John Talbott's Paris

Les Tablettes de Jean-Louis Nomicos: Another outstanding meal at an astonishing price.

We returned to Les Tablettes de Jean-Louis Nomicos with the parents of a chef we know and when pere tried the amuse of a lemon gel bottom, a creamy middle, fennel and a tomato sauce on top, he, three hours off a plane said the likes of "I've never had anything like this before, it's very good."  The four of us went with the 42 E 3 course "menu"' with wine from the carte versus the 58 E 4-course one with coffee and 37.5 cl of wine.  Smart Euro-wise?  I'm not so sure.

 

For firsts, the rest of the table chose the langoustine emulsion with foie gras raviolis and tiny, minced bits of raw green asparagus and I decided to try to bouillabaisse jelly with squid, rouget, fava beans rouille and basil oil .  Both were fabulous despite the fact that my prevailing theory is that French chefs use fluff like salt to cover up their sins, here the fluff was fab.

 

For mains, in descending order, we had the artisinal pasta, morilles, asparagus and sot l'y laisse of chicken; crispy skinned lieu (of the cod family) with marjorum, smoked eggplant and piquillos; and a jarret of veal with a ginger sauce, raw carrot slices and terrific (I assume Noirmoutier) potatoes).

 

 

 

 Desserts were a fondant of chocolate with cocoa sorbet and mascarpone and various "wood" fruits with fromage blanc and raspberry sorbet.

With two bottles of nice Bordeaux, 3 coffees and no bottled water our bill was 116.50 E per couple which our guests picked up in a terribly nice gesture.  Disclosure: the head guy gave us all glasses of a wonderful fortified red wine from Ukraine that had echoes of cassis, prune and other fruits.  Another nice gesture.

The Shang Palace in the 16th: Pretty fancy Cantonese cooking, pretty fancy service, pretty fancy prices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Shang Palace in the Shangri-La Hotel, 10 ave Iena in the 16th, 01.53.67.19.92 (Metro: Iena) has been open 18 months and already garnered a star; I had hesitated to go for many reasons but guided by three experts in Cantonese cuisine, ventured to today.  We had the 6-plate dim sum menu for the table (58 E each) plus three dishes off the carte (dishes run 15-175 E), one amuse and two others that appeared somehow.  Rather than describe each I'll just post the photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ran the gamut from salmon to crab, shrimp to pork, chicken to suckling pig, noodles and a dessert of mango cream and sago pearls.

The bill - with 1 bottle of wine, many cups of tea and no bottled water it was 223.50 E a couple.

Go?  I suspect all three of my partners will go again but I'm not so sure given the price point.

Les Tablettes de Jean-Louis Nomicos in the 16th: The best meal to date in 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.5 Les Tablettes de Jean-Louis Nomicos in the 16th, 01.56.28.16.16, open 7/7 (Metro: Victor Hugo) opened two years ago and my buddy Pti kept suggesting i go, but I never got aound to it until today when I needed to find a place for another buddy who works in the 16th, to eat.  "Yah, I've always wanted to go," she said.  The "menu" at lunch is a steal: 58 E for an amuse gueule, first, main, cheese, dessert, coffee, mignardises, 1/2 bottled water and 1/2  bottle wine (shades of the old Goumard).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The amuse was a layered glass of something almost custardy at the bottom, then cream of onion and then a watercress emulsion; divine.  Then she had the sliced carrots on minced to your life carrots with equally minced chorizo (boy, somebody should get combat pay for this chopping) with savory and fevettes; and I had white asparagus and morilles with rocket chantilly and magret de canard.  Both exquisite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then she had 4 raviolis stuffed with joues de boeuf, sage butter, olives and parmesan and I had the farm chicken with green asparagus, teeny-tiny button mushrooms with a wine sauce (so good I was tempted when asked if I desired more); then the cheese was/were fresh goat cheese with sweet pepper, olive oil and marjoram.  Boy we were soaring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then she had the tarte fine with mango, pineapple and combawa zest while I was set off by the croustillant of chocolate/coffee/cardamon and fleur de lait ice cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wine we were offered was an especially nice Carignan.  The bill - as guaranteed - was 116 E.  dB level = 81.

Go?  For sure.

Le Stella in the 16th: A pleasant return to days of yore.

