John Talbott

Actually we spoke with him and asked him why he came to l'epigramme.Do you remember his answer? ← No. What?

It's gotten two mentions in two weeks in the press.

The Fooding Awards were announced today on their website as follows: New wave Japanese – Guilo Guilo Best haunted house – Hotel Faurie in Saint-Agrève Best chef - Christophe Pelé, La Bigarrade Best bistrot – Le Chat in Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire Best little luxe – Al Taglio Best “Station-Sandwich” – Gouter l’Aveyon in the rest area at the Millau Viaduc Best troquet – La Cantine du Troquet Best blow-out – Chez Navarre in Toulouse D'Honneur - Rose and Jean-Charles Carrarini Rose Bakery Best “Planque Verte” – Le Grand Couvert / La Colline Du Colombier in Iguerande Best Paris Bistrot – Jadis

I agree but I think Flora (Mikula) has only herself to be blame for that reputation after offering a women's menu was it last summer or year before last summer? (It was mentioned the the Digest at the time).

Bistrot 121 is another example of the lower prices and dropped voiturier.

To get this topic back on the topic of French food by French chefs, I'll note that Saturday in Le Figaro the "Personnages" section quoted Christian Millau, "critic of the century," disagreeing with the Michel Johnson piece, saying (my trans): he read ".....[that] the best chances of getting a good French meal were abroad. I'm going to send him a list of addresses that will surprise him."

Saturday's Figaro had a little blurb saying that in the wake of his Agnes Vienot book "Le fast-food sain et bio," Marc Veyrat had opened a fitting restaurant Wednesday in Annecy le Vieux called Cozna Vera next to the tea salon/etc run by his daughter; it features food like you'd get at home and take out such as pot au feu, blanquette, boeuf bourguignon, etc for 8-10 Euros apiece.

The Week of December 1st, 2008 Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Philippe Toinard, awarded 3/5 dots to another Beaujolais-named place Le Beaujolais d’Auteuil, 99, blvd de Montmorency in the 16th, 01.47.43,03.56, open 7/7, featuring a 29.50 € menu, a la carte 35-45 €, newly chef’d by an ex Relais Louis XIII + Ferrandaise, offering kidneys, a cote de boeuf and a chcocolate block and his mate Jerome Berger reviewed and gave 3/5 dots to the Bar des Roses, coordinates given before, run by the owners of Sole + Floors and chef’d by an ex Fogon St Julien, where he liked the squid, chic tapas and chocolate desserts. There’s also a mini-review of Les Terrines de Gerard Vie which is mixed and has no grade/rating. Tuesday, in Le Fooding, Marie Aline reviewed Derrière, 69 rue des Gravilliers in the 3rd, 01 44 61 91 95, closed Sundays and Mondays {which says it’s closed at lunch} where between and among six doors she found pumpkin soup, ham with mushrooms, tartines, kebab-roasted ham and eggs with Jerusalem artichokes for about 35 € a person. Wednesday, Emmanuel Rubin’s “Cest nouveau” in Figaroscope gave the photo, blurb and first slot to the 2/4 heart redone Goumard, coordinates well known, open 7/7, with a vastly reduced (in price) carte at 35-45 and menus for 29 and 39 € for six speciales #2, cocottes of lobster and macaroni and calamari but then two 3/5 hearts to the Japanese Michi in the 2nd and the aforementioned Derriere coordinates above, which he says is also open 7/7, where he mentions the leeks in a vinaigrette, shallot mousse, gravlox salmon unilaterale (too cooked and salted) and a cocotte of lamb’s feet and sweetbreads. Two more places merited 2 hearts: Le Beaujolais d’Auteuil, coordinates above, open 7/7, for cod, celery remoulade, pork chop and chocolate terrines and Victoria, 23, ave Victoria in the 1st, 01.40.26.15.68 with a lunch formula for 20 and 35-45 € a la carte at night for pumpkin soup, cod and a fondant. This week’s Figaroscope’s Colette Monsat et al, did a listing of 10 new food boutiques. And Francois Simon, in his Hache Menu went to the Slow Food Italianate ice cream place Grom in the 6th. Wednesday as well, Richard Hesse of Paris Update, reviewed two relatively new places - Ober-Salé + Laiterie de Sainte Clotilde, coordinates given before, both of which were good and OK value places. Wednesday-Thursday, Jean Claude Ribaut in Le Monde wrote one article on the 4th edition of the “Rencontres François Rabelais” in Tours and another on cooking cepes. Thursday, l’Express’ restaurant of the week, picked by Pierrick Jégu, was Bigarrade, coordinates given before and the French one under 30 E by Yves Nespoulous was Meert in Lille; in Paris Al Taglio. Also Thursday in ParuVendu, Pierre Rival’s best of the week was the Marriott restaurant. Saturday, Francois Simon in his Figaro Croque Notes] dealt with Le Gaigne, coordinates already given. Saturday/Sunday, in Bonjour Paris, Margaret Kemp wrote about the best restaurants of 2008 and John Talbott wrote an essay on “What’s the matter with French chefs.” December’s WHERE had three reviews by Alexander Lobrano: Paiva, Le Boudoir + Benoit. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Robert Duvall at the Violin d'Ingres struggling (quite well really) with the menu (Catherine was not around but his "handler" was). William Ledeuil at Epigramme with one (?) of his kids.

