John Talbott's Paris

Garance 2012 in the 7th: A winner by any standard.

7.0 Garance 2012, 34, rue St-Dominique in the 7th, open weekdays, 01.45.55.27.56 (Metro: Invalides) is so cool outside with its gun metal sign with a splash of red, its open kitchen with a rough wood counter for about 6 customers, looking into the kitchen.  The grey stone staircase leads up to a lovely dining area with perhaps 24 covers at tables and 6 at the bar.

There is a  34 E for 3 course menu at lunch (50-60 E a la carte for dinner).  The Master of the Room, Guillaume Muller shook my hand like he truly remembered me from my last visit to L'Arpege 20 years ago and Guillaume Iskandar at the piano chatted up one of our company like he truly remembered her more recent visit, and ours, to Septime not so long ago.

 

 

 

 

They started us off with two amuse-gueules, slices of cured ham with marinated microtomed beets and tiny radishes, and a warm mini-brioche with a soft white cheese and basil-EVOO sauce.  We began with a wine that only a sommelier like Guillaume M. and I could love - named Syrah de Papa.  (Actually one of us had arrived an hour early and they plied her with a fresh tangerine juice, bottled water and white wine to keep her occupied.)

Two of us started out with the soup of mushrooms with petit roses and huge chunks of smoked farm pork and the other two had pink trout, crisp leeks and a horseraddish sauce - delicious both.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point we were inundated by what we ordered and what came with it including one dish intended for the table next to us (hey the staff has been at it only 2-3 weeks); in any case they included a lovely lotte with a "zambiglione" of beurre noisette, veal with potatoes and an anchovy paste (I didn't think they "played well together"), the pigeon special with its legs served separately and slightly later and two dishes of veggies of various fall-winter sorts and pied de porc raviolis which we treated as "family style" dishes.  Delectable.

We passed on the cheese (+11 E) and one of us had a dessert which was included but the other three could not manage shoving it down the gullet.

On the way out we all utilized the bathroom which is an astronaut's dream; the toilet seat raises on entry, there's a control panel worthy of the Mars Lander and the toilet flushes automatically.

The sound level (which Colette insists I take out of my title line) was deafening (85.5dB) at the start with the room full, but after everyone had cleared out about 3PM, we could actually talk among ourselvers.

Our bill, let's just play it safe without the hour delay and supplements and say that for a couple with two lunches, two coffees and a bottle of "Papa" one gets out only 94 E lighter.

Go?  Oh ho, you think I'm not going back soon?

H. Kitchen in the 6th: Yet another pair of Japanese chefs cooking French food. When will it end?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.2 70.2dB H Kitchen, 18 Rue Mayet (Metro: Duroc) in the 6th, 01.45.66.51.57, closed Sunday and Monday; it opened October 31st to the proverbial one hand clapping, but a friend wrote me thusly "A new restaurant about 2 weeks old opened near us -- H. Kitchen.....Reminds us of Clandestino -- 10 tables, Japanese chef, food is as good as Clandestino, lunch of 3 courses = 25 euros, good wines between 21 and 35 euros…….We had the tasting menu at dinner - 45 euros each = excellent, lots of Japanese touches with French main dishes like raw scallops & pied de mouton mushroom soup, mi-cuit bar with Japanese veggie decorations, veal with Swiss chard and small potatoes that tasted a bit like Jerusalem artichokes, cheese,  good fancy tasty desserts."  So had to go, no?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For firsts, our friend who wishes to be known as M. Junkfood, had a tartine of pork foie gras and tete with parmesan that was the best ever, Colette had scallops nestled in a puree of broccoli and an agrume sauce (that she desribed as bland) and I had about the best dish of palourdes I've ever had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains, Mr. Fastie had a shoulder of lamb braised in the style of a blanquette, Colette had cod in a  soup with many small veggies (that she described as flavorless) and I had a magret, cooked blue, with a devilish sauce and mashed potatoes (that were not up to Colette's standards) - I considered the duck,once again, to be one of the best I've had. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For desserts, Mr. McDo had the clementine tarte, Colette the pear with jelly and sorbet underneath a lattice made of meringueand and I a chocolate roll with chocolate ice cream; all three of which I considered way over the standard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With fine warm bread, two bottles of Fronton wine, nummies, no bottled water and two coffees, our bill was 124.60 E or 83.06 E a couple.

Go?  The vote - Mr. Eat-all = 10, me 6.2, Colette way down- she thinks that if she had ordered meat dishes she would have been more satisfied; average 6.2 I declare.  And I say Return and thanks A.E.M.

