John Talbott's Paris

Zebulon in the 1st: If you appreciate good solid cuisine, thus is your place in a relative food desert.

There used to be a number of great places around the Palais-Royal but I’m challenged these days to name but one, Zebulon, luckily it’s one of the best anywhere.

Zebulon in the 1st, I used to describe as an offshoot of Pirouette near Les Halles, but that doesn’t do credit to its host/owner and the chef Takeshi Aoki.  We went today with a longstanding French/French-Canadian friend and we’re all most pleased.

Our friend took the 28€ 3-course menu and started off with gambas and cuttlefish in a cauliflower veloute and Colette had a gazpacho with gambas as well.

Then she had the confit of lamb, Colette the daurade with bok choi and I went for the 36€ pigeon royal with preserved blood that was incredible.

Finally our friend had a large slice of chocolate tart with cassis ice and Colette and I shared a lemon meringue.

Our bill, with no bottled water but a bottle of wine and three coffees, was 148€ or 98.67€ a couple.

Mumi in the 1st: Very very good foodwise and servicewise, except.....

Mumi is still my #1 restaurant for 2018 in the city proper (L'Ours in Vincennes beat it out by a whisker in the 'virons) and four of us had a terrific meal again today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The chef started us off with a lovely but pungent mushroom soup in handmade mushroom bowls followed closely by parmesan biscuits with red pepper blobs and a warning from the bilingual staff not to eat the coffee beans they were on.

Then we went on to split the mackerel with mussels and courgettes several ways including a zucchini blossom.  At this point our dining partners eyes lit up and their tongues loosened; a good sign.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains again we split up the maigre (fish) with grape leaf rolls and a slab of pigs belly that I thought was perfectly crisped on the skin and moist on the inside which the male member of the local couple thought was underdone (not me.)  At some point the chef came purposefully over and recognized me (even though the reservation was in our friend's name); which I thought was a nice touch.

For dessert, again we split the choices which were essentially ices with in one case apricot and the other - mango.  The mignardises were divine raspberry rounds.

Our bill was 193E (that's 96.50E a couple) with a bottle of wine, 3 coffees, 2 bottles of their own sparking water (9E) and here's what got my male friend concerned, 4E for the flat water that Colette confirmed was "eau de Paris" (I think she should have said "Chateau Hidalgo," but then...).

 

 

Mumi in the 1st: Another “undiscovered” treasure, who knew? “It’s quite good, isn’t it?”

So, I asked my planned eating partner where we should go today.  Innocence?  Nope, been. Mumi?  Huh? Never heard of it. Quick to Google, Greek chef, Angelo Vagiotis, others from Porte 12, Thibault Passinge, genius behind it, in particular, prior postings in Greece, NY, Australia, Naples, London.  Interesting. Why not?

7.9 Mumi (MUseum MIle), 14, rue Sauval in the 1st, is indeed located between the Louvre and the new Pinault Museums, 01.40.26.27.54, closed Sundays and Mondays (Metro: Les Halles) has been open 10 months and I’ve heard nothing about it.

After some amuses of Parmesan, red pepper cream, nut crunchy hunk and very good crusty bread with EVOO in a laboratory tube we were ready.

Firsts were beets on a layer of chicken liver, very inventive, and mackerel two ways with sauces and condiments too complex for me to figure out.

Then mains of maigre with leeks and gnocchis and a poitrine of pork with shaved radishes, broccolini and an intense dark sauce.

To finish up, Madame had the chocolate with passion fruit and I had kiwi fruit with a cream inside a collar of chocolate.  And then, oh my, I forget and I didn't write it down.

Our bill, with no bottled but their filtered water, a bottle and 2 glasses of wine and two coffees was 118.00€.  Db’s were controlled at 74.0 but the music went from horrid American to lovely bassa nova, think Getz-Gilberto.

Go?  No question.  Run don’t tarry.  And thanks Chef, for a dazzling meal that tingled the taste buds.

Pirouette in the 1st: it cannot get any better, can it? I think so. Francois-Xavier Ferrol is the tops.

 

Colette and I went back to Pirouette today with one of our most trustworthy eating friends in town and were treated like royalty.

Champagne and an amuse bouche of Jerusalem artichoke with mushrooms greeted us.

Then we had two new (on their menu) items, spicy sea urchins, called sea chestnuts with chorizo and truffled chicken and Roscoff onions carbonera with a parmentiere sauce.-outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For mains, among us, we had a huge chunk of spring lamb with algae juice, a rable of rabbit with gingered red cabbage and a ring of eel (unpictured) with parsley "sponge" and garlic - again all over the top.

Our desserts were a lime, meringue fluff and chocolate three ways.

The mignardises also registered as hits, canneles and jelly squares.

Our bill, for three, with their water, a bottle and glass of wine and three coffees, was 189€ for three or 126€ a couple.

Zebulon in the 1st: Chef Takashi Aoki sure dazzles with ingredients and spices/herbs etc.

 

 

Zebulon has kept getting better and better under Chef Aoki, and like William Ledeuil, he keeps introducing new exciting flavors that dazzle the senses.  Several times we had to ask or go back to the carte to figure out what they were.  When we entered at 12h30, the joint was jumping, I’ve never seen it so full of locals; I guess because it was Good Friday and all the offices would soon close for the 3.5 day holiday and everyone wanted a good feed before training off to Grandma’s.

