John Talbott's Paris

LaDamedePic in the 1st: Spots of brilliance in a sea of ordinary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.5 LaDamedePic aka La Dame de Pic, 20 rue du Louvre in the 1st, 01.42.60.40.40, closed Sundays (Metro: Louvre-Rivoli) is "the" restaurant of the rentree, garnering rave reviews, so even at menus of 49-120 E I had to see for myself; silly me!  The outside is cool grey - the ultimate understated fascade; the interior cooly red and white with Baccarat water glasses, her own knives and beautiful nappery; and there are perfumed-scented strips for the three pricy "menus" - vanilla, fish and flowers and sous-bois epices.

 

 Carrying out the pretentious theme are two of her own prepared butters with wonderful split rolls; but then wines offered that actually don't break the bank (27 E); however the cheapest of the 4 forced choice menus is hardly a bargain at 49 E.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two of us had el cheapo dejeuner - ha ha - and J. the iode & fleurs.  Thus he started out with two dishes: shucked oysters in a bed of cauliflower soup and jasmine and sardines with wonderfully marinated leeks and green fluff and we had what was called a pumpkin soup but was congealed such floated on a bed of what my chef-friend called pannacotta/custard with bits of coffee grains on top - all three of us agreed it was the winner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the high-roller among us had a farm chicken breast with spinach leaves and orange "flowers" and the two 47% moochers had the supions with - what? - gnocchi - well, it almost worked.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally the big spender had a Poire Williams and violet/licorice fluff and we slackers the myrtilles encased in a shell with a wafer of pure sugar on top and green tea stuff underneath.

With two coffees, one glass of white wine and 1.5 bottles of red, no bottled water and really ordinary mignardises our bill was a  staggering 267 E.  However, to be fair, if one ordered two dejeuner "menus", one bottle of wine and two coffees the bill could come to just 134 E.

So John how did you get to 5.5?  Simple.
8.0 Outside
8.0 Decor
8.0 Nappery, glasses, knives
8.0 Welcome
8.0 Service
6.0 Wine price-quality ratio
4.0 Food
1.0 Noise level
1.0 Food price-quality ratio
1.0 Pretentiousness
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= 5.3 rounded up to 5.5 - you do the math, works for me.

Go?  My friend the free-wheeler said, "Ordinary food, that's all;" so Colette will not be visiting later on.

Noise versus the “sound of silence.”

 “Hello darkness, my old friend,” sang Simon and Garfinkel and I think of that often when dining.

I thought of it as well as I read Francois Simon’s Hache Menu on Wednesday October 17th of Au Moulin a Vent when a table of “over dressed” English folks raised their voices after two glasses of bubbly and Simon’s decibelometre shot up like an arrow – 86…88…90 dB.

Said Simon once devoted an entire article to noise levels in Paris restos and it reminds me of other occasions.

Such as the time four of us took to shouting across a 2-foot wide table to be heard; such as at Saturne’s room under the glass ceiling where rather than compete with the din of ever-rising voices from other diners, we just stopped talking; such as the time when my friend Randy insists that everything in a restaurant counts towards the “total experience” – the welcome, décor, settings, service and efficiency – not just the food as I fool myself into believing.

And when it comes to noise he’s got a point. Katherine Bouton in a recent OpEd piece in the NYTimes titled “Sound Bites (More Noise More Hearing Loss)” said “Even for those with normal hearing, dining and talking are becoming mutually exclusive. Noise is the second most common complaint about restaurants, according to Zagat,….”

Now whatever you think of the scientific validity of the Zagat’s surveys, they may be onto something.

So why do restaurants that are supposed to be in the “hospitality sector,” show this ugly side?

Well, one time a bunch of French physicians and I wound up at the now defunct Totem in the Trocadero and we were supposed to be having a business meeting but could not hear each other because of the loud music echoing off the stone walls.

“Why did you choose this place,” I asked the lead guy. Oh, my secretary said it was very branché and big with the young folks.

