John Talbott's Paris

Matisse, Dance and Tents at the Pompidou - Not just repetition, masturbation and transition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, let's get the dance film that's all the buzz out of the way first.  Yes, there is a film of a lovely young woman writhing around in oil (one presumes EEVO) and beginning to pleasure herself - so what?  This is high art.  And you're forgetting the Matisse, Josephine Baker, Isadora Duncan, etc., up to John Travolta; an astonishing survey in still and moving pictures of dance in the 20th century.  2 Wows!

But the reason I went to the Pompidou today was for the Matisse pairs and series which like Monet's haystacks, bridges and churches, are really quite interesting in a cumulative way.  As opposed to Monet, who painted the same thing at different times in different light-situations, the Matisse's here show a reworking of the same images in sometimes astonishly different ways.  1.5 Wows! 

Finally, as I entered the secret FOPR (President of the Republic) Entrance I saw a sign saying Preview of Transitions and indeed just over the gift shop, where the old gift shop used to be, were a bunch of illuminated tents like they pass out to the homeless here, around which were marching young kids, which I supposed symbolized something. Negative Wows.

Le Gaigne in the 4th: the old Alain Passard (salt) problem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Le Gaigne, in the 4th, is a place we go back to time after time and have never found any fault (until today, but more about that later).  We were warmly welcomed, as always, by Aurélie Gaignon and had a splendid veloute of radish-top greens, a clever terrine of all sorts of veal (liver, kidneys, etc.) and some Pic Saint Loup.  Also let me apologize for the sh**ty pix, a result of low lighting, shaky hands and others "helping" me out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains M. Paga had the pintade which was just fine but the ladies scallops and my St Pierre were over-salted and that really took the bloom off the rose unfortunately.  I explained same to Madame and she graciously offered me a new main but I really didn't want/need one and so she supplied our later coffees without charge.


Desserts for the ladies comprised a moelleux and a lemon tart both of which were quite good.

The bill, with two bottles of wine, no bottled water and the 4 coffees offered, was 194 E, or 97 E a couple.

Go?  I'd say yes.  After I got home I refreshed myself with the provenance of chef Mickaël Gaignon and saw that while he had passed through the Houses of Gagnaire and Anton he was never trained by Passard to lay on the salt so maybe this was a "one of" [sic].

Le Chemise in the 11th: I quote x3 "this is one of the best I've ever had."

About a month ago I ate at Le Chemise in the 11th and declared it "Presque Parfait."  And today I went with Colette and our oldest Anglo food-finder and neighbor and did very well indeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For starters, my friend Paga and I shared the just crispy-enough, sauteed squid with shredded sweet red pepper and the crispy croustillant of duck confit with lotsa salad; both wonderful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then Colette had the special of the day (13 E) raie grenobloise (eg classically) with the best damn potatoes I've had in a long time (#1); Paga had the lamb's shank with veggies in an intense black-brown sauce that was and I quote "one of the best I've ever had" (#2) and I had 4 ballotines/rollatines of chicken wrapped around spinach which needed a boost of salt but came with Dauphinoise potatoes, that for me, a non-potato-head, were quite fine.

My two eating partners then each finished with the moelleux of chocolate which was even better than it was a month ago.  Again my pal stamped his foot, slapped his thigh and said "this is one of the best I've ever had." (#3)

Our bill with two bottles of a Costieres de Nimes (no pix because it/they were decanted), no bottled water, and 3 Nespressos (plus an amuse gueule of green olive tapenade that was "couldn't stop eating it quality") was 121.80 E, thus 81.20 E a couple.  (Disclosure= the guys were treated/comp'd to a shot glass of Calva; a nice touch.)

Go?  I keep warning you; eventually this place will be "found" and overwhelmed - so go now when it's cosy, friendly, all-French, excepting the Anglo-speaking staff, and unaffected.

Neva Cuisine in the 8th: most impressive (again).

We ate again at Neva Cuisine in the 8th and once again were quite pleased.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The firsts were beautifully presented and tasting; sliced ormeaux (abalone) on a bed of pureed asparagus with asparagus and a toast with a sour cream like topping that perfectly offset the blandness of the gastropod molluscs; sliced raw scallops with citrus; and a rondelle of foie gras with toast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our mains were a slice of St Pierre on rice/risotto; lard slices with vegies; and a huge chunk of crispy-on-the-outside sweetbreads with a puree and chopped sauteed mushrooms on an intense brown sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For desserts we had their (by now) delicious classic deconstructed sphere of chocolate, a wonderful chocolate with caramel and a millefeuille.

With a bottle per couple of the Ardèchian red, no bottled water, a nice amuse gueule of guacamole and bread sticks, good bread & butter and three coffees with no bottled water, our bill with supplements for almost everything, was 98.16666666 E a couple.

Spring in the 1st: A new wrinkle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, Daniel Rose never ceases to surprise and amaze at Spring in the 1st.  Today, Colette insisted I shoot the flower arrangements but I was equally taken with the batch of pleurottes Daniel Eddy aka Daniel 2 was working on as well as the green asparagus Daniel 1 was peeling; both appeared soon on our plates.

