John Talbott

The Week of July 18th, 2005 Margaret Kemp, writing in Monday’s Bonjour Paris, has a piece entitled 40 years on Buzz on the venerable resto La Maree, coordinates well-known, on its 40th birthday. {Ed Note: one needs to be a premium subscriber to read the whole article.} Adrian Leeds Paris Parler has an article on the “Perfect Paris Bistrot”; she touts two: Le Sept Quinze + Les Sorcieres, both of whose coordinates are in the guides. Monday, in Figaro Entreprises, instead of a “Table d’Affaires” contribution by Francois Simon, there was an article entitled “Best of: 20 ways to save the wine industry” by Jean-François Arnaud, Jean-Yves Guerin and Jean-Marc Philbert. Stating that despite George Deboeuf’s huge success marketing Beaujolais and the success of Beaujolais nouveau, the French wine industry is losing ground to wines from the “New World.” Thus, the authors, after consulting experts in France and abroad, propose several remedies; among which are {EN: all translation errors/liberties are mine}: 1. Pull up the vines; e.g., reduce over-production. 2. Beef up tourism to wine areas. 3. Reform the AOC’s. 4. Get more women to buy. 5. Simplify the labels. 6. Establish a « Wine Week. » 7. Mix wines up (this was Robert Parker’s suggestion; e.g., Bordeaux with Syrahs, etc) 8. Relax the rules of wine-making (by say adding wood). 9. Create a national council to broaden advertising. 10. Permit the big guys (e.g., Rothschild’s Mouton-Cadet) to advertise. 11. Get rid of the standard bottles, for say, box wines. 12. Let wine folks sponsor sporting events. 13. Create a “country” wine for Bordeaux. 14. Let alliances of small producers join together to better export their wines. 15. Develop {more} varietals. 16. Sell the best wines in hyper-marches. 17. Retain French character in wines (e.g., don’t try to out-Shiraz the Aussies). 18. Move from displays by region to type {EN: Joshua Wesson, where are you now that they need you?) 19. Revise the rules of AOC’s. 20. Reinforce enforcement (e.g., of the accuracy of stated acreage). Monday/Tuesday, A Nous Paris published another list of restaurants to go to this summer that have terraces. They are: the Hotel St-James & Albany, L’Estaminet, Point Ephemere, Apollo, La Plage, Le Quinzième, Tokyo Eat, Café de l’Homme, Le Roland-Garros, Le Square, Le 20e Art. Tuesday, Heather Stimmler-Hall’s Secrets of Paris issue #62 called attention to a new boutique specializing in absinthe(s): le Vert d’Absinthe, 11, rue, d’Ormesson in the 4th. She also endorsed the following places whose coordinates are already published: Bouillon Racine, Ladurée, Frascati, Amorino, La Fourmi Ailée, restaurant at the Musée Jacquemart-André, Les Phìlosophes. Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand of Zurban, continued his color-themed visits to established places – this week, a pink meal at Flora Mikula’s, 36, av George-V in the 8th, 01.40.70.10, where he had a fine meal of tomato-horseradish gazpacho with a pink Martini granite {he gives the recipes, as he has for the past two weeks}, pink shrimp and beet-colored risotto and for dessert, a “milkshake” of strawberry yogurt sorbet. Thursday-Friday, Jean-Claude Ribaut, still reviewing this week in Le Monde, covered four established foreign places, three in his “Toques en Pointe,” Chez Vong, Fontanarosa + San Francisco and one 30 year old one in a long article entitled “Kim Anh, Vietnam in Paris”; coordinates in the guidebooks. Sunday’s New York Times Magazine contained an article by Amanda Hessler called “Bleu-Plate Special” in which she mentioned several things of interest related to her thesis that the “French food establishment” is under assault: (1) that the “next generation” of chefs (e.g., Camdeborde, Bluy and Breton) is disillusioned with “fine-dining” and has opened smaller places, (2) that Cammas and Rubin’s “Fooding” movement (combining food and feeling) has gathered speed in promoting “liberated and experimental,” e.g., non-traditional, French food {EN: her explanation of the trend is the best I’ve seen in English}, and (3) that Maghrebian and Southeast Asian food fused with French cooking has become “near-standard,” as evidenced by a relatively-new cookbook, “Cooking at Home on Rue Tatin,” by the Louviers-based American, Susan Herrman Loomis. August’s Food & Wine had a notice about Yves Camdeborde’s Le Comptoir that also mentions the “spectacular” breakfast served guests at the Hotel. July’s France Monthly’s whole issue was devoted to Roquefort cheese. The Aug-Sept US Saveur, has an article on Nimes in which it recommends Les Amis de Pablo Romero, Le Bistrot "Au Chapon Fin," + a restaurant wine bar Chez Michel. Time Out’s “This Week” is touting La Cour at the Plaza Athénée + Senso. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Sunday’s New York Times Magazine contained an article by Amanda Hessler called “Bleu-Plate Special” in which she stated that according to Louviers-based American cookbook writer Susan Herrman Loomis (“Cooking at Home on Rue Tatin,”) Maghrebian and Southeast Asian food fused with French cooking have become “near-standard.”

