For a century and two dozen years, voyeuristic Parisian foodies have flocked to taste luxury railcar dining in what feels like a museum. Couched in opulent comfort and surrounded by fresco paintings, they feasted in the gilded French restaurant known as Le Train Bleu.
Paris was at the height of an era—the Belle Époque, or Beautiful Era—when art, culture, science, and great optimism reigned. A restaurant was unveiled in the bustling railway station Gare de Lyon during the Universal Exhibition in 1900. It presented the novel Art Nouveau style of architecture, but decked upon the restaurant walls and ceilings were decorations and artwork still very much traditional.
It’s simple to see what gives the guests at Le Train Bleu the feeling of train travel—even though it’s not a train. The restaurant is set up like a series of railcars with ribbed paneling and dividing archways in sequence, separating “travelers” in various “train” cabins. One almost expects to gaze out the great glass arched windows to see the rustic French countryside sweeping by in parallax.
You needn’t gaze outward, but upward upon the walls and ceilings to find that French landscape. The beautiful places are painted on murals, showing the stops of the legendary locomotive known as the Blue Train, named for its dark-blue sleeping cars, built by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The restaurant is its homage. If you look closely, the French railway’s initials, PLM (standing for Chemin de Fer Paris-Lyon-Mediterranée), appear throughout Le Train Bleu.
Second in elegance only to the great Orient Express, the Blue Train once toured the French Riviera along the Mediterranean coast. In honor of this luxury express train, the restaurant was renamed in 1963, prior to which it had actually been the Buffet de la Gare de Lyon. Now the Blue Train’s famed Paris-Vintimille line lives on in 41 vibrant fresco paintings dotting the ceilings amid gilt paneling.
Twenty-seven superstar French artists of the day—not your average mural painters—were called upon to finesse these absolutely gorgeous, jewell-like scenes. Centuries-old skills that were refined and handed down in the academies showcase classical perspective and anatomy. These painters applied the most exquisite modern pigments being explored by the Impressionists.
Speaking of fame, Le Train Bleu has lured big-time movie stars and become a famous setting for French films. It was where the 1990 thriller “Nikita” was set, starring the lovely French actress Anne Parillaud. Celebrities such as French fashion designer Coco Chanel and the iconic, beautiful 1970s actress Brigitte Bardot have glitzed the bistro. But perhaps, what most people are really wondering is, what did they eat?
It is a world-famous French restaurant, after all. Le Train Bleu was dubbed the best restaurant in the world of transportation for its traditionally French gourmet cuisine. It was designated a Monument Historique in 1972. And, after the turn of the century—the next century—in 2014, the establishment was restored and renovated; although some of the antique furniture had been lost, all the paintings and sculptures were brought back to their original shine, while the kitchen was fully modernized. Today, busy travelers bustling to Paris’ second-busiest station still flock to Le Train Bleu.
What?
Oh, right! The food.
So, all those busy commuters and famous stars—what did they eat? Well, we know that lobster served on walnut oil-dressed salad leaves is a good starter. And leg of lamb is on the menu, famously. Maybe they had that. Or, there is the veal chop with a cap of cheese—that’s a cannot-miss main dish. Ah, but the real question is, did they save room for the rum baba with vanilla and syrup topped with fluffy whipped cream?
