John Talbott

Of course you're correct about the "requirement," but oh, my dear friend Bux et al; not that any of us can "pass" as French or European but a Brooks Bros Navy blue blazer, chinos/khakis and "baskets" (except on rappeurs) do mark us. Lately, I've noted many of our compatriots are "passing" quite well with turtles, pressed designer jeans, shirts/sweaters and Euro-jackets. If you're really young and buff, a black tee works; for the 3rd generation, though, a suit still makes it.

Not since June 10th, 1992 and my notes are in deep, deep storage, so the report is surely useless at this point. But since I've never been back, I was (1) unimpressed, (2) distracted or (3) showing early signs of brain rot.

I would second the Dome de Marais, which is very close to your hotel but also suggest that Mon Vieil Ami, about much has been written elsewhere on the Forum, is but 500-600 meters from your hotel. I would counsel you against going to Benoit, despite its proximity, unless you don't mind paying double the food's value. If your mobility permits, a hike across to the 11th will reveal a ton of great and/or new places. Have a good visit.

I am awaiting a response from John and anyone else about their experience at this young French operation which has immense appeal to us. We are old Francophiles; more recently Spanish converts. Our heart has always been in France but the French have not embraced with great zeal their newest, most innovative, irreverent and talented chefs. I await a more comprehensive review with anticipation. Judith Gebhart ← Judith - If you click on the link I gave two posts (Dec 16th) above it'll take you to my review. Felice also posted her reaction on Dec 16th. Those, plus Fresh_a's blog, which he linked to, are it so far.

The Week of December 19th, 2005 Monday, A Nous Paris featured an interview of Grand Vefour’s chef, Guy Martin, {Ed Note: who seems to be getting a lot of press coverage this winter} by Dominique Artus in which Martin lists his favorite Paris restaurants as Positano + Risi E Bisi and {according to my source Felice}, “plugs four dishes that he created for Monoprix for the holidays that must be ordered…..: Foie gras chaud, un homard roti, des coquilles Saint jacques, and pintade au gratin de pommes de terres.” Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban reviewed three French places in his “Casseroles.” The first was Diapason, (in the Terrass Hotel), 12-14, rue, Joseph de Maistre in the 18th, 01.44.92.34.00, closed Sunday night, a la carte about 45-50 €, which despite the fact that he dislikes hotel restaurants and found the food prices a bit dear (esp. because it lacks a “menu”) for this area, served good, “serious food” with a neo-classic and southern twist {for my take see here}. He also returned to Chez Casimir, coordinates well-known, which has a new chef {yet again} who is serving “OK food” for good prices (25-30€.) The third place is the Pavillion Baltard, 9, rue Coquillière in the 1st, 01.42.36.22.00, open everyday, with formulas at 15-19 € and a la carte about 28 € - with oysters, pate, snails and andouillette that are “not bad” if you’re in the area – that is, Les Halles. His main review was devoted to a Japanese sushi bar – Kilala in the 1st. Wednesday’s NYT announced the publication by Little Brown ($16.95 paperback) of a book that may interest members – The Authentic Bistros of Paris by François Thomazeau, with photographs by Sylvain Ageorges and translated by Anna Moschovakis (but not findable in the original on Amazon.fr), that supposedly lists 50 bistrots not found in say the Michelin, {although one of them, Chez George, is certainly well-known by readers for this Forum.} I missed reporting a few weeks ago that the NYT’s Eric Asimov wrote an extended article on books about wine called “The Pour: Words on Wine, From Opposing Shores” in which he mentions two books of interest to our member/readers: The Wines of the Northern Rhône, University of California Press, $55 by John Livingstone-Learmonth and Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times, William Morrow, $24 by Don and Petie Kladstrup. Thursday in l’Express, J-L Petitrenaud wrote reviews of two places - Helene Darroze, coordinates well-known and Chez Michel in Nimes. Thursday in Le Point, Gilles Pudlowski featured a mix of products (caviar, Grand Marnier, salmon), recipes (soufflé with Grand Marnier) and restaurants abroad (Bernadin in NY and Philippe Rochat - 15 years with Fredy Giradet - in Crissier/Lausanne) and in Paris: Sens, a resto to watch; Steak and Lobster, a resto in trouble and two places in good shape – Market + Coconnas, 2 bis, place des Vosges in the 4th, 01.42.78.58.16, menu at 32 E, a la carte : 60, run by a young Breton - Aymeric Kräml, ex-Ducasse + le Crillon, taking over with “brio” and serving a tarte of cepes, a monumental chicken, veal’s head and tiramisu all for 32 E. This week’s VSD Magazine has a “duel” between Alain Passard and French gastronomic journalist Périco Légasse on the subject “Is French cuisine going to hell,” largely dealing with Passard’s love of veggies. This week, Jean-Claude Ribaut had three articles: December 20th on wine storage, December 21st on France’s producing too much wine and too many types/brands of wine and December 22nd, on the 13 traditional Provencal desserts of Christmas {there were no resto reviews.} Sunday, in the December 11th New York Times Magazine, Amanda Hesser announced that a French classic La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange, first published in 1927, had been translated by Paul Aratow into English and was now available {it is 29.87 E Amazon.fr and $26.40 from Amazon.com}. In Expatica this week, Clair Whitmer has written an article entitled French feasting: how to enjoy foie gras, about how to “choose it, serve it, and enjoy it.” I’ll let you savor it in the original. In addition, a NYT of December 14th had an article by John Tagliabue pegged on/to the “Comtesse du Barry” line of foie gras about the state of foie gras in France. December’s Discover Paris newsletter, discussed “Christmas on the Rue Mouffetard” specifically where to get cheese, wine, bread and dessert. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

