John Talbott's Paris

Astair in the 2nd: A terrific new/old "brasserie d’exception."

7.0 Astair, 19, passage des Panoramas in the 2nd, 09.81.29.50.95, closed Sundays (Metro: Grands Boulevards) is the second resto in the Passage by the team behind Champagne & Canard (which I also rated a 7/10 two years ago), with a menu from the three-star chef, Gilles Goujon, from the Aude.

On entering one sees two circles, one of a luxurious cocktail bar, the other, a snazzy several layered metal and glass repository for glasses, carafes, etc. The decor behind the bar is stunning.  There are lots of seats at banquettes and a very friendly staff as well as interestingly designed cutlery.  There are some tables outside in the passage. The carte is tremendously varied, with classics and newer dishes, as one of our pals said “it would be perfect during the holidays when a family can all eat what each want.”

To start we had a large portion of frogs’ legs and anchovies with a sweet pepper condiment, both of which were gold standard.

Then we went our separate ways with: a linguine with squid ink, haricots verts with mushrooms and nuts, a large lamb mouse (souris) and the winner of winners, my whole quail with mushrooms,  figs,  teeny potatoes, and bacon.  And foie gras - ohhh, la la.

 

Finishing up, we shared the rice pudding and a delicious fig tart with a very nice crust

Our bill, with a bottle of Fleurie and one of Badoit, plus 3 coffees, was 181.40 € or 90.70€ a couple. Db’s once we asked for the music to be turned-down, went from the mid-80’s to hearable.

Go?  You bet, as my friend said “there’s something here for everyone.”  And I repeat, the service, friendliness and accommodations were exceptional.

Les Affames in the 2nd: A very decent neighborhood bistro.

6.0 Les Affames, 7, rue St Augustin in the 2nd, 01.42.60.22.80, closed Sundays and Monday nights, (Metro: Quatre-Septembre) is a neighborhood ”cantine gastronomique” it says, that a friend who lives nearby touted me onto.  Another friend, also coincidently from the Bay Area, and I went, with no inflated expectations and it met the goal.  I believe its name comes from a Canadian horror film.

For firsts, he had a tuna carpaccio with tiny pieces of orange and fennel and I had a round of boudin noir.

Then for mains, he had an entrecôte of Galice beef and I had two generous pieces of veal Milanese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To finish up, he had a baba with rum and I had another generous piece of pain perdu.

Our bill, with a bottle and glass of wine and three coffees, was 102.50€?

Go again?  Not unless I’m in the area, in which case I’ll remember it.

Coinstot vino in the 2nd: how weird can a meal get? Pretty weird, even for an Italian one.

So, a very trusted food and wine friend said Coinstot vino had a new chef and while he’d only eaten there once and intended to eat there again 3 days ago he wasn’t able to get together a quorum/minion so I was on my own.  But it’s Monday and I have to find a place my friend from 1953 who lives/practices in the 4th can get to easily.  I telephone, no reservations at lunch “but if you come early it’ll be no problem.” Of course, for once my buses, 60 and 85, worked perfectly and I’m in the passage des Panoramas at 12h10.  

I wait and when the clock strikes 12h30, I ask for the carte des vins, “there isn’t one,” the wait lady says.  “I’ll send by the human wine list.”  Ha ha.  He comes over and I’m all set to hate him.  No wine list. In these days of computers and printers?  But rather than try to upscale me towards the top of the price list, he asks what I might like and in what price range.  Then he gives me two generous taste pours.  Ok, slate is wiped clean.

5.5 Coinstot Vino in the 2nd, 26 bis Passage des Panoramas, O1.44.82.08.54, (Metro: Grands Boulevards) closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, is a place I went to a long time ago with another wine guy and the food was French and not awful but not worth going back to at 5/10.  Today, though, the ardoise showed 2-3 (one a pizza)-3 and 3 pizzas.  Oh, oh, and my backups on the passage were all uninspiring- Tondo at Racines, more Italian, Canard et champagne, not too bad, and the Bistro des Panoramas, where I’d never been.  But I ordered some wine and waited and waited and waited. And read Figaro.

After an hour and a half I decided my pal had fallen, injured her hip or suffered an internet meltdown.  Well, it turned out it was all of the above.  Albeit not all today. So I ordered the calzone with ham and cheese and spicy early arrugula, 

And it was not bad for non-French food although I had to bring it to life with a lot of salt and spicy olive oil.

Having finished, I ordered a coffee and the check, and who appears?  My old friend.  She orders a pizza.  She likes it.  And the wine, as in Cana, seems to flow like water.

The bill?  Well I think I heard the wine guy who had no wine list say there was no check but it was 69€?  My friend antied up, which I didn’t protest my back reaching the point of no return.  db's were awful = 85.6

Go back?  For an Italian pizza place, it was not bad but not what I expected.  But there's always this place nearby.

GAG in the 2nd: for what it is, it’s very good.

