John Talbott's Paris

L'Ecailler du Pichet in the 8th: Little sister holds her own quite well.

6.0 L'Ecailler du Pichet, 68 Rue Pierre-Charron in the 8th, (Metro: FDR) 01.43.59.50.34, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, is the new offshoot of the Pichet de Paris whose awning says Pichet de Paris:Ecailler so one can be excused for drifting into the wrong place, as my dining partner did and as my host thought I'd reserved at.

Its next-door older sib is referred as both a "Brasserie atypique" and "la mythique brasserie du quartier" by different websites - go figure! - and has the same offerings, as much as I could see. 

While waiting they gave us a very nice portion of teeny tiny shrimp which we ate with a passion.

It was tempting to try the seafood platter for two at 60 some Euros but I elected instead to have three Belons N⁰1 while Madame rested her oars.

 

My Bay Area friend ordered the fish marmite in a bouillabaisse fashion, which got them off the hook of rotely duplicating this classic Marseille dish, and allowed them to provide a rich broth with lots of scallop corals and potatoes along with an unidentified white fish (all quite tasty), while I had the roasted sardines with fleur de sel which I found more tasty when scraped off.

She, admittedly pushed a bit by me, ordered the baba for dessert and it was fine with a taste that was either really smoky rum or a hint of cinnamon, it matter not which - it was very good.

With one apero, a bottle of fine ever-so-slightly-chilled-properly Brouilly and two coffees, our bill was 104 E.

Go?  For the 8th/Champs-Elysees-seafood-type places, I'd say it ranks as highly as one could wish.

Bigarrade in the 17th: A new chef, new items (for the most part) and new feel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.8 Bigarrade, 106 rue Nollet in the 17th, (Metro: Brochant) 01.42.26.01.02, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays has been under the control of a new Japanese chef - one Yasuhiro Kanayama - ex of Le Bistral up the street, since February.  The front is still minimalist, the interior lit by those hanging lights Colette hates and the bathroom features drawings of branches that look all the world like shadows.  There are two differently priced lunches and dinners and a wine-pairing for an additional 20 E.  We had plenty with the 35 E lunch, even though the ten plates were "small," I cannot imagine stuffing in more. 

As under Christophe Pele, it's a "forced" or "surprise" menu and the plates (with identifying announcements in French or English, roll out one after another after the amuse gueuele of the only holdover from the old carte - foccacia with tart strong great Napoliatan olive oil.  Rather than detail each, here's the cavalcade:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A strawberry/foie gras concoction, marinated fish with microtomed cauliflower, razor clams with petit pois and apricots, PAUSE at this point my cloth napkin fell on the floor and was immediately replaced - EARNING A POINT - then barbue with carrots and orange slices, veal with cabbage (the only dish not special), a pineapple granite, a creme, a cube of mango on things, some milk ice cream with black olives [sic], chocolate tart, and (whew) vanilla almond macarons.

With a bottle of a terrific L'Erèbe which was non-vintage Loire but gutsy and tasty, no bottled water and one coffee our bill was 115 E.

Go?  Goodness yes.

FAQ: When to walk out.

Earlier this week I was lunching with a new lunch partner and she mentioned a place she’d eaten at recently where the wait-staff told her various things were no longer available on the menu but she couldn’t request substitutes – so she walked out.  Which I would never do – well, not entirely. 

A few weeks ago, in an almost-empty restaurant, I waited 10 minutes (on my feet) to be seated, then 10 minutes until I flagged down one of the incredibly large number of waiters for only a few tables to get a menu, and 10 minutes for the wine list, only 10 minutes later to be told they were out of it (in the day of print your own in 10 minutes).  I figured this was not my or their day and certainly not “ours” and I exited. 

Now I understand that and maybe that of a couple who entered a well-known but very small place near my barber in the 4^th where one must reserve since there are only about 20 covers.  The couple gave their name, were seated directly and given menus which they couldn’t have perused more than 5 minute when they stood up and left.  I looked at the front-room lady whom I know from eating there rather well and she and I gave the universal but still Gallic shrug – “Go figure.” 

Too expensive? 

Too few choices (nah)? 

Too little they really hankered after?  Who knows?

