simon says french food blog

BEEF HEARTS AND HOME RUNS

 

I was a bit sad when Chateaubriand changed hands a few years back - I loved the feel of the place, the beautiful anglophone woman who owned and ran it, her polka dot dresses and 50s-era swoopy hair. Most of all, I loved that the house specialty was beef cheeks - it takes guts to stake your reputation on a dish like that - but they were right in doing so; it was fantastic.

That said, chef Iñaki Aizpitarte, became a media darling when he took over and it was well-deserved.

It still is. I was here almost a year ago and have no trouble remembering what I had for lunch: blood sausage on a bed of squash puree with little bits of almond and pear to add flavor and texture. Recently, we visited again again - my first Aizpitarte dinner - and it was even more memorable.

Aizpitarte does a 45 euro, four-course tasting meal that changes frequently and places him squarely in front of the modern edge of the gastro-bistro movement, trying bold and inventive pairings that will keeps the meal at the center of conversation.

The star of the meal was a smoked herring broth with fall vegetables and cubes of foie gras. Inside, slightly-cooked chestnuts, charred button mushrooms and black radish shared space with triangles of pickled onion that lent elements of surprise and fun to the dish. The foie gras - something I rarely rave about - melted slightly, giving depth and texture to the broth and made everyone at the table wide-eyed and happy; every dish afterward was watched very closely. 

A big, luscious block of cod followed, served on a sauce with sweet onions and flanked by king oyster mushrooms. The fish held form until it reached my mouth; I could have stopped there and gone home happy.

A meat course - veal covered with a black radish ‘paper’ served with a cod-liver sauce, and a little dollop of onions macerated in fish sauce - didn’t quite work; mixing fish and meat is the chef’s equivalent of big game hunting (I once sat in on late-night telephone lessons between an aspiring chef and a three-star chef on how to cook beef heart and cuttlefish in a Dutch oven), but it signals Aizpitarte’s larger intentions - where his heart is.

After one bite, I spent ten minutes trying to explain my thought - a double on a home run swing - to the French diners at our table.

Besides, he followed up with a crowd-pleasing triple, mixing beets and pears at dessert.

Dinner is 45 euros, plus wine. Smiles are free and plentiful.

Le Chateaubriand - MAP
129 Avenue Parmentier
 Paris
 +33 1 43 57 45 95

COMFORT ON WINTER’S MENU

After lunch at Jeu de Quilles, I really wanted not to like dinner at Au Bon Coin when it was set in front of me. (So much so, I seem to have accidentally erased all photo evidence of the meal.)

Came out too fast. Skimpy portion of string beans, I thought as my main course arrived. Then I dabbed a spud in the sauce next to my steak and reconsidered.

Au Bon Coin is packed with locals on the wonderful north side of Montmartre for a reason. The quality/price ratio is where it should be. ‘Comfort’ should be on the menu.

“I was here a week ago and the didn’t have the stuffed cabbage. They only have it in the darkest part of winter,” said my friend and dining companion who lives three blocks away. On this night, it’s on the menu and it arrives, dark, pungent and delicious a moment or two after my pièce de Charolais.

Is it me, or are the days getting longer?

Count on about 20€ with a drink or two.

Au Bon Coin MAP
49 Rue des Cloÿs‬
75018 Paris
‎+33 ‪1 46 06 91 36‬‎

P.S. - If you’re going to make a night out of it, start with an apéro at the nearby La Renaissance - ‪112 Rue Championnet‬ - where Tarantino shot a scene from “Inglorious Basterds.” With any luck, there will be an impeccably-dressed woman delivering your drink. “Wearing jeans in public,” she once told me, “is despicable.”

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

DEATH BY PIERRE

PARIS

By Joe Ray

I’m a bit of a pho fanatic. Years ago, I worked in chef Didi Emmons’ restaurant Pho Republique in Cambridge, MA. As a birthday present to my sister, I made up a gift certificate for the place before it opened. Once we went, I liked Didi’s version of Vietnam’s signature soup so much, I got a part-time job in the kitchen. I had to know.

