On the way to a museum visit and then lunch in Greenwich, we got off 95 at Exit 3 and ended up in France – first with the marvelous show of impressionist paintings of Alfred Sisley at the Bruce Museum and then at the busy and very French restaurant Méli-Mélo for crêpes and salad.  

Sisley painted within the circle of impressionist artists, had his portrait painted numerous times by his friend Renoir, and hung around with Claude Monet for most of his life.  The show at the Bruce brings together fifty of his beautiful landscapes spanning his entire career from a young student in Paris to his final impoverished days in Moret, a Paris suburb.

Méli-Mélo puts on a show of contemporary French bistro bustle as servers hurry to and fro quickly serving the lunchtime crowd – all under the watchful eye of Madame. Crêpes, salads, sandwiches and more crêpes (this time for dessert) are the house specialties. Oh, yes! There’s a juice bar and an ice cream menu too – the yin and yang of healthy eating.

Sisley, though born in England, spent his adult life in France – mostly in and around Paris. The exhibit shows his mastery of light on water and how it plays across the landscape.  Village scenes, meandering paths through the countryside, rivers, bridges, and cathedrals are all painted with finesse and inviting light.  You wish you could walk right into the picture.

There are no large blockbuster canvasses here, just modestly-sized, beautifully-executed portrayals of ordinary scenes.  In one series, the church at Moret is painted in sun, rain, and clouds – alternately warm and inviting, damp and dreary, or gray and melancholy.  Sisley was applauded for painting the world as he encountered it, notably the several views of The Flood at Port Marly. Rivers, with their shifting colors, lively light, charming boats, and architectural bridges figure prominently throughout Sisley’s work. He was recognized in his obituary as, “first and foremost, a painter of light.”

Organized by the Bruce in partnership with a museum in Provence, this is the only United States stop for the Sisley show – a not to be missed opportunity.  You can see it through May 21st.  The Bruce gift shop is one of Marsha’s favorites.  Filled with beautiful things, great goodies for kids, and stuff tied to the exhibits, it’s a place to stockpile Christmas and birthday presents, pick up a few hostess gifts, and indulge in a gimmie.

The friendly museum staff was happy to suggest some options for lunch.  The Delamar Hotel with its posh L’escale restaurant is just across the street, great for a special lunch on the water. Greenwich Avenue, with lots of desirable lunch opportunities, is only a few blocks away.  At the desk, they recommended Harvest Wine Bar. We had also looked into Mediterraneo as well as Douro for Portuguese specialties, all within a stone’s throw of each other.  

But pumped up about the natural beauty of France and looking for the marvelous food the French enjoy every day, we headed to Méli-Mélo at 362 Greenwich Ave.  It has more than doubled in size since we were last there, with plenty of seating and lots of light from the floor to ceiling windows facing Greenwich Avenue.  

The extensive menu features buckwheat crêpes in almost infinite variations. We opted for the classic Jambon et Fromage (ham and swiss) – Marsha straight up, me with an added organic egg. If the restaurant’s not too busy, you can hang out at the counter and watch the crêpes being made.  Thin, perfectly even, and exactly round, they’re the product of skilled and experienced hands. Twenty-two more crêpe options reach around the Mediterranean and even to California and the Pacific Rim for their inspiration.  

We also squeezed a Méli-Mélo onto our tiny table, not able to resist the salty roquefort, rich walnuts, prosciutto di parma and a mustardy vinaigrette over mesclun greens as a foil to the hearty crêpes.  Twenty salad choices don’t make decisions easy. The daily soup list is left on the table and posted on chalk boards around the restaurant.  A selection of euro-style sandwiches is tempting, too, for anyone not in the mood for crêpes.

Wheat crêpes are used for desserts. Ours was spread with confiture – home-made 3 red fruits jam – fruity, tart, and delicious, as you would expect. There is, of course, the traditional butter and sugar presentation as well as honey and lemon, home-made dulce de leche, nutella, and lots of ice cream ideas. Some dessert crêpes are even flambéed!

The extensive juice menu covers Healing Helper Juices, a Cleanse Menu, Smoothie Blends, and Daily Juices.

An after-lunch  window shopping stroll up and down Greenwich Avenue helps to work off that dessert crêpe.  The small boutiques, large stores, and speciality merchants all put out enticing displays.  Look for an computer at the Apple store, a car at Tesla, a custom suit at Richards, or a stylish outfit at any of the small dress shops.

Back on the ramp to I-95 you’ll know you’ve left behind the beauty and tranquility of Sisley’s France and the delightfully authentic food of Méli-Mélo. But don’t worry! There’s still plenty of time for another visit this spring!