L'Ourcine, about which much has been written last year here, types itself as Basque as well. One to avoid - Les Fernandises - not yet in the guidebooks anyway.

French food items are prizes in UNICEF fundraising effort for Kashmir quake victims Our member Pim, under General food topics, has posted a thread about her effort, as part of the “Menu for Hope,” to raise money for the UNICEF fund for victims of the Kashmir earthquake. Because many persons may see only the French Forum and because some of the prizes are fine French food items specifically of interest to us, I asked her to list them. They include: For more information please go to A Menu for Hope II If you wish - here’s where to donate now. The drive closes Christmas Eve.

The Week of December 12th, 2005 Monday, A Nous Paris’s Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 blocks to Le Cou de la Girafe coordinates given last week, where he particularly liked the raw dorade, scallops a la plancha and mango dessert {my reaction is here}. His colleague, Jerome Berger gave 3/5 blocks as well to La Reserve, 141, rue St-Maur in the 11th, 01.48.05.78.15, closed Saturday lunch, Sunday and Mondays, lunch formulas at 10 and 12 E [sic], where he loved the choucroute at lunch and crème brulee. {Ed Note: at year’s end, this sounds like it just captured the 2005 price-quality ratio prize, if the reportage is accurate.} In Wednesday’s Zurban, Sebastien Demorand reviewed two French places; the first, the bar area at Senderens called Le Passage, same coordinates as the mother-house, where one can get tapas, dim sum, dynamite salmon, etc for about 45 E a la carte (but not apparently a bottle of wine; only glasses at 10E) and the neighborhood place Le Tяuc, 58, rue du Poteau in the 18th, 01.42.52.64.09, closed Mondays, about 25 E a la carte, where he, like me {E. N.: I use “me” rather than “I,” because it sounds better, cf William Safire}, enjoyed the huge piece of lamb. He also reviewed an Italian-sounding but more likely fusiony-world-food place, with the name of the year, Habemus Papum {you know, the white smoke after the gray smoke, in St Peter’s Square – we have a Pope}, in the 2nd and a Thai place – Mme Shawn in the 10th. Wednesday as well, Figaroscope’s “C’est nouveau”’s Emmanuel Rubin awarded 3/4 hearts to two places {an unusual event}. The first is Le Transversal, Place de la Liberation in Vitry-sur-seine (94) in the new MacVal museum, 01.55.53.09.93, open everyday except Monday; Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11 AM-7 PM and 11 AM – 12 PM Thursday, Friday and Saturday, costing about 30-50 E, menu of ten “miniatures” = 40 E, the food is described as rough and good {my reaction is here}. The second place is called the Pur’Grill, in the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendome in the 2nd, 01.58.71.10.61, open evenings 7-11 PM, costing 80-100 E a la carte, menu at 120 E serving a deconstructed crème brulee of foie gras, Kobe beef and a glamorous fruit dessert – it’s chef’d by JF Rouquette exScribe. One heart went to La Guinguette a vapeurs, 211, ave Jean-Jaures in the 19th, 01.40.03.72.21, about 20-25 E for oysters, eperlans and chicken. Finally, {sadly} the Café des Delices in the 6th, Gilles Choukroun’s first {and wonderful} resto got a broken heart for its Italian fare. Figaroscope’s “Dossier” listed places for New Year’s Eve: Less than 100E Ripaille, Lena et Mimile, Les Noailles + le Pavillion de Montsouris 100-150 E l’Angle du Faubourg, l’Escargot Montorgueil, Chez Clement, l’Alcazar + Le Kiosque 150-200 E Senso, Bound, Café M + Chez Raymond 200-300 E Yvan au Montecristo, Table de Lancaster, Carre des Feuillants + Laurent 300-500 E Les Trois Marches, Les Bateaux Parisiens + le Pre Catalan 500 E Plus Le Bristol, Les Ambassadeurs, Les Elysees du Vernet + l’Espadon. Meanwhile, Francois Simon’s idea for New Year’s Eve in his ”Hache Menu” is to go on the Don Juan II for a dinner cruise costing a “very dear” 395 E for two unless money means nothing to you, in which case, you’ll eat well. Thursday in l’Express, J-L Petitrenaud writes enthusiastically of the alpha and omega (at least of prices – 50 and 9 E menus respectively) of L'Obélisque, at the Hotel Crillon, coordinates given before, and the Auberge de Saint-Mont in Saint-Mont. In Thursday’s Le Point, Gilles Pudlowski reviews several restaurants in Paris. He suggests we watch Why Not?, coordinates already given, where Philipe Colin has taken over cooking semi-cooked tuna, carpaccio of pig’s feet and grouper tandoori on a 34 E menu. He also conmtinues to like le Relais du Parc + Pavillion Noura but judges Il Gusto Sardo to be in trouble. Outside Paris he likes Régis et Jacques Marcon’s Restaurant des Cimes in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, the Saint-Georges in Chalon-sur-Saône, Le Bréard in Honfleur and the Auberge du Pin in Valence. He also gives a recipe of Alain Passard for Rennes chicken with crayfish and talks of the product. Thursday, ParuVendu’s Pierre Rival reviewed Steak & Lobster {that originally, frankly, I thought was a joke of a name for a restaurant, but is seeing increasingly good press}. He comments on its good price/quality ratio. Thursday/Friday, in Le Monde’s Special Supplement about celebrations and champagne, Jean-Claude Ribaut writes about the holiday menu at Guy Savoy containing champagne, fish and game. Saturday, Francois Simon in Le Figaro has a one-page article on the “peoplization” of French chefs, focusing on six of the most telegenic/media-focused, the problem their kitchens suffer when their “human” presence is not evident and as a result he rates each with one to five microscopic TV sets with chefs’ toques in an attempt to provide satisfaction/frustration ratios (Rsf: 1-5): Bocuse (nearing 80), one of the three star chefs who is the “most present” – Rsf = 5; Robuchon (60), the only chef who’s created his own TV chain, who can be found in airport clubs more often than at the stove – Rsf = 1; Veyrat (55), a real pleasure on TV, who’d like a bigger media role – Rsf = 4; Ducasse (49), who’s everywhere on TV rather than cooking – Rsf = 1; Darroze (38), who is the most photogenic and who does stay at home – Rsf = 4; Lignac (27), he of “Oui chef,” who also is cooking at night – Rsf = 4. He also gives (yet again) an update on Michel del Burgo, ex-everyplace, who has still not signed, sealed and delivered anything, anywhere. Saturday/Sunday, in Bonjour Paris, there is a piece by Margaret Kemp on Bon, coordinates well-known, as well as one by John Talbott entitled “Liza Minnelli lied (at least about NYC vs. Paris)” about Paris not New York being the place for chefs to make their reputation. In the Sunday Travel Section of the NYT, Seth Sherwood has an article “Heart of Paris, An African Beat” that mentions several restaurants: Le 404, La Villa Mauresque, La Bague de Kenza, Le Souk,Mansouria + Oum El Banine. The latest Omnivore is full of its usual mixture of reportage, announcements (that I’ll leave for Felice to describe), recipes, etc. The big news was a propos the trip of five young chefs, of whom, Gilles Choukroun, is probably best known, to Japan. In addition, continuing their promotion of “Generation C” chefs, Luc Dubrachet writes of the demonstration/visits of William Ledeuil, Gilles Choukroun and David Zuddas, of Ze KG, l’Angl’Opera + l’Auberge de la Charme (Prenois), respectively, to the Ecole Ferrandi in Paris. More “Generation C” chefs participated in a September 12th event, including those from Mon Viel Ami, le Refectoire, La Famille + Flora . There are a host of book reviews, one for a book that is particularly different and written and published by women– Testicules by Blandine Vie (Editions de l’Epure, 274 pp, 28 E.) Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Why not? I tend to call one day ahead and except for Senderens haven't had a problem. I also eat alone 80% of the time.