Felice - A bit late for this week, but maybe useful info for the future is Thursday-Friday's Le Monde, in which Jean-Claude Ribaut, wrote a long article - “Kim Anh, Vietnam in Paris,” about this 30 year old resto, chef’d for 20 of those years by Caroline Kim Anh. It’s at 51, avenue Emile-Zola in the 15th, 01.45.79.40.96, open every night except Monday, gastronomic menu = 34, a la carte about 40 E.

I find it a surprisingly undifferentiated taste. One can get them from your friendly neighborhood horsemeat shop in Paris and see for yourself.

The ombre chevalier I've had has indeed been in the Haute Savoie and if memory serves me, is/was pink (eg salmonid)

FYI, the Aug-Sept Saveur, the US one, has an article on Nimes (32 km away but hey....) in which it recommends Les Amis de Pablo Romero, Le Bistrot "Au Chapon Fin," and a restaurant wine bar Chez Michel.

We ate at Thierry Burlot Friday and 1. It's terrific, 2. It's in the ex-Detourbe space and 3. It's nicely priced as I noted a while back. And to my knowledge I too think he's still at l'Ampere; like Zouave, the bunch I eat out with most had mixed responses to Detourbe's past and current cooking. I'm less negative than others but it's definately not a place that gets universal approval. Be interested in others' reactions, though.

