September 2015
September 18, 2015
September 17, 2015
September 16, 2015
September 15, 2015
September 11, 2015
Thoumieux in the 7th: A classically-French-trained two-star Pakistani chef reigning over a blow-out menu; will wonders ever cease?
8.0 Thoumieux (upstairs restaurant, not downstairs brasserie), 79, rue St-Dominique in the 7th, 01.47.05.79.00, (Metro: #80 or 28 bus), has been back open for 4 days and its Pakistani chef, Sylvestre Wahid, apologized that it was not all up and running but you couldn't tell that to us; it was running like a Swiss clock and at its prices as well. I admit I do/did not like its lounge chairs on the 1st floor (awful bad for old backs) but my companions had no such trouble. The three menus ran 110-190E and it was lucky I'd invited my two retired Silicon Valley retirees who as 1%'ers could afford the tariffs. I'll do my best to describe the dishes from the 110E "freshness" menu but they rolled out like surf on a Hawaiian beach:
And roll out they did:
A foursome amuse with ham, langoustine, mushrooms and mystery shell
Another amuse, this a soup
Another soup, this very Japanesy, with celery, chopped cepes, scallions and spicy red pepper
Breads and butters and salts, all wonderful
Cucumber “water” with cucumber and quinoa
Cepes several ways; in a bouillon, tartelette with tomato & parmesan, raw and cooked
Lamb chops and lamb chunks with eggplant
A Christofle knife and spoon, embossed like Thai dinnerware
Cheese for each of us from the cheese-board pictured up above
Figs several ways: warm, raw and ice creamed and
A ton of mignardises.
Our bill, with two bottles of wine, two bottles of Chateldon, and one coffee, was 446.00 E, thus 297.33 E. dB=47.1
Go again? Hummmm. That pretty much bottomed-out my TIAA-CREF;better try the brasserie below next time.
September 10, 2015
Gros in the 10th: A hit for the back-packers at 22 E and pas mal for the rest of us.
So, I had set up lunch with one of my favorite co-diners and the woman who knows more about food anywhere - at L'Adjuge, the new resto at the auction house Drouot, but couldn't get through by phone. She knowing the territory, called the sommelier, ex-Le Crillon, and discovered they would reopen only September 15th.
So Plan B. - Partisan, which really sounded nice, not far away, but their phone didn't answer (and they only opened 6 months ago or so), so she had said we'll go like Parisians (she being one) without a reservation. I show, place closed - "A CEDER" plastered all over. Whoops, to Plan C.
Ah, Plan C. A place my buddy N. spotted last week called Gros not too far away, but as I'm walking (Uber said I was out of their signal range and there were no cabs or buses) so I walk up the Rue du Faubourg Montmartre and there's a place I recall noting months ago called - La Medi terre anee or some such other cute name - I enter - Ou la la, tiny plastic bowls travelling around on a moving railway like sushi in Tokyo - Nope, onward!
6.5 Gros, 4, cour des Petites Ecuries in the 10th (in the old Café Blah-Blah space), 09.83.28.83.96, closed Sundays and Mondays, (Metro: Chateau d'Eau) has been open about 2 months and has a terrifically welcoming staff, 3 eager to please chefs (one of whom said "Good-bye" in English to me) and is full of 20-30 year olds who look at the carte before entering.
I started (my intended companion having been called for a business meeting by her agent) with a lukewarm soup of cream of beans with whole beans, coques and salicorn bits - terrific; then moved on to a filet mignon of pork whose very center was almost raw (as I like it) and very outer was very crisp (as I like it) with butternut squash puree and bits; and then a chocolate concoction with a dollop of caramel beurre-sale - also very very nice.
My bill, with great bread, good coffee, a 1/2 bottle of wine but no bottled water, for a couple would come to 69 E. dB=54.9 except when the beer barrels roll by.
Go? Grand-kids, backpackers and those seeking a reasonable meal on one of the coolest streets in Paris - a big Yes!
September 09, 2015
District 80 MM in the 2nd: Burger, Energy and Youth Central
5.0 District 80 MM, 80 rue Montmartre in the 2nd, closed Sundays, 01.53.40.80.37 (Metro: Sentier) is a really cool friendly place with raw wood, lots of seating and a limited salad-burger-other menu.
I ordered up the calamari to be shared even though I was alone and it was crunchy with a nice but to spectacular tartare sauce; then a cold baba au rhum that seemed to me straight from Metro but OK for the genre.
My bill with wine and coffee but no bottled water, was 32.50 E. dB = 56.3
Go? No necessity with Blend just down the street.
September 08, 2015
La Bourse ET La Vie: Q. Can Daniel & Marie do themselves any better than this classic bistro? A. Obviously no.
