The Vegetarians

 All these pictures were taken by Mari Homme when we had dinner at Culina Hortus.  The photos are out of order because I got tired of trying to put them in order, which involved deleting them and adding them again many times and also involved some serious frustration on my part.  I think you still get the idea that this was a wonderful vegetarian meal that we thoroughly enjoyed. 

This was the "pre-dessert."  Mari Homme is convinced that "pre-dessert" is a great innovation.  2 more desserts followed.

This is the second main.  Amaranth and mushrooms.  WOW.

We had 3 amuse-bouches that we forgot to photograph.  This is the first starter.  Butternut squash with a maple syrup foam.  Delicious.

This is the last treat, which came after the dessert courses. Mari Homme ate both.  He said they were great.  "Very light."

I'm checking out the wines.  We opted for a wine pairing.  

First main.  BEST CARROTS EVER!

Sorry about the photos being out of order.  Mari Homme is not going to be pleased because he took all these pictures and wanted me to present the meal on the blog in an organized fashion. 

Here's the bonus of the night. The icing on the cake, so to speak.  We were early to the restaurant because we are Americans.  They only have one service each evening, but people can show up at different times.  When we were on our pre-dessert, guess who walked in for dinner at a nearby table?

PAUL MCCARTNEY and his wife NANCY SHEVELL.  I tried not to bother them, but come on.  You all know how much I love Paul McCartney.  I walked over to their table while Mari Homme was finishing my first dessert. They had not yet ordered, so that was courteous of me.  I introduced myself and then said, "I was just listening to your fabulous interview with Terry Gross this morning on my long walk around Vieux Lyon."  Paul said he loves Terry and is always happy to be on her show.  Then he asked me if I were vegetarian and for how long and what did I think of the restaurant?" 

After I filled him in on my long history of vegetarianism, we chatted a bit about Culina Hortus while Mari Homme got to work on our second desserts over at our table.  I mentioned to Paul  that we would be eating at Culina Hortus one more time before we leave for Paris at the end of November.  COME TO FIND OUT, Paul and Nancy are going to be in Paris in December as well and they asked us to join them at Arpege sometime mid-month. I told them I'd get back with them once I look at our calendars and we exchanged phone numbers.  

I could not have asked for a better evening.  Culina Hortus was a delight.  I highly recommend a visit there on your next trip to Lyon.  You never know... you may meet a new dear friend or two there. It's that kind of place.