Le Table d'Eugene in the 18th: We haven't been in a while but our Franco-Swiss drama student friend said "Wow, a place like this here? (that is, the 18th)"

Le Table d'Eugene in the 18th, has been around the block from us for only 6 years, but chef Geoffroy Maillard, ex-Frechon, cooks with maturity and inventiveness.  A few weeks ago the daughter of one of my oldest friends, who is studying theatre over near Marx Dormoy, said she could squeeze in lunch if it was nearby; so I said to Colette, "let's go to Eugene, even though he's now got a star and the prices are probably (neologismically) astrospheric".  Our friend arrived and said "Wow, a place like this here?"  "Yes, even here."  It was the first wave of Boboism.

For firsts, our friend and I chose the duck raviolis with petit pois, smoked tea and shitakes with mushroom bouillion (1st and 2nd photos) and Colette had the unpictured confited salmon with coques, Noirmoutier potatoes and wasabi.

For mains, Colette chose the Julienne (sea burbot not turbot) which was wrapped like a crude old baseball made from old string around scallops with strips of zucchini filled with excellent broccoli puree, wakame seaweed, cedrat lemon and Kalamata olives; while we two had delicious pieces of spring lamb with green asparagus, with brocciu cheese, radicchio and gnocchis. Subtle, sophisticated and yet inventive and bold.

For dessert we had the creamy carrot, mango, thyme lemon, kumquat and grapefruit sorbet and the chocolat-cassis, cocoa-biscuit, Chantilly maple syrup and chestnut-orange condiment.  My oh my!

Our bill, with a bottle and a glass of wine, one Chateldon, terrific rolls and three coffees, was 181 E, thus 120.66 E a couple.  Toques off chef, you're staying the course if not beating into the wind, even better.