6.8 Flesh, 25, rue de Douai in the 9th, 01.42.81.21.93, (metro: Blanche) closed Sunday nights, is a place where Chef Simon John Lewis cooks up pretty mean BBQ at after stints at Spring and Frenchie's, that the local families, at least on a Sunday in blustery/chilly February, flock to. Is it Texas slow cooked BBQ, NYC brisket, French Angus beef or California tacos? Well, sort of all of them and none of them.
So I arrived about 12:12 (these days given the buses and my knee, I leave lots of leeway) and apologized and sat by the window and indulged in a glass of Cotes de Beaune while trying to figure out from the jdd why the folks in Nantes are so upset at a new airport - is it totally ecological? more carbon, more fuel? totally NIMBY? totally, ah just the French necessity to march whenever there's a protest? whereas Americans would go and vote for Bernie or the Donald? In any case my two dining partners arrived, we switched tables to be warmer and went for the chalkboard special for two - the beef short ribs and the regular menu'd brisket. But neither arrived and our charming waitperson informed us that the shortribs, featured on all the walls, hadn't arrived today. Heard that one before? Well, take down the chalkboards, then. At this point we ordered and waited and waited and waited - finally two dishes (unordered, thus offered to temper our tempers and satisfy our hunger) arrived: they were really really good - two spicy, avocado filled tacos and fried chicken pieces - we were off and running.
In place of the short ribs, we had the brisket, not Jewish NYC deli sandwich-like but more Californian clean, non-fatty, perfect slices-style; pork ribs that were more reminiscent of the deep South, fried chicken, universally American; and two side dishes, thick fries, supposedly with garlic that I deemed only OK and wonderful white beans, almost Milanesque. All in all, this was genuine BBQ, although the BBQ sauce was questioned by one of us to be not house-made, but she wasn't born in America, so disregard that.
Our bill, with a bottle and 2 glasses of wine, the two supreme starters offered for our delay, and two coffees offered due to one's coldness, was 90 E for three, thus 60 E a couple. dB's = 73.3
Go back? Yippie ki yay! If only for the shortribs - this place dishes up great chow and Simon is a charming host; a definite Sunday lunch go-to place.
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