5.0 (10.0 for bar food - 0.0 for hot food) Le Bistro Les 3 Sceaux, 58, rue de la Fontaine au Roi in the 11th, 09.54.27.86.86, (but don't call, they don't answer), closed Sundays (Metro: Parmentier) is a wine bar (unfiltered/bio/and such like) that recently upgraded to a bistro/cave a manger. It's run by the most genial Olivier Aubert who had his hand in various Bodeguita's du arrondissements (IVth, IXth and if I'm not mistaken the XVIIth where I ate with today's victim in January '09).
In many ways I prefer the 5 E kool, tin-milk-buckets covering the ceiling lights here to the zillion dollar Koolhaas indirect lighting two blocks away and Sceaux's (it means bucket, 3 buckets, wine, milk, whatever buckets, got it?) dazzling color to Dauphin's Star Wars look. But there the edge stops.
I entered way ahead of my invitee, on purpose, since I had been unable to rouse them on the phone or gotten a call-back from my phone message and feared they were either closed or overwhelmed by the fawning reviews that have appeared. I ordered a glass of white wine, something I never do and was treated to a very special one, which mein host indicated, came from the very deep-throated, jeans-wearing lady standing at the bar waving at me - supercool.
Along with the shaved sausage, I was all set for a dazzling meal. Until, said host decided to ramp up the really nice classical music to an intolerable decibel level. P.S., I kept my scarf on the whole meal - it was that cold (just like La Cremerie in the old days) and my big shot friend did the same.
They have both a 2/2/2 lunch "menu" (17€) that today featured starters of a fricassee of duck liver hearts and a bacon tart, mains of beef a la plancha and maigre and a cheese board and 6 desserts as well as about twenty a la carte items (running from 14-19€ for mains), and you can mix and match, a nice touch. Plus, I ordered a fine Blaye which M. Aubert poured a la ficelle from a magnum, at a very reasonable price.
My pal, the former RFC, now MC 1 and 2, had the all rabbit/all the time terrine which was pretty good and I had petoncles in a white sauce so nuanced/subtle they were only saved by tasty lima beans.
Then he, after too long a discussion with the owner about pork chops he's had the past week, ordered said chop and I had the maigre, which he said the French call "the poor man's sea bass;" who am I to argue? Both came with a bowl of potatoes and bowl of winter veggies - both of which were great. The meat and fish John? Oh yah, the pork was overdone, dry, dessicated, bonestiff, dead and the fish OK for a poor bloke like me but no great shakes either.
He and I had been eyeing the cheese(s) 18 inches away and went for a plate to be shared: a Mont d'Or, 3-year old Gouda, camembert, goat and smoky Moine - all exemplary.
With passable bread, OK coffee, wine poured liberally, thimbles of eau de vie (offered) and one Chateldun our bill was 80.90 E.
Go? For the wine, charcuterie and cheese, yes; but keep it simple! Or, as my feared TV star bud advised "Stick to the basics."
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