Now the reverse of this occurred at the Maison de Charly when back in the days when we occasionally went out to dinner, I asked Colette to accompany me.  She wasn’t hungry and on scoping the menu said “I’ll just have some wine and watch you.”  “Sure?”  “Yes.”  So I ordered for myself and the wine and the guy looked at her and said “For you?”  “Nothing, I’ll have a little wine and watch him.”  “That’s impossible, you must order or we cannot serve him.”  (NB the restaurant was nigh-empty and there was no crowd on the street clamoring to get in.  So up we got and chastened ourselves off to a far more friendly place I had as a backup, as I always do in case of power-failures, chef walk-outs or ovens blowing up, all of which have happened to me.

I suppose there are a host of legit reasons for walking out, including an impossibly surly staff, water dripping on you from the A/C condenser, with no other tables free, inedible food, everything on the menu crossed off since it’s the day before the August holidays, etc., but I can count the number of times I have walked out on one hand. 

I tend to be able to rationalize a bad course; “Oh well, the next one cannot be this bad,” “Everyone else seems happy, I’ll just poach a bit of theirs,” “There’s always dessert, how can they screw up ice cream,” “We’ve already ordered and my back-up is a schlep,” or “How bad, expensive, small, etc., can it really be?”  “There are four of us, do I really want to move the circus?”  So I invariably throw good money after bad.

If the prices are mind-blowing, well; The venerable and largely loveable New York Times once wrote up a place in St Germain en Laye and Colette and I drove there for a Sunday lunch (on our way to Normandy) since the Times said the “lunch menu” was available weekends as well as week days.  Well, fact-checkers are long gone and we were staring at staggering prices.  Solution; order one dish and glass of wine each and repair to a café for coffee (standing.)

A La Marguerite in the 1st: Go early and often.

7.0 A La Marguerite, 49 Rue Berger in the 1st (the old Atelier de Berger space), (Metro:Les Halles), 01.40.28.00.00, open 7/7, is a place I immediately crossed off my "list" after seeing prices like "at least 51 E" and "47-70 E."  Sorry, out of my league & readers' as well.

But like Mireille Belleau in "French in Action" I stripped the petals off the daisy (marguerite), "it calls me, it calls me not" and decided after reading the fine print that they had

a 29 E 2/2/2 formula that it was worth it for the last meal of my old buddy crashing my pad.

It's a wonderfully elegant setting and the

amuse gueule of marinated ceviche-like daurade royale with cucumbers was a terrific start.  Then we both had the tataki of salmon with wasabi and greens whch again was terrific.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then he had the carrelet with green beans and I had the magret de canard with mushrooms and a wonderful intriguingly flavored sauce.  Both were most tasty and not only based on good products (as those at an offshoot of Les Fines Gueules should feature) but very properly cooked and tastefully plated.

With a bottle of wine cleverly labelled Matin Calme (sans temps), extraordinarily-crusty and tasty bread, no bottled water but two coffees and nibbies, our bill was 88 E (and still would have only been 108 E with dessert).

Go?  As I said, like voting in Chicago, one should go early (lunch) and often.  At dinner it's a whole other deal or deal-breaker, as the case may be.

L'Office in the 9th: Challenging Ze and Spring for constantly changing and creative cuisine.

L'Office in the 9th is a hot, new, bistro-restaurant that could easily now rest on its laurels, slack off service, raise prices and downgrade products, but no, Kevin O'Donnell keeps kicking it up a notch.  I went today with two women who seem to use L'Office as their office or at least office cantine, since they've been here tons more times then I.  The greeting we got was on a par for what The Queen of England is now receiving and I was honored to be with them but puzzled why the reservation was in my name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The firsts were impossible to choose from but my partners had the thin slice of watermelon that almost covered the plate, with feta and cucumber on top and I had the almost-raclette-like scamorze cheese with raw zucchini (remember, Kevin toiled at Del Posto), a gamba and two sauces, one tomatoish.  These two dishes have to have been two of the best ones I have and shall have this summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then for mains, the ladies both had the tuna , almost (but not enough for me) raw on the inside, cooked on the outside with vegetables, while I had a starter as a main - a crisp-skinned piggy delight with girolles and an egg of all things on top.  If I described the latter as divine I would be doing it a disservice. 

For dessert, two of us had the superb strawberry tarte with creme anglaise and (I think) basil ice cream.

With a bottle and a glass of wine, no bottled water but three coffees, our bill was 106.40 E or 72.27 E a couple.

Go?  ALERT - Now open Monday-Saturday, so please do.