The Week of July 11th, 2005 Monday/Tuesday, A Nous Paris’s Jerome Berger wrote about “Places to Eat While Shopping,” that included: In the Maison de la Chine Shanghai Tang At Bon Marche le Café de la Grande Epicerie Near the Madeleine Ventilo Cafe At Galeries Lafayette le Bar Rouge At Armani Emporio Armani Café Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand of Zurban continued what appears to be a summer feature, giving three “green” recipes of Thierry Burlot’s; a cold soup of petit-pois, risotto with pesto and Granny Smiths with Mint granite. In Le Monde, Jean-Claude Ribaut reviewed four places open in August, of which two are French: a jewelers’ cantine Duke’s Bar, 13, rue de la Paix, (in the Westminster Hotel), 01.42.61.55.11, open every day and in August, count on about 50E for everything from a shrimp cocktail to a filet of beef; Le Passage, 126 {Ed Note: website address numbers in his article are incorrect} rue de l’Abbe-Groult in the 15th, 01.48.42.40.60, open everyday and in August, unbeatable prices – a weekday lunch market menu = 19, menu-carte for 33E, serving soft-boiled eggs in a spinach soup, succulent curried lamb and iced creamy peach; and two foreign places: an elegant trattoria, Il Settimo, 57 {I think} Rue Bellechasse in the 7th, 01.45.50.39.27, menus at 16 and 22 E, a la carte 55, closed Sundays and Monday nights but open in August; and the “gourmet Latino bar” Ferdi, 32 {I think}, rue de Mont-Thabor in the 1st, 01.42.60.82.52. Friday, in Le Figaro, Jean Miot’s “Propos de Table” featured the hotel/resto Le Moulin de Chameron in Bannegon near the geographic center of France, which sounds terrific and most affordable (26, 35 & 46 E) {EN: one must pay for the article, it was never posted on their free site}. In L’Express, Jean-Luc Petitrenaud reviewed the well-known Mon Viel Ami, coordinates already given and l’Escarbille in Meudon. Meanwhile, Le Point reviewed one place {I’ve heard little of although it’s in the Pudlo} - L'Art des Choix, 36, rue Condorcet in the 9th, 01.48.78.30.61, menus : 21-25 E, where an ex of Dutournier serves clever dishes, eg veggies with parmesan, ballotine of foie gras, etc.; three relatively new places already reviewed and coordinates given by others - Groupil, 4, rue Claude-Debussy in the 17th, 01.45.74.83.25, a la carte about 45 E; Beauvilliers, 52, rue Lamarck in the 18th, 01.42.55.05.42; menu 35 E and Les Coteaux, 8, rue Jeanne-d'Arc in Saint-Mande, 01.48.08.74.81, a la carte 32 E with wine included; and the venerable Lasserre, 17, av. Franklin-Roosevelt in the 8th, 01.43.59.53.43, lunch menu = 110, dinner-185 E. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Sorry, folks, I've been kipping. Yes, indeed, it's open and I purchased some bread there just last Sunday. It was full of, how shall I say it, persons residing temporarily in the area.

In compiling the Digest this week, I found this article in the weekend FT by Rowley Leigh on French macaroons. Unfortunately to get the “meat” of the piece, one must pay.

For the info of others thinking of eating in Courmeyer, there's another place - the Maison de Filippo, which despite its absence from Gambero Rossa and Michelin and low marks in l'Express, is fabulous. For those questioning why we're posting these places in the Italian Forum; it's apparent from the license plates that most diners in Courmeyer are locals, skiiers or travellers from the French side of the tunnel.

I assume you know of and will be dropping by the well-known places in Paris - eg Alleosse, Cantin, Quatrehomme (several locations), Barthelemy and Chez Virginie; not as fun as the affineurs in the provinces, but still OK.

Pan, my remark way above was aimed at the necessity to eat at places where a good deal of fresh fish is consumed daily to ensure its freshness. I disagree that Japanese food here is substandard. It may not equal the variety and top top quality of product found in Japan or New York's best places, but the places I've eaten at in the 1st, 17th and even nearer home in the 18th easily equal average places in big US cities.

Could it be Tan Dinh, rue de Verneuil?; quite good, but not like it was "in country."

Well, after today's stage, I agree we should revive this thread. How about dinner tonight? I'm having some comte fruite from the Vosges (nice stage 3 days ago) and sausage from Lyon (23rd day time trial). Unfortunately the Tour is missing the haricots-growing and Bordeaux-producing areas this year, but I'll eat and drink them anyway.

Recall, Francois Simon pondered how the English speakers got to the new hot restos so fast. We're simply crazier than they are.

Despite the fact that they are both run by the same folks and that Madame has moved to Chez les Anges, I've found the food quite a bit different.

As is apparent, I favor somewhat newer and less pricey places than the above; as such, I suggest Au Bon Acceuil + Chez les Anges. My August rule is to distrust all published info about openings/closings and always doublecheck by telephone. (Over the years I've found that August is the time, despite the paucity of workpeople, that places suddenly decide to put in new tiles or a water heater - plus, one guidebook's idea of the "last two weeks" of August may differ from the resto's.)