Le Bistro Urbain in the 10th: Everybody loves it but.........................

4.2 81.6dB Le Bistro Urbain in the 10th, (whose card reads 103 rue Faubourg St Denis but whose bldg is marked #101 and is easily confused with Le Bistro Urbane also in the 10th, where two of our invitees went on my instructions) 01.42.46.32.49, closed Sundays, has gotten super reviews and is super-priced (14.50 E for 2 course and 19 for 3 at lunch, glasses of wine starting at 3.50 E)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The place is really nice looking, has an open kitchen, a nice if blurry menu but things got off to a rough start when i learned they were out of bottles of the three least expensive red wines listed - so I ordered a 50 cl carafe of St Emilion that was quite acceptable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All three, of the five invited, who showed up, had the crisp endives on cooked leek and while the ladies loved it, I thought it so-so.  Then they had the daurade which was OK, but my duck leg was barely OK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point I gave up but cruelly pushed the ladies to order the two desserts, insisting that I would help eat them.  The chocolate cake was alright but the apple tarte did not live up to its usual reputation.

The highlight of the meal - the chalk inscriptions on the chalkboard bathroom walls and ceiling.  Our bill, with a liter and glass of wine, OK bread and three coffees was 80 E thus 53.33 E a couple - the cheapest meal of the year, but one of the ten most disappointing ones.

Go?  Maybe the big boys are right and we three little fish are dead wrong, but I'm not going back to see.

Marloe in the 8th: a renowned repeat revisit.

85.2 dB* Marloe in the 8th is a place I visited about a month ago and thought it so good that I should take Colette to when she came back; and a good thing too.  We were welcomed like long-lost cousins (the host is a boyhood friend of the masterchef I was to eat here with last time and we accepted their warm welcome.)

My first was a dish of panko-coated gambas with a Kikkoman "caramel" and a wonderfully full-tasting cold cauliflower puree.  Ommm, ommm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colette then had four terrific scallops, lightly sauteed so they never reached the rubbery stage, on a bed of pumpkin and shaved parmesan mixed into a orzo-type monsterous rice base while I had a perfectly sourced and cooked piece of Black Angus beef with potatoes,dusted with salt from Maldon (UK) and two sauces; a BBQ and Basque pepper one; delicious.Together we shared a chocolate creme and chocolate macaroon.

With a bottle of Languedoc (no pix, they decant everything here), terrific bread and butter and two coffees, the bill was 126.80 E.

Disclosure: Because of his fond childhood memories of our mutual friend, our host comp'd us to two glasses of wine after dinner.

*the dB ratings are decibel max's recorded on my handy-dandy acoustic sound level meter, an idea Francois Simon pursued for a while.

Les Degres de Notre Dame in the 5th: Another outstanding French restaurant with Japanese chefs.

6.3 66.8dB* Les Degres de Notre Dame 10 Rue des Grands Degres in the 5th, 01.55.42.88.88, closed weekends, was a place about which an astute reader of this blog - Claire - said "Cold day, like the funky rustic auberge decor, in the mood for the Maroccan woman cook's tagine on an otherwise French cuisine menagere menu. Surprise! Japanese staff in the house and the kitchen. New menu, Japanese French cuisine. Japanese chef. Started 10 days ago. Same decor, if possible even funkier."   Well, you gotta try a possibility like this, eh?

The carte is quite impressive, with 2 dishes at lunch at 19 E.  Knowing my two guests, one a sommelier and the other a fancier of fine food and wine, would probably disapprove of the Chateau Martal or Talmar I would order, from, of all places, Morocco, I ordered it before anyone could object - actually, we all agreed it was quite good.

We had four of the starters, sharing them liberally: the oysters and pork cromesquis, grilled scallops, red shrimp and calamari in a broth, soup with seafood and trumpets of death and sardines grilled simply with a large salad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains, our dining pals again insisted that we test the entire offerings so we ordered and shared a magnificent duck with lentils, another fish soup, described as Japanese but you couldn't prove it by me, a cote de boeuf and what I call a rollatine of chicken stuffed with foie gras that one of us thought was the winner - all came with wonderful vegetables of the season.

With two bottles of wine, no bottled water or desserts, slightly doughy bread and the equivalent of 4 coffees, our bill was 121.10 E or 60.55 E a couple.

Go?  Boy, in this location, at this price and with the staff (mostly Japanese) we encountered today, I would insist on it.

*the dB ratings are decibel max's recorded on my handy-dandy acoustic sound level meter, an idea Francois Simon pursued for a while.