This happened to me shortly after Gaya Rive Gauche reopened and a food critic went around the room naming off all the other critics and a couple of intellectuals as well. Herds (or is it swarms) are alive and well (altho technically it's worships of writers and shrivels of critics).

Phyllis: Excellent review; we need to hear more of them from you. Very helpful.

I find it very interesting that a waiter gave you Laurence's card. I have never seen that sort of thing before. They must be desperate for positive reviews and this is not the first time I've noticed that they are watching anxiously for any journalist that flutters by. Meanwhile they must be having fun at the Bistrot Paul-Bert... ← I should be specific that it was the Chardenoux generic business card with her name and tele # written in. And the Bistrot Paul-Bert was jammed that day too, Temps au Temps was so-so; only Unico looked to be struggling.

I assume, sticking to the Mission of the Society, you're referring to food-related folk. Well, I "had lunch with Pudlo" (well next to him) and 2 kids (? his) at the "common table" at Afaria anbd as I've described elsewhere been elbows away from Bocuse and 6 of his starred cronies from the South at Drouant.

I find a bit of a puzzle here. Laurence Mentil is not the waiter and, besides, not a he. She is a tall blonde, and Cyril Lignac's assistant, and in some ways his manager, and she is usually in their office in the Champs-Elysées. Whose card did you really get? As for Simon, he and Cyril Lignac are both employed by the same TV channel, M6. You have the key to the riddle. ← Interesting; it was definately a man who gave me the card. (But you're right, he wrote it in) Maybe all he wanted was a copy of my report sent to her.

