Prequel: I was walking obliviously up the Rue de la Folie-Mericourt when suddenly I saw all these flowers and flags around two cafes; then to my right was a tiny portrait on the wall, like a mass card but for a woman who was clearly Muslim. Holy cow, I'd been thinking November 13th was all about the Bataclan and Stade de France, but here was evidence of the horror. I bowed my head and walked on past the workmen trying to repair the damage of this horrendous massacre.
6.9 Botanique, 71, rue de la Folie-Mericourt in the 11th, 01.47.00.27.80, closed Sunday and Monday (Metro: Oberkampf) is a place that opened for gastronomic dinners a few months ago, which is a no-starter with me, but then a friend-blogger reported it also served tapas-portioned lunches on the ground floor, so I was off. It is truly an oasis, a raw-wood façade two stories tall in the midst of repair shops and anonymous locations. But it is lovely and welcoming.
My invitee, the Swiss-French youngest child of my oldest, now deceased, pal from Residency, was already installed with a glass of wine when I limped in. She noted the items on the carte that were reputedly entrees and plats but as it turns out, everything is reasonably sized, and indeed, tapas-like, albeit often with sauces. She ordered the carrots and poitrine de porc and I the fricassee of mushrooms with cabbage and an egg and croutons - all were really what the doctor ordered for a cold afternoon. Then we shared a chocolate mousse dessert which was superb.
Our bill, with a bottle of wine, good bread and one coffee (no bottled water) was 75.50 E and she pointed out that wine was a big deal here; indeed we were sitting on top of the wine cellar.
Go? As I was sitting waiting for my Uber to show up, suddenly the handsome head guy places a cup of fresh tea in front of me - Wow, what hospitality; on top of the easy prices, fine food and great setting in this desert, a gesture like this gets a "go back."
Recent Comments