Knowing in Paris may require a compass. Or a Pierre with Vietnamese heritage.  This place - a pagoda-lined pedestrian street lined with residential high-rises - looks more like Mars than Paris. Just before you open the door, however, you can smell that you’re in the right place.

It’s all in the broth. Good pho broth bubbles away all night, pulling flavor from a giant pot of goodness that usually includes beef, bones, ginger, charred onion, star anise and lemongrass. There are scores of variations including vegetarian, chicken and seafood versions. I could have imagined a version of this one - clear, clean and complex as any wine - as part of a recent meal at El Bulli. (!)

In Paris, I’m a regular at Belleville’s Dong Huong, where they make a very respectable bowl, but until today, I’d forgotten the magic that made me fall in love with pho in the first place.
While the star is the soup, the whole meal is fantastic. Consistently good plates like a Vietnamese crepe with mushrooms and marinated pork, fresh nem, pork ribs and marinated, grilled pork strips, all play with flavor and texture - even at dessert. Nothing misses the mark.

At less than 20€ for a royal feast and a drink, this is one of the best-priced meals in Paris.

Restaurant Quan Ngon MAP
63 rue Javelot
75013 Paris
+33 1 44 24 35 59

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

MORE FOR THE CARNIVORES

PARIS

By Joe Ray

As our cote de boeuf is set down in the center of the table, Pierre makes a general announcement, putting his hands up to his mouth, megaphone-style.

“Vegetarians are now invited to clear the area!” he bellows.

My word, yes they are.

I made a sort of promise to check out the ‘bicycle built for two of the steak world’ at L’Escargot after checking out the offerings at Le Bastringue and was far from disappointed.

There’s a price difference - 32 euros at Bastringue and 40 at L’Escargot (remembering each diner is paying half of that) and you can taste the difference: L’Escargot has better and more flavorful meat (likely linked to chef Fred Valade’s triperie down the road), but each one is a great value for the price.  One nitpick: L’Escargot would also do well to get some real steak knives.

There were nice vegetable side courses with my meal tonight, complete with Valade’s signature flaming thyme garnish ... and, no fault of their own, after a few bites, I completely forgot about them. Desserts were fabulous. I’d get the homemade chantilly (served on top of the ‘choco ivoire & son biscuit caribbeanesque’ which I once launched onto my lap) over and over again as a solo dish.

L’Escargot MAP
50, rue de La Villette
75019 Paris
+33 1 42 06 03 96

Full disclosure: I am known (though not notorious) at L’Escargot as it’s about a block away from my flat. They didn’t know we were coming, but they knew I was there. That said, even in Paris, you can’t conjure different beef at 9 p.m. on a Wednesday night.

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

FALLEN FROM HEAVEN

PARIS

By Joe Ray

I rode right right past the opening night festivies at Tombé du Ciel. At first I chalked it up to the bliss of zooming around Paris on my brand-new-to-me vintage Peugeot 10-speed, but I backtracked to #7 on the tiny Rue d’Enghien. There it was, lost among the cheap grec sandwich restaurants and coiffeurs, the ‘PHONEBOUTIK’ sign of a previous owner still gracing the facade.

Just below, a large glass window glistened with the prerequisite warmth, barely obscuring a healthy crowd and a few dozen bottles of natural production wine. It looked as indigenous to this part of town as... as... um... hence the name.

I wish them well. If clients find the place, just two blocks north of the Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle in the 10th, (I found out about it on a tip from our crack translator, Mariette) they’ll come back. This is La Cremerie’s fun and gritty cousin. The wines are great, with double digits of by-the-glass options ranging from about 2.50 to 5 euros. There are some whites and fizzy options that will leave you drooling with glee, served with perfect food for nibbling, particularly considering the kitchen is still under construction. (The kitchen will open ‘soon’ and there will be a plat du jour or two.)

The showstopper was a tarama of sea urchin, served with bread and a slice of lemon. You really need nothing else with a product this well-sourced.

The ambience may be the best part. People leave their belongings wherever and walk away, trusting they’ll be there a couple hours later when they leave, and at the end of the night, everyone crowds around the bar and I half expect them to break into a well-deserved song.

With wine, count on around ten euros if you’re feeling peckish. More if you’re hungry.

