6.0 Le Pré Salé, 9, rue d’Argenteuil in the 1st, 01.42.60.56.22, is in the old Argenteuil space, which scared me a bit, but I figured that despite its location at the very angle of the street’s, a dose of feng shui would have cured its curse. But I was also hesitant because it only got 2 hearts from Emmanuel Rubin and his “2-hearters” can go either way, in my experience.
But, despite (1) its space’s curse, (2) the fact that it was empty when I entered and only attracted three other customers subsequently in the midst of Japanese tourist and French business-person heaven, (4) has only been reviewed in Figaroscope, and (5) had “Summer in the City” followed by Stan Getz playing on the hifi (Chopin’s Etudes came on much later), things went well.
The amuse bouche was a pumpkin soup (yet again) but this time was bouillon not cream/butter-based and was pretty good. I then had a fabulous nage (OK, cream and butter played a part here) of coques, teeney-tiny mussels and non-frozen shrimp – all fresh and good and well-cooked, followed by a layered masterpiece – a bottom round of smashed potatoes, foie gras de canard on top of that and then a brochette of poached pears laid along its top. Divine.
But then I tempted fate by having the tarte Normande which was only so-so.
The menu was 29.50 € for three courses; which with a bit of wine gets you out for 42 €. If I had it to do all over again, however, I would have skipped dessert and taken the 23.50 € menu with two courses.
A couple more comments: the bread was horrid – soft, soggy and without a crust of note; the pré sale the day I was there was not meaty but fishy; and the furniture was very, very cool.
*Originally published in November 2006.
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