John Talbott

Another article in ParisVoice has recently appeared on cooking classes. Since it's in English and covers everything from the Ritz to Patricia Wells, I'll let interested members go directly. It has a lot of places already mentioned in this thread with fairly extensive descriptions.

It has lost one star at the latest Michelin rating. It's all over the press. ← April 1st's Liberation had yet another article on the Pourcels' losing the star; but Libe says (1) they're not going to change things, and (2) it only represents 10% of their business. There's more too from Ducasse and Robuchon and Philippe Gaertner in Alsace trying to give up his star, previously reported. Edited by John Talbott to correct tense of the Pourcels.

The Week of March 28th, 2005 Tuesday (Monday being Easter Monday), Francois Simon in “Tables d’Affaires” in Figaro Entreprises, reviewed the restaurant L’Instant Gourmand, 113, rue Louis-Rouquier in Levallois-Perret, 01.47.37.13.43, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, saying that despite the kooky décor and reliance on gastronomic rather than simple dishes, this chef from the Bristol can correct that and make the place even more sympathetic. He gives no prices. Monday-Tuesday, A Nous Paris had an article you think you’d be aching to read, on unknown places. Well they are: Prepared surprise: L’Atelier des chefs in the 8th that got 3/5 blocks{which I’ve referred to before} and where you prepare your own food Clear surprise: Music Hall in the 8th, that received 4/5 blocks{which has also been reviewed extensively} where the hallucinogenic color and hours (8 AM – 6 AM) appeal to businessmen and Yanks Alcoholic surprise: Chapeau Melon in the 19th, receiving 3/5{ditto}, home to bio wines Sitting all together surprise: Cave de l’Os a Moelle in the 15th, meriting 3/5{ditto as well}, where you may sit cheek-to-jowl with others Surprise floor: Mum Sabai in the 6th, getting a 4/5 {mentioned before}, where it sounds like this Thai resto has adopted {what I think of as the North African style of} sitting on the floor and eating just a bit higher. Wednesday, Zurban’s Sebastien Demorand reviewed Meating, 122, av de Villiers in the 17th, 01.43.80.10.10, closed Sundays and Mondays, lunch formula at 29 E, a la carte about 60 E, subtitling it “Steak and the City.” He also covered the reborn Chez Casimir, 6, rue de Belzunce in the 10th, 01.48.78.28.80, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, a la carte 28-30€ where he thought that the starters were good but the mains only so-so {Ed. Note: too bad, I always thought it was a great place for a pickup Friday or Saturday dinner under Tredgeu}, the 1930’s style, lovely Aux Marches du Palais, 5, rue de la Manutention in the 16th, 01.47.23.52.80, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, lunch formula with wine 18, a la carte 30-35€, the marches (steps) being those of the Palais de Tokyo, with many traditional (eggs with mayo, veal’s liver, crepes Suzettes) and some non-traditional dishes, and the plentifully stocked wine bar Oh Bigre , 2 rue Lamandé in the 17th, 01.44.90.05.04, closed Sundays and Mondays, only dinner now (6 PM – 2 AM), with small plates (Alleosse cheese, charcuterie from Meurdesoif) running 10-18€. The latter, did I mention before?, is an offshoot of the cave - Vin en tête. Wednesday as well, Figaroscope presented their usual triple whammy. “C’est nouveau” awarded 3 hearts to the off-shoot of La Famille {in the photo, some of the faces are familiar}, Le Refectoire, 80 bvd Richard-Lenoir in the 11th, 01.48.06.74.85, open everyday (it says), which Rubin calls a true-false cantine, serving such delicious things as lieu in broche with veggies, a little over-cooked veal with licorice and amusing banana cake for 20 E at lunch and 45 Euros at dinner; 2 hearts to L’Auberge Bressane, 16, av de la Motte-Piquet in the 7th, 01.47.05.98.37, open everyday as well, where the young chef (28) reprises an old resto with lots of butter (caloric like the 1950’s), the menu is 24 E and a la carte 35, serving fried lake fish, quenelle de brochet and sole meuniere; one heart each to the pasta/pizza places Mezzomezzo in the 3rd and Pepato in the 9th and a busted plate to Iode, 48 rue d’Argout in the 2nd {EN: thank goodness, I was waiting for someone to finally pounce on this disastrous place.} In the “Dossier,” they cover quite a few non-noble fish dishes. Mackerel in white wine L’Entracte Marinated or grilled mackerel L’Astree A slab of grilled mackerel La Cagouille Ceviche of sardines Les Caves Saint-Gilles A tarte of marinated sardines Le vin au zinc Grilled sardines Chez Paul Choucroute of haddock Clementine And Francois Simon, stepping right up to the fish plate in his Hache Menu, reviews Kifune, 44, rue St-Ferdinand in the 17th, 01.45.72.11.19, which contrary to my policy, I’ll inform you, he thinks is one of the best sushi places in Paris, despite some middling dishes. He also says that 164 Euros for three, in this level Japanese place, is not bad. In an article entitled “3 meals that were more than a chance for a rest,” Wednesday, in the New York Times, Bonnie Rothman Morris, in addition to noting that the Louvre has “fine food,” wrote, that Michael Batterberry, editor and publisher of Food Arts magazine found the environment at the Cristal Room at the Musée Baccarat in Paris even better than the “good” food served, and that two years ago, Dorothy Cann Hamilton, chief executive of the French Culinary Institute in NYC, on her quest for the perfect tarte flamblee, found one of the best at the Grand Prix in the Musée National de l'Automobile in Mulhouse. In Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde, Jean-Claude Ribaut reviews three places favorably in his “Toques en Pointe:” the well-known bistrot La Fontaine de Mars, 129, rue St-Dominique in the 7th, 01.47.05.46.44, open 7/7, 23 Euros lunch menu, a la carte count on 40 E where, in the midst of andouillette, boudin and cassoulet, he quibbles about the eggs in red wine which weren’t poached but were fried, but loved the Morgon; the bistrot Faucher, 123 av de Wagram in the17th, 01.42.27.61.50, closed Saturdays and Sundays, serving often inspired food such as sautéed calamari, scallops and filets of fish as well as raw beef and beef with pepper sauce, lunch menu = 39, degustation menu = 89 and a la carte count of 65 Euros; and the relatively new and positively well-reviewed Au Vieux Chene, 47, rue du Dahomey in the 11th, 01.43.71.67.69, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, formula at 29 E, a la carte 35 E, serving excellent soup of Jerusalem artichoke, tete de veau and saddle of hare stuffed with foie gras and served with sautéed mushrooms. Adam Sachs wrote an article in Conde Nast Traveler in which he did some biking (his partner made it up the Alpe d’Huez) and eating along some of the Tour de France’s 2004 route. He was disappointed by L’Esperance, thought Michel Bras had the best veggies he’s ever tasted, and did pretty well at La Grange du Mas, Lameloise, La Bastide de Moustiers + le Brasserie de l’Ile St-Louis among other places. Since I’ve found that their website lags print publication by a month or so, if you want a pleasant read, I urge you to buy it {Ed. Note of Disclosure: Sachs wrote me a note announcing the publication of this piece but since I’m a subscriber I would have mentioned it here anyway}. This week, Margaret Kemp in Bonjour Paris, gives much kinder reviews than I’ve seen to date to Cuisine Attitude, Le Quinzieme, 14 rue Cauchy in the 15th, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, lunch menu = 40 E, degustation menu 80 E, a la carte 50-80 Euros and Le Roland, 2 bis Avenue Gordon-Bennett in the 16th, 01.47.43.49.56, closed Sundays, lunch at 45 Euros, a la carte 60 Euros plus wine. In the April issue of Paris Notes, Rosa Jackson wrote up two existing places L’Atelier + Pinxo, in the former she found the food “fabulous” but pricier than last year, in the latter she found the food and prices about the same. In the same issue, Paul B Franklin mentions an interesting sounding woman, Laure Maso, 104 rue Oberkampf in the 11th, 06.30.51.97.01, who is bilingual and gives cooking workshops. In Postcards from Paris, Amber Garrison says that the best sushi in Paris can be found at Kinugawa, 9 rue du Mont Thabor in the 1st, 01.42.60.65.07. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

I'm delighted by your take on both; I was harder on l'Absinthe than you, maybe because I so loved what she did at the Bistrot Cote Mer and felt jilted and disappointed when I revisited it recently. I'm more enthusiastic about Point Bar too than others, although if the truth be known, it's been a while since I was there last, that's a tell-tale sign for me.

