John Talbott's Paris

La Table d'Eugenie (not Eugene) in the 16th: Surprisingly good, friendly and affordable.

6.3 La Table d'Eugenie (not Eugene), 58, rue de la Faisanderie in the 16th, 01.45.04.12.53 (Trans: RER Henri Martin or Avenue Foch, Bus PC, Metro Porte Dauphine), closed Sundays, has a poster featuring the Wines of France with the slogan Santé, Gaité, Esperance, which is peppier than Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.  Itwas conceived and recently opened by 4 guys:
Francois Rodolphe from the Crillon, Laurent,l’Arpège, etc.,
Philippe Marc from Emile Jung, Alain Passard, Plaza Athénée, etc.,
David Rathgeber from Aux Lyonnais, Benoît, L'Assiette, etc., and
Alain Lac, from La Tour Eiffel.

Another blooger and I went and had sometrouble deciding which of the many choices to have.

My friend went with the menu and started off with three marvellous slices of foie gras with raisin bread which the fig compote and salt crystals set off perfectly; then had a chicken breast with morilles and asparagus that were very good; and topped it all with cheesecake in a glass with a mango coulis.  I meanwhile was most content with a big sweetbread with capers and carrots.

Our bill, with a bottle and 2 glasses of wine, no bottled water and 2 coffees, was 99.40 E

Go?  If over in Embassyland, it's a very pleasant haven.  And so quiet I didn't even pull out my decibel-meter.

Reviews of reviews: The week of April 14th, 2014

Monday-Tuesday in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger awarded 3/5 dots to aforementioned Les Vinaigriers in the 10^th and Philippe Toinard did not rate but reviewed the previously mentioned Dessance in the 3^rd. 

Tuesday in Le Fooding there was a review by Yves Nespoulous of the Restaurant Le Servan, 32, rue Saint-Maur in the 11th, 01.55.28.51.82, closed Sundays and Mondays, run by two sisters originally from the Philippines, the chefesse is the companion of Bertrand Grebaut and trained with Passard and Barbot, running one 16-35 E for items such as a Thai crab bouillon, duck hearts and profiteroles. 

Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin reviewed his usual 5 places giving 2 lips to three of them : the aforementioned Will ; Mangetout, 82, rue Mazarine in the 6th, 01.43.54.02.11, where Alain Dutournier had Pinxo RG, now serving items such as charcuteries, duck parts and a Landes tart ; and Le Tourbillon, 116, rue des Dames in the 17th, 09.83.01.10.81, closed Sundays with menus at 22 (lunch) and 26 E, a la carte 30-50 E for items such as sausage, duck and almond/pineapple tart.  Two others received just one lip : Rossi Le Deli and Le Rubis (where L’Hedoniste used to be). 

The Dossier this week by Colette Monsat, Alice Bosio and Hugo de Saint Phalle was on egg dishes:

Perfect Egg - Paradis

Death Egg  - La Pointe du Grouin

Soft Egg - Eggs & Co.

Fried Egg with almonds and asparagus - Coq Rico

Oeuf Mayo - Flottes

Eggs Eenedict - Benedict

Omelette - Aux Cocottes

Oeuf a la neige - Cafe des Abattoirs

and also an oeuf mayo at the Voltaire.

 

And Emmanuel Rubin in the Hache Menu went to Cazaudehore in St-Germain-en-Laye which he would go to in 1975 but not today. 

Wednesday as well, Heidi Ellison in Paris Update reviewed Chez Dong in the 13^th and L’Alexandra in the 14^th. 

Thursday, in l’Express, Mina Soundiram reviewed three Japanese places in the 9th : Ito, Tsubame and Peco Peco ; while Francois-Regis Gaudry covered the Italian Penati al Baretto in the 8th. 

Saturday in Le Figaro, Colette Monsat had an article on the Maison du Chocolat.

And Sunday in the JDD, Francois Lemaire noted the fact that Chez Graff in the 7^th is one year old.

 

Le Vin Sobre in the 5th: Food OK but lacking soul.