So now it makes perfect sense; it was deconstructed as the sticks plus a cup of chocolate. Thanks Fresh_a

Part of my complaint to French restos lately is that they cater to the American need to rush thorugh dinner. ← I would like to respectfully disagree. Twice this week I had the experience in restos where the clientele were 100% French businessmen (except for me) where they were in and out in 55-65 minutes. It's not the Americans that are driving that train.

Wait no longer.

December 2005 – Pergolese, Girafe, Ripaille, Transvзrsal, Cote 9e, Betsey, Fin Gourmet, Fernandises, Commerce, Gourmands, Evasion Forward – Another roller-coaster month – some great ones, some losers and some in the middle. 8.75 – Le Pergolese aka Gaboriaule Pergolese, 40, rue Pergolese in the 16th, 01.45.00.21.40, closed weekends, menus at 38 (lunch) and 80 E, a la carte 50-70 E according to le Figaro, is a lovely place that you quickly realize is very, very swank, both from the voiturier (very friendly) to the huge staff and lovely setting. The chef, Stephane Gaboriaule, best worker of France in 2004, is from Lyon and greeted me warmly and even though I had to switch seats to avoid a stream of smoke from a totally oblivious canoodling couple, the staff, his wife Chantal first among them, was totally understanding. I had a bit of sticker shock looking at the carte; entrees were 18-45, mains 32-45 and desserts 12-15 E; which my math brings the a la carte figure to between 62-105 E total without wine, etc (not 50-70 as Figaro added it up). So be it. I wasn’t ordering a la carte anyway and the 80 E menu did not tempt. Nope, I went straight to the 38 one. The amuse-gueule was a terrific cream of chestnuts on top of warmed diced smoked ham and the bread was impressive. The raviola (that’s right, there was one big one) stuffed with lobster was divine, more cream sauce but hey, and my tender lamb chops were under-roséd, as asked for. Even the polenta with olives they were sitting on was good and I hate most polenta. Dessert was a deconstructed thing; which separately was banal (four stuffed prunes on a brochette, a granité and sauce of minced orange peel) but when reconstructed was dazzling. But there are problems eating here; unless you run a hedge fund, it is pricey, and if there are more than two of you, ordering the lunch menu will be boring. In addition, I had a problem with the speed at which both kitchen and patrons delivered and ate the food, respectively. I realize it was 100% working guys (except for the Master and Mistress over in the corner) but I had to tell them to slow down; the wait-staff, not the lovebirds. My bill = 69 (which if there had been two to share the wine would have been just over my magic number of 100E). 8.5 – Le Cou de la Girafe, 7, rue Paul-Baudry in the 8th, 01.56.88.29.55, closed Sat lunch and Sundays, 28 E formula, 36 E and 45 E menus, a la carte runs 50-60 E, has what Figaroscope described as a “photogenic décor” and indeed it is. I sat in “no smoking;” it’s that big a place (I’d guess 35 covers with 5 at the bar as well). I had a simply wonderful meal for a place open only two weeks; the service was correct, careful, attentive and caring. No wonder, because it’s run by Gregoire Coutanceau, one of several members of the famous family of the eponymous two-macaroon, four knife and fork resto in La Rochelle. The menu of the moment was a pumpkin soup, filets of pork and a chocolate dessert (I assume moelleux – I didn’t see one go by.) I chose off the carte with a just great warm cuttlefish and artichoke mix atop crushed tomatoes with parsley with a parmesan tuile (the only thing I had that needs more work to make it a bit more crunchy); then I had wild duck prepared three ways (breast pink and succulent; leg roasted; and the rest shredded and intense) accompanied by wild mushrooms that were divine. The meal was book-ended by an amuse-gueule of chopped veggies in a natural sauce and intense chocolate cookies and Illy coffee so serré I thought I was in Naples; the three breads (olive, seed and wheat) stood right up to the rest. After a meal like today’s, I often say to my eating chums that if I die today, I’ll die a happy man; and it was surely true today. Other points: all suits and ties, all in and out in an hour (it’s the 8th after all), no smoking anywhere, no language other than French spoken, no disreputable characters. Take my advice; go now, because it’ll be a year before the guidebooks list this place (except for Zurban, which appears in March). Oh, the bill, because I was alone, it was over the magic number of 50E - but for two, with two menus @ 72 E, one cheapo but wonderful Languedoc wine @ 23 E, no apertif or digestif, no bottled water, no coffee – you’re under 100E for two. Can you do better in the 8th? Tell me about it. 6.5 – Ripaille, 69, rue des Dames in the 17th, 01.45.22.03.03, (their card says open all days but Sunday night; Figaroscope says closed Saturday lunch and Sundays – ergo – check) is another of these places, like Cerisaie, Temps Au Temps, etc., that’s from another gentler, finer but in a way, rougher time – wonderful folk running it, small (33 covers,) nicely-priced food and wine, out of the hurly-burly, with absolutely first rate cooking. It’s a two man and one woman show, using a kitchen smaller than mine (and I have a struggle turning out food for one); the front-man is just the nicest guy in the world, I love him; the chef seems equally pleasant – best, both seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely which I think shows in their food. The menu (on the ardoise) has a lot of specials, which in their case means it’s what he got in the market or via the delivery truck today. There are two formulas, 11 and 15, at lunch and two menus, 23 and 29 E. There’s plenty of stuff for vegetarians