John Talbott's Paris

Le Charbon Rouge in the 8th: The real October Surprise!

 

6.5 Le Charbon Rouge, 25, rue Marbeuf in the 8th, 01.40.70.09.99, open 7/7 with a plat du jour at 15, forced, 3-course menu at 23,50 (salmon) and a la carte about 40-50 E was a place I spied two weeks ago and when Emmanuel Rubin rated it a 7/10, tied for third among his Fall revelations, thought I must go and with so few places open on Sunday - it presented a real opportunity.  And it was.

Oh I went with the usual prejudices: 7/7; how can they maintain a high standard?  The 8th just off the Champs; tourist central, awful choices.  And one more rotisserie place: can't I do better on my street?  Actually no.

I arrived spot-on just as my companion was pulling up in front as well.  We both looked at the modern Starke-esque furniture and the chipper waitresses and traded - "Oh no" eye signals.  But not having a back-up, I decided to soldier on and we sat at the primo table in the window, isolated but sunny and most pleasant.

I was BBQ beef and chickened out and did the Colette thing - ordered two starters, which between them left me totally satiated.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The starters are intriguing sounding and my oldest, (there I go again,) I mean my longest extant French pal, ordered the ris de veau on mashies, that was as good as it/they come.  And my ceviche of mixed fish/etc was tart, fresh and just what I wanted.

Then she had the cheapest cut of beef (they had everything from a 19 E French cut, to Argentinean, to American angus to Kobe-type from New Zealand for 73 E) - it was chewy and tasty and her frites were way above Paris norms.  I had perfectly-grilled tender octopus on a wonderfully tart Balsamic-dressed salad - the perfect accompaniment.  We were both quite happy.

Their wine list is truly different; while we had an Argentinean Malbec, they had Uruguyan, Chilean, South African, Australian, French and American ones too.  The bread and coffee were OK.

Our bill was 86.60 E and a terrific buy.

Go?  No hesitation, although at night with the huge upstairs rooms it could get a bit noisy.  And if only for the bathroom, it's worth the visit.

La Maree in the 8th: what a come-down.

 

La Maree in the 8th, which I rediscovered only a few months ago with a food writer friend, after many years of non-patronage, since my three food chums and I originally "discovered" it in the 1970's, had been tossed by the side of the road d/t price/quality intolerability, it was 65 E for lunch, for goodness sake, had made a seeming comeback.  Its menu, salle, et al, was totally revamped 5 months ago, and we had a splendid meal.  You may recall that I said:

6.8 Boy this Golden Oldie has really come back!
La Maree, 1 rue Daru in the 8th, 01.43.80.20.00, is a place I last went to with Colette and a great local friend, MF, a good 20 years ago. It was a special place then, charming, good, reasonably-priced and I don’t know how and why we fell out of love with it. But we did and I’ve passed it many times and wondered how it was doing. But nobody seemed to talk about it much and the prices seemed to creep up (the Pudlo 2009 gives the lunch menu as 65 € and a la carte 140.) In looking at said Pudlo, I see he mentions its transfer from the Trompier family to the Blanc stable but it wasn’t until Francois-Regis Gaudry called it the address of the week two weeks ago that I took notice. The price alone caught my attention – 35 € for three courses (29 for 2), morning or night. It’s the same old place, same old voiturier, same old glass windows. But the food, John, boy! The amuse bouche was a potato soup with chestnut bits, bland enough but a classic for pre-fish stuff. My eating partner and I glommed on the same dishes and had ample tasting of all six. He started with coques mariniere that were classic and good, but I think I scored better with a marmite of shellfish and leeks, including an ample scallop in a terrific ginger and lemon sauce. Then I had a bourride with three fish filets (daurade, monkfish and rouget) again with a great shellfish sauce and he, two big fat, toasty quenelles with a classic langoustine sauce (they called Daru). He chose the cheese which was a smart move; all three, especially the camembert, were excellent quality and perfectly affinated. Then we finished with a dense chocolate mousse topped with toasted almonds. Our bill (with coffee, wine and no bottled water) would have been under 100 € if we hadn’t “had to have” some red wine with the cheese.
Go? Quickly before the big boys blow it out of proportion.