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

Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger gave 3/5 dots to the Felicity Lemon, 4, rue Lemon in the 20th, 01.71.32.71.77, closed Sunday and Monday lunch and Sunday-Wednesday nights serving items such as pumpkin soup, veal bavette, calamari risotto and a faiselle with maple syrup ; while Philippe Toinard awarded only 2/5 to the ex-Gagnarian chef at the Intuition Gourmande, 4, rue Petel in the 15th, 01.45.32.58.76, closed Sundays and Mondays with a 19 E lunch formula and 26.50 at both meals, 34 E a la carte for uninspired food such as a terine of ox tail, risotto with mushrooms and chocolate-nut sable.

Tuesday in Le Fooding, Yves Nespoulous reviewed the pizza place – Il Brigante in the 18th.

On Wednesday in Figaroscope’s « Nouveauties A La Carte » Emmanuel Rubin gave 2 hearts to the Japanese Nobu at the Royal Monceau and the Bistro Urbain, coordinates given before.   Mexicaleria, Canard & Co, Vivant Cave all merited but one heart.

Figaroscope’s Dossier this week by Hugo de Saint Phalle and Colette Monsat, was on business places for lunch with foreigners ; it included the following and told which auslanders to take where :
Au Pied de Cochon
110 Taillevent
Terroir Parisien
Maison Blanche
La Fontaine de Mars
Au Trou Gascon
Hotel Costes
Bofinger
Repaire de Cartouche
Le 70
Le Comptoir du Relais
Le Dali
La Grande Cascade
Le Coq Rico
Yachts de Paris
Prunier
Hotel Fouquet’s Barriere
Aux Lyonnais

And Francois Simon went to Chez Georges, which keeps on trucking.

In L’Express, Francois-Regis Gaudry reviewed Les Bouteilles in Nantes.

Saturday, Francois Simon reviewed the Chalet Christine in Tailloires towards which Marc Veyrat casts a benevolant eye.

Sunday in the JDD’s version femina, Francois Lemarie reviewed the Auberge Flora, coordinates given before, while in the main paper, Aurelie Chaigneau awarded 8/10 to Vivant, coordinates given beforea 6.5 to the Chinese Ambassade de Pekin and 7 to the African Le Comptoir General.

Les Novices in the 18th; Another fine addition to Montmartre that is anything but novicial.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.2 83.5dB* Les Novices, 123 rue Caulincourt in the 18th, 01.42.64.71.37, open 7/7, is just around the corner from the Rue Nobel, which is a good omen, although it occupies the space of the former Cafe Arrose, which is not.  When I originally put it on my list it had received mixed reviews, was described by Charles Patin O'Coohoon, now there's a French name for you, in L'Express as between the "années 1920 (suspension Art déco)......" and "l'épuration éthique (tables boisées brutes en enfilade)....." and I somehow thought the Novices referred to the beginning careers of the bistro's team, not the movie with BB.

In any case, it has a certain charm and today (Sunday lunch) was bursting with families at a 6-8 person table in the rear of the resto, other locals, one French couple up/in from the country and a carte that is mouthwatering and quite reasonable, albeit not as much as the weekday formulas of 13.50 and 17.50 E at lunch.  And clearly Cedric Caurette who toiled years at the Hotel du Nord is no novice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colette started with a dish consisting of quartered fresh figs, burrata and slices of Bayonne ham and I had ceviche with pomegranate/grenadine seeds; both with a sauce of OO & Japanese basil - terribly inventive and good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then Colette had the daurade royal on top of black rice and chorizo bits which she again called inventive and I had the beef cheeks that she rightly compared to good pieces of boeuf bourgignon on top of pasta and petit pois.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dessert Colette had her favorite - rice pudding, this inventively made with spéculoos that she called a "whole new take on ris au lait."  With a bottle and glass of Chateau Tire Fe, fine bread, two coffees and even with the kids shouting, a decibel level only up to 83.5, our bill was 98 E.

Go?  Local food, local folks, inventive and on the Mont - what more could you want?

*the dB ratings are decibel max's recorded on my handy-dandy acoustic sound level meter, an idea Francois Simon pursued for a while.

Clandestino is no longer clandestine; it's been found.

