6.6 Quatre Vingt Neuf, 89, rue Lemercier in the 17th (Metro: Brochant) 01.40.22.96.83, closed Sundays and Mondays, is crying out to be liked - beautiful site, interesting menu, chef-driven food, impeccable service, good wines, reasonable prices - so what's not to like? Well, follow along.
The tempuras of gambas, carrots and zucchini with a terrific piquant sauce were flawless and the bed of spring greens fresh and unspoiled - Oh Boy, off to a good start.
The daily special was sliced beef Thai-style that was so cool, bland and anti-Thai that our hostess came over to see why my colleague (French) and granddaughter (Kiwi-American) left most of theirs uneaten; I meanwhile had sweetbreads that were so over-fried that croustillant might better have been described as "all crust all the time". The potatoes and butternut squash that came to them saved the dishes though.
The desserts - a chocolate mousse, lemon tart and beignets - were nickel, no complaints here.
Our bill, with a bottle and a half of a very nice Rhone and 3 coffees, was 172 E or 114.66 E a couple. dB's 68.0 when the Buena Vista Social Club-type music wasn't blaring.
Go back? This was what my old pal Steve called a "U" meal, high at the beginning and end, slumping in-between. The guy (chef Benoit Huber) knows his stuff so maybe he just forgot the Thai ingredients for the beef and left the ris de veau in the fryer too long today, but I'll wait to see what others think before I return.
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