He sat alone in majestic simplicity on the balcony of La Bonne Soupe (the good life). He wore his hat. It didn't wear him. Somewhere in his 60s though hard to tell -- La Bonne Soupe is somewhere in the 50s between 5th and 6th, and while it has an address (48 W. 55th Street) it's also mysterious.
He was having the French onion soup and salad special which comes with dessert and a glass of wine or beer for $19.50. Very simple in presentation -- much like the man in the hat. His suit was simple. His shirt striped. I looked down to see if he was wearing socks. Of course he was. He was an adult after all.
Some of the charm of the old La Bonne is missing since the fire a few years ago. The mirrored ceiling on the 2nd floor is gone and everything looks a little too new. Still, the 2nd floor balcony is the seat to have despite the close quarters. He looked like a regular - which I hope to be someday. Content with his lunch and his life. No doubt he's had a fire or two himself.
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28 comments:
Anything, or place that is good, is new at some time, and hanging around long enough to watch it lose the gloss is part of the fun.
Consider fires to be a blessing that you now get to watch that process.
If you see someone painting an antique finish on the walls, walk out.
(I'm not wearing any socks)
I dig the hat. I have a size 8(at least) head though so unless i can find hatters who happened to create hats for the butt head aliens on the Captain Christopher Pike episode of Star trek, I'm outta luck. I also like them Polo belts. I'm gonna order one.
As for your sock comment, I agree whole heartedly. If I start my own blog, I'm gonna name it "PLEASE WEAR SOCKS and don't pop your collar unless your standing in a driving rain on the deck of the Edmund Fitzgerald while it sinks to the bottom of GITCHEEGOOMEE."
Love the romanticism of this photo.
Just throwing this out there...Don Johnson didn't wear socks. He said a $20 pair of socks ruined his $3,000 shoes. If it was said by Don Johnson in his Miami Vice days, it's FACT!
Brohammas - Don Johnson....that is all
Bro- I assume you're writing from the shore and not a place of business.
Unc Looney- You could always use your hat as a piece of luggage. Sorry, that's a very old joke.
Alice- The photo? Did you read this? Poetry. Every word pure poetry. Dare I say, it could be a George Michael song.
2button- I don't take style advice from Don Johnson. I highly recommend you don't either.
My Mother thinks one's feet secrete "acids" that will eat shoes and hard wood floors. I would say, "What am I, SWAMP THING?"
TinTin - Well than, I guess I will be taking my Miami Vice posters off my wall and burning my "100 Style Tips from The Don" book. This would also explain why the book only had three pages and the table of contents had question marks instead of page numbers.
Unclelooney - Swamp Thing was once human too Unclelooney. He had feelings. More importantly, how does your grandmother suggest avoiding the acidic secretion?
Looks like Junior Soprano from behind, but I'm guessing most NY men over 70 look that way.
And $19.50 for soup, dessert, and/or beer and wine? If I'm paying this for that, I better be getting a handjob under the table.
GSV JR - Yer damn right......or at least some type of roll or oyster crackers....sheesh!
awesome.
and I love that you linked to the menu.
gold star!
Why is the guy wearing his hat while eating?
JRC
Forget everything else: La Bonne Soupe is very good and a bargain. Hard to beat and not just in mid-town.
Yes, I read the content! I was noting how well the photo suited (pun intended) the words. (GM? No comment.)
A stalker, staring at the woman ahead. A drooler, with the napkin tied up under his chin. A cad, wearing his hat indoors, 2nd floor balcony notwithstanding. He was wearing socks. "He looked like a regular" tells me how little it takes to camouflage oneself.
Tintin, with all due respect adults wear socks, but not hats indoors and/or while eating. I look forward to your ruminations on the timeless elegance of back to front baseball caps.
Pretty certain that "La Bonne soupe" does NOT translate to "the good life".
Either it's soupe (soup) or soupé (dinner).
TinTin - George Michael song = Poetry? Much like Don Johnson = Fashion Advisor.
looks like the dancing gentleman from the six flags commercials.
don johnson is the tits.
Dallas - I can't see that guy wearing a hat. For some reason, I have a feeling if this guy turned around he would have those glasses with the fake nose and mustache attached. Just a feeling!
Which Don is better?
Sonny Crockett/Burnette?
Nash Bridges?
The Harrod Experiment?
the marlboro man.
GSV- You win the look alike contest. I'm not sure what's up with the Don Johnson references other than the fact that most of these 'kids' grew up with the talentless hump.
It does explain why the youthful fashion statement for the past three years has been a mix of Sonny Crockett and Jethro Bodine.
I assume this is subliminal and etched into their subconscious like a an engine turned belt buckle.
James and Joe- In a world where 99.9% of the population dresses and behaves (and looks) like Neanderthals, I find it amazing when people 'pick' at the smallest details. At least he didn't have a sweater tied around his waist.
Also, in the military you keep your head gear on when armed. Even inside. I think this fella was carrying a side arm.
Anon- Yes, it DOES translate into, The Good Life. Read the history of the restaurant (click on link) and how the owners came to choose the name based in a French play of the same name.
Here, Anon:
"Jean-Paul and Monique Picot took the bistro's name from the avant garde comedy La Bonne Soupe by the French playwright Félicien Marceau, which had a long successful run in Paris in the 1950's.
The three-act play, starring Jeanne Moreau and Marie Bell, ends with the words "Et hop! Par ici, la bonne soupe!" here meaning: "step up (to the roulette tables), and put your money down, which will give you winnings and ensure you the good life."
The play was such a success, it was followed in 1963 by a Twentieth Century Fox Film bearing the same title and based on Félicien Marceau's original 1958 play. Among top-ranking stars in the film were Annie Girardot, Jean-Claude Brialy, Claude Dauphin and Franchot Tone. The phrase la bonne soupe has come to mean the good life, with health, wealth and happiness.
I'm with James & Joe. For a man to wear a hat while dining is not aceptable under any circumstances. It's far more egregious than tying a sweater around one's waist while walking down the street. Though the latter may be unbecoming, it is not a breach of etiquette.
"I find it amazing when people 'pick' at the smallest details."
Tintin dear heart. Sitting in a restaurant eating lunch wearing a hat is NOT a small detail.
@ TinTin
'kids'? Ouch. I did not realize that the sarcasm in my comment was not evident. Unfortunately for the purposes of my comment, Montgomery Clift and Laurence Harvey both wore socks.
I also think you will find a large population of this youth that you speak of not only following your blog but quite often wearing and displaying great interest in the things you post.
Joe,
With all the respect I can muster, sir--Please. While we all watch the world turn into a massive 'f*ck you' tee shirt capped off with a backwards ball cap and denim showing the crack of the wearers ass -- you bust this guy's chops? That will not stand here and shame on you.
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