The array of firsts was enough to get any meal off to a roaring start; huge oysters, an urchin on a bed of pureed Jerusalem artichoke, scallops and the classic halved radishes with salted butter.

Then a big lovely sauteed langoustine tail on a bed of green asparagus with juliened white asparagus slivers and herbs.

 

At first when we were asked whether we'd prefer guinea hen or sweetbreads for our mains, I thought it was a joke, but no, for the first time since I've been coming, there was a choice and since all four of us tried both, which both came with a delicate anchovy sauce to the side, I must say, I'd be sorely tested to say which was better.

 

 

 

 

As usual, though, he offered ample desserts; poached pears, yogurt with pistachio, lemon tarte and a mini-Pavlova.

With two bottles of Le Vignoble d'Elian, from the Côtes du Marmandais, no bottled water, his fine rolls, superior butter and four coffees, our bill was 244 E, thus 122 E a couple. 

L'Office in the 9th: Another (successful) American in Paris.

Gene Kelly has nothing on Kevin O"Donnell at L'Office in the 9th; he's landed on the ground of the 9th running and has been getting great reviews since I came here October 31st with Paris' most successful Yankee cook.  It's a joy and pleasure to see (PS Everyone today at lunch except for our table was Francophonic and the joint was jumping and full).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two of us started with the white and green asparagus with a soft-boiled egg and I had a carpaccio of turbot with EVOO, melon (were they?) balls, sliced giant radishes (I think) and other veggies  with an avocado puree - quite fine all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains, two of us had the chicken with (get this, crisp'd croutons & pureed chicken livers), parsnips and other veggies; and the other two had the veal butts with pois, advertised as petit but really quite grand, and carrots. Colette thought the chicken was outstanding!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For desserts we shared a panna cotta with mango cubes and a financier with pear, nuts and a caramel sauce.  Again, quite nice.

Our bill with two bottles of a Cotes du Rhone, a bottle of their own filtered water, fine bread and four coffees was 157.20 E, thus 78.60 E a couple.

John’s Top 20 Restos and Bistros for 2012 entering Springtime.

7.0 Sens Unique, Le 122
6.9 Les Saisons
6.6 Le Bouclier de Bacchus
6.5 L’Escient, Cantine de Troquet Dupleix, Le Chemise, Alain Milliat
6.1 Petit Broc
6.0 Clocher de Montmartre, Pierre au Palais Royale, l’Instant d’Or
5.9 La Classe
5.8 Pantruche
5.7 Dernier Metro, Catherine Reed
5.5 Coq Rico, Marie & Louise
5.2 Reparate
5.1 Mirama

For a contrasting view, here are Emmanuel Rubin’s top 22 ones:
8.5 Coq Rico
8.0 L'Arola
7.5 Alain Milliat
7.0 L'Instant d'Or
6.5 Albion, Cantine du Troquet, L'Escargot 1903, Cave Schmidt, L’Affable, Maxan, Les Saisons, Lengué
6.0 L'Escient, La Vieille, le Chemise, Au Clocher de Montmartre, La Coloniale, Pizzeria di Rebellato, Sassolini, L'Éclaireur, Le Vide Gousset, Top Chef à L'Alcazar

 

Ze Kitchen Galerie: Can it get any better than this?

Ze Kitchen Galerie in the 6th is such a treat to go to; warm setting, warm welcome, warm food and warm bill.  We went with two locals who despite being food experts, had never been.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ladies both had the barbue carpaccio with a tart agrume/mango sauce and acidic mini-clementines; M. the "ministrone" with beef raviolis, artichoke condiment and wasabi and I had the fregola, bouillabaisse sauce, grilled squid and kalamangi - all super and shared liberally.

 

 

For mains, M. had the tempura-type crab; Madame the chicken with Thai curry and Sancho-Mostardo (whatever that or those are); Colette had the mackerel with asparagus and Kumquat/sesame and I had the lamb confit with miso-chorizo - whew!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M. Ledeuil "offered" us some sliced pineapple and mango as a predessert and then we all sort of shared a helping of white chocolate icecream with wasabi.

Our bill with two bottles of Mas de Mare wine and an additional 4 coupes of champagne "offered" was 216 E, thus 108 E a couple.

Reviews of reviews: The week of March 19th, 2012

Monday-Tuesday in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger gave 3/5 dots to the chic tapas place Arola in the W Hotel, described previously, while Philippe Toinard wrote up and gave 3/5 dots to the gastro-brasserie-surrounded Axuria, 54, ave Felix Faure in the 15th, 01.45.54.13.91, open 7/7, which on a 22 lunch formula, 26 dinner and 40 E a la carte serves an amuse bouche of Jerusalem artichoke, oysters, over-cooked ray and an offering of desserts.

