French Country Dining - La Caille and A French Country PIcnic

Enter the gates of La Caille with me,

the premier fine dining restaurant

in Salt Lake City.

(Don't you just love those turquoise gates?)

La Caille is set on 20 acres of wooded areas,

vineyards and manicured lawns

It is known for its stunning seasonal 

floral displays.

The buildings themselves are stunning too.

Swans and ducks swim in the ponds.

You have to spend some time just walking around

when you come here.

Look at this life size carriage

topiary.  

You can enjoy gorgeous outdoor

dining during the summer

Or come indoors.

 My favorite entertainment is the

free roaming peacocks out on 

the patio.

 This bold fellow walked right up to this

outdoor table and snatched a beak full

of butter - follow the arrow and

you can see the blob of butter.

It happened before the diners

even knew what was going on.

This beautiful guy walked right up to me,

I am directly in front of him and

just walked straight into the

restaurant.

They were certainly strutting 

their stuff this evening.

 The food is pricey so this is a special occasion restaurant,

but the presentation is always gorgeous.

This is the Lobster Bisque Soup.

Shrimp Cocktail

And a dessert sampler with

creme brulee, beignets with

cream dipping sauce and

a chocolate lava cake.

Don't ask me what happened to the main

dish pictures - I guess we ate them too

fast for photos.

This wonderful night inspired my table for this
week - a French Country Picnic.

We have always enjoyed simple picnics

with great food.  

Today's picnic features French blue.

Just grab a fabulous picnic basket 

and fill it with ready made items

and you are off.

Crusty bread and a little bubbly (non-alcoholic for me)

tucked into a pretty basket with a French blue linen.

I love to use glass plates and glasses to make

the simple food more elegant.

Even throw in some lovely blue hydrangeas.

These pretty blue and white plates are perfect

for serving a light picnic fare.

Wrap your flatware up in a pretty cloth napkin.

Fresh peaches and grapes, rotisserie chicken

and fancy cheeses are all you need.

See - no prep time needed, just fresh luscious food.

We received this fun basket as a wedding gift

32 years ago.  I love to give beautiful picnic

baskets for wedding gifts.

I love its leather latch.

The peaches this year are so amazing.

This beautiful bordered linen was from Williams Sonoma 

years ago.

 We end with chocolate eclairs topped
with a fresh pink rose.

Put together a fun French  picnic using
ready made foods and beautiful
accessories before the summer ends.

I had to give you one last peek at La Caille
to finish off my French Country Dining post.

It is fantastic at Christmas too 

(not that you want to be thinking about

Christmas yet - right?)

I will be posting with
Wayfaring Wednesday
Outdoor Wednesday
Tablescapes Thursday

Tablecloth - Williams Sonoma
Plates - Home Goods
Glasses - Cabo
Metal vase - Tai Pan
Flatware - Horchow
Napkins - Pier 1
Basket - wedding gift