John Talbott's Paris

Reviews of reviews: The week of January 21, 2019

Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Alexis Chenu profiled Davy Ngy, the Cambodian London Ex-trader who opened the Mexican Botanero in the 3rd after Distrito Frances in the 10th.

Tuesday, in Le Fooding, Claire Rem reviewed La Petite Ourse in Rennes.

Wednesday in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin reviewed 5 places, giving 3 hearts to the Wagyu serving Oya in the 2nd.  Garnering 2 hearts was Vermillon, 5, rue de Calais in the 9th, 01.42.41.49.68, closed Sundays and Mondays, where for 13.50 and 15€! Or 30€ a la carte, one dines on items such as butternut soup, pot-au-feu and a moelleux a l’orange.  Getting one heart each were the Italian Supernova in the 3rd and the Chinese fondue Out of Factory in the 2nd.  A busted heart went to Roxy in the 3rd.  His Hache Menu discussed the previously mentioned Rooster in the 17th.

The Dossier by Alice Bosio concerned the Michelin France ratings just released.

Wednesday as well, Heidi Ellison in Paris Update reviewed positively the previously mentioned Goguette in the 11th.

Thursday, in L’Express Styles, Jordan Moilim reviewed NordNord 80, rue de Riquet in the 18th,open 7/7, serving bistro classics at very reasonable prices, plats of salmon or a bavette at 12€ (plus a roast apple for dessert.)

Reviews of reviews: the week of January 14, 2019

Monday-Tuesday in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger reviewed the previously mentioned Billili in the 10^th and Philippe Toinard covered Le Petit Olympia, 6, rue de Caumartin in the 9^th, 01.42.68.07.89, closed weekends, running one 26 and 35 at lunch and 39 E at dinner for items such as head cheese, pork cheeks and chocolate mousse.

Tuesday, in Le Fooding, they reviewed La Fabrique in Marseille.

Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin reviewed his 5 new restaurants: giving 3/5 hearts to the William Pradeleix’s 2^nd address Raw St-Germain, 44, rue de Fleurus in the 6^th, 01.73.73.20.49 open 7/7 where for about 35 E one dines on items such as smoked eel, bar sasimi and a spicy nuage. The others he covered all are other country influenced: 2 to a Mexican bar Botanero in the 3^rd; 2 to the Franco-Italian Maison St Mau in the 11^th; and 1 each to the Turkish pizza Pide in the 10^th and Asian Fun Tuen in the 2^nd. In addition his Hache Menu concerned the Pizza Bonvivant in the 5^th.

Heidi Ellison, in Paris Update, named her top 10: La Condesa, L’Innocence, Double Dragon, La Traversee, Korus, Sauvage, Le Train Bleu, Au Bascou, Sur Mer & Melt.

Thursday, in L’Express Styles, Francois-Regis Gaudry reviewed the Americanish Rooster in the 17^th which costs 26 and 32 at lunch and 68 E at night for items such as octopus, chicken and raviolis.

Reviews of reviews: the week of January 1, 2019

Sunday, in the jdd, Aurelie Chaigneau reviewed three places: the previously mentioned Drugstore (7/10); Goguette (7.5); and the Italian Mamma Primi (7).

Monday-Tuesday in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger reviewed the previously mentioned Billili in the 10^th and Philippe Toinard covered Le Petit Olympia, 6, rue de Caumartin in the 9^th, 01.42.68.07.89, closed weekends, running one 26 and 35 at lunch and 39 E at dinner for items such as head cheese, pork cheeks and chocolate mousse.

Tuesday, in Le Fooding, they reviewed Stephane Jego (Chez L’Ami Jean)’s new 500 m2 place in the Ground Control des Champs space, 26 ave des Champs-Elysees in the 8^th, no phone, menu = 18 E, serving from a hotplate and oven all day every day except Sundays, items such as vegetable soup, cod and aged cheeses.

Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin reviewed his 5 new restaurants: giving 2/5 hearts to the Chinese Autour de Yangtse in the 1^st; Nelson’s, 16 rue Coquilliere in the 1^st (near the Nelson Mandela Playground), 01.42.36.74.24, open 7/7 costing 35-50 E for items such as  roasted cauliflower, beef skirt steak and seasonal fruits; the Italian Tempilenti in the 11^th; and Link, 15, rue Andre-del-Sarte in the 18^th, 01.42.57.29.27, closed Sundays and Mondays where for 35-45 E one dines on items such as eggs with Jerusalem artichoke, a chicken drumstick and chocolate with pop-corn.  Garnering a broken heart was La Brigade in the 2^nd.  His Hache Menu was spent with actor Dany Boon’s favorite Akrame in the 8^th.

And continuing the Boon theme, Alice Bosio and Hugo de St Phalle listed his other favorite restaurants: Ippudo St-Germain, Diep, Da Rosa, Le Stresa, Kinugawa Vendome, Pierre Gagnaire, L’Arpege, & L’Ambrosie.

Heidi Ellison, in Paris Update, went to Papa Poule, 23 rue des Taillandiers in the 11th, 09.50.48.28.23, closed Sundays, where for 25E a person one dines on mackerel with white beans, venison and chocolate cake.

Thursday, in L’Express Styles, they reviewed the previously mentioned Sando Club and le Petit Thai.

Sunday in the jdd, Aurelie Chaigneau reviewed her traditional 3 places, the aforementioned Beefbar in the 8^th (7/10),  Perruche in the 8^th (8), and Astair in the 2^nd (7).  In its version femina, they wrote up the already mentioned A La Vierge in the 20^th.

Le Cornichon in he 14th: Q. The "quintessential bistro" in Paris? A. Pretty close.

