Lunching at 39 Rue De Jean, on John St., was the perfect way to celebrate National Happy Day.

How can you not be perfectly happy when you are served delicious french food, at a lovely little restaurant on a quiet side street, on a sunny day in Charleston?  

We were a very large group, taking up the entire right side of the restaurant.  The wait staff cheerfully served us, even though each of us needed separate checks.  They promptly filled our glasses of sweet tea (delicious, by the way), served us carafe's of chllled water, and baskets of warm french bread and soft, creamy butter while we waited for our lunch orders to arrive.

39 Rue De Jean offers weekly and daily lunch specials, along with an extensive luncheon menu that is available every day.  Those around me ordered, and were very pleased with, thick slices of quiche, pomme frites, enormous cheeseburgers, and heaps of mussels in white wine broth.  My table partner and I ordered the weekly special; soup or salad and Basque Shrimp.

The salad was quite large, full of chunks of leaf lettuce and huge croutons, dressed with a flavorful vinaigrette.  The soup, served in a large bowl, contained white beans, chorizo and wilted spinach, in a thick, lightly seasoned tomato broth.  I wanted to finish every bit of it, but after seeing the size of the entrees being served around me, I decided to save some of my appetite for the next course.  I was lucky that I did.

My generaous portion of Basque Shrimp offered eight lightly breaded, fried prawns, on a bed of jasmine rice pilaf.  The Basque tomato sauce, ladled into the center of the dish, did not overpower the flavor of the shrimp, allowing me to savor the separate flavors of shrimp, rice and tomato in each bite.

I hope to return to Rue de Jean soon, to sample more offerings on their luncheon menu.

After lunch, while strollig back down John St., towards King, I stopped into a tiny sweet shop for dessert on the go.  The Macaroon Boutique,  at 45 John St., is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11am to 6pm.  Their pastry cases were full of fresh croissants, madeleines and, of course, macaroons.

Even though the package of six macaroons cost the same as the lunch I just completed, they were worth every single penny.  They were slightly crispy on the outside, sweetly chewy on the inside, and filled with flavored cream.  My favorite was the lemon one, although the milk chocolate filled ones were not to be missed, either.  I also purchased a package of madeleines, which were equally as good.  They were rich, buttery, great with jam, or a dot of ice cream.  

All in all, a perfect National Happy Day on John St.