The Week of July 4th, 2005 Last Friday, Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote an article only posted much later on their website and now retrievable only at a cost; anyway, it was of the moderately recently turned over resto near the St. Ouen flea market Le Soleil, 4109, avenue Michelet, 01.40.10.08.08, open everyday at lunch and Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, serving a soup of cold monkfish, tuna (cooked on the outside/raw on the inside) and great desserts for 40 E a la carte. Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand's primary space in Zurban was devoted to a sortie with William Ledeuil of Ze Kitchen Galerie, through the markets of the 13th for an “orange menu”– carrots, oranges, salmon, melon, apricots, etc. Friday, Patricia Wells critically reviewed (the article is entitled “Totally organic, partly satisfying”) two places in the South: the only Michelin-starred all organic resto – La Chassagnette in Le Sambuc where a lot (wine arrival, wine steward correcting her French pronunciation five times, utensils arrival) went wrong and another Michelin-starred place well-known for its bouillabaisse, Chez Michel aka La Brasserie des Catalans in Marseille where her group had the famous soup, in which the fish was “boiled to death.” The recent issue of Gault-Millau announced a total makeover and indeed, there is. However, after almost 30 years of rating restaurants on their innovative toque and x/20 system, none of the reviews have such indicators. In addition, they group them in three categories: New, Trendy and New something (décor, chef, etc). All the places mentioned have already been mentioned by others – therefore I will not repeat the litany. EnVille, another one of these ubiquitous free newspapers, irregularly available to me, had articles in the June issue by Francois Lemarie and Andrea Petrini on La Regalade, Le Comptoir, Le Refectoire + Chez les Anges, essentially saying (respectively) that Bruno Doucet despite his Vigato-heritage, has chosen to keep La Regalade pretty much as is; that M. Camdeborde, the “Pope” of Parisian bistrots, has begun anew with good products and “natural” wine ; that the off-shoot of La Famille has dishes combining ingredients much like Ferran Adria; and that Au Bon Accueil’s food is impeccably made and lies between the Sodom of pork and Gomorrah of game. This month, Where high-lighted two light summer and salad places – Harold, 48, rue de Prony in the 17th, 01.47.63.96.96 + Da Rosa, 62, rue de Seine in the 6th, 01.40.51.00.09. Alexander Lobrano also joined in the praise for Yves Camdeborde’s new Le Comptoir, coordinates above. Saturday, Le Figaro had three articles of interest that seem to be only available online for a fee. First, Francois Simon in his “Croque Notes,” wrote about a terrific sounding 18th century farm called Hegia near Biarritz renovated by Arnaud and Veronique Daguin (of the famous Auch and New York/Jersey family) – 700 E for two for a bed and three meals with all the trimmings. Simon also notes that two chefs who jump from resto to resto like a kangaroo are opening new places in Paris: Gilles Epie, ex-Pavillion des Princes/Petite Cour/Miravile to Citrus Etoile and Michel del Burgo, ex-Carcassone/Bristol/Taillevent/Gordes/Negresco to an un-named site after the rentree. In addition, Joel Robuchon is opening another Altelier in London’s Soho. The second article was a charming history/book review of guinguettes outside Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux – the book is “Memoire de guinguettes,” by Francis Bauby, Sophie Orivel and Martin Penet (Editions Omnibus, 26 E) and Alexandra Michot also provided a website for more info. Finally, for those on the road in the next while, there are a host of festivals: Pfaffenheim - 9-10 July – Wines Hendaye – 13 July – Calamari Olonne-sur-Mer - 16 July – 20 August – Mussels and sardines Marmande – 21-23 July – Tomatoes Calvados – 23-24 July – Seafood and mackerel Lautrec – 5 August – Pink garlic Bar-sur-Aube – 6-7 August - Champagne Arnay-le-Duc – all summer – Porcelain and glass Chateau de Moulin in Lassay-sur Croisne – all summer - Strawberries Sunday, in the JDD, aside from articles on Jean-Pierre Coffe’s {EN: he, most recently, of the trio on TV attempting to save failing restos} veggie garden and Regis Marcon’s local product-influenced food at l’Auberge des Cimes – there was an advert for the new edition of the Petit Restos des Grandes Chefs with 185 new places; thus a total of 520 ones. {EN: For 16.90 E, I find there to be no added value to the routine guides, that is, (Michelin, Pudlo, Lebey, G/M and Zurban}. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