and women guarding their line, example salmon and salad; plenty of fish – St Pierre, dorade, salmon, bar, St Jacques; a game of the day; and lots of meat. With trepidation I ordered a carpaccio of St Jacques, which the front-man insisted I tell him if it needed more olive oil, salt or pepper – I didn’t – it was perfectly cut, flavored and temperatured (eg not straight out of the frigo). Then I had the game of the day, in this case pheasant with semi-dried tomatoes and rutabagas (instead of the cabbage as originally told – no problemo) – melt in your mouth stuff. And I topped it off with my equivalent of Bocuses’s sliced fresh tomato – the moelleux of chocolate – standard! (that’s a compliment). No language other than that of Moliere, no smoking, no loud music (except Astrid Gilberto at one point, but hey). Now I always caution that I eat at lunch, so things are different at night (they say it’s packed and two neighborhood folks came in to reserve while I was there.) Wine can be ordered by the glass, bottle or a la ficelle (what you drink). Bill; menu 29 + ½ of wine 10 + coffee 2.50 = 41.50 E. Beat that, you guys in the 8th! I always say “I so wanted to like this place.” But I didn’t need to want to like Ripaille, you can’t not like it. But it’s one of those places people will say to me “You want me to go way out where?” To Rome, friends, the metro stop, not the city. Could the 17th be the new 11th? 5 (NN*) – Le Transvзrsal – that’s correct, the з is backwards like the r is in le Tяuc, a backwards я, could this be a trend? OK, lets start with the art (fooled yah, didn’t I?) If you loved the art selected for the semi-old American Museum designed by Frank Gehry in Bercy (circa 1994-6) or the Whitney Biennale (it seems like since forever), you’ll love this stuff, termed around my philistine dinner table as “broken slate on the floor and strips of felt on the wall.” Then there’s the schlep; which might not be so bad if everything South-East of Paris were not torn up for “le tramway” and everything South for bus lanes. Ergo, count on 30-40 minutes to go 3 km south of the Porte de Choisy (where the esteemed psychiatrist Henri Ey (1900-1977) has a hospital named after him and even farther after the Tang Freres’ relatively new huge and impressive emporium), and forget your car or a taxi, the construction brings to life 1/3rd of the revolutionary slogan, i.e., “Egalité.” Then, there’s the setting. Lovely, great building, cool parvis, ensconced in a sea of HLM’s (cheap housing), Chinese social clubs and discount boxes. Finally, the food. Well, the Zurban/El Bulli crowd is gonna go nutz – it’s deconstructed food that they tell you how to reconstruct – for example, take items 32, 31, 9 and 11 together – so you’ve got two veggies, miso soup and cheese. Exaggerating? A bit, but only a bit. It’s a fairly-close relative of Le Café des Delices, l’Angl’Opera, La Famille + Le Refectoire, (got it, edgy food), and got three hearts in Figaroscope last week – three hearts! That’s Table of Lancaster, Dominique Bouchet + Table de Joel Robuchon territory. Three hearts. My. OK. Confession #1 – we (two of us) had lunch there, because nothing we read, warned us not to – but I suspect the difference between lunch and dinner there is akin to that at Le Comptoir or eating at the bar Le Passage vs the main place at Senderens. The clientele looked like they were 100% visitors to the museum. Confession #2 – I couldn’t remember the dates the co-chef, Inaki Aizparte, was at La Famille, where I loved my first meal, had reservations about the second and hated the third, so I didn’t know which type of food to expect. (His co-chef here, for better or worse, is Laurent Chareau.) Confession #3 – we ate very well, albeit funnily. The menu has about 40 numbered items, grouped under veggies, soups, salads, cold-cuts, cooked meat, fish, cheese and desserts plus a “variation of the day,” our day a pot a l’ectricité (whatever that means) = pot au feu and a plat d’exposition (linked to a show in the museum), which they were out of, called a Mono Lapin (whatever that means). PS Confession #4 we actually asked the waiter about all this. Anyway, we had the following very good food: olives (came with the aperitivo/wine), dried tomatoes Lirgurian, three kinds of warm beets (very sweet, good sweet, not cloying), rillettes of rabbit (outstanding), scallops both raw and sautéed (great), wonderfully affinated comté cheese, fabulous cooked bananas and a “Mikado” (whatever that means) of chocolate with desserty bread sticks. Good, edgy food; not three hearts tho”. Maybe at night it’s three. The bill = 71.60 E for two (paid by check because they’re not yet geared up for Visas, etc). Oh, the coordinates, not that you’ll ever go there - Le Transvзrsal, Place de la Liberation (Vitry-sur-Seine) in the MAC-VAL (Musee d’art contemporain du Val-de-Marne), Dept. 94, 01.55.53.09.93, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday essentially only open for lunch (11 AM- 7 PM) and Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 AM – 12 midnight, listed in Figaroscope as costing 30-50 E, ten “miniatures” for 40 E. 4 (N*) – Cote 9eme, 5, rue Henri Monnier in the 9th, 01.45.26.26.30, closed Sat lunch and Sundays, running one 30-35 E, is the 6th resto to open on the charming square/place G. Toudouze (two Indian ones, the No Stress Café, Auberge et Cie and a café with an ample ardoise fill out the deck). If I lived here and not four stops away, I can see eating here every few weeks. The product is fresh and good, the portions perfect and the price is right. But (and there had to be one), except for the moelleux of chestnuts, that’s right chestnuts, (they have chocolate too), the cooking was correct but not inspired; for instance I had 6 #3 Fines de Claire for 8 E, my copine/voisine - the