Well, I went back with Colette today to great disappointment.  The service remains top-notch, but  chef (not "the chef") is over the hill me thinks. 

While the amuse bouche soup was OK, my fried sardines arduous to parse and Colette's gaspacho with chevre "ile flottante" was good, the two main fish dishes, the mainstays (sorry) of the meal, were bland beyond any help from salt, pepper or cursing.

Before leaving, Colette ordered her "test of the ancient kitchen" standard, a genuine Ile Flottante, and found it wanting.

With two coffees (listed in the menu as coming with mignardises for 4.10 E), one bottle of fine Pouilly Fume and no bottled water - our bill was 101.20 E.

La Maree in the 8th: Boy this Golden Oldie has really come back!

 

6.8 La Maree, 1 rue Daru in the 8th, 01.43.80.20.00, is a place I last went to with Colette and a great local friend, MF, a good 20 years ago. It was a special place then, charming, good, reasonably-priced and I don’t know how and why we fell out of love with it.

But we did and I’ve passed it many times and wondered how it was doing. But nobody seemed to talk about it much and the prices seemed to creep up (the Pudlo 2009 gives the lunch menu as 65 € and a la carte 140.)

In looking at said Pudlo, I see he mentions its transfer from the Trompier family to the Blanc stable but it wasn’t until Francois-Regis Gaudry called it the "address of the week" two weeks ago that I took notice. The price alone caught my attention – 35 € for three courses (29 for 2), morning or night.

It’s the same old place, same old voiturier, same old glass windows. But the food, John, boy! The amuse bouche was a potato soup with chestnut bits, bland enough but a classic for pre-fish stuff.

My eating partner and I glommed on the same dishes and had ample tasting of all six. He started with coques mariniere that were classic and good, but I think I scored better with a marmite of shellfish and leeks, including an ample scallop in a terrific ginger and lemon sauce.

Then I had a bourride with three fish filets (daurade, monkfish and rouget) again with a great shellfish sauce and he, two big fat, toasty quenelles with a classic langoustine sauce (they called Daru).

He next chose the cheese which was a smart move; all three, especially the camembert, were excellent quality and perfectly affinated.

Then we finished with a dense chocolate mousse topped with toasted almonds.

Our bill (with coffee, wine and no bottled water) would have been under 100 € if we hadn’t “had to have” some red wine with the cheese. 

Go? Quickly before the big boys blow it out of proportion.

The New Hot Quarters: the 8th and 20th: An archival* essay.

The 8th and 20th both are remarkable arrondissements but for completely different reasons, although the bottom line concerning food is that unless you’ve got bucks to burn (at least in the 8th, faggetabouid.)

The 8th, home to the Palace Hotels, Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees is probably the #1 destination for American tourists. The biggest blockbuster art shows in town are at the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, just recently renovated, is home to a wonderful permanent collection and the little museum jewels, the Nissim de Camondo and Jacquemart Andre are located deep in the heart of the area.

As for walking, I guess at 3 in the morning, going down the Champs is fun, but at other times it seems more like an outside Grand Central Station. No, instead, head out to the Parc Monceau, watch the rich kids cavort after school and luxuriate on a bench or take a tour of the Park, water, grass and nooks.

But food is our focus here so let’s get it out of the way. Since everyone reading this has been or will go to the starred places run by the big boys at the great Palace Hotels – eg Ducasse at Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athenee, Legendre at Le Cinq at the George V, Frechon at Le Bristol at the Bristol and Piege at Les Ambassadeurs at the Crillon – there’s not much to be said, except that regardless of who’s cooking, these places will always be near perfection. Also, one cannot really go wrong at Taillevent, Apicius, Lasserre, Laurent & Pierre Gagnaire no matter when or who’s in the cuisine. But that’s not what makes for a “new hot quarter” in the Wall Street Journal’s definition.