Le Cornichon in the 14th is a place a local turned us onto a few years ago in game season and we usually go then, but another denizen of the area needed to be near his home and office and so we found ourselves here again today.  Someone said "you must reserve" and indeed, you must (today there were two office parties and with the other locals, the place was packed).

My companions quickly decided to have the soup with two types of mushrooms while I had sweetbreads of lamb toasted on the plancha with a host of vegetables; both perfect for a dank, dark day.

For mains we had the fish of the day - a perfectly cooked piece of rouget, duck bits with mushrooms and baby pork morsels with carrots.

I rarely have cheese, because our street is such a great source of such for dinner, but it called to me and was terrific; meanwhile our friend had an intriguing lemon tart, really a wafer and Colette had pineapple with a sorbet.

Our bill, with two bottles of wine and three coffees, was 185 E or 123.33 E a couple for a fine fine meal.  Was it traditional bistro? No, bistronomique? Maybe, neobistro? Humm?  I have difficulty with classifications.  But in the end, who cares?

Coretta in the 17th: Sunday lunch at Coretta, next to MLK Jr Park, is such a treat.

Coretta, gleaming glass and steel, sits adjacent to MLK Jr Park, which on weekends has a higher runner/scooter per square meter ratio than any place in Paris. But it's not just the activity and energy here that attracts, it's also the food.

Colette started with salmon trout in a white sauce with veggies while our long time friend from the 18th and I had the crispy sweetbreads with wonderful baby mushrooms.  Then our friend had the Mont Blanc while we returned to the crispy brioche with caramel sauce.  Finishing up, the mignardises and coffee came with a really cool Lavazza spoon with an empty center.

Our bill, with a bottle of wine and those 3 coffees, was 169 E or 112.66 E a couple.

Zebulon in the 1st: Amidst violence, fire and brimstone: an oasis of sheer pleasure.

Zebulon in the 1st is not exactly the place one should set out to eat at when the gilets jaunes are in full anger mode at L'Opera or the C-E nor when a gas explosion occurs in between home and there; but venture down we did after I telephoned to make sure they were open.

We looked at the menu and carte and simultaneously said "pintade as an entree?"  Yes, on a bed of mushrooms with a cooked cold leek beside.  Very very smart.  Then she had a deconstructed lemon tart, her 10th this week I reckon, and I had ice cream, chocolate, ganache and chocolate chips; both hit the spot.

With a bottle of wine and two coffees, our bill was 92E.  Well worth the two taxi rides getting around the trouble zones.

La Condesa in the 9th: Inventive but serious: Chef Indira Carillo keeps introducing new tastes and textures.

 

La Condesa in the 9th should be an inspiration for every young chef in Paris: the decor matches the chefs bold lines, the settings and presentations reflect his worldly influences and his food keeps moving forward with new ingredients, textures, flavors and herbs that are both surprising and comforting.  I screwed up getting photos of everything but on his (supposedly "3-course") Menu Dejeuner today we had:

 

a corn tortilla with goat cheese

mushroom tempura, bursting with flavorful sauce

unpictured toasted amaranth on top of sweet potato soup

great bread (x 2)

ray/skate with white beans and watercress

magret de canard with multicolored beets and hibiscus

unpictured ganache, chocolate, cinnamon, sesame ice cream, caramel sauce

and cookie-cakes presnted in really cool multicolored and painstakingly painted gourds

Our bill, for 3, with 2 bottles of a fine Morgon and three glasses of Cremant from the Jura (offered) and 3 coffees (included), was 186 E or 124 E a couple.

Vava in the 18th: a surprise visit where “all’s well that ends well.”

Vava in the 18th today had room for 4 of us who had intended to go elsewhere but thank whoever invented mobile phones, we quickly shifted and did very well, indeed.

 

Our friends started off having the gravlax with grapefruit and burrata and stuff.

Then two of us had the fish of the day - lieu jaune and two the meat of the day - a selle d’agneau.  Very nice all.

For dessert we shared the apple chausson and kiwi fruit and ice cream.

Our bill with the equivalent of a bit under two bottles of wine and 4 coffees “offered,” was 140€ or 70€ a couple.

L’Escudella in the 7th: Still going strong.

L’Escudella in the 7th remains a terribly interesting place; full of UNESCO and Ministry of Health young’uns who fill the place at lunch with a polyglot of tongues and visages while the chef pours out an array of simple-sounding but complexly-prepared and presented dishes.

They were kind enough to start us off with two superb amuses, innovative updates on oeufs mayo and enhanced sea urchins along with their fine warm bread.

Colette then had a chicken bouillon and I the decorticated langoustines - both much more complex and inventive than their descriptions would suggest.

For mains, my wife chose scallops and I had duck in two services, the first, shredded well-cooked legs encased in a parmentier puree surround and then a magret, again, nothing like one would have had in 1950 in the provinces.  The chef nicely provided my partner of 60 years with a green salad augmented by herbs and mushrooms and young frisee.

Finally, she a clever version of a lemon tart with the lemon shaped as a lemon, delish!

Our bill, with a bottle and glass of wine and two Illy coffees, was 133€.

Le Vent d'Armor in the 5th: A breath of Breton fresh air blows on.

Le Vent d'Armor in the 5th could as well be the Wind of Love it has done so magnificently on this famous quai it shares with the Tour d'Argent.

All three of us chose the 30E 2-course or 35E 3-course menu and we were quite happy campers.  After an amuse of mackerel we had lovely sliced scallops in a tasty creamy sauce, followed by thick slices of well not over-cooked swordfish and then desserts of ice cream and a cream of chestnuts.

With a bottle and glass of wine, 2 coffees and a bunch of mignardises, our bill was 157.00 or 104.66 E a couple.