Issé in the 2nd; The second coming of who? I don’t think so.

 

4.0 Issé, 45, rue de Richelieu in the 2nd, 01.42.96.26.60, closed Sundays and Mondays, is a place all the critics have been falling all over themselves about, calling it the nouvelle cuisine Japonaise.

Well, so, I went with probably excess expectations of really neat, new stuff not seen in Japan, San Fran or NY. The place is impressive and big, stark and has some very noteworthy features – ie stones on the floor of the loo – how do they clean the….. (stop it John).

With my bad knee, connected to my bad ankle, connected to my bad heel, of course they seated me limpingly in the dank basement where the music blared incessantly – only American songs – if I’d heard “These boots are made for walking” or “I’ll be there” one more time I swear I would have screamed.

While there’s a 12-14 piece carte, one does tend to go toward the bento with Lord knows how many ingredients, all tastingly described, in order to sample the genius of this guy.

I started with the tempuras of artichoke and other veggies, ok, then the salmon, ok, then the grilled eel, wait a minute, this should be neck-snapping and it’s only ok, and on and on.

Except for the “spaghettis” of agar-agar and shaved radish, I could do as well or better even in Baltimore. And, and, and, the confit de canard was disgraceful; banal, huge and no better than at the “traditional French” resto next door.

They were out of all the “interestingly priced” wines, but glasses were only 7 € (sputter) but the desserts were a level above; a “cheesecake” and crème of what seemed to me to be white chocolate. But one doesn’t come to a Japanese restaurant for cheesecake.

The bill with the bento and 2 glasses of wine but no bottled water or coffee was 39 €. 

Go? Occasionally the big boys, when they haven’t been outside Paris for a while, fall in love with a chimera.