A couple of things: Yesterday, Zurban's Sebastien Demorand wrote that he tried to eat at Chez Michel recently and it was closed (I'm not sure why but check it out first) (I've always liked it and have eaten there as recently as Game Season 2004). Demorand then ate at its sister-place around the corner Chez Casimir which used to be great; it no longer is. And third, like Bux says, it depends where; there are two "Quartier" entries in Figaroscope here - the first about the area near the Gare du Nord 3 December 2003, the second The New France, 12 Feb 2003 (but both searches costs money). The Terminus Nord, one of the Flo brasseries Bux refers to, is where I go for good, simple, brasserie fare when say alighting from trains from the North. It's got a wonderful decor, food is not grand, but good for kids because of its flexible hours. Heck, from the 10th you can go anywhere (I ate with my 3 year old grandaughter everywhere for 2 months without a problem). Edited by John Talbott for clarity.

Yes, that's exactly the picture I showed to my engineer friend.

In the April issue of Paris Notes, Paul B Franklin mentions an interesting sounding woman, Laure Maso, 104 rue Oberkampf in the 11th, 06.30.51.97.01, who is bilingual and gives cooking workshops.

I think this is on topic. We live in the 18th and at the urging of a downstair's neighbor who swears they work, installed a polarization device on our inflow water pipe years ago. We've actually had two, one from the UK that operated on line current; the second, a magnetic gizmo from the USA. I showed the info on one to an engineer friend in the States and between guffaws, he said it was the closest thing to witchcraft he'd encountered in years. Anybody know if they work? (I still have to decalc my espresso machine, scrub my toilet, put decalc in my washing machine, etc. periodically) I stock bottled water but as often as not just grab a glass of tap water when thirsty and I guess I'm not so offended as to always go for the bottled.

I know the owners of no restaurants in Paris, alas. I thought it was charming twice, once alone, once with Colette. When I was there the chef was alone in the kitchen; his wife alone in the salle, but it worked just fine. Two bad reports tho certainly calms my ardor.

March's Where clears up the issue and Bux, your memory was perfect. Maxim's was purchased by Pierre Cardin; the downstairs has a "show" called La Nouvelle Dame de Chez Maxim's every Tuesday afternoon with Belle Epoque songs; the upper floors are a museum set up like a "lavish" flat with guided tours by an art historian. The only mention of food is that the flat "might" have been home to those risque women who dined below.

Ouch; I think I'm the main cheerleader for l'Abadache so I'm concerned it may have fallen off. With all the new places to try, I've not been back in quite a while. For the future, there's a nifty little but long pocket book gastronomic dictionary (Fr-Eng) that was, and I hope still is, sold at Brentano's. And the "curly" writing does take getting used to. Happy things turned OK in toto however.

