"Grey is the new black and Afaria is the new Spring.
6.9 Afaria, 15, rue Desnouettes in the 15th, 01.48.56.15.36, closed Sunday and Monday lunch, is the new Spring, i.e., everybody is talking about it, l’Express, Figaroscope, A Nous Paris, etc. Well, I can see why. The RFC and I had lunch on a dreary fall day, in this dreary area near Convention, where there are almost more pretty, pregnant ladies than in the 11th, and we actually talked as much about the food as about the pulchritudinous scenery.
I showed up in black jeans, tee and leather jacket, he in a grey tee, jeans and black wind-cheater, and he quickly informed me that grey was the new black, OK, but he agreed that the new black was also black. This place is another funny (in the good sense) blend of new/old, Basque/world, light/overwhelming, exciting/reassuring food that I found below at Pierre Au Palais Royal.
I entered a bit early and on every mirror was written the wines, by the glass (4 E), 50 cl carafe (8 E) and bottle (you name it) from all the regions plus Sunny-land. Being Amurican, and knowing that the RFC always got delayed doing some act of Christian charity or diverted by some slug in a wine bar (it turned out to be the latter), I ordered a ½ of the house white – not bad, not bad at all.
I said the place was funny; there’s a menu with groupings of three dishes (1st, main, dessert) for several rubrics (Sud, voyage, small plates, things for two to share and noble, not Nobel, dishes). Except for the nobles, it runs one 19 for two to 27 E for three dishes.
Then there’s an ardoise of 14 “tapas” – everything from peppers to potatoes. Plus there’s a plat du jour for 15 E, which our day was a huge piece of fish (I thought it was fowl it looked so tempting) on tarbais beans.
Like Ze Kitchen Galerie’s confusing list of planchas, etc., one just orders and they work out the math. OK, we started with three “tapas”, much too much, the fried accra (cod) balls in a cone were very good, the duck hearts in a garlic/parsley sauce had to be tried but the chipirons, fried, yet again, {in what I always thought was a Northern (Flemish) sabot} were divine.
The two old guys next to us were so impressed they had to ask “What dat be?” Oh yes, the bread, albeit Banette, was edible. Then we had a “dish to share” (listed at something like 10.50 E,) incredible falling-off-the-bone confited pork spare ribs with a wonderful side bowl of fall veggies (carrots, leeks, parsnips, turnips, onions, cabbage – a meal in itself.) Stuffed, we repaired to the huge shared table for 8 at the front by the bar – I suspect because the RFC thought he could cop a smoke there, but no, so we repaired outside to two of the, I would guess, ten seats to finish our, what number, bottle of wine, coffees, pear and almond cookies. The tariff – I kid you not – for much, too much, very good food and wine – 110 E. Any detracting element?; yes, the old (my age) Americans taking flash photos of all their food.
Should you go? Well try Spring first, but after you get rejected (don’t take it personally), come here."
Originally published in October 2008.
Update: March 15, 2008. Three of us ate here for my third time and Colette's second and it's doing just fine. We had five tapas: chipirons, porky skin, shrimp, duck terrine on toast and the most divine bouillon with scallops, lemongrass and ginger (
Ze class stuff); seconds included an echine of pork and a shoulder of pork (cooked in the oven first, then toasted on the cooktop), and a so-so dorade and artichoke puree (cooked in a ramekin); ending with a Basque baba with Armagnac, two green apple digestifs and coffees. The bill = 147.50 Euros.
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