Pretty things at Baccarat

I am such a girl. I went for the pretty crystal. I could say I was curious about the process entailed in making the crystal, the history of the brand, and all that stuff that does not sound as shallow or frivolous, but it wouldn't be the whole truth. Yes, of course, I was curious about it all, but mostly I went to feast my eyes. I ended up doing more than just that though.
What began as an easy jaunt to the Musée Baccarat ended with lunch at the Cristal Room. When one thinks of Baccarat, crystal-tinted images of the luxurious brand come to mind. I have always associated it with just crystal, and only just learnt that the design house has, since 1993, been designing jewelry pieces alongside its highly coveted crystal ware.
After my tour of the museum, having had my fill of the gorgeous age-old pieces, I walked past the restaurant entrance, glanced at the menu, and made one of those impulsive decisions to stay for lunch.

An amuse-bouche of a red pepper mousse with bread sticks started me off, it was offered with a lengthy explanation by the waiter, about the ingredients and the method of preparation, and all this for an amuse-bouche! Throughout the mini talk, all I could think was, it's a pity I am not a bona fide food blogger because if I were it would have been the perfect food blogger's lunch given the free flow of information. 
Started with a crab ravioli and had a supreme duck for my main - I really should try other types of meat in France - but the duck is too good.

I ordered a glass of wine  - love it when they pour just a dollop in those large goblets and you're almost tempted to say 'top it up there!'  - while I sat in awe, taking it the setting.
It is an intimate, very intimate restaurant. There are no more than fifteen small tables set in the ornate, crystal chandelier-ed dining room, with fireplaces so huge you could live in. Crisp table linen, and peach tones on the walls complete the decor. It felt luxurious.
I am normally the happy snapper at most establishments, but this time I discretely left my camera in my bag - the Cristal Room does not lend itself to the usual merry wandering and happy snapping . I did take pictures of the dessert, although this was done discretely with my iPhone.
During dessert, which was a macaron floating in champagne, cocooned in a sugar shell  - a strange but delightful combination - the waiter came up to enquire whether all was well. This of course was done with that perfect timing that all waiters are renowned for, just after I had put a mouthful of macaron in my mouth, so all I could sound off was mmm...and yummy it sure was. But the crystal in the museum was an even better visual feast.

Galerie Musée Baccarat 
11 Ave. des Etats-Unis
75116 Paris

The lighting along the red carpet was mesmerizing

The dessert