5.8 December is off to a terrific start. Bistro 121, 121, rue de la Convention in the 15th, 01.45.57.52.90, open 7/7 with an “autumn menu” at 17 (today: a petoncles salad, boudin noir and potatoes and charlotte with framboises {ah an autumn fruit?}), two courses off the menu-carte for 26 and three for 32 €, is a place (as Emmanuel Rubin noted) was an iconographic bistro in the 1960’s and I recall coming here along with the Bistro d’Hubert, Chez les Anges + Aux Lyonnais every time I visited. Its signature dish then was a terrine of veggies (green beans, carrots, leeks, etc) that was beyond description. A few years ago I drifted by and was appalled by the prices and the fact that it had a voiturier (both now rescinded.) When I read that it had reopened under new guidance though, I was drawn back and I’m glad. The amuse bouches were classic cheese sticks that were quite good and the bread for boulangerie-bought was OK. Tempted as I was by the petoncles, I ordered brochettes of shrimp with lemon grass, baby tomatoes, beet greens, mango slices, pine nuts and grape seeds with a perfect peppery dressing. Then I had a beautifully and correctly cooked veal kidney with mushrooms, carrots and {for me} unusually good potatoes. Both dishes sound too busy – Aspen/LA/Los Vegas type busy – but like Daniel Rose does at Spring, the ingredients didn’t fight with each other and they seem simple not busy. Problem(s): for the first 30 minutes there was only one wait-person and he was busting his chops serving 22 covers (of 40 places total.) The Lavazza coffee and canelés were a fine ending to a fine meal. My bill (with ½ of wine, no dessert or bottled water) was 41 €. Go? Welcome back 121! And it’s open Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays for lunch and dinner too. 4.5 What is Cyril (Lignac) doing with this food? Chardenoux, 1, rue Jules Valles in the 11th, 01.43.71.49.52, open 7/7 has 2 courses (2+2+2) for 24 on the chalkboard and 29 € for three but I went with the carte. {Backstory: the reviews of this, Cyril Lignac’s second location, have been tough for me to cipher out (Rubin: “pleasant”, Simon, in English yet: “dazzling, charming……but not my cup of tea.”)} So I figured I had to go to decide for myself. I’m glad I did but not sure how glad. The place is its old charming self, up at the butt end of Paul-Bert, with that classic bar and those mirrors, etc, as befits one of Paris’s oldest. Space is jammed but not too bad (l’Ami Jean is bad). The amuse-bouche is a traditional salmon tartare/creamy/thing that was quite good with great bread (as was the second bread served afterwards). I had the charcuterie from his friend in the Ospital (joke, joke) that was also very good and spicy but a bit too much for a 1st. About now the waiter (Lawrence Mentil – we traded cards) primarily paying attention to me had struck up a conversation, quickly outing me with - “So who do you write for?” He and the other two I dealt with were super-professionals, putting to shame those who are not, example: for the first time in a month, I never touched the wine bottle - magically they anticipated every sip. I then had the cassolet and this is where Cyril’s inventiveness, creativity and pushing-the-envelope puzzled me – what was the sauce? what were the cuts of meat? where did that strange but nice taste come from? This is not my, Escoffier’s, Mark Bittman’s, the Auberge Pyrenees-Cevennes’, etc., cassoulet, but the beans were super and the sauce got my attention. For dessert, I had the baba, which was served with two rums (a vintage St Lucia and an unyeared Martinique that I and the wait guy liked best.) At the end, they passed around hot Madeleines straight from the pan; a great touch. With a glass of wine, NB: the glasses of wine start at 7, bottles at 27, no bottled water, 3 courses and coffee the bill = 50 €. Go? I don’t know what to tell you and my friends’ advice has been mixed: tough call. 2.0 Gosh, once again I rate a place much lower than Emmanuel Rubin and Alain Fusion. Le Beaujolais d’Auteuil, 99, blvd de Montmorency in the 16th, 01.47.43,03.56, open 7/7, featuring a 29.50 € menu, a la carte 35-45 €, is located (for me) way to hell and gone at the Porte d’Auteuil but it was a lousy day, so what? The bread and butter and water arrived, the bread was super and the butter even better. I liked the sound of the 29.50 € (wine incl) menu with a choice of eggs mayo or mushroom soup; tongue with piquante sauce and unusual vegetables, salmon unilaterale and (huh) moussaka; and a “minestrone” of roasted pineapple. But, but, but. While the mushroom soup was OK the piquante sauce was not piquante at all and tongue being tongue – it needed a boost and mustard didn’t do the trick and the vegetables were hardly unfamiliar, being turnips, parsnips, carrots and potatoes. The pineapple was fine but I’m not sure why it was called a “minestrone.” The topper was I had to wait 20 minutes for a coffee when there were ample staff except that Madame was like the “line cops” at airline counters and immigration checkpoints – she oversaw but didn’t either see or pitch in. My bill was at least easy = 32.30 €. Go? I can’t think why. 1.1 Boy, at this rate, soon I’ll have no more colleagues=friends=food recommenders. La Laiterie Sainte Clotilde, 64, rue de Bellechasse in the 7th, 01.45.51.74.61, closed Sundays {Alexander Lobrano’s website says it’s open then; I forgot to ask}, charging 25-35 € has been favorably reviewed by all the folks I respect. So I went with high hopes. It’s just up from the Orsay Museum (thus a great possibility for tourists) but is also nearby all the Ministries (of whose ministers, subalterns and lovely looking women in sub-ministerial posts were all at lunch). (The Ste Clotilde comes from the nearby church, in whose chapel I suffered through a freezing and dismal concert one night at Colette’s request many years ago). In any case, I entered, ready for a good feed. The stuff mentioned in all the reviews was not on the carte (oeufs mayo, raie salad, rabbit in cider, paleron de boeuf, etc) and I ordered the winter salad of endives, blue cheese, pear bits and walnuts rather than the Caesar, mushroom soup (again) or foie gras (again). It was OK. Then, rather than the lamb chop or beef I had the rascasse with black olives and zucchini flan; sounded good, unh unh, no there, there. I had 1/2 of the fish and 1/4th of the flan. To get my 24 € worth, I finished with a chocolate mousse that was fantastic. Is that because I haven’t had one in years, because Colette no longer does it, because I felt cheated/owed/etc? I don’t know but it was a great ending (oh yes, the bread was warm and house made). With two glasses of bio-natural-unfiltered-etc. Cotes de Ventoux, coffee but not bottled water (the Ministers didn’t either) the bill = 34 €. Go? Apparently the big boys got something I didn’t. 0.0 I couldn’t wait to get out. Chamarré Montmartre, 52 rue Lamarck in the 18th, 01.42.55.05.42, open 7/7 {it says}, with lunch menus at 29 and 35 (2 and 3 courses respectively, including ½ lt of water and coffee) and 47 and 52 € at night, menu carte-blanche 65 €, is a place about which there’s been a bitofadispute lately. Rubin gave it a busted heart (unfortunately, calling it sad Carribean stuff, mistaking the Caribbean and Indian oceans), Demorand compared it to Vongerichten and Roka’s productions and Brissaud said she’d probably be in the middle. Well, let me state up front that Rubin is spot on. OK, why? (Back story: the place (ex-Beauvilliers is cursed and has been ever since it got rid of its star, flowers and crusty old look and went under the baton for three years of Yohann Paran, ex-De Lagarde and now Antoine Heerah, who, while much beloved by eGullet members, including me, at the old Chamarré, didn’t impress me much at Le Moulin de la Galette which I gave a 2.3 to in September 2007}. But never one to pass up a food fight, especially among Rubin, Demorand and Brissaud, I went. It’s totally different from either of its recent incarnations, with a semi-open kitchen and etched glass partition, fancy-schmancy décor, tables etc., and silverware (almost imitating Ducasse NYC’s pocketbook cushion, knives and pens). They offered four amuse-bouches - two spoons of chopped beef and fish with veggies and spices, a samosa and the best pumpkin soup of the Fall and five house-made breads, the one made with curry totally escaping me. There are three columns on the carte: Indian, Franco-Mauritian and Far East and one can pick and choose. I thought I should stay close to home, i.e., France, so I started with the cuttlefish served three ways – the tempura was horrid, the raw stuff, so what, and the diced one with spices the best of the lot (but in fact the 5 little spicy dollops around the edges of the plate were best of all). Then I had the fancy-schmancy wild Garenne rabbit rollatines (6 € supplement) with foie gras and dozens of other ingredients that I could neither keep track of nor cared to. I didn’t finish it, quickly ordering coffee, finishing my wine and deedeemowing out of there. Anything else annoy you John? Yes, the wines on the short (read easy to find) carte were more expensive than those exposed when digging into the long one. One’s bill, taking two dishes, bottled water, coffee and wine (no dessert) with no supplement could be 50 € but the price-quality is the issue. Go? To a place that’s confused as to what it is featuring, serves American cocktails and plays Sinatra?

