Le Grand Mericourt in the 11th: So disappointing.

 
2.0 Le Grand Mericourt, 22, rue de la Folie Mericourt in the 11th, 01.43.38.94.04, closed Saturday and Monday lunch and Sundays, is a place I've had on "my list" since it opened last spring/summer. 

 
It has a really cool website, interesting sounding food and its chef and front room person come from the Plaza Athenee.  Pretty impressive eh?

 

I arrived, literally breathless at 14:15 having run much of the way from the Gare de Lyon where my TGV, for the second day in a row, was extremely retarded (and on the same plain, outside Bourg-en-Bresse) - makes you think doesn't it?  Anyway, my rez was for 13:15 or so and I feared I'd be forced to eat at a local Asian or brasserie spot, so I'd rehearsed my plea - TGV crumped, best of intentions, all the way from Geneva to be here, so looking forward to it, etc., etc., etc.)  Not to worry, except that they could only serve me three from the entree and two from the main list.  OK, that's fair.

 

So let me ask you dear Reader, what would you choose between the parsnip soup, egg in aspic, and duck foie gras - I wanted the langoustines, but settled for the veloute.  OK, well, almost OK, ah, not quite OK, and the bread, from ex-Ducassians, was pathetic.

Then the choices were daurade royal or lamb chops with polenta, which in this country is taking your life in your hands, so what would you do?  I did the daurade and it was really really blah.

At this point, with a screaming kid, screaming 10 feet away, screaming non-stop, with none of the four females at the table able or willing to intervene, I decided to have no more food but sit sipping my wine while I tuned out the screaming kid; cool, zen, calme - enter the zone - ahhhh - scream - feel the peace - ahhhh - scream.  It almost worked.  Nothing on the dessert menu really turned me on anyway.

The bill, for two courses and wine and no bottled water, dessert or coffee was 42 E; well, it costs money to have all these Ducassians; three in the kitchen and two in the salle, for 7 adults and one screaming kid.

Go?  The food was very disappointing and I realize that one screaming kid is an aberrance; but I was taught that in France, dogs and children only ate out if well-behaved as opposed to the barbarian Americans who take their wild animal children anywhere, but my kids and grand-kids were taught from an early age - "restaurant voices, guys, in the restaurants."

Comments

[Marc Cosnard des Closets]

I have been eating at the Grand Mericourt twice a week since it opened in January 2009 (not last summer) and only the chef is an ex-Plaza Athenee, the front of the house is a Ze Kitchen Galerie alumnus. Not sure what you mean by taking your life in your hands with lamb chops and polenta in this country??? In all your dining you've never had a good lamp chop in France, or a good polenta?
As you may or may not know there is a 35 hour work week in France and restaurants do not stay open with full staff unless they have diners. Good restaurants like LGM won't stoop to serving just anything to make a buck hence the abridged menu featuring only what the chef was willing to serve at that late hour.

I hope you'll try again and maybe blame the SNCF and some enfants mal élévés for your distress.

[Nikki Field]

I am really surprised to read your negative post about Le Grand Mericourt. I have been a regular customer since their opening in 2008 and have found the food to be always inventive, delicious and amazing value. I have recommended this restaurant to friends and colleagues both local and from abroad, many of whom are hardcore foodies, and have heard nothing but excellent feedback. Unlike many Parisian restaurants, the service too has always been welcoming, which is proven by the fact that you were given a table at 14.15 when the kitchen closes at 14h. I would strongly suggest you give it another try, perhaps arriving in enough time to really enjoy the full menu.