Les Fines Gueules – Off the charts - An archival review* and update**

Les Fines Gueules – Off the charts - An archival review* and update** 

Les Fines Gueules, 43, rue Croix des Petits Champs in the 1st, 01.42.61.35.41, open everyday. My friend, the RFC (real food critic) called to warn me; this place is really just the old Tourelle under new management (exBistral) and not to expect a lot.

But I did, because Pierrick Jegu in l’Express and Jerome Berger in A Nous Paris had spun me its spin; a presentation of the “best of” products; eg, best oysters from David Herve in Oleron (14 € a dozen), best butter from Bordier, best bread from Poujauran, best andouillette from Thierry Daniel, best meat from Hugo Desnoyers, best charcuteries from Gilles Verot, best veggies from Joel Thiebault, etc., etc.

 

Plus superb wines, Bourgueil from the Bretons (my favorite couple in the Loire), Sologne from Claude Courtois, Cotes du Roussillon from Jean Louis Tribouley, etc. It’s not a wine bar, or bistrot or restaurant or brasserie – it’s all of the above and none of them, it’s sui generis.

 

Now the menu (ardoise) changes every day – I spied the one from yesterday and of course saw that of today and except for the charcuterie platter, they was totally different (tuna, cod, duck, andouille, bourgignon, sausage, riz au lait, crème chocolat yesterday vs beef, salmon, vegetables today). So what we had, will not be there tomorrow, but never you mind, go! We started with two sublime, divine dishes: cold lisettes with a gelee of coriander and veal carpaccio with the lightest of nutty Italian olive oils and 36 month old parmesan.

 

Then we were going to share some charcuterie as a main course (6 varieties) and cheese as the cheese course (7 varieties) but the RFC saw a plate of huge leeks with Iberico ham go by and it was all over; we were hooked. What was better? Tough call.

 

Maybe the chorizo with cornichons, maybe the ham, maybe the St Nectaire. And the 1st white, a Chardonnay, was wonderful, but the second, an Anjou was even better and the third, a Gauillac (by then we were standing at the bar with the patron, sipping out of a bag-in-box) was incredible and unrecognizable – complex, apples and apricots (I hate it when wine mavens talk this way, but it was true) and layers of taste – heaven.

 

Our bill with all that food, wine, coffee, Armagnac, and after-dinner stuff was 121 €. The downstairs room-cum-cave seats 18 and is no-smoking. The only bad sign is that their card gives the telephone number as +33 1, but maybe they gave me that one because I’m so obviously an Anglo.

 

Go again? Are you kidding?, this is the find of the year. It’ll never make the Michelin or New York Times and Colette will love the fish, veggies and desserts.

 

 

 

The re-visit.

 

Today, I ate there with my charming host from the eGullet Society's France Forum and Regional Team, when we found the place we had intended to eat at's kitchen was non-functional.

We both had the hierloom tomatoes not from Joel Thiebault, but a farmer in the south, and they were terrific and tasty.  She had a mozzarella served with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts first and I had the farm pintade as a second.  We thought both were most tasty.

Finally, we shared a pot of chocolate with coconut bits that was also quite good.

Aside from a very pricey glass of wine, I thought this was again an excellent meal and for 94 E with wine, coffee but no bottled water, I'd go back on a Sunday lunch even if the intended place's kitchen is back functioning.

*April 07

**June 08