Le Cornichon in the 14th: Good comfort food in a nice area.

 
5.5 Le Cornichon, 34, rue Gassendi in the 14th, 01.43.20.40.19, closed Saturdays and Sundays, Metro: Mouton-Duvernet, opened quietly last summer but I noted that it was chef'd by a second to Stephane Jego at L'Ami Jean and it's been creeping up my list despite Rubin's cutting comment that the service was "Poli mais perdu."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had some business to conduct with a friend/colleague who works not 12-17 minutes away so I thought it was ideal.  He started off with a gaspacho he deemed just average, no big deal, but my quickly warmed sardines in olive oil with shaved raw fennel were more than nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He then had a very nice piece of cod (cod seems to be really good this spring/summer) with lima beans and I had the braised melt-in-your-mouth veal with peas and cherry tomatoes; a nice combo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally my friend had the pears and I the creme brulee, both OK and your basic comfort food, perfect for the first cloudy day in a while.

Our bill, with a bottle of wine, no bottled water and two coffees (and quite decent bread) was 95 E.

Anything wrong?  Yes, when an entire office staff entered and took the long table and started talking the noise was deafening but luckily their food arrived promptly and I and my friend were able to conclude our business quite successfully.

Go?  As I was finishing my coffee, an American Professor on sabbatical introduced himself (as I encourage everyone to do) and indicated that he lived not far away and this was one of "his places."  I think if I lived here, it might be too but to cross town for it is a bit of stretch.

Comments

[Madame Tut]

What do the French call "comfort food" or "stick to your ribs" food? Thanks

[John Talbott]

I did not know the answer so I emailed the expert, Sophie Brissaud, who's filming in China and authorized me to quote her thusly:

"There’s no concept or term for comfort food in French. It’s really an Anglo thing.

Not that the idea does not exist, but there’s no definite words for it. The French will use a periphrasis like “cuisine qui réconforte”, “réconfortant”, “plats de famille”, etc.

When you want to say that something sticks to your ribs, you say “ça tient aux côtes” or “ça tient au corps”. But that’s rather remote from the idea of comfort food.