5.8 Le Stella, 133 ave Victor Hugo in the 16th, 01.56.90.56.00, open 7/7 from 7h00-1h00 is one of those places like Lake Woebegone, that "time forgot and the decades cannot improve." 

It's got a 1950's look and feel and carte; back story: about six months ago, my charming ex-co-host at the website that cannot be named, suggested we "eat at someplace called Stella or like that;" I immediately assumed she meant Stella Maris, one of the first Japanese chef'd places in town that I hadn't been to in 15-20 years, which had a new Japanese chef from the Bistro Volnay.  She being too polite to correct my betise, ate there gamely with me and suffered through the same 6/10 but "prix-qualite...not very good" meal I had, but recently suggested we go with her to Stella.  Fair enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My charming ex-co-host at the website that cannot be named had the eggs mayo that were so superb and such an improvement over those at 58 Qualite Street that she finished them off before I snapped a pix and I plunged into my salad frisee equally eagerly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then my charming ex-co-host at the website that cannot be named had a tete de veau which she really liked, although it was unlike any I've ever seen.  Usually it is served in flattened sheets of pressed head; Colette enjoyed the daily special (Friday: Catholic country, or used to be) of raie with a ton of very nice, sharp capers; and I had a pig's foot that I assumed, like the tete de veau, would be deboned, smooshed together and lack a crispy skin - wrong, in homage to Jack Nicholson "I can't believe I ate the whole damn thing."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, my charming ex-co-host at the website that cannot be named had the creme caramel and Colette had the ile flottant while I contented myself with another glass of wine.  Both desserts were very good!

The bill, with a bottle and glass of wine, pretty good bread, no bottled water but three coffees, was 152.30 or 101.53 E a couple.  The decibel level was considerable, however, reaching 88 dB and part of it is the show; or as Ed Sullivan would say -the "shew", that is, the waiters shouting at busboys, the cooks screaming up the stairs, the plates dropped and platters clanked - all in a day's work, but tough on an old deaf guy's ears trying to keep up with his two wonderful female companions. (Colette said she thought the noise level was OK - while she is often bothered by noisy restos, this one did not cause her to complain.)

Go?  For a blast to the past, or at least my past of classic bistro/brasserie food in a non-Flo/non-Costes/etc. , this is your place .  Like Chez Georges and the Petit Marguery, it is what it is, not cutting edge Asian-tinged stuff, this is your French Grandma's cooking or at least where she and Papa took the kids and grandkids on Sundays.

L'Atelier Vivanda in the 16th: A meat and potatoes winner by Akrame Benallal.

6.8 L'Atelier Vivanda, 18 rue Lauriston in the 16th, 01.40.67.10.00, closed weekends, has been open about a month and for some strange reason the Big Boys (except Philippe Toinard) seem to have missed the boat because it's a great meat and potatoes place especially for 35 E with wines starting at 20 E.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kitchen is bright shiny clean metal, half-open, half-semi-closed, the waitfolk have leather butchers' aprons and they bring over some Iberic ham right off the bat so you know they mean serious meat business and we had sticker shock at the nice prices of the wines - ours was a terrific Elian Da Rosa Cotes du Marmadais.

The menu has three starters, six mains, five different kinds of potato and three desserts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ladies all had the green bean salad which I thought was very nice and the guys had strips of marinated mackerel with confited tomato bits which we thought were great.

Then there was an expected introduction of very fine green salads for all of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ladies then repeated their similar ordering with cotes of pork, M. had l'amburger their style and I had the heart of entrecote under-cooked to my perfection.  We each had potatoes a different way (a la Vivanda - halved with high heat and duck fat, Dauphinois, sauteed, Dauphine and Darphin) bent on testing them head to head, but wouldn't you know they were all good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had for dessert the tarte tatin and creme brulee, which again it was hard to discern which was better.

Our bill for five, with two bottles of wine, one of their own sparkling water and three coffees was 224 E, thus 89.60 E a couple.

Go?  M. Benallal dropped by our table at some point and explained that all he was trying  to do was serve simple, good food.  Boy has he succeeded but it's hardly simple, but plenty good.  Only 20 seats so reserve.

Le Metropolitan in the 16th: Old money nabe, new money resto.