I think you are right, I went to Itineraires last night and it was packed. I asked the owner if the crise had made a difference in their business and she said no, not at all. ← Today, Chardenoux was over-flowing for somewhat dodgy food.

Another story I've told a few times: in 1989, my American publisher, Swiss banker and international financial advisor guy, all came to Paris at different times and took us out to the most expensive places we could come up with. Each time, the meals were superb, but each time Colette turned to me on the way home afterwards and said "Was it worth it?" I think the answer depends.

What was the wine? ITs an atrocious sum.By the way,next time, you may try white wine with cheese .Usually it goes better with most fromages ← As usual, I can rebut any story. How about this: In 1984, at Pere Bise, I knew he was out of the kitchen, but Colette and I were still enchanted by the place (ever since "Claire's Knee") and stayed there two days. The first night, we'd had finished our requisite bottle with dinner so when I wanted cheese I stammered to the waiter, "Do you have a glass of wine" - "Sorry, Monsieur, only by the bottle." Gulp. Cheese board arrives along with 1/2 a bottle of a very, very good Rhone red - waiter says - "M. Bise (beckoning to a table 10 feet away) wanted you to have it." Bless you, François. That's class (especially after the loss of a star).

Bravo Phyllis. I'm in the midst of writing a piece entitled "If I were a rich man" (catchy eh?) and if I were, I'd still be looking at the same price-quality ratio I was 58 years ago.It can be found as you point out and Pierre keeps saying.

Since I know that some of our members are participating in the week of Fooding (Dec 1-8) in Paris, I hope we'll see some reports. More info here.

I assume you've checked the two topics of Christmas and Christmas/New Years week.A query to refine your question: 70 E or less is all included (eg beverages?)

We've got another topic running on the economy but I agree, it's a bit scary to eat at a place uniformly well-reviewed and well-received and see it 1/2, 1/3, etc., full.On the other hand, as I've also pointed out, I've been places where the line went out into the street.

I have bumped up the Merged topic containing posts in 2008 regarding restaurant suggestions in Paris. Ones before 2008 can be found by searching Paris, recommendations, week(s), day(s), visit(s), etc. Trip reports and eating on certain days or in certain quarters are still separate.

Host's Note: I'm going to bump this up because it contains the merging of all topics that had posts in 2008 concerning where to eat in Paris. I think you'll find links to prior ones as well - please report those that are broken to me by PM. Thanks.

Have you researched the board? Your enquiry is quite general in nature and has been answered lots of times before, you may find more targeted/explicit questions get a better response. ← Agreed. There is so much information if you look for it. Try John's regular restaurant reviews for instance. There are even interactive maps of Paris restaurants for you to find & look for. ← There are, unfortunately so many topics that I'm not sure it would be helpful if say, I merged them all into one big one entitled something like "I'm coming to Paris: where should I eat?" But let me work on it; there was one on something like "Who should have a star." Until then, Dave is correct - a search will turn up lots of ideas. Rest assured, by January, we'll have a lot for you.Edited to add: Try here or here. Plus this on emerging stars.