No, they’d be interested in folks taking over more humble spaces and going wonderful things. For example, multi-starred Bernard Loiseau started his tante phenomenon with Tante Louise in the 8th, Catherine Guerraz, for years served up topnotch food at Chez Catherine, cheek to jowl next to Galeries Lafayette before decamping for a bigger bucks and bigger time locale, Flora Mikula moved from her left bank Les Olivades to the 8th, Dominique Bouchet left the Crillon after thirteen years for his eponymous place, the estimable Prunier reinvented itself as a Seafood Bar and Alain Senderens, who breathed new life into Lucas Carton years ago, surprised the world by giving up his stars and establishing a 7/7 reasonably priced re-invention.

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Now though, turning to the 20th, things look quite different. For an area that most of my younger French friends look to for relatively more reasonably priced housing, we’re in a different world. Palace hotels – bah, great rests – I don’t think so, walks and sights – not a lot.

No this is a place to live not visit. And I know since I used to camp out here when a bit younger. And, as well, I used to visit Jim Morrison’s grave in Pere Lachaise every few months for the second-hand marijuana smoke if nothing else. Plus there’s Belleville, which while lacking in great Asian restos (at the level of San Francisco or Hong Kong, for instance) does have nice Asian produce and product.

But for a “new hot (gastronomic) quarter,” I’m sorry. Yes, for a short while there were a few places, such as the Zephyr, that gave one hope, but only with the arrival of Le Baratin and La Boulangerie did solid modernity arrive.

My favorities among the new places in the 8th and 20th:

Senderens
9 place de la Madeleine, 8th (Metro : Madeleine)
T : 01 42 65 22 90
Open lunch and dinner everyday
A la carte from 80-100 €.

Dominique Bouchet
11 rue Treilhard, 8th (Metro : St Augustin or Miromesnil)
T : 01 45 61 09 46
Closed weekends
A la carte about 60 €

Le Baratin
3, rue Jouye Rouve, 20th, (Metro : Jourdain)
T : 01.43.49.39.70
Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday and Monday
A la carte from 28-32 €.

La Boulangerie
15, rue des Panoyaux, 20th, (Metro: Menilmontant)
T: 01.43.58.45.45
Closed Saturday noon, Sundays, lunch in August and other major holidays.
Menus: 16 €, 18.50 € (dinner), a la carte 30-35 €.
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*Since this was written in August, 2006, the 8th has seen dozens of new places open but not many I would recommend. Strangely, my one new “find” is A La Chataigne, a Corsican place.

As for the 20th, precious little of note is new.

A La Chataigne
22, rue Miromesnil, 8th (Metro: Miromesnil)
T: 01.40.07.90.86
Closed Saturday lunch and Sundays
A la carte about 35-45 E

What makes Ze so great? An archival* essay and update.

Why is Ze so great? Let me count the ways.

Every once in a while, a restaurant comes along that is so consistantly great, while still changing its menu with inventive regularity – that you find yourself going back time and again. In the early 1990’s, it was the Bistro Du Dome that was such a place, although it was more consistent than changing; a few years later it was the Bistro Cote Mer; and now it’s Ze Kitchen Galerie. It’s probably no coincidence that all three lean heavily on their fish supplier, since that’s what made and makes, especially in the case of Ze, them sing.

But that’s not the only reason. While I liked William Ledeuil’s cooking and menus at Les Bookinistes, it wasn’t until he moved 50 feet away that I was captivated.

I think the quality of the experience starts with the reservation taker and door greeter. Every resto has the capacity to have “caller ID,” but few do have it (cf La Cerisaie) and fewer still know how to capitalize on it. One of the countless books on what makes a good business, noted that when hotel staff-members recognize you, the customer, it’s an indication of caring and it gets your visit off to a good start. No different with restaurants. (In the spirit of disclosure, while I try to make my first visit to a new place anonymous and accept no free rides, once I’ve reviewed a place and my feelings/judgments are in print, I don’t mind being identified, as long as I continue to pay.)

