John Talbott's Paris

Le Casse Noix in the 15th: A dear old friend.

Le Casse Noix in the 15th is a place we used to go to after it opened, but fell off the radar screen not because of any fault(s) but just because the rush of new places shoved it aside.  So last week, Colette, having heard several current reports, said "Hey John, why not?"  Well, why not?  The menu is as interesting as ever and if you can't read it, you need new glasses.

For firsts Colette liked her salmon Tartare and fennel salad with a very nice dressing.  two others, habituees of the joint, loved their mackerel and leeks; and I was not displeased with my poelee of mushrooms and poached egg.  To suit our sort-of-supreme friend's wine tastes, we had a bottle of very nice white Cotes du Rhone which he decalred was "just wet enough."

For mains, Colette chose another entree,  a scallop risotto dish ; our friend had rognons; and the two of the rest had the quail - all really good bistro fare.  We three "reddies" switched to a Bergerac.

Fo dessert, we indulged in the rice pudding with caramel sauce and floating island ("loved it") and cheese and nuts.

Our bill with a tad more wine to finish off the cheese and a few digs as well as 3 coffees (offered), was 234 E - thus 117.00 E a couple.

 

An Amsterdam Adventure: Art 10 - Ambiance 9 - Food 5.2

So, avid readers want to know wha'happo't'me from Friday to Monday; Simple Answer - We went to Amsterdam to meet up with our oldest Grandchild, the ever charming V. an avid artist/writer who is studying in London for a semester.  (lucky for us!)

 

The highlight of my visit to the Netherlands this weekend was our visit to the Gemeentemuseum in the Hague, which despite my many trips to Holland, I'd never seen.  Last week I read in Le Figaro about a special exhibition featuring  Mark Rothko in the museum that houses more Mondrians than anywhere  and was intrigued by the inter-relationship of the two.  After being blown away by the Rothko's, I indulged in the Mondrians, but was absolutely knocked over by the permanent collection, which was unexpected.  This place is a relatively undiscovered Art Deco treasure.  3+ WOWS.

Chronologically, we'd actually gone first to the Stedelijk (the modern art museum, forgotten in the cultural row of the Rijksmuseum, van Gogh and Concertgebouew) after which, having viewed the special exhibitions of Marlene Dumas and Bad Thoughts, which I thought not much of, I thoroughly enjoyed the permanent collection.

At this point I was pooped and V. & I retreated to our hotel, the welcoming but narrow-stepped and drunken Brit-infested Titus Hotel while Colette went to the Van Gogh.  After 10 minutes of rest I went back to the Van Gogh.  I was not  blown away by the architecture(and the 2nd floor was closed!) but  I was impressed by the new addition to the museum,  blossoming outside - a sort of Disneyesque roller-coaster/Chinese Olympic bee-hive structure in the making.

Next up, the King or Queen of all museums in Amsterdam - the Rijksmuseum, whose collections we all know and before whose Rembrandts, Vermeers, Steens & Hals we bow down.  I shouldn't have been surprised, but the Nightwatch is as crowded as the Mona Lisa is here.  But I was surprised by the airplane on the 3rd floor with its appropriately surrounding modest collection of modern art.  After enjoying the paintings, Colette visited the doll houses and took photos of the ship model for our grandson.

To top it off we went to the Rembrandt House/Museum in Amsterdam and the Mauritshuis in the Hague both of which my knees found unfriendly despite their lovely, terrific recent renovations.

So John, the food, what about the food?  Ahhhhh.......

 

Well, first off, because we were staying at the Hotel Titus (named after Rembrandt's son which had the friendliest staff but steepest stairs possible) and while numerous friends gave us resto recs all over the city, we did what all dumb tourists do and I advise all on Chowhound France not to do, we ate around our hotel and the Leidseplein a block away; the highlights being:
- the Peking duck at the Taste of Culture (126.75E for 4)
- croissants and coffee at the dazzling Art Deco Cafe Americain (28.50 E for 3)
- counter lunch at La Place in the new Library (Openbare Bibliotheek) with most spectacular views of Amsterdam (8.90 E for me)
- dinner at the Royal Thai (116.10 E for 4) - good giant shrimp
- dinner at the Dosa South Indian Restaurant (99 E for 4); great mango chutney and giant shrimp
- breakfast in the Centraal Station Grand Cafe (26.60 E for 4)

- lunch at the Cafe Restaurant Schlemmer (46.65 E for 3) in the Hague
Not so great were:
- breakfast at the Satellite Sports Cafe (42.50 E for 4)

Most disappointing was:
- Sama Sebo's rijsttafel (79 E for 4)

Le Clou de Fourchette in the 17th: A game fix well-delivered.

7.3 Le Clou de Fourchette, 121 Rue de Rome in the 17th, 01.48.88.09.97, closed Sunday and Monday (Metro: Rome, Villers, Pont Cardinet on buses 31 and 53) is not named after a nail a fork hangs on but Christian Leclou its artisan cuisnier.  We went because my friend P. needed his fall game fix and we four others were game.