77dB* This was my second visit to Clandestino in as many months and just as successful; indeed quite wonderful, all the more so because of it's astoundingly priced 22.20 E 3-course 2-2-2 menu.  The construction above, like the lamp shades, are all "found art' from the street; cool!Colette and I had but settled in, ordered and were waiting for our first courses when the very same young French lady friend I had eaten with four weeks ago tapped me on the shoulder and joined us - coincidence or good judgment?  Whatever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Firsts were a wonderful soup of celery rabe and bonito tuna with radishes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seconds were a lieu jaune with pumpkin sauce, mushrooms and trevise as well as pork with potatoes and carrots; both superb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ended with a lovely creamy chocolate mousse with licorice ice cream.  With a bottle and a half of wine, good bread and coffees, and a decibel level of 77 at its height - we were just fine.  A couple would be 75.40 E.

*the dB ratings are decibel max's recorded on my handy-dandy acoustic sound level meter, an idea Francois Simon pursued for a while.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

John’s Top Restos and Bistros Rated over 6/10 for 2012 coming into the home stretch.

8.3 Masa
8.0 l'Escargot
7.5 Flora, Pirouette, Vivant, Pierre Sang Boyer
7.2 Clandestino
7.1 Volney, Abri, Marloe
7.0 Sens Unique, Le 122, Jalles, Table d'Aki, A La Marguerite, Excoffier
6.9 Les Saisons, Crom'Exquis
6.8 Bigarrade
6.7 L'Office
6.6 Le Bouclier de Bacchus, Terroir Parisien, Axuria, Braisenville
6.5 L’Escient, Cantine de Troquet Dupleix, Le Chemise, Alain Milliat, Pinxo RG, Cabanon de l'Ecallier
6.1 Petit Broc, Semilla, Au Passage
6.0 Clocher de Montmartre, Pierre au Palais Royale, l’Instant d’Or, Stella Maris, Metropolitain (16th), Ecallier Pichet

Reviews of reviews: The week of November 12th, 2012

Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger gave 3/5 dots to the L’Essentiel, 168, rue d’Alesia in the 14th, open 7/7, serving everything from veal’s feet to pot-au-feu and ceteaux to a financier at lunches costing 14 and 17, a la carte 25 E.  Meanwhile, Philippe Toinard awarded 3/5 to the previously mentioned Ma Cocotte in the St Ouen flea market.

Tuesday in Le Fooding, the website gave out its annual awards to :
Fooding de la meilleure table Guide 2013
Roseval, Paris
Fooding d’amour Guide 2013
Abri, Paris
Fooding du meilleur cuisinier Guide 2013
Guillaume Monjuré
Palegrié, Lyon
Fooding du meilleur comptoir Guide 2013
Pierre Sang in Oberkampf, Paris
Fooding du meilleur festin cru Guide 2013
Sushiqui, Marseille
Fooding du meilleur bouillon Guide 2013
Chez Mamane, Paris
Fooding du meilleur bistrodidacte Guide 2013
Les Grès, Lindry
Fooding du meilleur casse-graine Guide 2013
CheZ Aline, Paris
Fooding du meilleur livre de cuisine Guide 2013
Brut de Camargue (Armand Arnal et Bruno Martin)
Fooding du meilleur décor Guide 2013
Pan, Paris
Fooding d’honneur Guide 2013
Kristin Frederick
Le Camion Qui Fume, Paris

On Wednesday in Figaroscope’s « Nouveauties A La Carte » Emmanuel Rubin gave 2 hearts to 3 places that have been mentioned before: Ma Cocotte in the St Ouen flea market, Marloe in the 8th and Noglu in the 2nd.  Then he gave one heart to Amato in the 18th and Stube Verdeau in the 9th.

Figaroscope’s Dossier this week by Colette Monsat, Alice Bosio, Hugo de Saint Phalle and Francois Simon was on places where women chefs reign :
La Dame de Pic
Chez Nanashi
Le Raphael
Yam’Tcha
L’Auberge de Flora
Le Camion Qui Fume
Le Saint James
CheZaline
And their predecessors at : Le Baratin, Casa Olympe, Les Petites Sorcieres, Le Mansouria, Helene Darroze, Chez Georgette & Petrossian.

And, in his Hache Menu, Francois Simon reviewed Des Gars dans la Cuisine,  72, rue Vieille-du-Temple in the 3rd, 01.42.74.88.26, open 7/7 which cost him 134 E for two but which has a 13,50 E lunch.  As for whether to go he replies "Humm? J'hésite mais je dis oui."

In L’Express, Charles Patin O’Coohoon reviewed Les Novices, 123, rue Caulaincourt in the 18th, 01.42.64.71.37 with formulas at 13.50 and 17.50 at lunch and a la carte 19-35 E, open 7/7, serving ceviche, sausages, beef cheeks and a tart tatin ; and Marie-Anne Bizalion reviewed les Gamins in Marseilles.