John Talbott's Paris

Jtepardi in the 2nd: Seb Demorand's bistronomie des amis or the fengshui of the hottest street in Paris?

Pre: So, the jolly head guy, the owner I suppose, asks me "How'd you learn about this place, it's only been open a month?"  Oh sez I, on the Internet where I saw it said it featured bistronomic food among friends [thinking but not saying that my buddy who just died coined the expression bistronomique.  Plus, the Pave des Fleurs is practically next door and maybe this street is Paris's new culinary fengshui zone.}

7.4 Jtepadi, 9 rue Paul Lelong in the 2nd, 09.53.97.39.91, (Metro: Bourse), closed weekends, when pronounced by real French folks like Sophie Brissaud turns out not to be Jeopardy as Google would lead you to believe but "Je t’ai pas dit", i.e. I didn’t tell you.  In any case it has a wonderful looking 2-2-2 menu for 24E but we went for the carte.

The amuses were lovely spicy rillettes on toast fingers and then we both had a wonderful concoction of shrimp tartare on top of shaved cabbage with apple slices.  For main dishes Colette went with the scallops with a carrot purée and I had a paleron of beef with a foie gras topping and puréed Jerusalem artichoke. For a finale, Colette wisely chose a brioche perdu.

Our bill, with a bottle of wine (with a screw-top mind you, the French are getting smart about spoilage!) and 2 coffees and fine bread was 119.40€.  DB’s were only 79.7 despite it being packed with male banking office types from around this new food Mecca.

Go?    You betcha, don't say "Jtepeda!'

Pantagruel in the 2nd: "This is wonderful": Another star-gazing super-chef (Jason Gouzy) with 3-fers.

8.0 Pantagruel, 24 rue du Sentier in the 2nd, 01.73.74.77.28, closed Sundays and Mondays (Metro: Grands-Boulevards) appropriately is named after Rabelais' son because almost everything comes in 3 large parts.  The chef is one Jason Gouzy, well known for his work at Le Galopin and le Bristol before that.

There were 3 amuse bouches followed by salt-crusted beets with black pepper froth and sliced duck hearts.  At this point we knew we were in for a ride.

With the 34E 3-course meal came a choice of two main courses, each with three items under the main ingredients which were maigre or pork: the fish raw with aioli, roasted with a bouillabaisse sauce and with fennel, potato and Raimu sauce (garlic, peppers and crème de brebis) and the pork with mustardy lentils and pickled onions, iced lentils with a coffee foam and grilled pork belly with mustard shoots - Wow!

Dessert was/were rice pudding with caramel beurre sale and kumquat with shiso ice cream.

Our bill, with bottles of wine, still and sparkling water and 3 coffees, was 193E or 96.50E a couple.

Go?  Hurry, you've only got 360 days until the Michelin 2021 is published.

 

 

Fleur de Pave in the 2nd: As close to food heaven as one can get (with a little help from Yamashita-San.)

Le Fleur de Pave is cheffed by Sylvain Sendra but he liberally acknowledges the contributions of master vegetable grower Asafumi Yamashita, both of whose products we've followed for years.  Sendra has an astonishing 45E multi-course lunch here which as far as I'm concerned hits all the high notes perfectly.

 

He started us off with a set of amuses with a hot roll and the Rossi family olive oil, moved on to a beef marrow-based puree/veloute, then an intense risotto with salicornes, beetroot sausage with sumac, barbu with mushrooms two ways, mango, cream and meringue and topped this splendid meal off with mignardises to be eaten from marshmallows to nut wafers to flan and macarons. 

Our bill, after a New Year's offering of champagne, with 2 bottles of micro-filtered water, one of wine and 2 coffees, with a "gift" of the sausage, was 153E.

 

Le Bougainville in the 2nd: “Bistro Liberation Front” HQ, Yankees* not apparent.

Pre: Six weeks ago, Aitor Alfonso in Le Fooding wrote “If the Bistro Liberation Front existed, this would be its headquarters.”  Wow!  After that, how can one not go?