Another time we were in a place again with a noise level, just from folks talking, that was earsplitting and I asked the owner why he didn’t dampen the sound – “Oh then we’d lose the charm of the metal ceiling and cool walls.”

And finally we were in a place where the tables were jammed so closely together and the folks around us getting so tipsy and giggly and shouting to be heard that I swear the owner just wanted us to leave fast and turn the tables.

Unfair, grouchy, over-sensitive?

Maybe. But we no longer drop our sous at them anymore, despite the quality of the food. Too bad.

Vivant Cave in the 10th: Back to the future (i.e., La Crémerie with a hint of Racines.)

5.0 Vivant Cave, 43 Rue des Petites Ecuries in the 10th, 01.42.46.43.55, closed weekends (Metro: Poisonierre) opened September 15th and when I looked in the week before I couldn't imagine it would be up and running so soon.  But it was and is.

My friend Paga and I went today, his wife ailing, and it was probably just as well, there being much more for "boys" to eat than "girls."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I am somewhat known to the house of Jancou, they asked what wine we wished to start off with:  Boy, no wine list, only bottles in glass cases, well; "a red eh?;" "strong or with finesse?;" "strong."  But by the way you've got one labelled "In Extremis, is it dead or just very sick?" say I, trying to be witty.  No response except "I'll bring you a taste" - PS it was actually not on its last legs or dead, it was quite alive.  Anyway, they also served the Corbieres La Sorga with a plate of incredibly fine coppa - just like Jancou did at the old long forgotten Crémerie near Metro Odeon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For firsts, Paga had an absolutely first-rate salad of tender pulpe and I the grilled artichoke quarters with carrot and raddish slices, and a fiery pepper sauce - whoa what a start.

Then we both had the stracotto, which my friend informed me, never having heard of it or at least retained a memory of such - was an italian pot roast.  Well that sounded good but I'd forgotten that the French love to cook the deuce out of beef, leaving the meat dry and tough and the sauce full of its flavor.  Yup.  But the root vegetables, which Jancou made famous at Racines, were superb with said rich juices.  To terminate we polished off a slice of what was supposed to be St Nectaire but I don't think was - it was excellant, whatever it was.

Our bill with a bottle of wine, no bottled water and two coffees was 91 E.

Plus anyone who has a not from Alain Passard in their bathroom gets extra points.

Reviews of reviews: The week of October 22th, 2012

Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger gave 3/5 dots to Vivant Cave, 43 rue des Petits-Ecuries in the 10th, 01.42.46.43.55, closed weekends, running about 30 E for items such as pumpkin soup, chicken with cepes and a chocolate dessert ; while Philippe Toinard awarded 3/5 to La Bonne Cecile, 24, rue Notre Dame de Nazareth in the 3rd, 01.42.72.08.92, closed Saturday lunch, Sunday dinner and Mondays, where for about 35 E at dinner or on 15 and 18 lunch menus, one gets leek soup, cod and an apple tarte.   The also announced the opening of a new South-West place – Canard & Co., 192, rue de Grenelle in the 7th, 01.45.51.94.75.

Tuesday in Le Fooding, Matthieu Jauniau-Dallier reviewed Ma Cocotte, 106 Rue des Rosiers in the St. Ouen flea market, 01.40.11.54.14, open 7/7, where for 51 + E one has neobistrot cooking and good wines.

On Wednesday in Figaroscope’s « Nouveauties A La Carte » Emmanuel Rubin gave 2 hearts to the Korean chef’d but Japanese Yoko in the 8th as well as Antoine Heerah’s new place in the 18th, coordinates given before.  The trailing three got 1-heart apiece : Les Novices in the 18th, Le Bistrot de Mauna Loa in the 17th and L’Atelier Artisan Crepier in the 9th.

Figaroscope’s Dossier this week by Colette Monsat, Alice Bosio, Hadrien Gonzales and Francois Simon was on cheesecake, rating the following from 1-10 :
She’s Cake
Jacques Genin
Bagel Tom
Pariseven (ex-Secco)
Berko
Columbus Cafe
Jean-Paul Hevin
Smith’s Bakery
Adele’s Family
Schwartz’s Deli

And again, Francois Simon broke from the theme and went to Comme Chez Maman in the 17th where he says to go.