Then there’s the “acceuil” which can be perfunctory or warm or resentful, but at Ze is always warm. I recall many years ago at Boulay in New York being treated by the maitre d’ like a leper, until the person making the reservation came in and indicated that I was with him - suddenly snottiness turned into relectant acceptance. I blamed David Boulay for the attitude conveyed by his “face” to the world and I hold William Ledeuil equally responsible for ensuring that Ze’s face is warm, welcoming and personally engaging (you feel the “how are you” is genuine and answer genuinely.)

Then there’s the prompt offer of aperitives and prompt delivery of menus, no fussing about searching for available ones, and prompt taking of orders. And watch M. Ledeuil. He usually stands just outside the kitchen entry, like a midfielder able to dash back into the kitchen to show someone how something should be done, finish a dish or help out when the pressure’s high, or move slowly to the front to welcome or thank a regular diner, fix something at the bar or survey the situation. Not one, like Passard, to avoid the kitchen, or Lalanne at La Cerisaie, to never leave it, like Dominique Bouchet, you get a sense that it’s all his domain.

Now, however, to what really makes it great – the food. I can only imagine the hours and days of thought that went into his menu-planning before opening several years ago or the attention that goes into the product and supply ordering weekly and daily but both are integral to the place’s success. The fish is incredibly fresh, it has to be, to prepare so much sushi-style. And the veggies and meat are impecable.

Would that be enough? Probably. But then, what he does with the basic ingredients, the spices and preparations and finally the presentation are all uniquely Ledeuil. It’s no wonder that the Generation “C,” “Le Fooding” and “Le Jeune Chef” bunch see him as a role model for breaking into the next level of French cuisine.

And all the while, that great smile, handsome face and winning manner. If Hollywood needed a prototypical chef for the movies – he’d be my nomination.

Why is Ze so great? I have counted the ways, but I suspect underpinning each is one overwhelming element – M. Ledeuil.

My favorites:

Ze Kitchen Galerie
4, rue des Grands Augustins, 6th (Metro: Saint Michel)
T: 01 44 32 00 32
Closed Sundays.
A la carte 30 €.

La Cerisaie
70, Boulevard Edgar Quinet, 14th (Metro : Montparnasse-Bienvenue)
T : 01.43.20.98.98
Closed Saturdays and Sundays
A la carte 25-30 €.

Dominique Bouchet
11 rue Treilhard, 8th (Metro : St Augustin or Miromesnil)
T : 01 45 61 09 46
Closed weekends
A la carte about 60 €

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Just a week ago today, as Colette and I were settling our bill at Ze, one of the head-guys came over and said he apologized for the first which was being served for the first time that day.  I countered that such great innovations were exactly why we came here - no apologies necessary at all - it was terrific.

*Originally published in July 2006

MiniPalais: The “Choukrounization” of Paris screams oMni: an archival* review.

3.5 The MiniPalais, at the Southeastern corner of the Big Palace, where the Ave Winston Churchill meets the Cours La Reine facing the Pont Alexandre, 01.42.56.42.42, open weekdays from 8:30 and weekend from 10:30-1 in the AM, is Gilles Choukroun’s latest venture and is stunningly beautiful; edgy inside and luxurious columned terrace outside.

I went with my charming (eGullet) France Forum co-host for lunch and we had mixed results. The bread and amuse gueule (a cold brandade) were terrific. Her first, a melon gazpacho, intensely flavored with a clever brandy-snifter stopper of melon ice and a little tartine of OK coppa, was terrific; my mixture of celery remoulade, foie gras shavings and pop corn was a bit too much, and the celery over-salted to boot.

