This was my second visit to Passage 53 and I was greeted like a long-lost friend (apparently my report of the first visit was well-received). Our host mentioned that they now had a degustation menu at lunch for 45 Euros (at night it's 60) and strongly encouraged it.
We had it with great pleasure.
The first dish was a generous dollop of pureed broccoli, thickened with a puree of white beans topped with the tiniest dusting of uncooked broccoli fleurettes; the second was a tartare of pink veal on top of diced, cold oysters (that my invaluable eG France Forum co-host had last time); third, an incredible piece of cooked foie gras with a few fraises de bois and a sauce of rhubarb; all terrific.
The mains consisted of a slice of wild turbot (pictured above) with marinated squash, a micro-turnip and blend of various colored choufleurs that became a beautiful lavender puree; and a perfectly cooked pintade with Noirmoutier potatoes, baby girolles, round green beans sliced thin and a delicious citrus sauce.
Finally we had rhubarb three ways: on the bottom was a jelly, then cooked rhurbarb and then a topping of crunchy raw diced stalks. (Disclosure: two glasses of bubbly were offered with the dessert).
With a bottle of excellent Chablis and 2 Illy coffees as well as a Zen offering of two cherries, our bill was 148 Euros.
PS Nothing wrong John?: Well, the exceptionally low chairs and banquette (featured throughout the resto) were most uncomfortable. Colette used her furled umbrella as a 'cushion' in the small of her back on the banquette. The wine prices seem to have soared since my initial visit; our Chablis was double the price of the fine wine I had on my last visit; surely there is a very compatible wine for about half that somewhere in Paris.
As of mid-september there are now two menus for dinner; 60e and 80e. The room has been beautifully reconceived. It felt like early Astrance to us - and that is a compliment.
Posted by: richard waltzer | September 30, 2009 at 07:15 PM
Richard - Does that mean the goofy chairs that human beings cannot sit on are gone?
Posted by: john talbott | September 30, 2009 at 10:23 PM
John - Je m'exuse. I only saw your response just now. This maybe old news, but I don't believe the chairs were switched out.
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