In his Croque-Notes, Saturday, Francois Simon went to Serge Vieira in Chaudes-Aigues.

In L’Express, Francois-Regis Gaudry reviewed Pirouette, coordinates given before ; Marie-Odile Briet listed Latin american places in Paris and Mina Soundiran covered three fast food places : Chipolte, D’jawa & East Side Burger.

Sunday, Francois Lemarie in the JDD femina very positively reviewed Clandestino, coordinates given before and Aurelie Chaigneau recommended places for kids that included MILK, Les 400 Coups, Quai Ouest & Cantine California.  In addition, in femina, Francois Lemarie wrote of cafes of the « new grind » : Coutume Cafe, Ten Belles, Kooka Boora, La Cafeotheque, Van Hoos & Sons, Le Rocketship, Terres de Cafe & Cafe Lomi and Marie Anne Bruschi wrote up several places to take kids : Au Cafezoide, Au Petit Bazar, Au Cafe Grenadine, Au Pousette Cafe, Au Petit Cafe du Monde Entier & Aux 400 Coups.

Le Gorille Blanc in the 4th: New address, new chef, new look.

5.4 Le Gorille Blanc, 4, impasse Guemenee in the 4th, 01.42.72.03.45, closed Sundays, moved from the 7th over to this (old) Les Cotelettes space with a new look and new chef; it's gotten mixed reviews with Toinard finding his pork chop too dry but Fuffy's review on Chowhound in September came to me when I needed to find a place near my old friend's cabinet in the Marais.

Now, how many places can you eat at that say this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The specials looked great today but the whole carte was equally impressive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grilled mackerel with shredded beets and raifort was fine; I'm not sure the beets added anything and I couldn't taste the horseradish, but it was an interesting combo.  Then we both had the civet de biche with cepes and while I found the biche too dry, game are forever running, right? so they never develop fat, but the cepes saved the preparation.  Finally, after much deliberation we split a croustade ariegeoise with prunes  and apples; it's a light pastry specialty of the Couserans region and was the high point of the meal.

With a bottle of Madiran, no bottled water and two coffees, the bill was 92 E.

Go?  I'd like to hear more positive feedback before I take Colette.  But it's way better than it was in November 2005 when I rated the former chef a 3/10.

Le Montbrillant aka Brasserie Café de la Gare in Geneva: Blustery but between brilliance and busted.

This was my second try at this joint 20 meters from the entrance to the Lyria/TGV to Paris so it’s really convenient.  I came a bit early, it opens for lunch at 11h00, and I scoped the menu, specials and plats du jour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rock fish soup spoke to me; with good reason, it was really rich, flavorful and even through my first effort at floating off an overly saffroned rouille/Gruyere boat sank like Gustav II Adolf's 700 tonnes monster, my second floater succeeded.  So far, so good; tell waiter, got plenty of time til train, no rush – that may have been a major mistake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because my second choice, Little Lac Leman perch(es) sautéed in butter were vastly over-cooked/dry-as-a-bone and the frites accompanying them were vastly under-cooked, rendering the entire plate inedible.

I had a café gourmand as a finale and the crème brulee was terrific and the “brownie” not bad.

With a half bottle of local Gamay, no bottled water, excellent bread and so-so coffee, my bill was an eye-popping 74.30 SWF.  You do the math.

So as we say goodbye to the Swiss Alps. Swiss Glaciers and Swiss Food, the royal we asks "Go back here?"  And the walls echo "Sorry, I’ll do my research for next time, if there is one, and find finer food at better prices near the CCF Station."

Il Vesuvio in Annemasse: Just what the doctor ordered.

After visiting my friend who’s in a hospice unit of a cool rehab hospital on the Swiss side of the border, I was too late for my 20h00 rez at the nearest great resto (Amaryllis) to my hotel  (“No, John, you ate near your hotel, after all you've written about venturing far and wide to eat.”  Yes, it’s true. I confess without torture.)