Then she had another entrée, a so-called spring roll of a bunch of raw haricots verts wrapped tightly with microtome-sliced smoked salmon and then thin-rice paper and sliced into 5-6 little wheels – a beautiful presentation with little taste; and I had the tartare of beef (which came MBC, mango-basil-coriander, as did the RFC’s at the Café Very in June) with real fine, real frites and a good salad.

With a nice Marcillac, no desserts but two coffees, our bill was 79 €, which may not sound pricey but which both of us agreed did not meet our price/quality standards.

Go? For the setting yes, but it slips back to l’Angl’Opera-type stuff even more than the Café Very, which if you like, you should go.

* Originally published in September 2007

Le Passage in the 8th: Senderens at his best and worst.

 

3.5 Le Passage, 9, place de la Madeleine in the 8th, 01.42.65.22.90, open 7/7, calls itself a “New York-styled upstairs bar.” I’ve been three times since it opened a few years ago; the first time while eating downstairs to see what it was like; the second time because Colette and I seriously wanted to try it but stuff looked too sushi/curry/etc., so we went elsewhere and today, Lord knows why, after all the mixed reviews (Figaro up, Adrian Moore down).

Now disclosure: I’ve been a fan of Alain S’s since the late 1960’s atl’Archistrate and I even liked my first meal at his newest post-star invention. So despite the fact I’d read about dried out sushi and awful wait-staffs, I went with a clean slate.

First, though, its entrance is most off-putting; whereas on prior visits I’d entered from the main resto, going down the dank passage and being buzzed in was infradig. Then there are the “New York-style” chairs and tables – New York? – I lived there 25 years and I never saw stuff like that.

Next I looked at the carte, expensive, about 45 € for two “small plates,” this is his “second”? The waitguy told me the “menu” and for 36 € I went for it. (Wines were 9-10 € a glass and 25-? € a bottle.) I began with an amuse-bouche of a consumé of langoustines with a crème of celery with a daringly successful jolt of chopped chives; OK, Senderens knows his veggies and (with guys like Bocuse years ago), didn’t have to tell the world he found and used good ones.

Then came something that sure as heck (as Geo Bush would say) sounded like evitée de tomates but seemed like blah sliced turkey or rabbit with nice romaine leaves and dressing. Then came Senderens back blazing full bore – with a poule faisan rollatine stuffed with foie gras on a bed of perfectly cooked mixed wild mushrooms (cepes, pleurottes and oysters) and a peppery brown wine sauce – heaven!

The dessert also was not half-bad but mal-described as a macaroon; indeed the joy was in the incredibly delicious mound of coffee ice cream with pomegranate seeds.

The service varied between out-to-lunch (but I was supposed to be eating it) and talking about last night’s liaisons and attentive and helpful. It seemed incredible to have 3-4 wait-persons serving 7 customers and ignoring them 50% of the time a full 3 meters away. They were making up in professionalism by being enthusiastic, pleasant and energetic. It almost worked.

The bill for the 36 € “menu” and two glasses of passable wine = 54 €.

Go? In this recession/depression, if you’re still travelling on your corporate jet, still gas up 3 SUV’s and have your money in hedge funds – Go! but otherwise wait til we climb out of this hole in 7-10 years.

A La Chataigne in the 8th - a really nice unexpected surprise.

5.5 A La Chataigne, 22, rue Miromesnil in the 8th, 01.40.07.90.86, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, running one a la carte about 35-45 E got two hearts in Figaroscope just before its summer break but I hadn't forgotten it.  I went there with a food writer whose reviews I've been admiring for a while and I think he was surprisedly pleased/pleasantly surprised as well.

I entered to find him seated at the very best front table by the front window rather than in the back of this long narrow railway car type restaurant; sign on table Reserved: Talbot; cool.  It turns out by my reserving only a few hours before I'd secured the best in the house (lesson to drop-inners).

However right off the bat, the sound was a problem, rather should I say, the noise, from workmen spread out all down both sides of the street working madly with jackhammers, generators and the like.  But once we got the door closed, things calmed down.