Tombé du Ciel MAP
7 Rue d’Enghien
75010
M: Strasbourg St. Denis

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

SUN ON A PLATE

PARIS

By Joe Ray

My tolerance for number of days cooped up in the kitchen in an effort to avoid bad weather ended today. I should have come out sooner.

Acting on a tip from a friend…who recently acted on a tip from Francois...I cross town on my bike, popping up to meet friends in the lower reaches of the 14th arrondissement at Le Jeu de Quilles.

I’m a bit early and watch a table of six guys who were clearly on an afternoon out at one of their favorite spots, downing good wine and asking the chef about where to get a whole lamb to roast.

Ann has barely sat down when she says,  “The sun’s out!” with a smile like she was recognizing a long-lost friend who’d grown a beard since the last time they met.

The prix fixe lunch plan is simple: choose from three appetizers, two mains and a handful of desserts for 25 euros. There’s an à la carte menu that makes me want to come back for dinner. In form and function, it quite resembles the original version of Spring and Le 122.

Along with a generous, high-end charcuterie plate, highlights included an oeuf cocotte, swimming in a wonderful shallot-y red wine sauce and resting on a hidden strip of pork fat.  There’s also a braised pork main with a hot, pudding-like side of polenta laced with Emmental and tasting of real corn bread.

“This tastes like America!” I blurt.

Dessert was a still-bubbling pear and apple crumble, arriving with a ‘watch your fingers’ warning from the waitress. Imagine hot, crushed Pecan Sandies above hot, buttery fruit and all the dairy farmers you’re supporting with this one dish!

Sun on a plate.

Lunch prix fixe menu: 25 euros (21 if you skip dessert, but why would you want to do that?). There is no prix fixe at dinner where appetizers run between 12 and 20 euros and mains are in the mid-20s.

Le Jeu de Quilles MAP
45 rue Boulard
75014 Paris
+33 1 53 90 76 22

Interested in a little, um, 'he said, she said' on Jeu de Quilles? Test your French and read Francois' recent review here.

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

A GOOD (BUT PRICEY) SLICE IN PARIS

By Joe Ray

PARIS

A pair of friends have been telling me about their favorite new pizza place since it opened. Good pizza in Paris is a rare bird, so naturally, my ears perked up.

Al Taglio is an interesting concept, borrowing heavily from Italy. Walk in, go to the counter, point to one of the big, beautiful rectangles of thick-crust pizza beneath your nose and they are ready to take a pair of kitchen shears and cut a slice approximately one and a half times as large as the size you indicated, as you will be paying by the kilo.

No matter. Take a seat on a stool under Smurf-blue lamps and discover that the pizza is fantastic. We shared slices with the anchovy and garlic glory of the Napoli, a decent quattro stagioni, and a beautiful yet mysteriously-named “speck” with uncured (but tasty) ham, mushrooms and ricotta.

I was all smiles until a friend burst my bubble. “The only problem with this place,” she said, “is the price.”

I looked up at the menu board, tried to do some calculations and, well, couldn’t. How much does a slice of pizza weigh? I have no idea. I do know that some pizzas cost almost 40 euros a kilo and it made me think of the field day I could have at the cheese shop.

A form of answer came when the cashier cut a huge square for a take-out order – just a little more than I could eat in one hungry sitting – which came out to 30 euros.

Solution? Do as we did and go for an appetizer-sized portion – that and a glass of wine will run you a very reasonable eight euros.

Count on anywhere between 8 – 40 euros.

Al Taglio MAP
‪2 Bis Rue Neuve Popincourt‬
‪75011 Paris‬
+33‪ 1 43 38 12 00‬‎

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

H. AND THE STEAK

By Joe Ray

PARIS

 

H. and I had a peculiar beginning - the ambiguous and non-ambiguous fits and starts of a relationship that quickly turns platonic.

Those questions now years out of the way, we can concentrate on dishing without feeling like it’s been six months or a year since the last time we saw each other. (What better compliment can you pay to a friend?)

We can also concentrate on what’s on our plates. Last time we met, that meant côte de boeuf - the bicycle built for two of the steak world.