The Week of March 21st, 2005 Monday, Francois Simon in “Tables d’Affaires” in Figaro Entreprises, reviewed the Bartolo, 7, rue des Canettes in the 6th, 01.43.26.27.08 closed Sundays and Mondays which takes no credit cards but serves, in his estimation, one of the best pizzas in Paris (including one with truffles) and also a good pasta with garlic. He awards it only 2/5 for price/quality and gives no prices. Tuesday’s A Nous Paris had a principal review by Jerome Berger of the resto - Meating {Ed. Note: the name says it all}, 122, av de Villiers in the 17th, 01.43.80.10.10, closed Sundays and Mondays, lunch formula = 29 E, a la carte = 60 E, run by the person who owns La Gare. He gave it 4 blocks out of 5; it serves things like a beef filet or carre d’agneau cooked over wood charcoal and finished in an American ceramic {whatever that is.} His colleague, Philippe Toinard gave only 3/5 blocks to Le Pictotin, 35, rue Sibuet in the 12th, 01.46.28.99.00, closed Sundays, lunch formulas 11,40 and 14,40 with a glass of wine; ordering things from the chalkboard runs 25-40 Euros. Good = an aperto offered, bad = not enough wines by the glass {it’s not clear why it got only 3/5 when the dishes described sound pretty good – e.g. duck and pistachio terrine, beef and rhubarb terrine with French toast.} Wednesday, Figaroscope’s Emmanuel Rubin had only one 2-heart place to recommend: in the space formerly occupied by Yves Quintard, a ”franco-nippon” place, Harumi, 99, rue Blomet in the 15th, 01.42.50.22.27, closed Sunday dinner and Monday {heads-up, that means it’s open Sunday lunch, a rarity}, lunch menu = 25 E, dinner menus at 31 and 38 E, a la carte 45 E, serving ecrevisses with mildly hot Basque chili peppers and Thai basil, shellfish with citronelle, etc. Then he gave one heart each to the newly taken over Dix Vins, 57, rue Falguiere in the 15th, 01.43.20.91.77, closed Saturday and Sunday, menu at 20 E which is better than good and a la carte 25-30 E; a Thai cantine Chao, 20, rue de la Verriere in the 4th, 01.42.72.55.20, open every day, running 25-30 E; and Le Nouveau Paris-Dakar, 11, rue de Montyon in the 9th, 01.42.46.12.30, closed Friday noon and Sundays, running 30 E a la carte, with menus at 24 and 32 (with drinks). Finally, he gives a broken heart to the Jardin des Cygnes in the hotel Prince de Galles in the 8th which is wildy expensive (100E) for ridiculous dishes such as a carpaccio of beet root with old comte. In place of the usual “Dossier,” Figaroscope’s Emmanuel Rubin gives out grades 1-10 (really 4-8) for the new restaurants of the season. Instead of listing them as he did in eight categories, I’ll do it in the rank order of their ratings: 8 Apicius 7 Auguste, Dominique Bouchet 6.5 Music Hall, Meating, Cinq Mars, Bas-Fonds, Regis 6 L’Autobus Imperial, La Pibale, Chez les Anges, Le Midi-Vins, L’Ecaille de la Fontaine, Daniel Lounge, Hotel de Sers, Un jour a Peyrassol, La Bourse ou la Vie, Can Tin’h, Cielito Lindo 5.5 Bwyty, EK Poincare, Mu, Chez Eusebio, L’Ampere 5 Le Titi Parisien, Bistrot d‘Helene, Roland Garros, L’Escargot Montorgueil 4 Qin, 123, Café de l’homme Others La Chopotte, Reveil Bastille, Dom Juan, Saint Amour, L’Actuel, Bel Ami Café, Bon, XVIIIe Barathym, Nouveau Nez, L’Arpent, O’Bigre, La Casa del Campo, Nouveau Paris-Dakar, Trema, Ta Suchi, Kokohana, Settebello, I Virtuosi, Ziti Francois Simon’s “Hache Menu” deals with TV-starred Cyril Lignac’s (who was featured in the M6 series “Oui Chef”) new resto XVe Cuisine Attitude, 14, rue Cauchy in the 15th, 01.45.54.43.43, with the headline “Non chef.” That pretty much says it all - but to top it off he asks “Is it expensive? Yes. “Should one go?” No. In another of its occasional series on the movements of chefs, etc., Emmanuel Rubin reveals the following, that: 1. The La Famille folks are opening a second place called Le Refectoire at 80, bd Richard-Lenoir in the 9th. 2. As has already been posted elsewhereon eGullet and elsewhere, Yves Camdeborde, as of April 1st, will be at the Hotel du Relais, Carrefour de l’Odeon, in the 6th. 3. As I noted above, Yves Quintard has turned over his place to a new couple who run Le Harumi. 4. The young chef from De La Garde has taken over Beauvilliers in the 18th. 5. The team running Fumoir + China Club will open a third one - La Gazetta. 