5.3 Le Vin Sobre, 25, rue des Feuillantines in the 5^th, 01.43.29.00.23, closed Sundays, (RER: Luxembourg) is one of those places that since it opened in 2003 keeps getting mentioned as a bio-naturel-etc wine bar open when other places are not.  I ate at its sister or cousin place in the 7^th in 2008 and gave it a 5.2, so I was expecting no fireworks. The menu-carte in interesting and at 34 E for three courses quite reasonable and the wine list is impressive.

I started with a lovely but not thrilling cup of rillettes of mackerel topped with chopped raw spring veggies; moved on to a lovely but not thrilling chuck of lamb shoulder (it being Paques Monday) which was surrounded by fresh spring vegetables (not polenta as advertised at my request); and terminated with a Baba au Rhum with extra rum and a tuile and whipped cream – you’ve got it – lovely but not thrilling.

The bill for a couple with two menu-cartes, a bottle of wine, nice bread and decent coffee and no bottled water would run one 103 E.  dB level = 76.1 and it was packed.

Go?  Not unless it’s Easter Monday and you’re staying/living near the Luxembourg Gardens.

Oyez…! P’Axoa in the 14th: Winner of the Talbott Nicest but Slowest Service of the Year 2014 Award.

5.2 Oyez…! P’Axoa, 118, blvd de Montparnasse in the 14^th, 01.43.27.22.00 (Metro: Vavin or ND des Champs) has been open for 3 years and I’ve drifted past it several times in the past several months, once actually entering and asking how long they’d been open – Ans. 3 Years and then Friday to make a reservation and the “startlingly blonde lady” at the bar looked puzzled when I asked to make a rez and passed me onto the chef, who had great white mustachios and pony tail and greeted me like a long lost friend.  Done deal!

Today was Easter Sunday, so I was pleased to see they had a Pascal menu which looked pretty tempting.  I enter; get the primo table by the window and am serenaded by a “startlingly blonde lady” with a guitar.  Huh.  Sundays here must be Basque Music Day; Cool.

 

The genial host offers me a glass of sangria which came with a basque type pizza/cake which was spectac.

I went with the Easter “menu”,
- two great slices of foie gras mi-cuit with a jelly made with espelette that perfectly offset the sweetness of the foie gras,
- a Basque version of bouillabaisse with an immense amount of fish, moules, shrimp, squid and sauce,
- a tarte Landaise, beautifully blackened in the oven with a scoop of ice cream.

My bill –
Ah Coda – I ordered and we ate tonight – 4 take-out servings of Axoa which my guests really, really liked.
So my bill was 103.20 E but that covers 5 dinners with wine, no bottled water and coffee.

Go?  With Au Bascou on the ropes, it’s not a bad idea.  And yes, that's not a selfie but the chef insisted.

Le Bistrot Belhara in the 7th: Another wonderful fun meal.

Le Bistrot Belhara in the 7th is a place I bestowed a 7.4 on when it opened last fall and i see no reason to alter that.  Colette and I went with the couple that actually "found" it back then - in the space previously occupied by Leo Le Lion - one of their favorite places until the chef took sick.  In any case the carte is impressive and the three others plunged in, but I liked today's "suggestions" which turned out to be most wise.

My friend L. began with a fine terrine with splendid sauteed greens and I had the asparagus with morilles and an egg - well, I was in heaven.

Things came out kinda humbo-jumbo if you know what I mean, with
- a potrine of cochon (crispy and fatty)
- peas with carrots and heavenly strips of ham
- a faux-fillet with potatoes
- potatoes and bacon
- salmon with garlic
- beans with flat leaf parsley and
- the absolutely best dish of the day (unpictured) my crispy outside melting inside sweetbread heart.

Desserts consisted of some Ossau-Iraty, rice pudding with nuts (with a dish of nuts and two unique crackers) and a bowl of French-style marshmallows.

The bill with the best warm bread and butter of the week, 2 bottles and 2 glasses of wine and 4 coffees, was 236.50 E, thus 118.25 E a couple.

Picasso ceramiste et la Mediterranee at the Cite de la Ceramique in Sevres: Wow, 160 Wows! But you'll never go.