“That and a bottle of wine are all you need to bother with here,” said H., laying down the law of how to order at La Bastringue. She’s done the menu sampling for us at this rowdy/friendly 19th arrondissement bistro overlooking the Bassin de la Villette and there’s no reason to question her.

Moments before the steak arrives, a ridiculous-sized plate of salad, mixed veg and cube-shaped fries is set down. You’ll nibble on those, but that’s not why you’re here.

The steak is charred, bloody (lest you want the cook to cry), and very tasty. It might be a bit chewy in spots, but with a steak this big, there’s plenty of room to roam. There is no non-carnivorous reason to leave hungry.

Need more convincing? You can get out of there for about 20€.


Le Bastringue - MAP
67 Quai de Seine
75019 Paris
+33 1 40 05 70 00

p.s. - I stopped by l’Escargot the other night for a drink and noticed that they have a côte de boeuf on the menu. It’s more expensive than down the hill at Bastringue, but that’s the next one I’ll be trying...

...

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

The Wepler: I may well go back anyway!

 By François Simon

PARIS

A leisurely visit to the north of Paris, and suddenly, an urge for a seafood platter overwhelms me. I like the Wepler for the atmosphere, but when it comes to seafood, just between you and me, I prefer Garnier, particularly for its oyster bar. When the weather's cold, with a glass of ice-cold Muscadet, it's simply delightful...

At the Wepler, tonight, the seafood platter seemed to take forever to reach our table. A good half hour! As we waited, we emptied the breadbasket, played with the bread and fiddled with the wine bottle. It was a relief when a platter appeared at the end of the aisle. Alas, it was for the table next to ours. When our platter finally did arrive, we were ready to suck on the ice! Having regained our composure, we found the platter was negligent in the discharge of its duties, not brilliantly fresh, a bit apathetic. The langoustines were a bit dry, though they seemed to be dance with their claws spiked to their tushies. The oysters, at least, were spirited and proud to carry the day, while the spiral-shelled whelks were a bit old looking and the shrimp simply unfit for play.

Luckily, the crab was there to liven us up, get us gnawing and fuel our impatience. As for desert, things were much the same: the meringue glacée was icy-cold, but the meringue was practically reduced to powder. As for service, I'd call it a foul. Everything came late. But what really took the cake was the last glass of wine I ordered towards the end of the seafood platter, which arrived… after the bill - where it appeared, of course.

With three kids and a single dessert, it's expensive, quite expensive: 184,30 euros! Want to know the worst part? I may well go back anyway! Sigh…

Wepler, 14, place de Clichy, 75018 Paris (+33) 1.45.22.53.24. Map 

SOUP, SOAP AND THE PIG’S FOOT

By Joe Ray
PARIS

The “Run Away!” category was designed for meals like this.

A rainy, hungry cold and dark afternoon in Paris called for something warm and reassuring. We almost went for pho in Belleville but my visiting friend suggested soupe à l’oignon (French onion soup) it seemed perfect.

Le Pied de Cochon is a Paris classic dating back to when Les Halles was the mammoth food market I’d give my pinky to have seen, not the current resident: a subterranean shopping mall that both houses and smells like a swimming pool. Restaurant names from the market period were designed with its oft-illiterate workers in mind. If you were looking for the boss who was cutting a deal for broccoli or tossing a couple back, he would be at the Chicken in The Pot, the Bell, The Drum or…the Pig’s Foot.

I was reassured that though the tourists were making up a majority of the customers - particularly as it was only four in the afternoon - there was was also an older, distinguished looking gentleman eating by himself and reading Le Monde dated the following day.

Waiters and waitresses buzzed around, giving the restaurant a wonderful, busy feeling and when the soup arrived, and we breathed in its wonderful smell - a bit reminiscent of Mom’s chicken pot pie - we felt like happy and lucky little kids.

We should have stopped there. The soup tasted like soap.

At least the broth did. I nibbled my way dutifully through the cheese on top, hit the broth, winced, tried again, tried my friend’s broth and then just stopped eating.

I never stop eating.

