RESTAURANT

The first time I came across "Buddha-Bar" was in a Facebook event invitation a few months ago. It was only a split second before I deleted it, but the name stuck. Then in April I was in Washington and a branch opened right next to my daughter's apartment building. The signature decoration makes you feel like you are inside a temple with a giant statue of Buddha -- just add a bar and dining tables. It's sort of an upscale P.F. Chang, the upscale Chinese restaurant chain in the U.S. When I was in Nice last week, I got invited to a party at the Buddha-Bar in Monte-Carlo, about half an hour's drive away.