As usual, I find myself agreeing with Pierre; when it comes to "foreign" cuisine in Paris, it's the product that trumps all else. South-east Asian is the prime example; the first time I ate at my dumpy looking local Thai place twenty years ago, I expected nothing, but the product pushed it right up there. Of course, with, say, Japanese places, they need to move a lot of fresh fish through each day to make it hold up, but that's true anywhere. And, to get back to Lucy's thread, I think Mexican, Spanish and Italian food is less successful here; just compare eating Italian stuff in Menton with Ventimiglia, only a few klicks away. And as for pizza, when Le Figaro tested pizza joints in Paris head-to-head a few years ago, none of it stood up to the real thing and one of their top three (which is in my quartier) pales in comparison to a humble place my host took me to in Milano a few weeks ago. I think of Magrebian food as so French that I don't consider it foreign and as a student, having found Viet Namese food delicious and cheap, I take it as it is. There are also especially notable take-out places (and restos) such as Mavrommatis + Noura which are also terrific. Fat Guy, thanks for stimulating this discussion.

While I am not going to retract what I said a month ago, I would like to update it. The ambiance, French clientele, fullness and reasonable price (114E for 4) at Le Comptoir at lunch remain. However, today I ate with Colette and two other exigeant eaters and while my foie gras/veggie terrine and pig's foot main were OK, except for the tuna had by one of the distaff folk, the rest (tuna slices on salad, gaspacho, beef with veggies and salad nicoise) was banal. ← This is bad news. I figured that this was at leat one place I would absolutely try to get to during my upcoming trip to Paris. I will continue to monitor opinion here. ← I have two colleagues who went separately and said roughly the same, but they didn't go for the menu gastronomique, so I assumed this was why. I had dinner there shortly after it opened and found it to be wonderful and it was certainly one of the best meals I have had in Paris this year. A friend went shortly after and raved about it as well. ← I should have been clearer; I am only talking about my two luncheons there; dinner remains a fond memory. However, since M. Camdeborde was there for all three meals, I'm stumped as to why the second lunch was off.

Sorry to hear that Farid. Hope she's better. For me, it'll be watching the parade on TV; going out to lunch; watching the TDF stage to Digne-les-Bains, eating dinner home and trying to ignore the fire-crackers on the street. Be well.

While I am not going to retract what I said a month ago, I would like to update it. The ambiance, French clientele, fullness and reasonable price (114E for 4) at Le Comptoir at lunch remain. However, today I ate with Colette and two other exigeant eaters and while my foie gras/veggie terrine and pig's foot main were OK, except for the tuna had by one of the distaff folk, the rest (tuna slices on salad, gaspacho, beef with veggies and salad nicoise) was banal.

You bet; 15, rue de l'Estrapade in the 5th; 01.43.25.72.58. Ate there yesterday. OK. And thank you, but after July 1, the Digest will be smallified.

