A New Kind of Seine Cruise
May 16th, 2012
There are several cliches about visiting Paris that never get old for me. A Nutella crepe in the Jardin de Luxembourg. Reading a book on the stone steps circling the Roman arena. And taking a leisurely boat ride up and down the Seine, eyeballing all the monuments perched on the banks.
Despite the great fame of the Bateaux Mouches, they are a fairly recent phenomenon—post WWII—and, for the most part, run by a mere 4 companies.
A new outfit has emerged with a welcome addition to the flotilla. The Capitaine Fracasse was conceived to provide a better level of cuisine than you get on the usual rubber-meat cruises. (The name, which translates to “Captain Smash,” comes from a 1961 French comedy starring Jean Marais.) The ambiance is likewise more salubrious; fewer tourists and more French nationals on board. My recent trip on the Fracasse happened on a rainy night just before the presidential election. I figured the boat would be all but empty, but it was mobbed, with a line patiently waiting on the dock on the Ile de Cygne in the 15th arrondissement.
Once we boarded and took seats in the genteel dining room—wood paneling, maroon carpet, soft lighting from sconces—a hush filled the room. Even without opening your eyes, you knew this was a local crowd, because no one was squealing or yelling.
“What’s the hardest thing about taking people up and down the Seine on a boat?” I asked Olivier Jamey, the honcho of the operation. “Well,” he said politely, “taking people up and down the Seine on a boat.” He explained that the Seine, seemingly placed by God to delineate and accentuate Paris’s beauty, is in fact a rushing monster, perilously shallow here, narrow there. Low bridges are no easy task to clear at high tide.
The cruise guest isn’t aware of this. You simply glide at a pace ideal for gawking.
A 3-course meal on the Fracasse goes for 50 euros, about what you would pay in a decent restaurant. Just as my eyes feasted on a cafeteria of sights, my palate tasted 5 different mini-appetizers, including salmon, foie gras, and a terrine. The main course I chose (veal) was a typical meat-and-potatoes affair; nothing to write home about, but on the other hand, food that is edible at all on a Seine cruise is noteworthy. (The meals here are, exceptionally, all made the day of the cruise, ON the boat.)
Dessert was a multi-faceted, cafe gourmand affair, with a basil-accented ice cream, some kind of square tart/cookie thing, and—right when the Eiffel Tower appeared, larger than life and bringing tears of joy to my eyes—a ganache of chocolate. Corny? Absolutement. But how sweet it is.
P.S. If you’re a real foodie, try the Paris en Scene cruise, with a meal on Sundays by Michelin-starred chef Tateru Yoshino (pictured at right).



