6.0 GAG, (= Gras Alcohol Gluten) 3, rue de Palestro in the 2nd, 01.42.86.01.26, closed weekends (Metro: Etienne Marcel) is Arnaud Daguin (think Andre dad, Ariane Sister)’s latest venture.  I’ve been following his journey from Auch, to the Watergate, Hegia, the Salle Pleyel, the Isle Seguin to this epicerie fine plus food place with great interest, albeit mixed results.  There are many deli type items on the carte, sausages, ham, cheeses and the like plus an entree (today squash soup) and plat (pasta) du jour.  It reminded me of the Comptoirs of Camdeborde, Jeanne A., and Jancou from time to time.

Since I think I’ve reached the breaking point with potimarron and poutargue I chose to go with a tartine of smoked eel with dill on fabulous bread (the G of gras and gluten) and a salad with terrific dressing, followed by interesting raisin pain perdu.

With a carafe of pompon rouge (A) and a coffee and house water, my bill was €40.  DB level=80.

Go back?  For a light, great product meal indeed.  In fact I schlepped home some chocolate moelleux for later.

Circonstances in the 2nd: I’d forgotten how I’d learned about it.

Circonstances, 174, rue Montmartre in the 2nd, 01.42.36.17.05, closed Monday and Tuesday dinner as well as weekends (Metro: Grands Boulevards/rue Montmartre) is another place I’d eaten at without Colette, which she wanted to go to.  We entered and found another great friend from the Bay Area already installed.  I’d completely forgotten it was he who “found” it and recommended it to me last year.  Yikes!  (The team that runs it previously were at Hier & Aujourd'hui which was also one of our favorites).

We were unanimous is heading first for the foie gras de canard with crushed peas that was spectacular.

Then he had the huge portion of brandade that had chunks of cod rather than the usual blender presentation; Colette had the chicken with parsley sauce and big beans that she was not wild about; but I was wild about my pork cheeks in red wine that was as great as any beef cheeks prepared similarly.

To finish up, we had the lemon, pear and chocolate desserts, all top of the line.

With a bottle of Bordeaux and three glasses more that came with the plats, no bottled water but 2 coffees, our bill was 143€ or 95.32€ a couple.

Rivie in the 2nd: Best waitfolks but worst food of the year plus they cheated us 4 €. A shaggy dog review.

Pre: So, we’re facing Saturday in Paris for lunch, whoops, everything is closed for Armistice Day, 11-11-11.  The couple I laugh with the most and I scurry around to find a place with good food that’s open.  Thinking hotels got to have restaurants open, I book at the new Hoxton place called Rivie, whatever that means.  

I enter and am seated at their “quietest table” DB’s = 75.7 and look at the paper in front of me.  What? Brunch, wait a minute, I specifically asked if there was also a regular “carte,” and was reassured in French and English there was.  My delightful waitguy said, “oh you were dealing with the front desk of the hotel, they don’t know anything.”  Then he  pointed out the right side of the paper where there was coquelet, fish, burgers etc.  Ok, we’ll make do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So my friends enter and get the same response about brunch/lunch from our now female waitperson.  We order up, a Hox cheeseburger for M., a Hox Monsieur (aka Croque) for Madame, a coquelet for me, how bad can they be?  Ans: Pretty bad but like the old Catskill hotel joke, there was sure a lot. The cheeseburger ordered rare, was raw, and had to be replaced, the Monsieur was neither allez-retour nor unilaterale it was not cooked at all on either side and my coquelet was the most tasteless of the century.  My friends loved the fries however, so a point for that.  No points however, for their side salad of undressed leaves of spinach and maybe mustard.

After a new cheeseburger was prepared but no attention was paid to our other two uneaten dishes I insisted we have a chocolate Brownie, which was the weirdest Brownie presentation ever but tasted pretty good after what we'd just had.

Our bill, with a bottle and glass of wine, a bottle of Badoit and 2 coffees, and awful bread, read 108.50€?  But wait, we didn’t have any peach rooibos, I don’t even know what that is.  So take that away and you’ve got 104.50 for 3 or 69.66€ a couple.

Go?  For the worst meal of the year?  And cheating us out of 4€! That’s insupportable.  Plus, the DB’s got to 86 before I stopped recording.

Circonstances in the 2nd: this place is a keeper, thanks R.!

Circonstances, 174 rue de Montmartre in the 2nd, 01.42.36.17.05, closed weekends and Monday and Tuesday nights, (Metro: Grands Boulevards,) is a place I ate at in 2013 and loved but never found time to return until one of my Bay Area pals said he'd had a superb meal there last week.  So, what did we have to lose?  We were eating with the woman in France who knows more about food, drink and tea than anyone except Buddha and even she was impressed, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Once again, all three of us wrestled with what to have, our guest saying "it's between the tartare and pied de cochon, I'll decide when the wait-lady asks me."  Food brinksmanship!  Well, she went with the superb tartare with terrific bread, Colette had the superb mussels and cepes and I the superb pied de cochon.  Wow!