What’s worse is that this is the traditional food for served in Les Halles, arguably the birthplace of soupe à l’oignon. I tried distracting myself by thinking of the word Francois might use when confronted with something like this, but in the end it was all mine: atrocious.

We split duck confît that arrived cold and limp and when we sent it back for a warm-up, it came back lukewarm and limp.

That was enough. We left.

Count on around 15-30 euros better spent elsewhere.

Au Pied De Cochon - MAP
6 rue Coquillière

75001 Paris

+33 1 40 13 77 00


www.pieddecochon.com

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

Thoumieux: all for the best

By François Simon

PARIS

Jean-François Piège left the Crillon to settle in at Thoumieux armed with an iron will and, more importantly, a palpable desire to do battle with gastronomy. Of course, some of you will once again deplore the Costes style, but what can you do? I find it delightful: pretty girls, and waiters who ply their trade with pride…

The dishes and prices fend for themselves: 10 euros for a warm endive salad with cheese and lightly smoked ham. Right up my alley! Barely "snacked" brill filets and a jardinière from "Joël's" (21 euros). Perfect. Churros and baba au rhum from Millet's, along with cheeses from Bordier's at 8 euros. Banana and lime vacherin that leaves you swinging from the chandeliers…which are attached to a lovely, freshly remodeled 1940's ceiling.

A wine menu worthy of the name, crunchy-crusted quality bread, real napkins… It shouldn't be long before the profession shows up to steal ideas and I'll be only too pleased! Maybe Parisian brasseries will finally be revived, start bubbling over with mirth and attracting the throngs and pretty girls again. Thoumieux's soul had slipped away, but it's back! Surely, this is among the best news of the season.

Hôtel Thoumieux, Jean-François Piège/Thierry Costes.
79, rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris. Phone : +33 1 47 05 49 75.
Open everyday from 12 pm to 2:30 pm and from 7 pm to 10:30 pm, soon to be noon to midnight non-stop. Map

Supernature: a disdained delight!

By François Simon

PARIS

Here we sit not far from the Grands Boulevards of Paris, at an address worshipped by its regulars: Supernature. Know that giving you this address is like giving you a little piece of my hearts

It's a neighborly hole in the wall crammed with Formica tables. There are a few nature pics on the walls, including one of a woman with an admirable physique, which explains why so many patrons make a point of eating opposite from her.

Each dish is generously served and colorful. I ordered the plat du jour, a sort of veggie sampler with petulantly delicious vegetables, a small pancake served warm, enhanced with lentil sprouts and various mysterious jack-in-the-boxy spirals. Washed down with a carrot-ginger juice (then another), let me tell you that within 15 minutes, I felt like I was at Cape Canaveral, the rocket was warming up on its launching pad, and the fuses were blowing one after the other: look out here I come! Personally, that's all it takes to make me happy but you can also dive into the daily menu: tofu and vegetables, chocolate fondant cake, carrot cake… Gusto galore!

As for the prices? Frankly, 11 € for a dish that puts you back on the right track, 4,40 € for a magic potion and 2,10 € the espresso is reasonable, wouldn't you say?

Supernature, 12, rue de Trévise

Phone: +33 1 47 70 21 03. Menu 25€.  Map

Other restaurants in the 9th

Taking a Breather at Rose Bakery (My Life, Users Manual)

By François Simon

PARIS

You must be asking yourself how I manage with everything I put away. Excellent question to which I apply myself daily. First of all, never two gastronomic meals in the same day. If there's a big meal ahead, I clearly mark out the path with a kindly lunch, like here at Rose Bakery, rue des Martyrs in Montmartre (46 is the street number).

I seek indulgent nourishment and when my appetite is satisfied, I stop. Nothing between meals (an apple if I'm feeling a bit drained), no wine at lunch, no bread (or almost no bread), no dessert in average restaurants (unless they're extravagant) and no spirits (don't like the stuff). And when it's really good, I drink, mop up sauce with bread and eat heartily. By riding my bicycle daily, I can still wear the same suits I wore twenty years ago.

Does that sound ok? No diets. I'm just constantly vigilant so I can feel free to cut loose without any restraint at any moment.

