John Talbott's Paris

Restaurant H in the 4th: Another flawless, tasty meal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Restaurant H in the 4th is a place where Colette could have a superb lunch and still make it the the Chatelet for the NYC Ballet.  We knew the drill; no-choice menu, 3 dishes for 30 E, over-priced wines (starting at 45 E) and lovely service.  And so it was.

 

amuse-gueules on wafers
- a perfect egg in fluff and girolles
- perfectly cooked veal on a bed of puree and surrounded by scallions
- strawberries with ice cream and whipped cream
- gutsy mignardises

Our bill for three, with a bottle each of sparkling water and wine and three coffees, was 155 E, thus 103.32 E a couple.

 

Alliance in the 5th: A mind-blowing, head-snapping, tongue-tingling meal that cannot be described.

Alliance in the 5th was a revelation to us just a few weeks ago and we couldn't help but go back with new globe-trotting friends today.  One enters, sees the Zen/cool interior and chefs working behind glass of the kitchen and wait-staff working behind another glass of the wine storage; I took one look at the carte which could put you in bankruptcy; the menu at 70 E; ah wait a minute, there's the lunch menu at 34 E - ah that's more like it.  So four of us put ourselves in Chef Toshitaka Omiya's capable hands.  Now the wait personnel explained every dish to us in detail (in English); from foccacia to seaweed to spider crabs to Pollack to duck liver to liche; but it's not so much that I want to avoid the taxation on my medial temporal lobe (Disclosure: neuroanatomy was my best 1st year course; indeed the best grade I ever got) but I would like to give you the scope and spread of Chef Omiya's talents in photos; so here goes:

Pretty pretty eh?

Our bill, with three bottles of wine (hey much merriment was made), a kir, one bottled water and 4 coffees was 230 E for 4; thus 115 E a couple.  For a meal in a place reaching for the stars, that ain't bad.

Problem John?: Yes sadly, there is little sound dampening, and when everyone is talking not eating, one (that is, I) cannot hear across the table and all start shouting until dishes arrive and the sound level is humane.

Fulgurances (the address not the mag) in the 11th: This place is not a one-trick pony.

So back story: I ate here November 28th last year under the first chef invited to participate in a new experiment - to whit, every 6 months invite a new, experienced but not yet on her own chef, (I guess hoping she could get reviews and financing to open her own place.)  I say her/she because the first person chosen was Chloé Charles, ex-Septime, ex-Agapé Substance, ex-L'Epi Dupin, & ex-L'Astrance.  At the time I said "her menu is challenging, broad and most interesting."  So I waited to see what would happen next.  And Shazam (you wouldn't remember the Captain Marvel cartoon of the lightening bolt guy, you're too young but I bring this up because Fulgurances means lightening bolt or dazzling speed) a few weeks ago, my fellow blogger and good friend Heidi Ellison of Paris Update, said this or words of this sort - "John, you've gotta go." So of course we went.

7.5 Fulgurances in the 11th in the hands of Israeli chef Tamir Nahmias who has worked at Frenchie and Yam'Cha until he came here in April (Note Bene: until November) is a step up from my last meal; he really has put on every plate an exciting mixture of old reliables and new herbs and spices.

We decided to start with a dish to share (encornets stuffed with a Middle Eastern lamb mixture) and then two starters - the grilled mackerel with grilled eggplant, sesame and purslane and beets from Annie Bertin with coriander, lentils and a sauce of cooked spinach pureed with feta - all terrific.

For mains our friend from up the way and I had the Garenne rabbit with chickpeas, anchovies and parmesan and Colette had cod with nut butter, grilled cucumber, tzaziki, baby squash and PDT de l'ile de Ré.  Then we all three had the dessert of red fruits, sorrel cream and almond/sugar syrup - heavenly.

Our bill, with two bottles of my fave - A toi nous - their own bottled sparkly and calm water, three types of house made bread an 3 coffees, was 137.50 E; thus 91.66 E a couple. NOTE: on a hot day the cool breeze wafting through the restaurant was delightful

Go?  Walk, run, gallop until November!

A Self-serving notice: Tuesday July 12th I'll be on a panel on French Food at Reid Hall in the 6th; come if you have nothing better to do.

https://drive.google.com/a/smith.edu/file/d/0B61rqckpl1TSTjl6cW5mWnFQSzNCdHdGU3BWQjczRzJldTFr/view?pref=2&pli=1

 

Le Marloe in the 8th: Eric Martins and staff are the very definitions of warmth and hustle.

Le Marloe in the 8th has been a standout place ever since it opened and its host Eric Martins, one of the nicest guys in the business.  But he's not only nice, he hustles and has impressed on his staff this more American than French trait, taking orders, overseeing, delivering plates, busing and waiting on whatever table, inside or outside, needs attending to.  It's impressive.   Anyway, after perusing the menu, I was seduced by the special, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I ordered the fried gambas in Panko which were gold standard.  The for mains, Colette had the bar with white asparagus and choron sauce (béarnaise with tomato paste) and I the encornets with fregola (not fragola which I always see it as) "cooked like paella".

Colette finished this fine meal off with a dessert of poached peaches with ice cream - a perfect ending.

Our bill, with a bottle and glass of Chinon, no bottled water but 2 coffees, was 134.80 E.

L'Accolade in the far 15th: "I'll be back" said a neighbor; "Me for dessert" thought I.

6.0 L'Accolade, 208, rue de la Croix-Nivert in the 15th, 01.45.57.73.20, closed Saturday lunch, Sundays and Monday dinners (Metro: Convention and a schlep) is sited in the space where Jadis pumped out some interesting food; as my review in 2008 said, chef Guillaume Delage "had an astounding idea – cook today’s best products in yesterday’s style" – well, something happened to that great idea and we'll await his reappearance. For the present, though, we arrived and ordered up one red and one white Gascogne, knowing our guests' predilections and got ready to order.

