John Talbott's Paris

Juvia in the 8th: Very disappointing, not bad just not anything terrific.

5.1 Juvia, 105 rue du Faubourg Saint Honore (Metro: St Philippe du Roule) 09.66.82.41.08, closed Sundays, was a place that sounded like it had intriguing food and it's open on a Monday and it's Halloween, etc, etc, etc. It does have a reasonably priced menu - 29 E for 2 courses, 36 E for three.

Our firsts were actually quite good, better than respectable: a "detox" salad of quinoa, crab, romaine and Granny Smiths; a bisque of shellfish and an Olé, which was strips of confited sweet peppers with a rich slightly spicy sauce.

And then we waited what I thought was an inordinate amount of time to get our mains; meanwhile the French office-folks around us were whooping it up, driving the decibel level above 88.2 dB.

Madame had the lamb balls with garlic chips which added something to an otherwise boring dish; Monsieur had a tomato sauce that added something to an otherwise boring chicken dish and my tiny mushrooms added a bit to my boring merlan (now I understand why traditionally the French fry it.)  In addition, the garlic in my baby potatoes fought with the potato taste if you know what I mean.

None of us much wanted a dessert but I thought we should give at least one a try and the tiramisu was no great shakes but not a disaster.

With a bottle and 2 glasses of wine and three coffees and adequate bread, our bill was 152 E for three, thus 101.32 E a couple.

Go?  Sorry, this broke the roll I was on.

Reviews of reviews – The week of October 24th, 2016

Monday, in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger reviewed and gave 3/5 dots to the aforementioned Belle Maison in the 9th.

Tuesday, in Le Fooding, Goulven Le Polles reviewed Aux Plumes, 45, rue Boulard in the 14th 01.53.90.76.22, closed Sundays and Mondays, where a Japanese chef who passed through l’Arpege and Chamarre Montmartre offers for 36-50 E items such as such as a leek fondu, sautéed foie gras and lamb chops.

Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Alice Bosio, Colette Monsat and Hugo de Saint Phalle listed new places to go for noodles etc:
Kodawari Ramen
Ippudo Les Halles
Ito Chan
Bistro Kunitoraya
Kisin
Abri Soba
Sara

Emmanuel Rubin reviewed his usual 5 new restaurants; awarding 2 hearts to four places: La Table de Marie-Jeanne, 4, rue Toulier in the 5th, 01.42.49.87.31, closed Sundays and Mondays, where for 26 and 30 E one dines on zucchini donuts, magret de canard and apple tarts; the Mococcan Yemma in the 11th; the second Flesh, this at 23, rue Louis Blanc in the 10th, 01.40.36.58.81, closed Sunday dinner, where for 30-45 E one can have trout rillettes, black angus entrecote and a brownie; and the previously mentioned Le Petit Varenne in the 7th.  In addition he gave one heart to the Mediterranean Avli in the 10th.

For his Hache Menu he went to the aforementioned Belle Maison in the 9th saying Go!

Wednesday as well, Heidi Ellision in Paris Update went to the previously mentioned Mersea (negative) and Istr (positive).

Thursday, Francois-Regis Gaudry reviewed the previously mentioned Italian Osteria Ferrara in the 11th and Charles Patin O’Coohoon reviewed the Thai Kapunka in the 2nd and Guy Savoy’s daughter’s Vivre, 3, rue de la Michodiere in the 2nd, 01.58.22.89.90, closed Sundays and Monday nights, where for 19, 28 and 39 E at lunch or 39 E at dinner one dines on items such as pigs head, Normandy fish and shoulder of lamb.

Sunday in the jdd, Aurelie Chaigneau reviewed and gave 7/10 to the above mentioned Yemma and 8/10 to the aforementioned Belle Maison in the 9th.

Gallina in the 10th: 2 Hours in a Respectable Rotisserie without a mention of Trump.

6.5 Gallina, 37, quai de Valmy in the 10th, 01.48.03.47.22, closed Mondays and Tuesdays (Metro: Republique) is a place opened recently by Mikael Attar and Jérémy Attuil of The Sunken Chip and Joe Elliot from Cream, it was named one of the “Nine Cool New Spots to Visit in Paris during Men's Fashion Week” by Vogue for what that's worth.  In thinking about the name Gallina, I went back to my first year Latin but then found out from  www.spanishdict.com/answers/140111/pollo-vs-gallina-and-others that gallina is "a yellower, fattier, and older meat than pollo which is a younger, whiter meat....[B]ut in Mexico gallina only means the live animal and pollo a dead one =) or cooked one."  So much for the etymology lesson. Anyway, it's on the Canal St Martin and thus full of Bobo's and hipsters and I raised the average age by many decades just by sitting down. 

The menu, for a place based on rotisseried meats, was quite extensive.  My dining partner, the daughter of one of my dearest friends, recently departed, met the demographics and ordered the rabbit tourte which was delicious as was the quarter of chicken I had; both coming with sides of salads, in her case beets, nuts, mache and goat cheese, in my case heirloom tomatoes with sweet vinegar (which made my dressing taste like the bottled stuff in the US, but much much better) and feta.  For dessert we split the tart of the day, which in this case was an astounding tasting cheesecaky one with cream and figs on top.