Roquefort/endives salad – OK, you don’t expect fireworks. Then she had the special, daurade with braised endives and I the rougets with mashed potatoes – again all was proper. Nothing wrong, not bad, but not dazzling either. Two bookends were great though – the bread and the Illy coffee not to mention an ancient calvados that was beyond classification. Our bill, 90E. 2.5 (N*) – Miss Betsey, 23, rue, Guillaume-Tell in the 17th, 01.52.67.12.67, closed weekends (actually, as of Jan 1, it’ll be open Saturday nights), menus at 25, 29 and 33 E. Despite the name, the clientele (totally speaking English until 9 P.M.) and the blond hair of the female chef - this is definitely a child of cuisine minceur, vapeur, fusion/world food and Alice Waters a la francaise - not Anglo-Saxon. I can understand why the Zurban/Fooding folks celebrate it; it’s got edgy, light, deconstructed food with atypical spices/pairings. But I left wanting a slice of fatty pizza or merguez with frites, not more calories-lite. It’s in a happening part of town, the 17th near Meating + Mon Marche, it’s nice, has the most attractive service people of December and is reasonably priced. The amuse-gueule tips you off to the theme though; big slices of cooked carrots flavored with cumin. I had a “crème brulee” of mushrooms and indeed it was a crème brulee on top of a duxelles base, OK but the sweetness of the top did not work. Second, I had shredded rabbit wrapped in braised endives, again, OK, but so what? I was clearly the only person who didn’t think this stuff was great. I have great respect for what the Generation “C” guys and “le Fooding” are trying to do; I’m just not sure I want to go there. Bill = 39.20 E. For those members who disagree with my reviews 100%, I suspect you should go here, you’ll love it. 1.75 (N*) Le Fin Gourmet, 42, rue St-Louis-en-l’Isle in the 4th, 01.43.26.79.27, closed Sundays, menus at 23, 27 & 35 E, a la carte 40-45E. As I entered this place in Tourismo-Central, I kept thinking that there was a place right around here Colette and I ate at in another era, but it was called the Gourmet de l’Isle and was essentially two long tables along each brick wall into which were packed tourists of all nations; whereas this place was bright, light and the tables were separated by at least 4 inches. But, that nagging memory kept intruding and I later found out that indeed, it was the same place, then run by Jules Bourdeau, 80 years old, when the menu was 90 FF = 16 E and the food was barely passable. Well, there’s still an old gent in the kitchen with two young’uns, but he’s not 100; however, the food’s not much better. The place was empty (one other soul in addition to me, who was over-perfumed but wearing a stunning fur-ish coat; I saw another leather and fur-topped coat on an elegant woman schlepping off a huge bag of Bertillon product in her very American-looking SUV, so that’s the neighborhood), but it was the Friday of the exit of families from Paris for the Winter Sports, and the kitchen guys were madly chopping stuff for the evening, so it’s probably hopping then. It’s another place you really want to love; charming setting, great warm welcome, nice choices on three “menus,” all with wine and coffee included. But, but, but, my first of avocado with crayfish and red pepper was under-spiced (I don’t need guacamole, but I need something) and the main, their Boeuf Bourguignon (BB), had a great-looking black sauce which went very nicely with the expertly cooked, spiced and buttered linguine but the beef, bof! Digression: one can either do BB a la Julia, with pricey great product or one can cook the living bejesus out of cheap beef, but you can’t undercook poor quality beef. I’ve mentioned the “can I do better?” test; this barely met that but failed to surmount the next bar – “can Colette do better?” The coffee was one of those trendy blends with some sort of clever flavoring – I hated it. My conclusion: this is an example of the sorts of chefs Simon bemoans: they leave the sheltering arms of the Ducasse/Frechon/Robuchon/etc empires too early to set out on their own. The bill, depending on menu and numbers of courses can go from 23 to 60; mine was 48 E. 1.5 – Les Fernandises, 19, rue de la Fontaine-au-Roi in the 11th, 01.48.06.16.96, closed Sundays (and maybe Mondays because they didn’t answer the phone), menu at 15 E, a la carte 30-35 E (sez Figaro); actually, three of us ate for 42.70 E each. This is another place that got two hearts in Figaroscope but is not even one heart in my book. It’s trying to be a French bistot with Basquish pretensions (tapas, Serrano ham, supions, etc); packed full; kitchen stretched beyond snapping (30 minutes plus for our firsts). Three of us had an assortment of stuff: firsts: I had three very nice pastillas with a nice sauce, the others had the tapas assortment (actually one of us ordered the Serrano but was so hungry he ate the Serrano, sardines, squid, etc that was presented) and egg with mushrooms and onions which was OK; mains tho’ - oh boy, two of us failed to heed the “always order different dishes because if one is bad, you can sponge off others” rule and got stuck with a confit of duck that was inexcusable – both too salty and too dry, our partner had the onglet which was much better. Only one of us dared have dessert. “Can’t you say anything else nice, John?” Well, yes, the expert at our table who knows his wines ordered a natural Beaujolais that was spectacular and the vieux prune was very good and reasonably priced. Final score: Booze 10 – Food 1, no rematch scheduled. 