Whatever you think of Picasso, or know of his ceramic pieces, you don't.  Sure you saw an owl, a plate, a bullfighting scene and dismissed it/them as one more piece churned out and sold to the suckers to pay off his taxes.  Maybe, but.  This show of 160+ pieces - most never seen before - are serious, playful, straight and clever.  If the show at the GP or Guggie didn't convince that you he was a genius - this one will.

Until May 19th.  And don't let the Seine crossing turn you off - take the Metro to the Pont de Sevres and if you're young walk 10 minutes across or old, the bus 1 stop.  Enjoy!

PS The film in Room 1 is terrific.

Sur Le Fil in the 14th: Boy does Chef Jean-Marie Courtel know his veggies and seafood.

Sur Le Fil in the 14th, midway between Metros Raspail and Vavin, is a place I ate at with trusted friends a few weeks ago and loved, but today with Colette, it, really he, the Chef, Jean-Marie Courtel, ex of Itineraires, dazzled us in ways he hadn't before.  Also dazzling were the flag buntings on the building across the street.

The "menus" are an astonishing 17 and 22 E but the carte (which reserving via LaFourchette gets one 20% off) is even more impressive.  We labored over our choices.

We had, altogether:
- a perfectly sourced, cooked and marinated whole mackerel covered with many tempured veggies, best among them - the spring onions with stalks,
- a quite acceptable (I loved it, Colette demurred) piece of merlu with chopped veggies,
- a plate of what was really an assortment of sauteed and raw, chopped and whole veggies with a confited poulpe on top and
- a rhubarb and strawberry, with a flan, dessert.

Our bill, with a bottle and glass of a Cotes de Blaye that Colette insists that I commend the restaurant on, no bottled water, good bread and 2 coffees, was 83.10 E.

Chido Fresh Mexican Street Food in the 8th: What we've been lacking.

On her way to our lunch at Le Marloe today Elan passed this take-out and eat-in place that's been here for a month or so.  So after lunch we went in and got some chicken and pork, rice, veggies, chips with either hot salsa and/or guacamole.

5 hours later, reheated, it was OK.  Not San Diego, Albuquerque or Mexico City-level, but OK if you live in the 8th and need a quick fix.

Le Marloe in the 8th: "Johnnie, you got this one right."

Le Marloe is a place I've loved ever since I first went in October 2012 and not only for the great, inventive but solidly classical food, but also for its warm welcome and ambiance.  And it was no different today; no sooner had we entered than the sommelière opened the wine list in front of me and pointed to the Touraine and said "Your favorite;" the head waitguy and owner came over with warm handshakes and the chef sent out some divine tartines with pied de porc and Pata Negra.

My friend from down the street had a soup of petit pois with fresh Corsican cheese with an eye-dropped/pipette thing that dispensed Balsamic - very cool - and I had the gambas in panko with a Dubarry mousseline.  My friend turned and said something like "This is really good," as if I'd intentionally pick a crappy place.

For mains, Colette had the daurade royal with vegetables and our guest from a block away had the bar on top of white asparagus; her husband had a second entree - the Brittany crab with cèleri rémoulade and I had (unpictured) several slices of Black Angus beef cooked perfectly (blue) with a rich but not sweet berry sauce.

For dessert, Colette had the floating island, M. had the apple tart with cassis berries and Madame and I both had cafe gourmands with a glass of three wonderful chocolate things (mousse, syrup and who knows what else).

Our bill with two bottles of wine, no bottled water, great bread and one additional coffee, was 246.90 E, thus 123.45 E a couple.

Les Impressionnistes en privé aka Impressionist works from private collections - at the Marmottan until July 6.

Even though I had sworn off Impressionist and Post-Impressionist exhibitions for Lent, I agreed to take my bride to see this show at the Marmottan and am I glad I did.  It was nice to see old friends, even if slightly different from those hanging in well-known museums.

The only problem - the tour groups clogged the narrow passages and I felt like a point guard facing a line of 300 pound tackles.  But I shoved my way through.

3 Wows!