With a bottle of Bordeaux, no bottled water, decent enough bread and two coffees (sent out from IMA next door which they own), our bill was 74.50E.  There was not a mention of the Donald so even though the dB level was over 90.1 it was calm (for comparison that's a "Boing 737 or DC-9 aircraft at one nautical mile (6080 ft) before landing." Reference http://airportnoiselaw.org/dblevels.html

Go back?  On a sunny day (like today), with Bobo's skating, running and kayaking (I made that up) on the Canal, for sure.  A word of advice: the place fills up to overflowing so reserve (by email) and go early.

Belle Maison in the 9th: Splendid seafood - "This place is a keeper."

7.5 Belle Maison, 4, rue Navarin in the 9th, 01.42.81.11.00, closed Sunday and Monday (Metro: St Georges) is the third of Franck Baranger's places after Pantruche and Caillebotte, the latter I liked infinitely better than the former, in contrast to close friends who think Pantruche is the cat's meow.  I any case, it's got two floors and I decided it would be easier on the knees and more fun to be near the bar, kitchen and friendly staff.

We started off sharing rillettes of mackerel with lime juice and espilette which was an extraordinary riff of what could be a boring dish; then a veloute of coques and Jerusalem artichoke with Chantilly with lemon and herbs; and rouget with braised been and onions - again both sounded OK but were dynamite.

For mains, we had the raviolis of lamb and carrots, with butternut mimolette and crème de menthe; rascasse with kale and a veloute of cepes; and the sole (graciously and gratefully deboned by our surgeon-manque waitguy) with kale etc.

At this point, none of us wanted a full dessert so we shared 3 poached figs with goat milk ice cream and slices of a financier that were above heavenly.  Oh my I can still taste them.

With a bottle of fine pinot blanc, a bottle of sparkling water and 2 Illy coffees, our bill for three was 132.50 or 88.33 E a couple.

Go?  Unless you're allergic to seafood or shellfish this is a new must in the 9th.

Bien Élevé in the 9th: Well enough brought up perhaps but with the meat competition nearby, it's a tough sled.

6.0 Bien Élevé, 47, rue Richer in the 9th, 01.45.81.44.35, (Metro: Le Peletier) closed Sunday and Monday (Brunch Saturday) has received impressive reviews and I was most curious to see how one more meat place would thrive with so much competition in the 9th alone (from say the Comptior Canailles, Braisenville, Flesh #1, Floyd's, Le 7e Cote, Flamboire, well, you get the idea.)  To skip to the answer: Rather well indeed; the place was fully full and hopping, dB's at 78.1+.

I was a few minutes earlier in arriving than my fellow blogger so I had plenty of time to ponder our choices from the carte and chalkboard (confited shoulder of veal and a 1.1 kg Cotes de Boeuf).  I let him settle in, read the choices and he said "What are you thinking of?"  "Well" I said "the beef, but only if you really want it, it's huge."  He said "Sounds good to me."  We ordered and when asked about the cooking he said "Saignant" in very clear French, he being French; and I said in heavily accented French "rosé vers bleu." "OK" the waiter said, "clear."  "Wine?"  "The Bordeaux" said I; "Ah he said, it's very light for the beef."  "No" I insisted."  "Ok." 

First came two of the snacking things - a plate with two wedges of the terrine de champagne with horseradish and another of jambon noir with algae butter, which is endemic to the 9th since Daniel Rose publicized the source.  Both of us liked the jambon but my friend found the butter tasting like vanilla and I thought the terrine was too crumbly and dry. 

Then came the beef which looked incredible and we argued over who would get the bone.  Fortunately he let me go at the center which was saignant while he found the outer pieces to be overdone.  The beef outside had an off-taste, not bad, just off, like they had sprayed smoke on it rather than as we knew, grilled it  The fries were also not traditional, having been cooked in beef rather than duck or goose fat; the béarnaise sauce though was quite good.

Then we shared a baba, also untraditional, with whiskey not rum.  And 2 coffees from the Terre de Café (on the Rue de Nil, he told me) - superb, as was the crusty bread.

Our bill, with no bottled water, one bottle of wine (and no, it was not light but quite up to the beef) and the coffees, was 117.70 E.

Go?  It's hard to recommend it abouve the competition nearby not to mention Desnoyer, Severo, the Atelier Vivandas, L'Amarante, etc. father away.

Le Petit Varenne in the 7th: "This place is really good" said my blogger friend.

6.9 Le Petit Varenne. 57, rue de Bellechasse (crnr Varenne) in the 7th, 01.42.73.60.72, closed Sundays and Mondays (Metro: Rue de Bac or Varenne) is the latest creation of who Le Fooding calls the "jeune tycoon Jean-Baptiste Varenne, 32 ans, déjà coproprio de la Laiterie Sainte Clotilde et de Chez Graff", as well as having some connection to the Gare aux Gorille and Vin de Bellechasse; here the kitchen is under the capable hands of one Rémy N’Guyen, ex-Prince de Galles and Burgundy.  How long M. Varenne must have looked to find a space on the Rue de Varenne is not clear but very clever. (N.B. he speaks flawless English).