6. The people managing A Toutes Vapeurs will open a temporary guinguette around la Villette. 7. Finally, William Ledeuil of Ze Kitchen Galerie will eventually take over the Table de Lucullus; and as usual there are rumors that Alain Ducasse et al., will restore Benoit in the 4th. Wednesday as well, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban reviewed La Cave du Cochon, 18, rue Jacquemont in the 17th, 01.42.28.99.38, closed Saturday lunch, Sundays and Mondays, carte about 30 E (or much more depending on wine(s) chosen), the “wine cellar” of La Tête de Goinfre, that serves everything from a delicious looking garlic sausage to an enormous cote de boeuf (served with cold potatoes) and which, despite the broad range of wines one expects in a “cave,” served them at 82 degrees Fahrenheit, Chez Peppe, 30, rue Traveriere in the 12th, 01.43.47.31.69, lunch only Monday-Saturday, a la carte 10-15 E, that he subtitles an “epicerie” with an accent, e.g. it can be “hot,” serving antipasti, spaghetti, and other good products, the classic brasserie, Le Stella, 133 av Victor-Hugo in the 16th, 01.56.90.56.00, open every day, a la carte from 40-50 E, which you’d know if you grew up in the area and whose menu hasn’t budged one “iota” since then, and {EN: for us, a big disappointment, because Colette loved the bowl of flowers as you entered}, the wonderfully-sited Beauvilliers, 52, rue Lamarck in the 18th, 01.42.55.05.42, closed Sundays and Mondays, lunch formula at 35 and a la carte 60 E, that looks from the photo like, and indeed bears the caption of, pure kitsch, reprised by the De la Garde chef (see #4 above), where the food (escargot salad with violet potatoes, sweetbreads and millefeuille of chocolate & pralines) was easier to digest than the bill. This month’s Gourmet had an article on Paris bistros by the ubiquitous Alexander Lobrano that included: La Cerisaie, L’Ami Marcel, Les Papilles, L’Ami Jean, Le Mesturet, Le Marsagny, Le Sot l’y Laisse, Au Vieux Chene + Le Temps Au Temps and adds on the {very bobo, but certainly not bistroish}, luxo hotel resto Le Murano. Interestingly, it was imbedded in an article by Calvin “Bud” Trillin on R.W. “Johnnie” Apple’s 70th birthday party at L’Ami Louis that probably will not add any information on Apple, Trillin or L’Ami Louis that eGullet members don’t already know. Saturday, Francois Simon, in his “Croque Notes” in Le Figaro, wrote what is more or less Part II of his take on Breton restos that he began last week, singling out L’Amphitryon in Lorient, Tegwen Naveos aka Naveos at Guidel (Plages), and Le Vivier at Ploemeur-Lomener (5 minutes from Lorient). In addition, across the fold, Alexandra Michot wrote an interesting article about how one goes about voluntarily giving up his Michelin star(s). She notes that one chef, Philippe Gaertner of Aux Armes de France in Ammerschwirh, wants to give up his Michelin star and convert his place to one stressing “terroir” {no translation} and that Alain Ducasse, thinks his restaurants in Monaco and Paris do not merit their stars according to the criteria. But Jean-Luc Naret, the relatively new director of the Red Guide, essentially says “We calls ‘em as we sees ‘em, if they’re listed, they merited it (them), they’re not Legion of honor awards and one can’t turn them in.” Finally in an unauthored box at the top of the same page, it is noted that, as Emmanuel Rubin noted in Wednesday’s Figaroscope (#1) above, the La Famille offshoot, Le Refectoire, chef’d by Olivier Petit, ex of Lameloise, the Scribe + l’Oasis, is open for business, charges only 12 E for the lunch plat de jour (on Tuesday, stuffed tomatoes,) that the escargots with horseradish, red radishes and raviolis of shitake(i) mushrooms rates 20/20 and is “too good to be true” for 8 Euros and that there is a wine list with sage prices. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Thanks, but just to be accurate, credit should go to my wife Colette and good friend/resto finder SSM, both of whom have been nagging me to go back for at least 6 months. And to complete this record, the four of us went back to Mon Viel Ami today, after a very long time and we all felt it stands the test of time.