1.25 – Le Café du Commerce, 51, rue du Commerce in the15th, 01.45.75.03.27, open everyday, running 30-35 a la carte, “gourmet” menu today at 26.50 E, is one of those places you really want to love. Recommended by Pierre45, with whom I agree 99.9999% of the time, spectacular setting that looks unchanged since 1921 (this is the brasserie “look” moltoe should seek) with a small entry full of very reasonably priced albeit small-sized oysters but with a huge interior court rising up three stories like an old New Orleans restaurant and brass doors to the kitchen as well as 1895 posters, hustle-bustling seemingly brusque wait-staff with hearts of gold (like the folks at Gage and Tolner - those years ago) carrying those classic gigantic “silver platters,” great carte with everything you might want (salads, soups, steak, scallops, baba, profiteroles), reasonable prices and reasonably priced wine, open Sundays, but but but. The old folks (that is, my age) were all seated at 12h30, I got a warm welcome, nice table, ordered eperlans and a paleron of beef (Pierre had warned me off the “menu,” “go with the beef” he said.) The eperlans, my favorite fish, were a bit “fishy” smelling and had a different sort of homemade tartar sauce (not bad), but OK. Then the paleron, which eGullet member Paga has taught me should be crisp on the outside (it was) and have an almost black reduced sauce (it didn’t, the sauce was brown-grey with all five food groups -cholesterol, butter, fat, calories and anti-Omega 3 - represented.) Unfortunately the wonderful ambiance was thrown into disarray when their credit/debit card machine broke down and the scene resembled the chaotic situation described to me by a cellist in our symphony orchestra when everything went wrong; “oh you mean that train wreck?” The bill = 43.50 E. 1.0 - Help, help! I’m in danger of becoming a French food critic. This is my week for an interesting problem – that is, places like today’s restaurant (Les Gourmands, 101, rue de l’Ouest in the 14th, 01.45.41.40.70, closed Sunday and Monday noon) which was charming, with a very Aubergy-look, warm welcome, cool business card, competent wait-staff, nice website, proper kirs and digestifs, fine first courses (fresh foie gras with a port sauce and a salad of lettuce, lentils and crevettes) and very friendly prices – menus at 17.50 and 32 E, formula = 25; ergo total bill = 66 E, and a great companion to share lunch and talk with (Kate Hill, the chef, authoress, cooking instructor, barge captain, expert in products of Gascony, etc., who located me though Lucy’s ISO service). But, but, but, the mains were dreadful (tuna with rice and veggies and tough as rubber; scallops ditto accompaniments, both covered with the same white sauce out of a can, that I thought was a bad habit 40 years ago on 9th Avenue in NYC, but is inexcusable today in the 14th), the menu had cutesy industry-provided (Kate informed me) pictures of bottles of various wines and spirits and the chef cannot afford or find the time to get his rotten or dead tooth fixed. So why give it a 1.0 - not a minus something? I dunno, they were nice and trying hard. -1.5 – l’Evasion, 7, place St-Augustin in the 8th (yet again), 01.45.22.66.20, lists itself as a restaurant/bistot/bar a vins and indeed it is all three – it serves a full carte, has lots of good wines and looks like your dream of a 1950’s bistro. Pierre45 and I simultaneously but not ensemble, picked up a copy of December’s Where, where (I know) Alexander Lobrano puts it as his top bistro, ahead of La Tradition + Le Petit Verdot. We (Pierre 45 and I) talked and said “never heard of it, we gotta go!” I made sure of its bonafides by calling my (previously) most trustworthy source in Paris; his response: “very good, very expensive.” Huh? A bistrot, a wine bar, expensive? Well, he was 75% correct, it was “very expensive but very” (bad). Oh my, since the 1950’s, I haven’t had such pathetic food. Now let’s dispense with what occupies 65% of French restaurant reviews – the location, welcome (accueil), setting/appearance, ambiance, flowers, napery, wall hangings, cleanliness of the bathroom(s), fullness of the menu (carte), abundance and range of wines, etc. I was greeted as well as if not better than the convive’s, it’s a charming place, there are tons of good wines, etc, etc. It looked like a combination of Le Regalade and the old Bistrot d’Hubert, Eric Frechon + Le Troquet. In the Michelin, Pudlo or G/M, these factors would and do overpower the rating of the food. So the latter two give it a fork/knife and green (Coup de Coeur) 13 respectively – but there is no French guide that simply rates the food. So, if you do the math, the French way, you get: location = 10 welcome = 10 setting = 9 ambiance = 9 flowers = n/a napery = 6 wall hangings = n/a cleanliness of the bathroom = 9 fullness of the menu = 9 abundance and range of wines = 10 food = - 1.5, so their total is: total = 7 Come-on guys! (that’s not sexist, all the Parisian reviewers except Alexandra Michot are guys.) My American math, though, says that’s a – 1.5 meal. The sauteed mushrooms with name-originated ham was without character and did not pass the “is it better than I can do” test and the deer was desert-dry with a stew sauce so watery and tasteless the guy (sorry, he was, and 90% were and they wore ties too, spoke French and did not smoke) next to me emptied his salt-shaker on his. As Simon asks “Should you go?” Ans: “Yes, if you’re seducing someone or in love (as were three of the couples), because who cares what you’re eating.” Can’t I say anything nice? Yes, the Illy coffee was nice. The bill – I almost forgot – it’s too painful to recall – well, the mushies were 13E, the civet 28E, coffee 3.30E and wine 20E = too much. N* = a place that if one lived nearby in the neighborhood (N) would be a great place to go but gets a lower grade due to the schlep (perhaps unfairly). NN* = a place that if one lived nearby (N) in the neighborhood (N) would be a great place to go but gets a lower grade due to the horrible, immense, unpleasant schlep.