Reviews of reviews: The week of May 21st, 2012

Monday-Tuesday in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger gave 3/5 dots to the Japanese Cantine Bis in the 2nd and Philippe Toinard gave the same 3/5 dots to the Italian Sassolini in the 8th.

Tuesday, in Le Fooding, François Lemarié reviewed the Restaurant Le Suisse La Txalupa Le Madrid in St Jean de Luz.

On Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin reviewed and gave two hearts each to two places: first, the aforementioned Bigarrade but with entirely different choices (as is their practice), and well as Les Rillettes, 33, rue Navarin in the 9th, 01.48.74.02.90, (open now only at night) closed Sundays, with comprehensive formulas at 12.50 and 15 E for lunch and 26, 31 and 36 E at dinner for items such as herring, quenelle de brochet and a vacherin with strawberries.  Then he rated three places worthy of 1 heart: La Librairie, 2, rue Duban in the 16th, 01.45.20.50.23, closed Saturday lunch and Sunday dinner (brunch Sunday noon), running one 35-45 E for a foie gras terrine and mackerel and a cote de veau; La Favorite, 4, rue de Rivoli in the 1st, 01.42.78.56.48, open 7/7, with pricy items such as a 17 E club sandwich as well as Caesar salad and veal Milanese; and the Italian Enzo & Familia in the 1st.

In the Dossier this week, Hugo de Saint Phalle and Colette Monsat wrote about the where to eat in the 9th:

Arola
Aspatinette
Les Saisons
Big Fernand
Bo Man Cafe
Kiku
RAP
Carnet de route
L'Office
Pantruche
Braisenville
Le Garde Temps
Hotel Amour
Maison Mere
Les Affranchis
Plus: Les Coulisses Vintage, Casa Olympe, Greenpizz, Rose Bakery, Yoom, Supernature

This week’s l’Express continued its coverage of the Riviera/Cote d’Azur during the Cannes Film Festival, listing 12 good “addresses” plus reviewing the Hotel Belles Rives and the Mirazur.  Francois-Regis Gaudry, however, also covered La Tute in the 9th,  at 7 rue Rossini, 01.40.15.65.65, which he called “Top!” and where for 25-35 E one can have duck hearts, tempura of octopus, pork belly and cheese – all in Pyrenees-style.

Saturday, in his Croque-Notes, Francois Simon went to Jean Luc Tartarin in Le Havre.

Sunday in the JDD, Francois Lemarie covered Semilla, coordinates already given while Aurelie Chaigneau went to A La Marguerite (ditto) 7/10 and returned to Chez Grannie (6/10) 27, rue Pierre-Leroux in the 7th, 01.47.34.94.14, closed Saturday noon and Sundays, with a 3-course menu costing 34 E for octopus, salmon and a strawberry millefeuille.  This is the place some may recall, that in 2008, Francois Simon urged us to go to so chef Naoto Kitamura would not die from the lack of custom.

Degas' Nudes at the Orsay: A real block-buster

I've been meaning to get to the Musee d'Orsay and the double excuse of my friend being in town and my wish to try their superb restaurnant propelled my visit today.  Except for the crowds, there and in the "new" Impressionist/etc., galleries, it was quite impressive.

A solid 3 Wows!

The restaurant of the Orsay Museum: Always wondered what it was like, didn't you? (Pix under construction)

5.7 Restaurant Eliance Orsay, 1 Rue de la Legion d'Honneur in the 7th, (Metro: Orsay or Solferino) 01.45.49.42.33 (but don't bother, they don't take reservations), open for lunch except Monday, for dinner only on Thursday) has been here since 1900.  So what's new?   Ahhh, nothing.

Except that Figaroscope listed it as one of the most beautiful dining settings in Paris last September and featured its sister place (the Cafe Campana) pictured directly above, when it opened in November, and I thought then that one or both might merit a visit, since so many of us go to the Orsay regularly.

And indeed it was.  The "menu" is quite reasonable (16.50 E) and even a la carte is about 25-40 E.  Before coming I had cruised the Cafe Campana and while it's a nice cantine with a "Hugo"-type clock, it didn't have the 1900 look.  You know, eating with Marie Antoinette in Versailles and all that.

My dining partner and I both started with the 9 E Vichyssoise which was really different and good, and not only because I have had any in an eon.  It had a hint of some spice or herb, sorrel maybe, and morsels of savory strips at the bottom.