In December 2002, we ate at what was then known as Quinze, and now is eponymously called Thierry Burlot, 8, rue Nicholas Charlet in the 15th (of course), 01.42.19.08.59. We thought it was great food then but the forced choices (2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts) for 42 E seemed expensive and limiting. For whatever reason(s), Burlot has revamped the offerings and now has a 26 E lunch formula and 32 E menu-carte, which despite lots of supplementary charges, offers a huge variety of terrific food for a reasonable cost (142 E for 3 of us); e.g., firsts such as wonderfully herbed langoustines and succulent shrimp raviolis with a piquant lime sauce, seconds such as lamb’s leg, veal with an intense red wine sauce with veggies and salmon, and desserts ranging from licorice crème brulee to caramel sauce on caramel ice cream (that was incredible). Lesson learned: occasionally it pays to return to the oldies that have been set aside for reasons that seemed sound at the time.

Indeed. If you go to their website, essentially, they say you get all the daily calcium you need from the Paris water. Good/bad? I like it. And you do need sel and Anticalc in the washing processes. So.....? Today at Dominque Bouchet we (again) ordered a carafe and no problem.

Zurban ran a photo of the carafe three weeks ago and at the time I searched the web unsuccessfully for a means of buying/getting one. Then yesterday there apparently were only 10,000 of them available at the Hotel de Ville and the TV showed long lines. I suspect given the success, they'll eventually be on sale elsewhere.