I too ate there and will report in my December new restaurant posts soon (maybe tonite).

You mean if I order a bottle of wine (well, a demi) and can't finish it they'll only charge me for the portion I've consumed? Cool. Edit to add: I never drive in France. So I'm guessing this will remain entirely a theoretical possibility for me. ← That is exactly what I mean. What I've found is when asked about something to drink if I hesitate to order a full bottle, the waitperson (may not always, I cannot calculate how often it's hapened, maybe 15% of the time) says something like, we'll charge you a la ficelle or drink what you'd like, we'll figure it out at the end. And they are very honest/accurate.

Heh heh---I've never considered the issue, as it happens so rarely, particularly with my husband. But it did happen last year when dining with a female (French) friend in Montpellier. There was enough that it wouldn't have been possible to serve between the two of us in any case. The restaurant owner asked if she'd like to take it home, and she said fine. It was nicely packaged up with a new reusable stopper in a specially made bag (the sort that we use as gift wrapping for wine here in the U.S.). ← Yes, heh heh, I too cannot imagine such a thing. But all kidding aside, with the tougher alcohol/driving laws, more & more places will offer to cork the bottle (it first happened to me in August 2004 at Le Regalade and has happened at bistros but not gasto-restos, since). Since I'm often eating alone, I find it a nice touch, although more & more places are charging you "a la ficelle" eg as the thread measures the depth; as in "at the mark - twain."