Two of us ordered the raviolis (don't take that literally) of beets with fresh goat cheese; my one buddy had petit pois, girolles and a perfect egg; and I had what I thought was the winner - a shrimp tartare with various veggies but delicious avocado. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains, the swordfish with a carrot puree was a standout, the 33 hour poitrine de porc was pretty good too; but my minute of lamb was cooked more than that despite my request it be cut in half so it would be blue.

For desserts we had the sable Breton with lemon cream and strawberries which was good but head and shoulders above everything else today was the millefeuille with vanilla and caramel beurre sale, Wow, 5 stars.  So good that Colette stole most of my caramel.

Our bill with two bottles and a glass of wine, no bottled water but 3 coffees, was 204.40 E for 4 or 102.20 E a couple.

Go back?  Well my friends in the nabe for sure but me, due to the schlep, I dunno.

Pirouette in the 1st: Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Pirouette in the 1st is a place we never tire of, both because of the terrific welcome, attention and wine selection but because Tomy Gosset's cooking is so wonderful and bright (Warning: he'll not be here come the fall; watch this space for an update).  We walked by the menu of the day (20E for two semi-forced dishes) and went instead for the 45 E for 3 dishes off the carte.

For firsts, 3 of us went for the girolles with tomato, pineapple and ricotta and for mains 3 chose the Pornac pigeon with zucchini, onions, pesto and coques; one going with the maigre with leeks (unpictured).

 

Desserts were the gorgeous ("best in my life") Ossau-Iraty and Espuma Citron with mango ice cream and kiwi fruit, good as well.

Our bill with two bottles of wine, 1 bottle of Chateldon and 4 coffees was 244 E or 122 E a couple.

Reviews of reviews – The week of June 27th, 2016

Monday, in A Nous Paris, there were three reviews of restaurants already mentioned here: Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 dots to Nubé and Le Moulin de la Galette and Jerome Berger gave 3/5 to Les Oreilles et La Queue.

Then Tuesday in Le Fooding, there was an article featuring the Italian pizzeria Tripletta in the 20th.

Wednesday, in Paris Update, Huidi Ellison reviewed positively Fulgurances in the 11th.

Thursday, in Le Point, Alvina Ledru-Johansson reviewed the Breton Le Cézembre d'Anthony Hamon, 17, rue Grégoire-de-Tours, in the 6th, 09.67.57.25.08, lunch menus at 24 and 28, dinner 28 and 45 E, closed Mondays and Tuesdays, serving crustacians and fish as well as fresh fruits of the season ;  Charles Patin O’Coohoon reviewed Jais, 3, rue Surcouf, in the 7th, 01.45.51.98.16, open 7/7, running one 45 E a la carte for items such as A pâté en croûte au foie gras, « poulpe crispy » and lamb’s sweetbreads ; Mina Soundiram reviewed the previously mentioned Cazes in the 18th, and Francois Regis Gaudry mentioned Le Clos de Sens in Annecy-Le-Vieux.

In the JDD, Aurelie Chaigneau reviewed the Japanese Sushi B in the 2nd (9/10) and the Italian Caffe dei Cioppi in the 11th (9/10).

Le Bistrot du Maquis in the 18th: Perfection in Montmartre.

Le Bistrot du Maquis in the 18th has become our nearby go-to Sunday lunch place for some while.  It has never disappointed and today was no exception.

To start off Colette had a melon soup, souped up with ginger so it sparkled (she loved it!); I had a large portion of sautéed girolles that was just simply over-the-moon; and the Chef then sent out an in-between dish of partially cooked tuna that had a fabulous sauce.

For mains, we both chose off the daily specials board: Colette the monkfish with a very good olive sauce and I sweetbreads on a bed of peas and sliced marinated mushrooms - delicious.

For dessert Colette loved her clafoutis of apricots and I adored my soup of rhubarb; both of us also were appreciative of the biscuits that came with the coffee.

Our bill, with a bottle and glass of wine, no bottled water and two coffees, was 161 E (but to be fair if you take off the 49 E in supplements and extra wine it comes in at 112 E but who wants to miss out on girolles or sweetbreads?)  NOTE  the restaurant was busy and there was only one server, the Chef's delightful wife who is as efficient as anyone could be.  We wished there had been a second person to help serve so the wait-times for courses would have been less.

AG Les Halles in the 1st: Treated like royalty, fed like a King, left like a friend. (Photos to follow, errrh maybe)

 

AG Les Halles opened it seems just last week, and already was packed to the gills by the time we left.  I made reservations in my real name (hey - I only hide my first visit) on line and apparently Alain Geean spied the rez and swamped us with treats and coupes of…. before we’d even ordered.  Can I recall them all?  No?  But they certainly included:

A platter of truffle-flavored salami encased in parmesan (a true Geean innovation)
A crisp leaf composed of rice and squid ink and beets (ditto)
Succulent foccia-like rounds with EVOO and spices
A platter of aged jamon
A mousse/fluff

And then what we ordered:
- Rillettes of duck
- Gravlax
- XYZ cant remember)
- Daurade with black rice that had an incredibly delicious tasty flesh and skin & a light green sauce that was 'lemony' - an outstanding dish!
- Quasi de veau
- Tigre (the choicest pieces of beef) with new potatoes
- A “no cheese” cheesecake, and
- A roasted fig.

Our bill (remember, the champagne, apero treats, house-bottled water and other stuff was comp’d) with a bottle and glass of wine and three coffees, was 151.50 E for 4, thus 75.75 E a couple.  We'll be back soon!