Shared Table and Choucroute

Now, you know me, or at least a lot about me, but one of the most obvious things is that I don't get too excited about in general are things related to eating and drinking.  Such was also the case when I was in Paris again, hardly giving any care to the multitudes of potentially great places that exist for chowing down and boozing. So, if I did have to choose, I consulted my two handy guidebooks (sometimes I bring three, just in case), and there was a recommendation for a place which had a kind of old fashioned fare but which more importantly was inside a historic designed location. If anything, it is always Atmosphere which I am on the prowl for, and this is what landed me at the restaurant Chartier (in an area a bit further from the "aristocratic quarter" which I have come to know and love).

From the get-go, it was an interesting but strange experience.  Although there were other empty tables, we were seated at a table where there was an already seated couple.  When I asked for water, they pointed to the bottle on the table and said that "sharing is the policy here,"(a point which I shared with the Italian couple seated next to us, who were somewhat surprised at my pouring water from their bottle) and I admit that because of my pretentious nature I did dislike the cafeteria style of the place (and seemed a bit overdressed, suit and tie being not de rigeur there).  But, as we had some wine and saw the place fill up, the place started to grow on me a little with its paper menu (upon which one's order was written and then tabulated at the end) and its train station like atmosphere (including the overhead racks for one's bags, coats and etc, and it was quite enjoyable to have my beloved Alsatian choucroute again (last time was at Lipp, the other institution).  By the time we left, there was such a long line to get in, it reminded me of getting into a nightclub in my earlier years (although truth is they always let me in easily, perhaps because I was a charming young boy then) or Acme Oyster Bar in New Orleans on a weekend.  Seeing that made me really glad that I prefer to have supper early...