6.0 Le Bougainville, 5 rue de la Banque in the 2nd, 01.42.60.05.19, closed Sundays and Monday nights (Metro: hummm, Bourse maybe) is the kind of place only an omnivore with a big appetite and 45 minutes to eat, presented not with a check written but the table number written on the paper placemat, would love.  I’m sure I and you have been by it a thousand times, it’s right next to the great wine store LeGrand on the rue de la Banque and in the Galerie Vivienne on the inside.  The decor, the staff, the carte, etc., are straight from 1950.  No froufrou here, just real food, homemade.  Even the toaster looks ancient.

I was in the Auvergnat mood, so I started off with herring and potatoes, what could be more classic?; then in homage to Jacques Chirac, their tete de veau with a fabulous gribiche sauce, which my surgical skills allowed me to dissect and eat the brains and meat, leaving aside the fat and gristle; and finish with a pot of chocolate mousse.

My bill with a carafe of red Pinot D’Alsace and a coffee was 45.40€.  Db’s = 78.6 not bad.  Nor the bread.

Go?  If you’ve never been to a real 1950 French bistro and you’re bunking downtown, I’d say, this is the place.  

*Yankees, for my generation of French folks, refers to the Yanks who flooded France in 1918 and 1944 and includes gays from Key West, farmers from Iowa and booksellers from Seattle.

Le Fleur de Pave in the 2nd: Simply splendid, there’s no other word for it.

Le Fleur de Pave, 5 rue Paul Lelong in the 2nd is a place we ate at in early July and were dazzled by and when my wife and I were able to go again for a sort-of business lunch today with an art historian/lecturer she’s helping plan a trip to the US with, we went with great anticipation.  Sylvain Sendra is firmly in control and his staff is charming and the vegetables from M. Yamashita's farm in Chapet (Yvelines) just as glorious in October as July.

After several amuses, 2 breads and olive oil, we moved onto the four courses: feasting on a silky soup  of zucchini flowers; baby tomatoes in various colors with berries and herbs of various sorts; then a rich cheesy risotto with both sautéed and raw sliced mushrooms; ending with a chocolate/chocolate/chocolate dessert.  Of course we had superb mignardises with coffees before exiting.

Our bill covering all this plus a bottle of Gamay Burgundy Paso Doble (champagne offered) was 189.50€ or 126.33€ a couple.

In sum - Another great meal with Chef Sendra.  Bravo!

Le Fleur de Pavé, in the 2nd: Asafumi Yamashita is Sylvain Sendra's co-pilot here.

Pre's: Well so many pre's: Sylvain Sendra of Temps Au Temps and Itineraires fame is back from a 2-year exploration of cuisine worldwide, his new restaurant is beautiful with touches of his travels including a variety of serving bowls and plates that were stunning. His vegetable supplier is the incredible Asafumi Yamashita whom we spent much of a day with 9 years ago - https://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/john_talbotts_paris/2010/07/asafumi-tamashita-and-knowing-where-your-food-is-from.html

8.0 Fleur de Pavé, 5 rue Paul Lelong in the 2nd, 01.40.26.38.87, closed Sundays and Mondays (Metro: Bourse) has been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait.  For his 45 E supposedly 4-course lunch he has teamed up with master vegetable grower Yamashita and the results are simply dazzling:

My goodness: everything from shaved and pureed cauliflower to caviar d'aubergines, from daikon, carrots, cucumber and parmesan to 2 types of basil on top of beets and other root vegetables with a kicky curry sauce to edamame and petit pois with chives to cheese (goat, St Nectaire & comte) with three condiments and desserts, ices and mignardises.  Phew!  AND the bread and olive oil were wonderful.  

The chef and his sommelier made sure we didn't go thirsty and offered us generous pours of champagne and a Loire naturally bubbly desert wine as well as a very reasonably priced Languedoc.- all out of Zalto glasses.

With the wine, their filtered water and 2 coffees, our bill was 182 or 121.32 E a couple.  dB's were so low I didn't measure them.

Go? If you're willing to put yourself in the chef and his co-pilot's very competent hands at a very reasonable price, you bet.  If you insist on ordering a la carte, you're on your own.

Marcore in the 2nd: "This is good"....About as good as it gets.

Pre: A week ago we ate at Bouillon Rocheuart 47 with good judges of food and they mentioned its former chef there and his wife (Marc Favier and Aurélie Alary) had moved on, never letting on that they knew where.  Sometime later they sent me a note saying in essence "Get over to Marcore, it's good."  Never one to turn down good advice, we went.

