7.0 La Villa Corse (Rive Droite), 141, ave de Malakoff in the 16th, 01.40.67.18.44, closed Sundays is the recently opened twin of its 15th Arr sib but according to the general manager, serves lighter food.
It can run one 40-60 € and wines run from the 20’s on up but it also has a 25 € lunch menu with two dishes and a generous glass of wine, that my guest, the VIP food writer (more later) and I had. It reflected the much larger carte but was representative of its essential contents.
My fellow diner ordered a soup of tomato and oranges with a quenelle of brocciu that was very, very tasty and I had a pressé of beef layered with carrot and turnip strips that had just enough jelly and had a sauce that set it off perfectly, alongside was a nice salad; then we proceeded to a veal stufatu with teeny tiny potatoes and black olives and two strips of perfectly cooked daurade on tomatoes, greens and spicy parsley; both superb.
She finished with an olive and walnut financier that was good and came with ice cream and some fruit. The usuals – tapenade on toast, 3 breads, coffees and mignardises - were all excellent.
Oh, the décor: Lord, my guest and I separately arrived at the same impression, although I said it was halfway between whore house red and elegant velvet and she thought the latter was more like late Corsican mafia housing. The downstairs book-covered room has low chairs that don’t allow someone of my height to sit without his legs crossed in front; the cigar bar on the right has couches and the main room and balcony, wicker-type chairs and banquettes with lots of pillows. (The no smoking section is off to the left on entering; one must ask, esp since the place is packed; I originally sat on the balcony and was assaulted with tobacco smoke finding its way north; realizing there was no ventilation, I requested to move.)
When we finished I turned to her and said, “We’ll never come back, no?” and she said “Right.” “Why?” “The lack of warmth,” added to the rawness and boredom of waitstaff (one waitress looked at her watch more than once) and the stuffy-proper 16th clientele. But the more I think back on it, I think I will. There wasn’t a misstep.
The bill? John? I knew I was leaving something out. Well, my famous-enough to be recognized co-diner so charmed the general manager whom she’d recognized from the Closerie de Lilas, where he’d worked for 10 years, that he comp’d us to the dessert and coffees, so I figure what was a 56 € addition should be more like 76 €. Still and all, not at all bad for this quality food in this fancy neighborhood.
A. Yes
Recent Comments