8.5 La Bourse et (not ou) La Vie, 12, rue Vivienne in the 2nd, (Metro: Bourse), telephone and reservation system not quite up and running, is open for all three meals a day Monday-Friday and is about the best place I've been to in eons (disclosures follow*). When I came here just about two years ago under the old regime it was classic bistro food with a retro twist, now it's classic bistro food with modern products and twist. I had a terrible time deciding what to have.
The gougères and white Touraine (offered) I had while waiting for my dining partner (who had been with me the first week Spring had opened in the 9th) as well as the welcome I got from the Spring crew, really started me off on the right foot.
My lovely ex-co-host on the food website that cannot be named had the oysters gratinee and I the sliced foie gras on an impressively large artichoke heart - both just sublime.
Then my dining pal, who had asked if the pot-au-feu was a modest portion, got a plateful of tete de veau and garnish and I thought - "well there, that's a lot for a meal," but then arrived a huge pot of a knuckle with bone marrow, par-cooked celery and carrots and other goodies and I changed my mind, thinking I was so much smarter ordering the reasonable portion of wild mushrooms - until Daniel shows up at my elbow like the chef at a Zurich restaurant - with "the second portion, Monsieur." My god, what next? (PS. It will be my dinner).
My partner and I settled on the chocolate mousse to share for dessert and it was super.
*Disclosures: I and she have been with Spring from practically the beginning; I have raved about his food whether it's pigeon, coucou de Rennes, lobster-roll or butter; she has actually waitressed for him; Colette and I dine with Daniel & Marie on off-days, etc, etc, etc. Conflicts of interest pervade my write-ups and opinions. Take it for what it is, an opinionated opinion.
The bill: with two glasses of wine and two coffees offered, no bottled water and one bottle of wine, was 105 E. dB = 69.1
Go? If you can get in, otherwise you're nuts by definition.
September 07, 2015
Le Bachaumont Restaurant in the 2nd: "This is great cantine cooking" my friend said.
4.0 Le Bachaumont Restaurant in the Hotel Bachaumont, 18, rue Bachaumont in the 2nd, 01.81.66.47.50, closed (TBC) (Metro: Sentier) is a place recommended to me by a fellow-blogger who hadn't been but said "It's new, in a fancy hotel." So I called and reserved for today - a Monday - 2 covers at 12h30, no problem. But when I showed up the dining area was clearly set up for a private party, the guy at the reservation computer said "We're closed Mondays," my face fell (I'd checked Figaro and they said it was open) but he quickly scampered to the California kitchen opening and they seated me at the lounge-bar area and gave me menus that were clearly printed up for the fashionistas' party. My friend entered somewhat confused.
But we composed ourselves and chose the mousse of foie gras which was OK and
the pieces of beef cooked blue with potato puree which were OK and
slices of chocolate tart which was OK but at some point my French friend said - "You know what, this is just good cantine food........and the chocolate tart could have come from Picard." And he was spot-on.
I must add that the hotel, restaurant and bar-lounge are fancy as was reflected by the nifty animal knife holders and the superbly attentive service but the taking my reservation, misinformation on Figaro and long wait for a glass of wine were not in their favor. Our bill with 3 glasses of wine, no bottled water (which they asked us 4 times about), pretty good bread and butter and superb coffees, was 97 E.
Go? Unh unh. Unless you want to go back to school food.
September 06, 2015
Les Fables de la Fontaine in the 7th: About as good a meal as one can get around here.
7.25 Les Fables de la Fontaine, 131, rue St-Dominique in the 7th (Metro: Invalides), 01.44.18.37.55, open 7/7, has had a total remake, increasing its size by I'd venture 10 covers but doing it with stools and high tables which I detest (my pix is blurry but the furniture is not). The chef is a "Top Chef" winner, one Julia Sedefdjian, 21, that's 21 years old, and she's got it down just a few weeks from opening and packing them in as well. As before its menu has a seafood twist to it but not altogether.
My friend, the wine guy, started out with cepes (the first of the season I've seen) which were first-rate, as was the small lobe of foie gras with melon cubes.
Then he had a piece of lieu (that sure looked and tasted like cod) with terrific house-made aioli and veggies and I had shredded ray with vinegared spinach that was also terrific.
We decided we should share a dessert and settled on a litchi soufflé that sounded different, but while that was cooking they brought us out two - that's 2 - Breton sables with ice; which was much too generous but was a fine semi-end before the excellent soufflé with intense rosemary ice.
Our bill; OK, we had the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine, fine focaccia and bread, no bottled water but 2 coffees and our bill came to 168 E for us both. dB 67.4
Go? You bet and maybe next time I'll try the 25 E lunch menu (on weekdays) with a bit less wine; but then maybe no.
John Talbott
I was surely born in France of a chef father and food critic mother.
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