7.9 Marcore, 1, rue des Panoramas in the 2nd, 01.45.08.00.08 (Metro: Bourse) closed weekends is in the midst of unfolding 3 spaces: a restaurant, bar and traiteur; all spanking new and quite glorious as befits the area.

We were warmly greeted (both the chef and his wife having been warned by our friends that we'd show up) and treated to slices of their superb bread with a cream of ? anchovies and almost raw beef picana (sirloin cap).  Then Colette and our two around-the-world friends had the 36 E (for 3 courses, 28 E for 2) had a superdooper salad of mache on vinegared pureed beets and mackerel and I had a slice of extremely interesting and delicious terrine of foie gras with a tart jelly, not your usual slice at all.

Colette and JJ had a terrific chunk of merlu with carrots, pureed squash and lots of herbs with horseradish mustard; R. had the poitrine of veal with spring veggies; and I had divine morilles in a cream sauce with an egg (really, really, special).

For dessert, three of us shared in the fine floating island with a golden cookie.

Our bill with 2 bottles of wine, one while from the Rhone and one red from Paris - you read that right - a Turbigo, 3 coffees and an infusion, was 222 or 110E a couple.  dB's 64.5

Go back?  For sure.

ERH (water, rice and man) in the 2nd: Another elegant Japanese-influenced place.

Pre: A terrific food spotter friend told me about three places he found this Spring while I was away and I was eager to try all; this was the first, which I had hesitated to go to when it opened because its subhead was La Maison de Sake.

8.1 ERH La Maison de Sake, 11 Rue Triquetonne in the 2nd, 0145.08.49.37, closed Sundays and Mondays (Metro: Etienne Marcel) is situated in a cool wooden slatted building containing the resto, a sake shop and a whiskey bar, and has lots of flowers welcoming you.  Rather than describe each dish, which comprised two fish, two meats and a "pina colada" dessert (unpictured, unfortunately because it was the highlight of the meal) I'll just roll them out.

 

The chef's use of different ingredients, herbs and sauces was dazzling and the three of us left culinarily dancing.

Our bill with a bottle and 2 glasses of a very good wine, superb bread and olive oil and 3 coffees, was 261 or 174 E a couple.

Go back?  We will, but I think I'll be happy with just three courses at 35 (offered at lunch on weekdays), rather than 5 at 55 E  on Saturdays.

Joia by Helene Darroze in the 2nd: I went expecting the worst, and well..... it's a mixed bag.

7.3 Joia par Helene Darroze, 39, rue des Jeuniers in the 2nd, 01.40.20.06.06, closed Sunday nights (Metro: Grands Boulevards or Bourse) is a place I went to great trepidation; my last two meals with the cheffe have been among the worst in my life and I vowed never again to darken her door.  But time softens the negativity and trusted tasters prompted me to give her another try.  The site is impressive. the open kitchen and décor welcoming, although the EXTREMELY LOUD (82.6 dB = about the level of the beginning of a hearing loss), intrusive and awful music is a huge turn-off.

The carte encourages you to share and has lots of small and big plates, so we started with:

• a raddichio salad with walnuts, pear and a terrific dressing that Madame swooned over
• a perfect egg with black truffles and Jerusalem artichoke cream and chips that Monsieur swooned over
• a tempura of kokotxas (under the jaw) merlu which Colette thought was tough with a tasteless batter and I deemed soft and tasty (go figure!)
• a terrine with pistachios which all liked

To finish up, we shared a pavlova and light baba not with rum but rather 8 year Darroze family Armagnac.

Our bill, with great bread, a bottle of Bordeaux and two coffees, was 136 or 90.66E a couple.

Go?  If you're 20-30 and like LOUD, OK; otherwise caution!

 

Astair in the 2nd: Loud, short-staffed but quite good.

Astair in the 2nd has been open for only a few weeks and it's jam-packed, loud and unfortunately understaffed.  But the food over-rides those elements.

All of us went straight to main courses, our friends having an entrecote and cod, while Colette and I both had the quail with figs and vegetables and potatoes.  For dessert, everyone had the tarte tatin with cream.

Our bill, with a bottle and glass of wine and three coffees, was 195.40E or 97.70E a couple.