We both wanted to order the same things, but gentleman that he was, he chose alternatives and we shared a bit.  I started with the terrine of Sansonnet, a tiny Corsican bird I hope is not headed for extinction, like the ortolan, since it was so good.  He meanwhile had Corsican ham and melon that was super product from Zevaco.

My main was a casserole of tripettes of veal a la Corse (tomatoes, onions and potatoes) that was a pleasure and he had canneloni with broccio, tomatoes and basil leaves, equally nice.  We ended with a tarte of chestnuts (another house specialty) and he a soup of Corsican berries and fruits.

He had ordered a bottle of really fine Corsican wine and with three dishes each and coffee, all of which he generously treated me too, the bill he picked up could have come under 100 E a couple if we'd had a less fine wine. (There were wines by the glass and carafe (15 E).

Go?  Indeed, after the demise of the Casa Corse, I'd find this a most acceptable substitute.

Alice Bardet's Boudoir in the 8th - A second winner.

6.5. Le Boudoir, 25, rue du Colisee in the 8th, 01.43.59.25.29, closed Sundays, with a daily special at 16, 3 dailies at 27 but a la carte = 50-60 E, is the second winner of the of the rentrée.  It's labeled on the awning (above) as a brasserie but it's as much like those creaky old Alsatian dumps as her Point Bar resembled a dingy old bar.

I entered with prejudice, as I had always eaten well at her Point Bar in the Marche St Honoré and I expected the same here and was not disappointed (except by the prices.)  The terribly welcoming waitfolk offered me a choice of two floors, many rooms and at least 5 styles of furniture/furnishings - choices, choices, choices.  I choose the innermost as perhaps being the quietest.

The menu looks relatively simple and there are also three chalkboard specials (that this day didn't appeal).  I skipped the fresh girolle starter since I realized I hankered for the (grosse) cut of veal with sauteed girolles.

I was never asked how I wanted it cooked, but lucky guy that I was, it was perfectly under-cooked and smothered, I mean smothered, with girolles, which needed just a tiny bit of salt crystal to achieve the region of the heavenly.  And the thick crusted bread was perfect for both munching on and sopping up the thin but tasty brown sauce.

Then I had a "classic Baba" with endless St Etienne rum and a nice whipped cream sauce that was equally good.  My wine was a Chateaumeillant that tasted of the Gamay of Cher but not over-poweringly so (wines were 20 and up a bottle, with glasses from 5 E).

After coffee (ristretto, how about that?), no bottled water nor as I said, a starter, one could exit for less than 50, but with wine and any of the above, one could get into serious numbers.

If I were a Michelin Man, I would rank their bathroom right up there with Goumard's - 5*'s.

Go back?  For sure, but for the next week, maybe I should quit while I'm ahead.

Les Bouchons de Francois Clerc: Jean-Pierre & Philippe - An Update

Yesterday Colette and I went back to a place a buddy and I ate at not too long ago and loved.
Change #1 No menu anymore at lunch (at least on Easter Monday). Therefore no 3 courses for 28 Euros, which with 1 glass of wine, bottled water and coffee = 33 Euros.
Change #2 Lotsa CRS outside awaiting Tibetan protesters.
Change #3 Chef sat at table in the salle the whole time chatting up his backers rather than cooking or even finishing off dishes in the kitchen.

So we had a somewhat different experience.
The olives, warm bread and wine were all good.
My starter of raviolis of langoustines and greens was great but lacked salt/oompf.
Her bar with roughly-cut ratatouille was - bar=bland, ratatouille=terrific.
My veal was properly cooked and its veggie side of olives, confited citron, baby artichokes, semi-dried tomatoes and sauce was over the top.
The chocolate, touted by our enthusiastic waiter, was in fact a typical moelleux, except over-cooked, so there was very little moelleux and much dried cake.

The bill = 101.90 Euros/2.

All in all, not a bad meal for me, but not good for Madame, she who brooks no lapses. On average - a 6.5 I'd say.