The Week of June 27th, 2005 In Monday-Tuesday’s A Nous Paris, Philippe Toinaud gave 4/5 blocks to the established Le Bistral, 80, rue Lemercier in the 17th, {Ed Note: right near l’Abadache; it’s clear that the rue Lemercier’s another happening street & quartier}, 01.42.63.59.61, menus at 12 and 27 E, a la carte 30 E, where he raves about what the chef does with Joel Thiebault’s {he of the Palais de Tokyo market} vegetables and other dishes; he ends saying “What, you haven’t made a reservation yet?” In the other “review” they feature “caves” of the 15th, principally the Caves Vouille + Couleurs de Vigne, as well as Vins et Delices, Les Vendages + Cellier St-Charles. As is traditional, the last Wednesday in June, the Figaroscope team puts out its little booklet of “Best of’s” {Ed note: No internet access unfortunately.} 10 Restos for summer: Plage Cote Sud, Le Refectoire, Cinq Mars, Isse, Chez les Anges, Le Comptoir de Relais, La Grange-Bateliere, Liza, Le Louis Vin, Apicius. 10 terraces: La Blanchisserie, Café Guitry, Le Bistrot des Dames, Flora Danica, Le Square, Le Delicabar, Apollo, La Cigale Recamier, Il Cortile, Le Pavillion des Princes. 10 “Green” places: l’Ile, Le Chalet des Iles, Maison de l’Amerique latine, Restaurant du Palais-Royal, Villa 9-Trois, Roland-Garros, Le Pre-Catalan, Le Pavillion Montsouris, Pavillion de la Grande Cascade, Les Etangs de Corot. 10 cocktail-tapas places: Casa Eusebio, Estiminet du marche, Trema, Le Comptoir Paris-Marrakesh, Andy Whaloo, Da Rosa, Chair 33, Libre Sens, La Tete ailleurs, Autobus imperial. 10 weekend brunches: Café des Techniques, Café Jacquemart Andre, Rose Bakery, l’Artisan de Saveurs, Le Safran, l’Appart’, A Priori The, l’Alcazar, l’Asian, Relais Lagrange. Near the water: Quai Ouest, Rendez-Vous des quais, l’Ecu de France, Guinguette de la Villlette, Cap Seguin,. 10 ice cream places: Berthillon, Damman’s, Octave, Raimo, Pascal le Glacier, Bac a Glaces, Gelati d’Alberto, Amorino, Pierre Marcolini, Pierre Herme In addition, they announce that we’re waiting for (in the next few days): Caroll Sinclair to open an annex La Table d’hote, the team from Chez Gerald + l’Affiche to open l’Ecole de Gorisse, Heiniken to open a resto-bar-nightclub; (in September): Alain Ducasse to reprise Benoit, Pierre Gagniere to revive Gaya and Alain Senderens to reopen his deMichelinized Lucas-Carton; (even later): the group that runs China Club + Fumoir to open La Gazetta; and also changes at Table du Chef at the Hyatt Vendome, Cou de la Girafe, Man Ray, Ailleurs, La Petite Syrah, + Table d’Aude to be henceforth called Ferrandaise. Finally, Michel del Burgo will take over at Jamin, the Maison Richard will run Spoon, Fogon will move and Gilles Choukroun will sell the Café des Delices to prepare for new projects. Buried in this tear-out section Wednesday in Figaroscope is Francois Simon’s “Hache Menu” that recounted his meal at the venerable and evocative Hotel du Nord, 102, quai de Jemmapes in the 10th, 01.40.40.78.78, where he was served correctly prepared food for less than 100 E for two for a full meal (vegetable mille-feuille, chevre raviolis, souris of lamb and tiramisu with strawberries) – although he does have what sound to be minor quibbles. The usual query “Should one go?” “Yes.” In Wednesday’s Zurban, Sebastien Demorand reviewed three French places in his “Casseroles” section. The best-known and previously reviewed is the moderately recently moved two-star place, Apicius, 20, rue d’Artois in the 8th, 01.43.80.19.66, which is closed weekends and has a degustation menu for 130 and a la carte 100-120 E. Despite the prior reviews and buzz, Demorand calls the food which is classified between “neo-classic” and “neo-bistot-chic;” e.g., sashimi, veal’s head, beef, merely OK and suggests you have a glass of wine and main course only in the lovely garden. Then there’s the third off-shoot of the neighborhood bistrot, Les Galopins, 33, avenue Philippe-Auguste in the 11th, 01.43.67.01.23, open every day, a la carte 28-30 E, serving correct spicy foie gras, cold veal cutlet with very hot pleurotes and a tartare of duck with a very strange metallic tasting sauce; all in all - “no big deal.” Third is another wine-bar, l’Arpent, 12, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 1st, 01.42.36.52.90, closed Sundays with a lunch formula at 12,50 E, serving wonderful chorizo, sausage and cheeses with bio wines. {For my take on it – see here.