Background: When I'd read there was a new restaurant called Baltard au Louvre I thought, "another restaurant at the Louvre?" and "how cheeky to name a restaurant Baltard which is probably lacking the spirit of the great man." Well, I was wrong on both counts. Baltard, of course, was Victor Baltard, best known, to me anyway, as the architect of the 10 pavilions at Les Halles, which unless you're over 60, you're lying like Trump, if you say you saw them (or unless you've been out to Les Magnolias in Le Perreux sur Marne and walked back to the city through Nogent sur Marne and seen remnants of the last pavilion which now serve as a reception-party-event place.
7.2 Baltard au Louvre, 9 rue Coquilliere in the 1st, 09.83.32.20.01.29, closed Sunday dinner is in a portion of the CIC Bank on the corner of the Rue du Louvre, hence the name, it’s no where near the Musee du Louvre. At present to the south is the Bourse de Commerce, currently under major construction for Pinault’s new museum. But it was Sunday, so no jackhammers were heard, although the peskies inside the glorious Baltard-like mini-pavilion dining area did raise up a 81.5 dB ruckus.
They have on Sundays a 29€ lamb dinner with a starter and rice pudding and about 12 firsts and second with about 5 desserts, all in the 12-19 € range. We started with a portion of sautéed scallops and beets, roasted varied-colored carrots and a huge serving bowl of minestrone. Everyone seemed most content.
Then Madame repeated the scallops as a main, M. Had the lamb special, which came with mashed potatoes and salad and I swear 5 different sauces, and I had a lovely lobe of sautéed foie gras.
To end, we had some wonderful Camembert house-cured, the rice pudding with caramel and a baba with whiskey that had a kick.
Our bill, with a bottle and 2 glasses of wine, no bottled water but a coffee, was 169 or 112.66€ a couple.
Go? Absolutely, no reservations at all. When the Pirouette/Zebulon/etc. gang do something, they do it right!
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