We skipped starters and moved on to the mains: Colette choosing the maigre, my daughter the cod, my grandson the veal and I the lambs leg, all with intriguing items such as green mashed potatoes (parsley), spicy buckwheat, pistachios, leeks, asparagus, tamarind sauce and so forth.  We were all very happy campers.

For dessert, Colette ordered the lemon cake with mango and wouldn’t you know they sent out another with sorbet, pistachio cake and meringue, ahhhhright.

With a bottle and glass of wine, no bottled water but three coffees, our bill was 154€.

Baltard au Louvre in the 1st: an incredible meal for 30€.

The Baltard au Louvre, 9, rue Coquilliere in the 1st, 09.83.32.01.29, closed Sunday nights (Metro: Les Halles) is as dazzling on a rainy windy days as it was in nice weather.  We ate with the expat friend I’ve known since biking down the Loire 55 years ago and we enjoyed it very much although Colette seemed less enthusiastic.

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Our friend chose to start with a purple carrot soup while I went with the menu’s other starter, herring and potatoes with a most appealing sauce.

Then both she and Colette chose the scallops off the carte while I got the menu’s offering of lamb sweetbreads with Jerusalem artichokes and another fine sauce.

Finally our friend had the dessert of the moment, which consisted of two cigar-shaped chocolate covered ice cream bars and I had the menu’s baba with whiskey.

With a bottle and glass of wine, no bottled water, but three coffees, our bill was 135€ or 90€ a couple.

Au Pied de Cochon in the 1st: 70 years and still running strong.

5.5 Au Pied de Cochon, 6, rue Coquilliere in the 1st, 01.40.13.77.00 (Metro: Les Halles) always open, thus today, New Years Day, when damn near everything, except Chinese restaurants, is closed, it beckoned to me from across the years when I toured the Belly of Paris as a student, breakfasting on onion soup afterwards.  It and it’s menu look much as they must have in 1947.

 

Colette went with the daurade with spinach and I had to have the classic Pied de Cochon which overflowed over the plate with a nice salad and ok fries.

 

For dessert she and I shared the crepes flambeed with Grand Marnier that were as good as they come.

Our bill with a bottle of wine, no bottled water but two coffees, with adorable little piggy macarons, was 97.50€?

Go back?  Every 30 years I do.

Brasserie Rejane in the 1st: Very pleasant but no wow moment.

5.3 The Brasserie Rejane, 16, Avenue de L’Opera in the 1st, in the newly refurbished Hotel Nolinsky, 01.42.86.10.10, open 7/7, is in an absolutely stunning setting and is clearly ready to welcome guests with everything from burgers to boeuf bourguignon.

My partner in planning professional meetings was seated when I entered having been served an amuse of terrific thinly sliced charcuterie.  He and I both chose to skip entrees and he had as a main a bavette of Alouau Black angus and I, the "traditional" boeuf bourguignon both with ok frites.  The boeuf bourguignon had a rich wine sauce and while not up to Colette’s version of Julia Child’s recipe, had quite nice vegetables.

My friend of now it must be 20+ years finished with the tart of the moment (today pear) and I the Tonga chocolate tart, both quite decent.

Our bill, with a bottle of Syrah, a small Badoit and two coffees, was 107€?  Db’s = 75.0

Go?  On a freezing Sunday, if downtown. it wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Baltard au Louvre in the 1st: A wonderfully surprising addition to the still rebuilding quartier.

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!

Clover Grill in the 1st: “about as good a steak frites as I’ve ever had.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.2 The Clover Grill, 6,rue Bailleul in the 1st (sound familiar?, that’s because it’s in the old space next to the now sadly shuttered but fully equipped Spring), 01.40.41.59.59, open 7/7 (Metro: Louvre Rivoli) is the latest in Jean-Francois Piege’s ventures and its prices were so eye-popping when it opened I couldn’t find an excuse for having a cotes de boeuf or spring leg of lamb at 88€ and up.  But my 82nd Birthday loomed and my dear friends from SF offered to join me at (their words) a “nice place.”

For firsts we shared two dishes among the three of us: what was called “like a pizza” with cold sashimi, warm chorizo bits and other stuff in a warm thin pastry shell - well, despite the name, it was very nice - and a liberal portion of braised duck foie gras with grape halves - so far so good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then one of us had one of the two fish of the day from small boats, he chose the merlan, a whole huge merlan, which he finished to his credit.  Those of us on the banquette had steak frites with two sauces, one of which, the Bearnaise, we loved so much we ordered more - the steaks were large and cooked perfectly - his rare, mine blue - and much as I insist the French cannot do fries like in Belgium, these were damn good.

Desserts were out of the question after so much food but the cookies were great.

Our bill, with two bottles and glasses of wine, principally a Vaucluse, terrific bread and good coffee plus 2 bottles of water (despite my ordering a carafe, which by law they’re supposed to serve) costing 6.50€, came to 235€ or 156.66€ a couple.  Db’s got really loud (80) but then cooled down (70).

Go back?  Well, there are meat places like Le Comptoir de Canailles, Nicolas Arnaud, L'Amarante and Les Oreilles et la Queue serving the same quality meat at much more reasonable prices.  But hey, you only go around once.  And you have to admit that the butcher blocks and meat racks are pretty cool.