So off I trudged in the -2⁰ sleet-hail-rain-snow-high wind storm for O Sole Mio, 5 minutes away – sure, it was unfindable and all the drivers I hailed to help me, a white-haired old guy, quickly sped past, afraid apparently of a tall Yankee with a hooded Land’s End winter coat (at least I had anticipated the ghastly weather and brought it.)  So finally I stumbled on a hotel and asked directions and was told it was closed, “why not eat at Il Vesuvio, right next door?  Well, why not?”

And it was just what the doctor (me, not my friend’s) doctor ordered.  Traditionally, while waiting for a pizza I have a plain green salad and this was fresh, with varied lettuces, none with brown ends, and a fine balsamic and EVOO dressing and the usual Italian bread, hey, we’re 60 miles from Italy after all. 

For my pizza I had a spicy salami called Diavola and it was indeed, so much so that I didn’t use the very hot pepper buds in olive oil offered.  Its crust was not crispy like I like but that’s partly my fault because after seeing several come out pallid, I should have said, “hey I’m from the Original Ray’s and I wan’it crisp.”

My bill, with 5 deciliters aka 50 centiliters (why the Swiss and French just over the border do this trick on your mind, is beyond me, but who am I to complain about cultural differences?) of red Nero Avola and the obligatory grappa but no San Pelligrino, was 32 E.

Clandestino in the 12th: “the best revelation of our (6-week) stay,” said my fine food finder friend, with yet another Japanese chef.

7.2 Clandestino, 8 Rue Crozatier in the 12th, 09.80.68.08.08, Closed Sunday and Monday, (Metro: Reuilly-Diderot) was a place on my “list” that I chose solely because it was close to the Gare de Lyon, where I was taking a train to Geneva from, on a dreaded Saturday.

We walked by it and one of us four on a cane said something resembling a curse-word, because there was nothing at #8 but L'Etoile Rouge, which clearly Clandestino was not.  I knew it was an ephemeral resto but gone already?

(Get to the point Grand-dad.)  So I went into L'Etoile and the nice lady said "next door," "Next door," I said "it's an old Yakitori place," "Trust me" she said, so I did. And we entered.

The menu is 2-2-2 but 22.20 E (on a Saturday mind you) but nice offerings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All four of us had the bonito tuna with blackberries, sliced Japanese radishes, and a rich red spicy sauce that the two chefs, one Japanese, the other French, explained was chopped, pureed, cooked, etc with lime and piment but looked all the world like a pomegranate sauce.  It was really, really good and I cannot imagine the Japanese pumpkin soup alternative choice with an egg could have been better, but we’ll never know. 

At some point the French lady we were with asked the French waiter what the French-Japanese-Korean tableau on the wall was and we learned that the last owner of this previously Japanese joint was run by a Korean woman.  Cool.

 

 

 

For mains two of us chose the lamb, which my pal, knowing my inability to tolerate mutton, warned me off of, but no need, it was succulent baby lamb with potatoes; and two of us had the salmon-colored trout, sautéed and skin-crisped with an intriguing sautéed pistachio bit topping and broccoli that was al dente but had been marinated in a secret concoction that made it/them irresistible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, most of us had chocolate mousse described as “light,” which it surely was as well as really being a mocha mousse.  The odd man out had a baked apple with ice cream; boring eh, not at all.

Our bill, with great bread, no bottled water and two bottles of Central Valley (Calif, USA) Cycles Gladiator Syrah and 4 coffees was 152 E, thus 76 E a couple. 

Go?  I’d agree with my friend of 51 years; it was a hellova meal for a hellova price and definitely on Colette’s schedule next month.  But, but, but, Sunday's JDD femina again insists this is a limited time engagement and it will end.  Domage eh?

Le Marloe in the 8th: what a wonderfully pleasant surprise.

7.1 Le Marloe, 14, rue du Commandant Riviere in the 8th (cnr Boetie, the ex-Piatti space) 01.53.76.44.44 (Metro: St Philippe du Roule) was a place chosen by my pal, the guy I call the Real Food Critic (RFC) after several email exchanges in which he called my suggestions - "boring." 