Browniebaker: I think you've gotten our best advice pro and con on your query and I am locking the thread at this point since we seem to have drifted off the point. John

French Food Guides 2006 – Part 4 – Champerand Rather than spend 23.50 E (Editions Plon), on a new copy of what I regard as a second-level food guide, I will summarize what I have gleaned from a copy given to me by a friend in the spirit of Blanche Dubois, who, too, “always depended on the kindness of strangers.” (Disclosure: I have bought it twice in the past, so I have contributed to M. de Champerard’s royalties.) Champerard’s Introduction spells out his general theme: that Paris is not the be all and end all of French cuisine and indeed he names as Chef of the Year, Didier Elena of les Crayeres in Reims. He then has a section on Young Chefs (25-35), the students of Ducasse, Passard, Senderens, etc and names a few from Paris (Jean-Francois Piege, Yannick Alleno and Pascal Bardot) but the majority are from outside (Thierry Schwartz, Stéphane Carrade, Fréderic Coursol, Jacques Décoret, David Zuddas, Jean-Marie Baudic, Nicolas Pourcheresse, Jean-Marc Boyer, Alexandre Gauthier, Eric Guérin, Lionel Lévy, Laurent Petit, Nicolas le Bec, Michel Portos, Stéphane Froidevaux + Stephane Laurier.) He names Jacques Decoret of Vichy as the Young Chef of the Year and gives an award ‘ homage of the year to Alain Senderens .

Lucy - that's a great idea. We could even "publish" an excerpt here from the website Menton1 has provided. Thanks John

OK folks. We've all expressed our opinions but I fear we're verging on going over the politesse line. The primary rules for me on the French Forum are to: be honest, be polite and be respectful. We're out to help people; to answer questions; and to advance the field of injudicious dining, the joy of life and learning new things.

Well two good places in that neighborhood are Chez les Anges + Au Bon Acceuil, both essentially run by the same folk and will not rush or perplex her, you can look at the menus the day before and then reserve if you like. Also, I'm less negative about Senderens than others; I've been eating his food since l'Archistrate in or around 1968, ah, that's when Parisian riots were real riots, and I think the new look is OK and new food fine. It's not L/C but then when he took it over everybody bemoaned the loss of the old style too (becasse, etc).

Ah, as must have been apparent, this discussion went on primarily among those in the US when it was late at night in the Western European time zone. I have a question first off; why are a 5 and 9 year old "clamoring" to go to Taillevent? How do they know about it? Are they "clamoring" for the food, setting, elegance, reputation, what exactly? I have recounted here numerous times my couple of months with my 3 year old grand-daughter whom I took everywhere in Paris without a problem ever. I don't think age is an issue; if they're "used to having long, multi-course meals in quiet, formal restaurants," OK. Finally, would "children.....be out of place" especially at "7:30 p.m." If you mean would you be the only family there, probably, I cannot tell if that would make you uncomfortable. And I'm not certain Taillevent would be prepared to take orders and cook at 7:30, either.

Ah Louisa, here we agree. That should have been our first question. It would be helpful to know what places your mother in law likes. I've seen lots of finicky eaters of a "certain age" in both the dingiest and swankest places; one couple we met at Chez Georges came there week after week in from Marne-la-Vallee because the food was the same year after year; another guy at Allard years ago went because it was his neighborhood cantine; yet another friend/colleague went to Balzar beause that's where he'd eaten as a student.

Hey, look at my photo, am I not of a certain age, Parisien-wannabe and fussy. I think everyone will be happy. Not to worry. Have fun and report back.

You'll do fine. They kept the mirrors and wood paneling, despite the Philippe Starck/IKEA tables and chairs (oooh, that was nasty).