} Finally, he devoted his main review to an “elegant” Lebanese mezze place, much beloved already by other reviewers, Liza, 14, rue de la Banque in the 2nd, 01.55.35.00.66, lunch formulas 17-21 E, a la carte 35. In addition, in Zurban, Demorand lists his best of list by arrondissement as of the Summer break: 1st Lac Mouson 2nd Memere Paulette 3rd Les Don Juan 4th l’Amuse-Guele 5th Le vPorte-Pot 6th Boucherie Rouliere 7th Samiin 8th Hyotan 9th Fogao 10th La Tete dans le Fromage 11th l’Express Bar 12th Les Jardins de Mandchourie 13th Pasta et Basta 14th Millesimes 62 15th l’Auberge Bressane 16th Aux Marches du Palais 17th Goupil 18th Le Rez de Chaussee 19th Chez Vincent 20th Le Café Noir Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut had an article on restaurants with terraces for summer eating. They included: L'Absinthe, Le Bistrot d'à côté Villiers, Laurent, La Grande Cascade, La Cagouille, La Terrasse Mirabeau, Au Relais des Buttes, Le Coq de la Maison Blanche. {Ed Note : I won’t recount his dishes, since in general they’re the stuff of summer – gazpacho, sardines, anchovies, langoustines, squid, etc.}. Ironically, L’Express had its own list of 10 secret places including: the home and museum of Ary Scheffer, Fauchon, Chai 33, La Gare, Le Comptoir du Relais Saint-Germain, Bistrot romain Champs-Elysees, Delicabar and then more adventuresome places, Le 20e Art, 46, rue des Vignoles in the 20th, 01.43.67.22.29, La Plage parisienne, Port de Javel-Haut in the 15th, 01.40.59.41.00 and the Point éphémère, 200, quai de Valmy in the 10th, 01.40.34.02.48. Also, in a pretty neat addition to its website, this week’s l’Express has a 5 minute film clip and interview with Pierre Gagniere’s in his kitchen, doing his kitchen thing and another with Herve This, doing his chemistry thing. Finally, Jean-Luc Petitrenard suggests two restos: L'Escarbille in Meudon and Mon Viel Ami in the 4th. Meanwhile, Gilles Pudlowski in Le Point wrote up Georgette, 29, rue Saint-Georges in the 9th, 01.42.80.39.13, a la carte : 40 E calling it “divine,” {Note: Credit has to go to the New York Times for "finding" this place, for Americans anyway, several years ago} as well as Robert Rodriguez + La Barbacane in Carcassonne. Saturday, in his “Croque Notes” in Le Figaro, Francois Simon went back to the venerable Allard, 41, rue St-Andre-des-Arts, 01.43.26.48.23, where nothing (clients, cooking, service, etc) went well {fortunately or unfortunately, the gory details are not yet posted on their website.} The remainder of his article announces that best young chef of the year 1977 in the USA, Gilles Epie, (ex-Pavillion des Princes, Cour St-Germain, Orangerie in LA, Miravile) will be taking over the space and wine-price tradition (that is, list prices) of Francois Clerc, 6, rue Arsene-Houssaye in the 8th, 01.42.89.15.51 and opening a resto called Citrus Etoile in early-September. Sunday, in the JDD, the editors state that their second section features the “two best chefs in the world,” Marc Veyrat + Alain Ducasse. Veyrat’s part is the traditional recommendation of two affordable restos in Paris; his choices: l’Estrapade + l’Entredgeu, coordinates in the guidebooks. Ducasse’s article is an interview concerning his two year effort to introduce promising young chefs from the provinces to a Paris clientele. Finally, in their “Version Femina,” Astrid de T’Serclaes touts the terrace of the Restaurant du Palais-Royal. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.