Les Deux Stations in the 16th: A blast from the past crawling with denizens from the present who dress like they're in the future.

 
5.2 Les Deux Stations, officially listed as located at 131, bvd Exelmans in the 16th, 01.01.46.51.89.19, open 7/7 (Metro: Porte d'Auteuil) - but also as you exit the Porte d'Auteuil Metro station you are gob-smacked by the red sign of the restaurant/cafe across the bvd Murat at its other side- is it a bus station, a gas station (one of which is next door) or what?

And what were we doing here so far from home?  Well, while I'd read Rubin's review in May 2010 I immediately forgot it because he gave it one/four hearts.  Then, idly surfing stuff one day I came upon what Figaroscope's readers thought - four/four hearts - whoa!  What's going on here.  Hence the visit.

 

 

The Exelmans side has an enclosed smokers' paradise terrace full of 16th-types, nicely outfitted with unmatched metal chairs and cool iron fittings and the interior bar and main room looks straight out of a truck-stop in the 1950's (the likes of which I haven't seen dining since last year at Aux Routiers).  There's lots written on mirrors, in particular a 15 € lunch menu weekdays but also a list of their own reasonably priced wines.

My dining partner today, the award-winning cookbook/foodbook author and I both glommed onto the fried small fish starter, which we both knew would be eperlans and much too much in two portions to finish, so why didn't we order one portion?  Fools.  But they were good indeed.

 

 

 

Then she had the blanquette of veal and I had the parmentier with confited duck which I foolishly requested be served without the mashies, but realized came as an unpryapartable ensemble, so I just separated out what I wished and that was fine.  Both were standard bourgeois truck-stop fare; much too much again but nice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dessert, she chose the chocolate mousse and I the pain perdu, both (again) much too much but good and truck-stop quality.

Our bill was 85.50 E, with blah bread, no bottled water, two coffees and their cheapest Bordeaux (not the Talbot, which was 59 or was it 69 E?)

Go?  Well, I wouldn't urge you to trek out there to a Bertrand group (they of Lipp, Angelina, La Gare, Charley Birdy and ohmygawd - Quick) truck-stop place unless you were going or coming from the Parc Des Princes.  But it was fun.