Then he had another starter, a terrine of foie gras and poultry and I two very adequate pieces of quite drab rouget which came alive with the bitter orange rind accompaniment.  Both dishes were served with a load of fresh spring vegetables - microtomed beets and carrots on a pumpkin puree for him and peas and pasta nuggets in broth for me.  Both were super.

He ended with a creme caramel with mango and Szechwan pepper on top that I thought was incredible.

With a bottle of Cotes du Rhone, no bottled water but two coffees, or bill was 97.10 E.

Go?  Yah, why not, especially with the Degas Nude show on til July 1st.

Le Bistro Marbeuf: A Metro (the food store) sandwich*.

5.0 The Bistro Marbeuf, 21 rue Marbeuf in the 8th, 01.47.20.94.80, open 7/7, (Metro; aw faggedaboutid; #80 bus to Montaigne/Francois 1 is just dandy), is a place we all have passed time after time, and finally received some notice, somewhere, for something and got 4/5 targets on Trip Advisor (as my buddy the chef said, "when #3 is Little Breizh and #9 is the Bistrot Lorette, what does that tell you?") 
It tells me "Caveat Emptor," and I went with my old friend from the West Coast who is crashing at my flat for a few days and has high standards but was just off the plane and thus taste-bud-challenged I hoped.  Hey, remember, it was Saturday lunch, Judge, and I'm sticking with my story. Anyway, we were warmly welcomed by the enthusiastic front lady and seated at in the primo spot looking out on the street and looked back in to the very, very bistroish interior and it was pretty cool.

He had the salmon and I the crevettes with avocado that had absolutely the right degree of ripening (unpictured) and both were pretty good.

 

 

 

 

 

Then he had the broiled gambas with salad and I the quenelles de Lyon (it promotes itself as a Lyonnais resto, and sure, I could have played safe as some readers want me to, but hey, I was on a roll).   Well, we came acropper of Metro frozen/thawed, industrial stuff; the gambas were soggy and nigh-inedible and the quenelles like none other I've ever had, and that's not a compliment.

My friend had the apple tart with caramel sauce and ice cream which I thought redeemed the place but he was not so sure did.

With a bottle of Brouilly, no bottled water and two coffees, our bill was $93.60.

Go?  Not with Charbon Rouge (open 7/7) a few feet away.

*By "Metro sandwich" I mean OK fresh stuff surrounding thawed mushy stuff.

Eat Intuition: It's not easy being green.

5.3 Eat Intuition, 53, rue de Charenton in the 12th (Métro: Bastille or Ledru-Rollin), 01.43.46.12.94, open Tues-Sat dinner, Thurs-Fri lunch is a place that has got scant attention and I think I've figured out why.  But more about that later (gotta watch the sexism here).  The chefesse is Venezuelan but she's passed through the Houses of Bocuse and Brazier for what that's worth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The food-loving lady I was with and I had a tough time choosing among the 3/2/3 items offered today; oh, it's all market-driven, locavore, green as green can-be stuff; but both of us had had enough lox the last 24 hours, so she finally settled on the Sucrine lettuce, artichokes poivrade, watercress and Cesar-salad-dressing and I had the 8-hour seiche which was filling in for the 5-hour pulpe.  She loved the salad (again, gotta watch the sexism here) which I thought was nice for an OK salad but at 12 E a bit much; however my cuttlefish with an almost ceviche lime sauce was worth every centime of the 13 E I spent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains she had the Carnaroli rice with pesto and asparagus and basil leaves on top and supposedly old Gouda which I could not discern, and I had an OK piece of Breton cod topped with rocket, with a so-so broth and peas that were definately not petit and shitake mushrooms.

Both of us terminated with a sable filled with rhubarb and Gariguette strawberries which was the highlight of the meal for me (9 E).

With a bottle of terrific Corbieres (Chateau du Cerbier, cuvee Indiana - huh?) and two more glasses of lesser house wine, 2 coffees and tap water, our bill was a stunning 118 E (Supposedly there is a menu at 37 E but it was unseen by us.)

Go?  Well, my co-eater and a famous female Parisian food blogger sitting behind me seemed to enjoy it much more than I and so I will bring up the gender issue, noting that in at least two reviewers commented about the women who make the food, supply the wine and enjoy the food; you judge whether that means it's "women's food."