Rose Bakery : 46, rue des Martyrs Tel : 01 42 82 12 80 Map

Rose bakery 2 : 30, rue Debelleyme. Tel :01 49 96 54 01 Map

Tartar so chic at 1 Vendôme

By François Simon

PARIS

Have you seen the beef tartar (22 euros) at 1 Vendôme?! Over-chic, a bit on the kooky side I must say, palatable and all that in a setting that's been brought up to date. I was dreading that this hideout might be outed by untimely advertising, but so far… it's still calm. In a month, FOR THE CHRISTMAS BREAK, FOR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? it'll be as calm as the glassy sea. I bumped into an old friend there, Nicolas Rey, who was in great form. Just what I needed to brighten my day.

1 Vendôme 1, place Vendôme +33 1 55 04 55 55 A la carte: 70-80 € Map

LOWELL THOMAS TRAVEL JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

 

PARIS

By Joe Ray

Holy cow.

I won the Society of American Travel Writers’ “Grand Award” – The Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year.

“At least you did something,” quipped my Republican-leaning father referring to a certain recent Nobel Peace Prize winner.

I took it as a compliment.

In any case, it’s fantastic news and a huge honor. There is an incredible list of winners that reads like a Who’s Who of travel writing – including several for the Boston Globe’s Travel section. There’s also a video of the awards that includes a photo of me in a cheche and another where I’m slurping an oyster with my buddy Ethan - start at around 17:40.

Here are links to the stories in my entry – most with a serious food bent – broken down by where they were published.

BOSTON GLOBE - TRAVEL

Heart of The Hills - Valparaiso

Sampling the Motherland – Sicily

Loving Lisbon

Desert Rules – The Algerian Sahara

Some Tips to Help Make Your Dollars Stretch in Europe

CENTURION & PLATIUM MAGAZINES – Asia & Australia Editions

The Road goes Ever On – Patagonia’s Route 40

The Centurion Menu – Santi Santamaria & Carme Ruscalleda

THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - TRAVEL

In Lyon, old food styles and new exist happily side by side - Photo gallery

Finally, my ‘simulcasted’ blogging trio rounded out my entry.

Eating The Motherland - My Food Writing & Photography blog

The Boston Globe’s Travel Blog, Globe-trotting

…and, of course, right here with Francois Simon on Simon Says!

 

More to come! Stay tuned…

Photo courtesy Joel Scheitler in Luxembourg.

Marco Polo, va bene

By François Simon

Paris

The Marco Polo, set back from the little square at carrefour de l'Odéon, has a good reputation. Expect Italian-style service: forced volubility buffered by high spirits and a clientele that seems to play along with the game.  Elsewhere, that's often all you get before they dish out the chow, but it’s not quite the case here: linguini à la poutargue stick to your ribs with joy and the tiramisu is decent, as is the house wine. A nice surprise.
Marco Polo 8, rue de Condé (01.43.26.79.63). Count on 35-40 euros. Map

The Lancaster: an ace up my sleeve…

By François Simon

Paris

Sometimes people ask me if I know a sure bet for "a really good dinner." I hesitate, go over all the great names - they're often booked for the best of them - or dull as dishwater for the others. Here's an ace I keep up my sleeve: the Lancaster. Never a disappointment…
The menu. The classification they devised is as brilliant as ever: sourish tinge of dairies, vivacity of wine, pungency of condiments, bright notes of lemons and citrus fruit… You have to admit that arranging dishes like that is quite a feat. It's even remarkably intelligent. Here's the hitch – when you choose a dish, even in a place this civilized, you're like a dog over its bowl. You can't remember more than two words. Picture this: as is often the case when the name of the dish drags on, you end up with a comical scene peculiar to restaurants: "Yes, umm… I'll have the… umm… What was it? The, umm, the periwinkles." Having said that, the pleasure of this cuisine, conceived by Michel Troigros and executed by Julien Roucheteau (fancy that - his name's on the menu! rare and impressive!) lies in its vivacity and incisive lightness, like the John Dory ‘petals’ in rhubarb sauce.
This was followed by a remarkable filet of brill poached in vegetable broth. In cases like this, you oh-so-delicately brush your napkin over your lips, like over a mirage. Excellent. Is it expensive? Taking a look at the bill this morning, The Lancaster is a bit on the steep side: 258€ for an excellent gastronomic experience and a fine bottle of Collioure (Schistes). The restaurant can also be much more affordable, particularly for lunch on the terrace. Do go.
Le Lancaster - 7, rue de Berri, 75008 Paris (01.40.76.40.18). Map

Little Things, Big Neighbors

By Joe Ray

PARIS

Lots of little things going on Chez Ramulaud.