Only one of us had a starter - a soup of watercress and foie gras; the rest of us enjoying the amuses of salmon rilettes on toast.

So Colette had the scallops with leeks -  not great, flavor was lacking!  The rest of us went for the game; a half a grouse, lievre a la royale and canard sauvage - all with potatoes, vegetables and figs - quite special.

Our desserts were ices and sorbets, seasonal fruits and a big baba (unpictured).

Our bill, with 2 bottles of wine, a Ricard, Badoit, 2 old prunes, 3 coffees and good bread, was 274.60 E or 109.84 E a couple.  dB level a tolerable 72.8.

Go back? - next game trou.

Le Jardin d'Hiver in Chantilly: A simply simple & wonderful meal.

7.2 Le Jardin d'Hiver in the Auberge du Jeu de Paume, Chantilly (RER & SNCF: Chantilly plus taxi), 03.44.65.50.00, is the second restaurant to the 2 macaroon Table du Connetable in the 4-year old hotel.  it's a wonderful setting practically next to the Jeu de Paume of the Chateau where we had earlier visited (see above).  Our old pals from down the street started off with a glass of wine and Ricard while Colette and I ordered up some Bordeaux; all with fine olives, nuts and toast with zippy red sauce.

The firsts were spectacular: a warm terrine of sweetbreads and wild mushrooms in a rich, thick sauce.  Both were finished off by two chefs who entered the room to perform such preparation.

For mains, Madame Friend had the daurade which she liked but didn't rave about; the rest of us us had breasts of duck which two of us did rave about; and Colette alone had a chocolate/caramel tarte which I raved about.

Our bill with the two aperos and 2 bottles of wine, superb bread and butter and two coffees, was 132.50 E a couple.  dB level 67 dB.

Go again?  I suspect next visit to the chateau we certainly will despite the long wait between 1st and main courses.

 

Fra Angelico, Botticelli....Chefs-d'oeuvre retrouvés at the Jeu de Paume in Chantilly: Quite wonderful.

Fra Angelico, Botticelli....[Lippi, Leonardo da Vinci, etc.] Chefs-d'oeuvre retrouvés at the Jeu de Paume in Chantilly is a quite wonderful show of some stunning art.  It consists of some 30 real and about the same number of virtual works of 14th and 15th century Italian paintings of Florentine and Sienese painters of the Quattrocentro, from the Condé Museum’s collection (plus Philadelphia, the Vatican, Budapest, Anvers & Cherbourg) and with an exceptional exhibition: “Fra Angelico, Botticelli…Rediscovered Masterpieces”.

3 Wows!

L’Oiseau Blanc in the 16th: View 10, Décor 9, Welcome/Service 8, Food 1, Scarry Bees -1, Chairs -2 = a horrible price/quality ratio.

1.0 L’Oiseau Blanc in the Peninsula Hotel (rooms from $1490) in the 16th (19, ave Kleber, Metro: Kleber, 01.58.12.67.30,  open 7/7, 2 courses = 57 E, 3 = 69, 4 = 99, coffee 8 E) opened August 1st and the first date I could book lunch was today, 2 months later, and they kept leaving the most annoying telephone messages asking me to reconfirm as if it were the Elysee Palace.  The view is stunning, Sacre Coeur and all that, as well as a replica of L’Oiseau Blanc (that disappeared in 1927, 2 weeks before Lindy did it in the opposite direction, but no mention of that here of course). The porch faces the Eiffel Tower and we chose to sit outside in perfect sunny, cloudless weather – but the chairs were most uncomfortable and the bees, to which Colette is allergic, were a distraction.  The menu is a forced choice 2-2-1 one, so we sucked it up and ordered.

The firsts were “salads” of pieces of salmon and cooked leeks and King crab with sliced raw mushrooms of Paris in a tasteless jelly.  Not a great start.

Then Colette had pollack with an unexciting side-dish and our guest who is well-known to the house and I had some of the best faux filet I’ve ever had with forgettable sides.  Dessert was another forgettable dish – a chocolate concoction with more jellied stuff on top.

Our bill with mediocre bread rolls, nifty mignardises, three coffees, no bottled water (although the tap water had huge slices of flavorful cucumber in it that I loved, but our pal indicated was standard spa fare) and 1.5 bottles of wine amounted to 264 E, thus 176 E a couple.  Decibels = 70 dB.

Go?   until Aunt Tillie dies and leaves me her fortune, I will not be returning.

MBC, no wait, it's a creperie now, so La Cuisiniere Lyonnaise in the 17th: Not a bad fall-back.