For a first, JJ chose the terrine of boudin noir cut in pie-type slices and delicious and R. and I had the light gnocchi with glorious mushrooms and a parmesan wafer and fluff - all of which worked very well together indeed.

Somehow the three of us, without discussion, picked the three different main courses and all of us were delighted, politely arguing which was best: I liked the merlu and foam as well as the melt-in-your-mouth beef, but did not discount my tasty duck breast with caviar d'aubergines.

At this point R. dropped out of the game, leaving us to finish with a chocolate and pistachio ice cream and chocolate ropey thing with oranges and grilled nuts.-

Our bill with no bottled water but 2 bottles of Languedoc (one red, one white) and one coffee (offered) was 186 for 3, so 124 E a couple.

Go? Without question, although the lack of effective sound baffling does make conversation challenging when the room packed managerial types gets roaring.  Jean-Baptiste Varenne sure has a winner on his hands with this place and he's terrifically nice to boot.

Chez La Vieille, Daniel Rose does it again

7.3 Chez La Vieille, 1, Rue Bailleul in the 1st, no reservations, open 12-12 except Sunday's and Monday's is the latest of Daniel Rose's inspirations, following Spring in the 9th, Spring in the 1st, La Vie et La Bourse, Le Coucou in NY and diversions into lobster rolls and coucou des Rennes.

Ok three digressions:
Todays photos are not mine but courtesy of my co-diner, Stephanie Fray.
Disclosure, I've known Daniel since his first venture and consider him a friend thus anything I say can quite rightly be challenged.
I ate on opening day and as we all know, things change.

 

In any case, Daniel started four of us, all food nuts, two in the biz, with glasses of a Loire, a hefty red and light red and starters of his take on her (the Dame's) terrine de canard with his own pickles and horseradish and onions, rillettes of sardines with algae butter, yes, he's been serving and surprising us with this for years, and traditional herring with potatoes (but never better).

Then we shared, as we had the firsts, his Basque bouillon with potatoes and lots of other things that those of you who dropped by his boutique across the street recall so well, his updating of her blanquette de veau and what was called a "Demi coquelet a la diable" - a joke, because it was chicken from heaven with mushrooms from outside its gates.

Desserts were a far with prunes and a poached pear.

Ok, the bill, the truth - how about 136.50 E with bottled water, 3 coffees and a tea for 4, thus 68.25 E a couple?

Go? If you love(d) any of Rose's prior ventures, you'll love this, if not, I feel sorry for you.

 

Stunning art: Agnes Martin, Klimt and Beckman in NY (who knew?)

The Fall art season in New York has surely opened with a bang with superbly acquired and hung exhibitions of Agnes Martin, Gustav Klimt and Max Beckman at the Guggenheim, Neue and Met Museums respectively.  All three are worth a trip (even from Paris.)

Reviews of reviews – The week of October 17th, 2016

Monday, in A Nous Paris, Philippe Toinard reviewed and gave 4/5 dots to the previously mentioned Tomy & Co in the 7^th. 

Tuesday, in Le Fooding, Matthieu Jauniau-Dallier reviewed Le Petit Varenne, 57 Rue de Bellechasse in the 7^th, 01.42.73.60.72, closed Sundays and Mondays, where for 36-50 E one dines on such multi-ingredient items as gnocchis with parmesan, girolles and trumpets of death; farm pork sautéed with sage and a lemon-basil cream with grilled macaroon made like a crumble. 

Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Alice Bosio, Colette Monsat and Hugo de Saint Phalle listed the 10 new Argentinian places in Paris:

Unico Amelie

Loco

Caminito

Volver Pizzeria

Biondi

Onoto

L’Empaneria by the Asado Club

Manduca

La Portena

And also: Cuts

Emmanuel Rubin reviewed his usual 5 new restaurants; awarding 2 hearts to the nippo-hispano-latino Homies del Mar, 13, rue Beautreillis in the 4^th, 01.42.72.38.34, closed Sundays and Mondays, open for dinner only; and the sino-viet-thai Goku in the 3^rd, also open only for dinner; and the café-bar Pignon, 9, rue Brochant in the 17^th, no telephone, no reservations, where for 20-35 E one eats shrimp with mayo, St-Nectaire raviolis, cheese and desserts, brunch Sundays, closed Sunday dinner & Mondays. Then garnering only 1 heart were an omelet place Arsene in the 2^nd and a burger-tacos-World Food place Frog & Underground in the 2^nd. 

For his Hache Menu he went to the Thai restaurant Bambou in the 2^nd.

Wednesday as well, Heidi Ellision in Paris Update enthusiastically reviewed the previously mentioned Alliance in the 5^th.

Thursday, In L'Express Styles, Francois-Regis Gaudry reviewed the previously mentioned Divellec in the 7^th and Mina Soundiram reviewed Paris-Texas in the 10^th.

 

 

Paris Pix: warming up