Tuesday Patrick Astor in Le Fooding reviewed the Algerian Chez Mamane, 27, rue des Cinq Diamants in the 13th, 01.45.89.58.87, opening evenings only, running one 16-35 E.

On Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin reviewed his usual five places, giving two two hearts: Yannick Alleno’s Terroir Parisien, 24, rue St-Victor in the 5th, 01.44.31.54.54, open 7/7, which can run one from 20 to 50 E for langoustines in jelly, a matelote and a classic dessert of Provins as well as Team Sassolini’s Da Nilo in the 8th. Garnering ¼ hearts were: Le Pot des Vins, 36, rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs in the 1st, 09.53.84.21.19, closed Sundays, a wine bar featuring terrines, a faux filet and lemon tart for 40-50 E; the “meats of the world” Bang, coordinates given before in the 10th where menus are 14 and 18 at lunch and 22 and 27 at dinner for pumpkin soup and fancy hamburgers and the neobrasserie Le Zinc, 8, rue de Hanovre in the 2nd, 01.42.65.58.95, closed Sundays, with a 23 E formula and 45-50 E a la carte for eggs with spinach, chicken and a bavette and fries.

The Dossier this week by Emmanuel Rubin gave his ratings on the spring’s offerings, as follows:
TOP 3
Coq Rico: 8,5/10
L'Arola: 8/10
Alain Milliat: 7,5/10

BISTROTS
Albion: 6,5/10
Cantine du Troquet: 6,5/10
L'Escargot 1903: 6,5/10
L'Escient: 6/10
Cave Schmidt: 6,5/10
La Vieille(6/10)
Le Sot L'y Laisse(5,5/10)
L'Intention(5,5/10)
L'Accent Corse(5,5/10)
Louvre Bouteille (5/10)
Christ Inn's(3/10)

NÉOCLASSIQUES
L'Instant d'Or: 7/10
L'Affable: 6,5/10
Maxan: 6,5/10
Les Saisons (6,5/10)
le Chemise(6/10)
Le Dodin

BOBOS
Au Clocher de Montmartre: 6/10
Les Toqués: 5,5/10
Monsieur: 5/10
L'Oiseau sans tête: 5/10
Lengué: 6,5/10
La Coloniale: 6/10
Pizzeria di Rebellato: 6/10
le Sassolini, (6/10)
Il Circolo, (5,5/10)
la Pizza d'Anita, (5,5/10)
L'Autentico(4/10)
Gyoza Bar(5,5/10)
Naritake

MODE DÎNETTES
L'Éclaireur: 6/10
Le Vide Gousset: 6/10
Top Chef à L'Alcazar: 6/10
Le Camion qui fume: 5,5/10
Flottes & Go: 5,5/10
le Blend(5,5/10)
le Big Fernand(5,5/10)
le Cabinet de Curiosité Culinaire(5,5/10)

And Francois Simon went to Caffe in the 8th.

This week in l’Express Francois-Regis Gaudry wrote up the previously mentioned W Paris-Opéra aka Arola, Les Grès in Lindry (Yonne), and Andrea Petrini reviewed Le Palégrié in Lyon.

Saturday, Francois Simon reviewed Le Casse-Cailloux in Tours.

Sunday in the JDD Francois Lemarie reviewed l’Office in the 9th, coordinates given before, while Aurelie Chaigneau reviewed and awarded 6.5 to Classico Argentino, 6 to Bollynan and 6 to Coinstot Vino in the 2nd.

Atao in the 17th; "the" perfect Sunday place.

Atao in the 17th is a oyster/shellfish/fish place in the new Bobo-happening/hotspot on the Right Bank, a few blocks from the huge development which was supposed to be Delanoye's shining city on the hill, the Olympic 2012 Village, stolen from us by Perfidious Albion's dastardly Prime Minister who undermined our effort by actually lobbying the Olympic committee himself - I mean, this is shocking, he actually chatted them up.  How unfair!  So as a consolation prize, it will be bigger than "the City," housing at least 3,400 apartments, 140,0000 m2 of office space for the new Palais de Justice de Paris and the Direction régionale de la Police Judiciaire as well as (it is rumored but denied) by the new French "Pentagon".  Too bad Bigarrade didn't hold on a bit longer, but no matter, Atao is here.  BTW, Atao is named for the Breton word for eternity not Atao-san, the Japanese chef, and it's the ideal place for a Sunday lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For starters, the ladies both had the langoustines with salad - nickel; M. le chef had a carpaccio of daurade which he, an exacting critic, found very good; while I had sauteed squid which were crispy and delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains, Madame the chefesse had the bulots and a plateful of steamed veggies from Alain Passard; Monsieur the chef had the pot au feu of coquillages; Colette had a bass ceviche and I the laquered mackerel, nicely smoked like the Japanese do eel.   All were happy campers.

The rest of us were too satiated for dessert but our intrepid chef-pal soldiered on with a baked apple.

Our bill, with two bottles of wine, one of water, two coffees and very fine bread, was 187 E, thus 93.50 with a serving of bulots and 1/4 bottle of wine left-over for supper.