Backstory: A dear friend, who slaves away in La Defense 6:30-4:30 said she'd be able to break away for lunch if nearby so excepting Suresnes the best shot was MBC, Gilles Choukroun's place on the Rue du Debacadere in the 17th.  Look up in Pudlo, still there, call, reserve, all set right.  No, not right.  Colette and I arrive a tad before the appointed time and the ardoise says MBC: La Creperie, carte ditto - Yikes!  I quickly scoot arount the Square Saint Ferdinand, spy an interesting place (open a year and a half) and send Colette to scope its carte.  OK!

5.7 La Cuisiniere Lyonnaise, 37, Rue St-Ferdinand in the 17th, 01.45.74.69.20, closed weekends (Metro: Argentine) was most welcoming to the three of us and the only disappointing thing was that they were out of frogs' legs.

As advertised, this is gutsy Lyonnaise food and we were all happy with the:
- cassolette of sot l'y laisse, chestnuts and petits gris
- stuffed pintade
- cabbage stuffed with sandre & ecrevisses
- pigs' foot and lentils and
- pain d'epice perdu, unfortunately spoiled by a burned outside.

Our bill with a liter and glass of Lyonnais Red, no bottled water andthree coffees, was 127.60 E, thus 85.06 E a couple.

Go again?  Yes I would; I disagree with Emmanuel Rubin who gave it one heart.  It's a solid 2.

Reviews of reviews: The week of October 6th, 2014

Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris Philippe Toinard, reviewed and gave 3/5 dots to the aforementioned Dix-Huit in the 17th and Jerome Berger reviewed and gave 3/5 to the aforementioned Ratapoil du Faubourg in the 10th.

Tuesday, Le Fooding, featured Charles Campagnon’s (L’Office, Richer) latest creation, 52 Faubourg Saint Denis, address exactly the same, no telephone, where for 31-37 E one can eat gourmet dishes such as makis, poitrie de porc and bostocks.

Emmanuel Rubin’s Hache Menu reviewed the bar/boite/restaurant Faust, Pont Alexandre-III, 01.44.18.60.60, serving al dente langoustines, line-caught bar, lobster salad and apple streusel for 34 E. at lunch, 50 and 70 (a la carte 50 E).  He says go out of curiosity.

Rubin also reviewed his usual 5 places: awarding 2 hearts to four restaurants: the Café Bouillu, 9, rue de l’Ecole-de-Medicine in the 6th, 01.46.34.19.41, open 7/7, with a 17 E lunch formula, serving items such as an oeuf mayo, tartare and a moelleux; Le Bistro d’Yves,33, rue Cardinet in the 17th, 01.43.80.63.60, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, lunch formula = 19.50 and a la carte 35-40 E, serving such items as duck terrine, chicken breast and baba; the “NY Soho” Floyd’s in the 10th; the Italianate Naturellement in the 15th.  He also gave one heart to the Scandinavian Hoja in the 3rd.

Figaroscope’s Dossier by Colette Monsat, Alice Bosio and Hugo de Saint Phalle was on the new “comptoirs” in town:
Clown Bar
A. Noste
6 Paul Bert
Le Servan
Bistro Bellet
Roca
Yard
Blue Valentine

Wednesday, also, Heidi Ellison in Paris Update reviewed positively the previously mentioned Cantine Max y Jeremy.

Sunday in the JDD version femina, Francois LeMaire reviewed the newly bought (by David Lanher of Racines, Paradis & Stern) and rechef’d (with a Japanese guy, ex Stella Maris) Vivant Table, coordinates well-known and in the regular part of the paper Aurelie Chaigneau reviewed the aforementioned A. Noste (7.5/10), the Japanese Ito and the Italian Professore.

Clamato in the 11th; Whoa, I loved it, my three local compatriots all had quibbles.

We went back to Clamato today at the suggestion/urging of my old pal Pierre45 from the Tour Totem of French in Action Fame.  Colette and I got there at 11h59 and there was a line, a line, mind you, with at least 6 English-speakers, 4 of whom kept speaking loudly throughout the meal and when they exited they were replaced by 4 more loud fellow pesky Yankees, good grief, have I seen the future and it's this?  We ordered up some wine and tried to relax.  The carte was different than our times before and we decided to have a number of small plates and share.

So here we go:
- 6 Utah Beah #2's
- 6 gambas with tomatillo sauce
- ceviche of bar with cucumbers and tagette flowers
- carpaccio of daurade with cilantro
- scallops with herb butter
- mussels with corn
- aubergine with a shrimp bouillon (5*)
- apple/quince dessert
- a tart of maple syrup.

At some point, our TT friend had a too long discussion with the most informed wine wait-guy about a white and when it came at 10 E more than my Talbott-rule Languedoc and was 10 E less interesting, I snorted as best I could.  With two bottles of wine, no bottled water and offered coffees, our bill per couple came to 107 E.

Go again?  I loved everything; my wife and pals will fight me if I try to return.  Tant pis!

 

La Recyclerie in the 18th: A fascinating resto-bar-ferme urbaine, etc. Yes those are chickens.