Prequel: So, when we had our first sabbatical in Paris, we tried to relearn our rudimentary French at EuroCentre on the passage Dauphine over the summer. On a professor's half-salary for a year, we did things to save money as silly as not ordering coffee in restaurants and taking yogurt and apples to have for lunch, and in extremis, followed my instructor's advice to have lunch at one of those 10-12 Euro (francs at the time) joints nearby. I'd say I lasted a week and gave up, having found a jolly bartender who at the counter served a glass of wine with some toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic and tomatoes for practically nothing. The place was called Gaya. It moved, was taken over by Gagnaire, moved again, and now is settled into the spot where the Ferme St. Simon, once a favorite of the man who taught me the most about how to eat, R.W.(Johnnie) Apple, used to be.
Gaya by Pierre Gagnaire, 6 rue Saint Simon in the 7th, has been written up overly since it moved locations and while everyone lists the lunch menus at 30, 39 and 45E, anyone sentient knows these are sucker prices for "forced choices" and the real cost is much more more like 85-100E. But still....
After the super breadsticks with a broccoli-anchovy sauce and amuse which I've forgotten, we more or less shared a huge artichoke heart with pickled cuke slices and many tasty herbs on top, surrounded by a sauce with big small pieces of salsifis. Then while Colette had a nice piece of skate wing with very good potatoes, I had an equally impressive piece of lieu jaune with tiny mussels and mushrooms. To finish, we shared their delicious lemon tart followed by some mignardises.
Our bill (NB who else besides Le Fooding actually gives you the real (not the sucker) price?), with a bottle and glass of wine, approved of but not chosen by the friendly som, no bottled water but two coffees (7E each, albeit they "offered us" two more), was 159E.
Go back? Despite the noise level and prices, I would. My sacred Dad was right - "Yah gets what yez pays fer."
Recent Comments