Then our guest had the confited paleron of veal, Colette the wild shrimp, and I the first wild duck (Colvert), of the fall, I've seen and it was truly game because our friend almost lost a crown biting on the buckshot.  All were great, although we thought the mashies could have used a tad more butter and Colette thought her shrimp needed more salt.

For dessert, Colette had a lemon "like a tart but in a glass" and our friend a raspberry cheesecake on top of crumble crumbles.

Our bill, with a 12€ supplement for the duck (well worth it), a small bottled bottle of fizzy, one bottle and 25 ml of Bordeaux and two coffees, was 153€ for three or 102€ a couple.

L'Ami Georges in the 2nd: Like Bogart's Rick, "I was misled."

4.5 L'Ami Georges, 5, rue du Quatre Septembre in the 2nd, (Metro: 4 Septembre), 01.42.97.48.80, open 7/7, was a place I wrote myself a note about having something new - decor, owner, chef, awning, menu, who knows? Boy I sure couldn't find it. Once seated at a comfy banquette, I looked over the menu, double chalkboard of specials, promo for St Vaast oysters (where my friend is running a marathon relay this week) and asked if the calves liver was thick or thin, "neither," hummm.  

Anyway he started off with shredded carrots and I, 2 oeufs  mayo, both of which must have been good enough to be polished off before I could get a shot.

Then he had mussels and frites that he ate every bit of; I had the calves liver ordered blue which was  really sinewy and rice mashies which there was no way I could finish.

For dessert he had what looked like a clafoutis.

With a bottle of fuzzy water, for him in training, and carafe of Bordeaux for me, getting ready to take my new stationery bike for a spin, and two coffees, our bill was 77€.  DB's = 81.1.

Go back?  Nope, it was just average (5.0) minus .5 for the hot house tomato and lettuce in full season.

 

Le Depot Legal in the 2nd: A "flash of genius" = an eclair of supreme craft as well from Christophe Adam.

6.0 Le Depot Legal, 6, rue des Petits Champs in the 2nd (Metro: humm, Bourse, Pyramides?), affects to have no telephone, no reservations, open 7/7.  It's been open a very short time but when I strolled in at 12:40, it was full save one bar stool.  Bummer!  I pleaded, cried, waved my cane around - to no avail;  "but wait Madame, there's a table empty there?"  I got not an eclair de genie but a negative foudre essentially conveying the message "you'll wait til I tell you, you can sit, old guy."  

  

 

I looked around, I sure was the old guy, the only one in the room over 23, these kids were the ages of my grandkids, yikes, some were this year's version of hipsters, even.  And the food was as well, there was some protein but all that your mother would approve of.  Most of it is in two huge window cases behind where the work folks cook and put the dishes together.

The bread arrived, wait, this is bread from one of the best pastry chefs in the world? Unh uh.  Banette does better. Bad start.  Then I had the daurade ceviche with a ton of shaved cucumber spaghettinis, topped with citrus slices and accompanied by a different type sauce than I am used to, described as the leche de Tigre, a Peruvian specialty, that grew on me as I proceeded.  

 

To finish up I had to have Christophe Adams biggest sin, a caramel eclair, which was as it always is at the Eclairs de Genie, tops. 

My bill, with the equivalent of a half bottle of a red Loire, no bottled water but a coffee, was 36.50 E. 

Go back?  I guess I would not, it was not aggressive enough cuisine for me, but I'd send Colette and her friends for a salad and éclair.

Klay Saint Sauveur in the 2nd: smoking and protein shakes after a workout; so French!

 

5.3 Klay Saint Sauveur, 4 bis rue Saint Sauveur in the 2nd, 01.40.26.69.66, open 7/7 (Metro: Reamur:Sebastopol) is a huge restaurant located over what must be a huge health club, where the musclebound can workout, drink a protein shake and have a smoke amidst others who have other interests- I'm reminded that a couple of years ago a fine lady selling designer jewelry paired with a grungy guy running a tattoo parlor in a paring my chaste neighbors found a bit oxymoronish.I arrived a bit before my old friend from the Marais and sat in a chair that suited my back and marveled at the fresh air coming in the open roof windows - until the first smoker finished her workout and the prevailing wind blew some smoke directly towards my table.  

My friend arrived and we settled on what to have, for her turbot and asparagus, for me risotto with cheese, asparagus and coquillage bits ; both were ok but not inventive in any way.

Then she had a "bowl" which is/are all the rage this year called a smoothie but was really just seasonal berries like I always order at the Century in NY, and I had what were halved big strawberries with a sorbet instead of the fraises des bois advertised on the carte.

Our bill with pretty decent bread, a bottle of Bordeaux and two coffees, was 110€.  DB's = 81.9

Go back with Colette when she arrives?  I think not.