What I love about Paris is that I lived on and off for a year near a place this good and never knew it was there. Then again, I lived even closer to the Bistrot Paul Bert, which got all the little things right and costs the same; Ramulaud is more of a mixed bag.

Walk in and there’s a funny feeling like the place has both been there for a while and that they’ve just moved in because the walls are too white and the lights too bright. Appetizers are good ideas that just miss the mark – a tartare of veal, gambas and avocados has lots of fun texture but wades in mayonnaise. ‘Chips’ of pigs’ feet and ears sound fantastic if you’re into that sort of thing, but this thin, they just taste greasy. Vegetable preparations are well thought-out yet the raw products seem like they’re from the cheap grocery store down the street.

From here on out, however, the problems are erased. Sautéed slices of andouillette atop a salad are crowned with a poached egg. There’s great play between the offal, the mustard-y vinaigrette and hidden lardons and lightly caramelized red onions. Lamb chops are dredged in Parmesan and pink on the inside. A beautiful Fleurie dispatches doubts about Beaujolais.

Dessert sums it up: a chocolate cake drools salted caramel, the underside just slightly (and wonderfully) scorched; my companion starts moaning with pleasure. Meanwhile, I can’t figure out why the top of my otherwise tasty crème brulée isn’t scorched enough. At the next table, someone has ordered a skimpy-looking Paris-Brest, Paul Bert’s incredible signature dessert.

I enjoyed the meal more than it sounds, but can’t think of a better way to remind customers of the better place to eat.

 

Chez Ramulaud - MAP
269 rue Faubourg St Antoine
75011 PARIS
www.chez-ramulaud.com
+33 (0)1 43 72 23 29

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

 

 

 

BLOWING OFF THE ZEPHYR

By Joe Ray

PARIS

I recently moved to a neighborhood where I don’t know where to eat… disconcerting for a food writer.

At the end of a rainy Monday in the center of town, both places I wanted to go for steak frites were closed. I retreated to my neighborhood, dragging my friend behind me and getting to the point where we couldn’t make a decision.

We circled two places, exhausted and not really caring anymore, finally settling on a place that seemed pretty but expensive (Belleville’s Le Zephyr, for the curious).

We sat and picked out our steaks and I did the math; it was going to cost 80 euros for a meal we really didn’t care about.

I looked across the table and said: “Chinese takeout and cheap beer?”

We got up immediately.

Best decision of the week.

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

PASS THE MATÉ

By Joe Ray

PARIS

Le Fumoir is a melting pot for the mid-level hoi-polloi. At any given point, you might bump into the waitress who couldn’t care less, the impeccably-dressed writer who’s actually getting something done, the maître d’ who says ‘I am a snob’ simply in the way he adjusts the blinds, smiling bartenders, tourists who realized they’ve lucked into a good find and a woman who’s got a good 25 years on her lover, both looking happy as clams. (I’ve recently learned that her breed is known as a cougar. Rrrow!)

There are lots of non-client quirks for better and for worse: a Costes-brothers-of-the-1950s style space with big, beautiful lacquered bathrooms, paired with a vaguely Asian menu theme. And maté. Surprisingly good maté, served in a big gourd with a bombilla and a big iron teapot of hot water.

Most places have a clientele you can lump into a group, but here in the middle of town, a stone’s throw from the Louvre’s Cour Carré, it’s what the French would call Le Melting Pot.

It shoudn’t stick.

It sticks.

Pass the maté.

Le Fumoir – MAP www.lefumoir.com 6 Rue de l'Amiral de Coligny Paris +33 (0)1 42 92 00 24‎

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.