6.0 Metropolitan, 10 Place de Mexico in the 16th (NOT to be confused with the noisy one in the 4th), 01.56.90.40.04 (Metro: Rue de la Pompe) is so understated from outside that once again I walked by it without knowing.  But on entering it I was enchanted - lovely decor, lovely dining partner, lovely if not beautiful people - wished I'd worn a tie.  How were we there?  (1) She needed a place near work, (2) The chef Stephane Pitre (ex Cinq, Estaminet, Ritz (London) and Senderens) supposedly came end of 2011, thus it was relatively new, (3) It's been on my famous "list" for much too long.

Neither of us wanted the 28 E forced choice menu (soup, chicken parmentier, watermelon) so we ordered cautiously off the carte.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She ordered the soup of the day - a wonderully thick white bean almost puree with nice herbs and I had the mixed seafood (really just mussels and razor clams) with a terrific sauce .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then she, who is training for a big 10 K and eating sensibly, had Joel Thiebault veggies both cooked and cru that were damned good and I, who am in training for lasting a bit longer on earth, had the cod with green noodles and fluff and a wonderful sauce.

Neither of wanted/needed dessert so we had coffee with the house marshmallows, quite respectable.

The bill with a bottle of wine was 110 E.

Go?  Among all the frou-frou fancy places in the 16th, you can't do better.

Le Bizetro in the 16th: Just like 60 years ago.

3.0 Le Bizetro, 6, rue Georges Bizet (Bistro Bizet, got it?), 01.47.23.85.41, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, looks and feels like those places I used to tumble into when I was between secondary school and college.

Except that it has cool modern paintings.

But the chalkboard offerings are straight out of the 1950's bistro textbook: from terrines and tete de veau, through andouillette AAAA and an entrecote to rice pudding and cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monsieur the sculpteur had the leeks, Madame the culinary tour queen had the lentils and sausage and I had the herring with hot potatoes - all of which disturbingly seemed to feature the same greens, hothouse tomatoes and dressing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then M. had the lamb souris which he quite liked but I found muttony (maybe that's my problem) and we two had the veal normand which had delicious mushrooms, an OK bottle sauce but hard as a rock veal.  I left mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To make up for those, M. and I ordered dessert; he a chocolate mousse and I a creme brulee; both adequate.

Our wine, following Talbott's rule was the 18 E Coteaux de Giennois.

With a bottle and two glasses, no bottled water and one coffee our bill was 66 E a couple.

Go?  'Twer it 1953, mayhaps, but today, sorry.

Bagatelle aka Les Jardins de Bagatelle in the 16th: For the right place* at the right time*, could be a winner.

 
5.0* Bagatelle aka Les Jardins de Bagatelle, official address 42 route de Sèvres à Neuilly in the Bois de Boulogne, real address southwestern edge of the Bagatelle Gardens, in the 16th, open 7/7 12 AM - 6 PM, but also open for real dinner between friends Sunday night to Friday lunch, telephone: well, that's a problem, they list 01.40.67.98.29 and 01.40.67.16.49, but neither are terribly eager to respond so I actually schlepped over from the Jardin d'Acclimation last week to reserve.  On the other hand, give them credit for calling me at 9h30 this AM to warn me that they were anticipating bad weather and sitting outside would discomfit me and because two parties were booked inside I might be in serious doo-doo, did I want to reschedule?  (I looked at the meteo:  prediction 20% rain, radar: awful - so a crap shoot eh?).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I entered, the din from the terrace was really loud, but nice loud, with middle-agies, youngies and infants schmoozing and mingling around having drinks and salmon, salami, etc. served flawlessly by a huge waitstaff.  To my right was a room of oldies and less-oldies, who except for a song from a black-tee-shirted guy apparently singing from his and their native repetoire were very sober in their celebration.  The terrace emptied (a few restless kids continued to play games in the garden), the private room was served, and the level of contentment rose everywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn't eaten here in 20 maybe 25 years and the carte was rather ungroundbreaking but much more pricy than I recalled then (about 70-100 E for 3 courses).  So DEEFense, right?  First, gaspacho with crunchy minced vegetables and an awful cheese stick; Colette woul'a died; it was nuttin'.  Then an entrecote (blue as ordered), standard, with an exceptional shotglass of "its sauce" and quite good allumette potatoes if I do say so.

