La Pulperia in the 11th: 10 years after the bankruptcy of Argentina, things are still not good.

3.0 La Pulperia, 11, rue Richard Lenoir in the 11th, 01.40.09.03.70, closed some lunches and Sunday, is beloved by everyone - Bruno Verjus, of Omnivore and France Culture and of course his respected blog "Food Intelligence", who TMK, "found" it, Jerome Berger of ANP and Aurelie Chaigneau of the JDD, who awarded it an unprecedented 8.5/10.  So on the anniversary of the failure of the Argentinian banking system, according to today's Figaro, we decided to celebrate by going to a French restaurant chef'd by an Argentinian guy who had passed through the great kitchens of the Ritz, Crillon and Jardin Royal de Monceau.

Now across the street is the oddly named Bar O'Bistrorologue, hummm, is that a good or bad omen?  Avanti.  For lunch they have a most appealing-sounding and reasonably-priced "menu" of two items for 15 E and three for 18 E

 

and with three chefs in the open kitchen we were guaranteed brisk serving of dishes - not!  They appeared in a leisurely if not languid, fashion which helped push the rating from an ordinary 5.0 down to a 3.0.  So, how did I arrive at that.

6.0 Welcome and seating and warmth.

8.0 Napkin

8.0 Corn puree/soup (from a can or Picard's but nonetheless) with pulpe that was really chewy, hard and quite frankly tough.

2.0 (generous) for the empanada of meat (who knows what meat - dog maybe?)

3.0 Filet of bar atop mushrooms.

5.5 Veal onglet on mashies (I would have rated it higher but M. said no.)

5.0 Cod with root veggies - not bad, just not great.

5.2 My friend so judged this cheese plate (I disagreed, thinking it better but he wussed me down.)

4.0 Chocolate tart - actually an 7.0 but because it was served with such glacial speed, its orderer had had to depart without a nibble so make that 1.0+7.0÷2=4.0.

0.0 Oh boy, the flan, or was it flan, or just a flash in the pan of a flan?

Our bill, with a bottle of wine, a bit more to get us through the endless waiting, no bottled water and so-so bread, was 117 E, 78 E a couple.

Go?  To Argentina?, sure; through food bankruptcy in Argentina?, no need.  I have only myself to blame though - I broke Talbott's Rule 5bis, never eat ethnic food in France unless the chef is Japanese or American.

Comments

[kirikou]

That's a very sad-looking cheese plate, I must say.

[columbine]

we just ate there Friday evening. the calamari appetizer was excellent, the empanada was ok, the pluma was absolutely delicious, the steak was ok but is much much much better at another Argentinian close-by, Volver, rue Keller (so is the empanada).

[John Talbott]

Thanks so much.
Actually I keep meaning to go to Unico on Paul Bert for argentinian steak and never make it.