a nice table if possible. Well, we got the best table in the place - literally. We were the fore-most table on the boat with a totally unobstructed view of the city. When it came time for desert they delivered it with sparklers for candles, remembering our anniversary. I had the pastry tart with chanterelles and foie gras. It was absolutely one of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. No exaggeration. I had the lamb shoulder, which is listed as the chef's specialty. It was so tender I could just use a fork to eat it, no need for a knife it was so tender. I wasn't thrilled with my desert - the apple upsidedown tart. It was nothing special - but the caramel ice cream was excellent. I ate half the tart and all the ice cream. My husband had the goat cheeses tart with honey, sea bass with lemon tarragon, and an apple tart (different from the one I ordered). He loved his meal but said the ambiance and quality of the cruise was the high point. It's expensive, but when you subtract out what the river tour would cost on its own, it falls more in line with the pricing of a fine dining restaurant. I'd totally recommend it - especially for a special occasion. EDIT: We recently visited Paris and went on Le Calife again. It was just as nice an experience as the first time. Still totally recommend it.