So what's the deal here John?  Well let's do my friend Richard's exercise:

Pluses:  Fantastic setting, reasonable food and a clientele of all French folks of all ages except for 4 Amuricans of the "don't let the gov'ment take my money-type."

Minuses: Just reasonable food, so-so bread and pricy prices.

The bill:  Oh oh, how do I explain this to Colette when the Visa bill comes in?  With 1/2 bottle of wine (24 E), two courses and coffee = 73.40 E.

Go?  Hummmm.  For a special event in a special place for not terribly special food OK.

*The right time - sunny and warm - the right place - a big bunch for lunch.

La Grande Verriere in the 16th: Christian Le Squer's (Ledoyen) new venture.

 
5.2 La Grande Verriere is located in the Jardin d'Acclimation (1.45 E entry for geezers) in the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th (Metro: Sablons), 01.45.02.09.32, open 7/7 but only from 10 AM - 7 PM.  It was rehab'd in 2009 from old workshops and at that time was used for cocktail parties (600) or dinners (350), and was very much a big box. 

 
Despite sitting just besides a kiddy-train-station,

 
with the addition of some fancy design stuff (supposedly cactus-like) and designer chairs, plus the oversight of the menu by Christian Le Squer, he of the 3* Ledoyen downtown, it's a pretty spiffy upscale cantine.  Indeed, by this summer, it was being touted as a one of the most beautiful terraces in the city and very accommodating for children.  And so, it was a logical choice for 4 of us (one 8 years old) seeking an outdoorsy meal on an OK-weather Sunday afternoon.

The menu is hardly adventuresome but is interesting enough to appeal to children of all ages; three courses are 35 E for adults and two for kids at 15 E.

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My old friend from internship days had the Caesar salad with gambas, her grand-daughter had the chicken fingers (not pictured, which is a shame, because I thought that the batter on them as well as the fries that came with them, were exemplary), our mutual French friend from the 19th had a strange sounding but beautifully composed grapefruit, cabbage and Granny Smith salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our friend had the pastilla wrapped lemon chicken and mi-cuit fois gras and I had the croquettes of cod aka brandade nems; both of which were quite acceptable if not better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally Mademoiselle had 2 scoops of ice cream and our friend and I both had the fraise melba, the latter of which again, was quite good.

Our bill with a bottle and glass of wine and three coffees and decent warm bread, was 155 E.

Go?  If you're looking for a kid-friendly restaurant where they can run around and do everything from miniature golf to pony rides, this is your place.

Akrame in the 16th: These wonderful repeat meals are getting predictible.

Colette said she wants to go to all the places I've been to and liked since she left in mid-April and I've been doing my best; today at Akrame with my former and I hope future co-host on the web.  We entered and were warmly greeted by both the chief waitguy and chef Akrame himself.

 
Not a lot of difficult decisions to make here except wading through the extensive wine list; as opposed to Le Relais d'Entrecote where the only question is "How do you want it?" here, it's "2 or 3 dishes?"  We all said "three" and onward we marched - first with an amuse-bouche of a light goat cheese creamy thing with ciboulette and a parmesan "cookie" [my word] with fish eggs a top.  Great start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first course was/were strips of squid (I judged perfect; but the ladies thought not beaten to death enough to break their fibers) on a bed of coulis of rocket with rocket leaves, diced zucchini and "heart" of avocado and graced with a tiny square of sherry jelly.  Then came a nice bavette of beef with two potato preparations, sliced undercooked Noirmoutier ones and mashed ones so light we argued over whether they were that way due to extreme whipping, extreme butter or extreme egg whites.  All agreed that this piece of Australian meat was extremely good, especially with the intense reduction of beef sauce and salt crystals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally came two desserts (we didn't dispute their math); a fruity sorbet with fruit underneath (raspberries, watermelon and something else I cannot recall but which looks green in the photo) that had a cakey thing underneath and chocolate "hat" over it; and a caramel/chocolate mound.

Our bill, with the bottle Gaillac 2009 and one of their ecological CRYO water (6 E) but minus a charge for an extra glass of red Ventoux, plus three coffees was 156.60 E, thus 104.32 E for a couple for another wonderful meal.