Admittedly. finding it is a bit of a challenge since apparently Christo got here before me and wrapped both streets.

But, I presume Eric Martin, formerly of L'Ami Marcel in the 15th about whom and which, Sebastien Demorand, then at Zurban, coined the word "bistronomique" (and I always thought it was Mon Vieil Ami) whose highly-rated L'Arome has been just down the street since 2006, has thoughtfully put the carte on a stanchion outside so you eventually figure out where to go.

The place really is nice, Randy, and is a cross between Philippe Starke and the New York Athletic Club Dining Room.  The welcome, although they didn't have a reservation in the names of the RFC, his brother or me, the decor, the staff hustle and bustle and piles of Bellota, got me thinking we were headed towards a 7's number today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I started off with what was essentially a terrine of rilettes of Gascon black pork from the Farm of St Gery with terrifically marinated, spicy, herby, tiny cauliflower florettes that were almost more assertive than the pork and wonderful toast; then of all things, a Croque Monsieur of Grandfather Leroy with Paris ham and frothy, foamy strong cheese - "why on earth John? so banal, so childish, so LC, you haven't had one in 55 years, you'll be scorned by your suited UMP neighbors," but no, they had it too and it was astonishingly good like Yannick Alléno's hotdog at Terroir Parisien; and while I could eat no more my charming waitress charmed me into ordering the creme cafe, insisting it would make my day - and it did, swimming in coffee cream with a nutty pastry shell - spectacular.

Between courses the chief guy, who turned out to be the aforementioned Eric Martin, asked me ever so politely and softly if I would mind switching tables to enable a party of four to sit and that got me a small eau de vie, but to be transparent, he did not comp me because I was me, he had no idea until we chatted at the end when I told him how much the RFC would have loved it and Colette will love it next month (Yes Colette I reserved and the scallops looked great).

The bill with a half bottle of wine, no bottled water, fine bread and a coffee was 54.90 E (but they have a forced choice 2-course "menu" at 29 E.)

Oh and as I was exiting M. Martin asked if everything was OK and I said more than OK, superb save the brown butts of the lettuce and he invited me back to the kitchen where the chef Thomas Boullault, ex of the Royal Monceau, pulled one out of the frigo and it was pristine, so who knows?

Go?  Yup, it's yet another wonderful rentree possibility.

La Cave de L'Insolite in the 11th: A nice place albeit not a destination resto.

5.0 La Cave de l'Insolite, 30, Rue Folie Mericourt (Metro: Richard Lenoir) in the 11th, 01.53.46.08.33, open for meals Tuesdays-Saturday all day and Sunday noon, keeps getting mentioned so when best food finder pal said it was convenient to his wife's Pilate's place and he found it "pas mal," I was game.

It's one of these "all-natural" wine places where you pick tghe wine from the bins and for 7E they open it.  My friend and I took one look and could not resist the BBQ showing a hotdog chased by a knife and fork (reminding us of Hey diddle diddle, The Cat and the fiddle,........And the Dish ran away with the Spoon).  A quick Google search (there was no etiquette info on grape or origin) showed it was a Syrah from north of Lyon - and pretty good.

In addition to the carte they had a "menu" of pork and coffee gourmand for 14 E, a world class bargain which my male friend had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Madame started with the burrata and smoked white ham with confited tomatoes, M. the sauteed cepes with pine nuts and myself the so-called terrine (really two potato galette thins) of pig's feet, very slippery and tasty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then M. had the featured pork breast with potatoes and cauliflower, Madame the bar with coco beans, a fennel puree and coriander and I went with the cepes starter as my main.

M. was the only one to have dessert; a fruit salad, rice pudding and mini-financiere and all three had coffee.

With said coffee, 1.5 bottles of BBQ, no bottled water and most excellent bread, our bill was 123.00 E  for three or 82 E a couple.

Go?  If your friend has Pilates nearby or you're on a tight budget, why not?