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.