To add my two cents to the Venice Forum, I’ll second the excellence and breadth of Carampane, where we’ve been twice in as many years. And, if you plot the route on the map, it’s findable, the fare is well-explained (in English and French) verbally and it is well worth the effort. I might add that we also liked the Michelin Bib Gourmand - Anice Stellato, Fondamento della Sensa, 3272, in Cannaregio, 720744

The Week of March 14th, 2005 Sunday’s New York Times had an article in the travel section by the culinary author, Mark Bittman, on “affordable” Paris bistros, in which he describes at moderate length the following: L’Os a Moelle Café Moderne La Regalade Aux Lyonnais Chez Denise (aka La Tour Monthery) Monday, Francois Simon in Figaro Entreprises, reviewed the 10 year old or so L’Atelier Berger, 49, rue Berger in the 1st, 01.40.28.00.00, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, lunch formula = 25 E, menu at 35 E, he gives it 3/5 stars for the food and price-quality ratio and liked the tartare of tuna with sesame and cuttlefish ink, lamb with herbs and lieu fish. {Ed Note: when Christiansen first opened the place, he was heralded (justly) as specializing in and doing superbly with his native Nordic fish dishes.} Tuesday’s A Nous Paris had reviews by Philippe Toinard and Jerome Berger, respectively, of the several year old restaurant run by the British chef Chris Wright, Le Timbre, 3, rue Ste-Beuve in the 6th, 01.45.49.10.40, lunch formulas at 22-26 Euros, dinner menu = 31 E, closed Sundays and despite Toinard’s snide comments about Wright’s French (e.g le carte, la ris), he awards him 4/5 blocks for the “classic bistrot” fare; and the tapas plus place Chez Eusebio, 11, rue Hegesippe-Moreau in the 18th, 01.44.70.05.42, closed Sundays and Mondays, formula at 13,50 E (starter, main and 25 cl of wine), a la carte about 30 E, which serves everything from Spanish ham and chorizo to sangria and calamars, awarding it 3/5 blocks {Ed Note: Despite or because the local convivs were drunk, (I hope with joy) if I got that right}. As part of their “Coups de Coeur” of the month, last week’s A Nous Paris had a mini-review of Le Resto, 10, rue Castellane in the 8th, 01.40.07.99.99, closed Sundays, a la carte from 30-45 Euros, featuring fresh, daily-changing on the chalkboard yet “grand classic bistro” fare – e.g., entrecote, lentils and sausage, etc. Wednesday, Figaroscope’s Emmanuel Rubin gave 2 hearts to three very different places {Ed Note: by me}; the resuscitated the old favorite Chez Les Anges, 54, bd de la Tour-Maubourg in the 7th, 01.47.05.89.86, closed Sat lunch and Sundays, about 45 Euros, which post-Minchelli et al, has re-emerged as a “neobrasserie” with the help of at least Madame from Au Bon Acceuil, serving raviolis of langoustines, sole, tete de veau, and a top-notch cheese trolley; a wine-bistrot, Le Louis Vins, 9, rue de la Montagne-St-Genevieve in the 5th, 01.43.29.12.12, closed Sundays, menus at 23 & 26, a la carte 35 Euros, serving pumpkin soup, blanquette of lotte, and rognons; and a bit pricey for a neighborhood bistro, Le Square, 227 bis, rue Marcadet in the 18th, 01.53.11.08.41, closed Sundays and Mondays, running about 35 Euros serving lamb “hamburgers” with mozzarella and polenta fries. He also awards one heart each to another wine bar Oh Bigre, 2, rue Lamende in the 17th, no telephone, open every evening, running 10-20 Euros and serving sausages and cheese from Alleosse; and a Japanese/sushi place Japi Keo, 39, rue des Dames in the 17th, 01.42.94.88.28, closed Sundays and running 15-30 Euros. Figaroscope’s Dossier this week is devoted to Italian tavola calda’s that include: Sale e Pepe Olio Pane Vino Pasta Linea Chez Peppe Lo Spuntino del Buco Premiatia Drogheria di Meglio Cucina Napoletana As usual, Francois Simon’s “Hache menu,” in the same vein, covers Cantina Rossa, 3, rue Antoine-Vollon in the 12th, 01.40.19.07.79, open every day, which cost him 54,50 E for two, serving antipasti and pastas, which you should go to {only} if you live nearby. Wednesday as well, Sebastien Demorand in Zurban reviewed first the boboish (eg Spoonesque) Les Bas Fonds, 116, rue Amelot in the 11th, 01.48.05.00.30, closed only Sunday noon with lunch formulas at 11-15 E and a la carte about 35 E, which he judges to be 50/50 (50% not bad=good, 50% not terrible) but despite his rapture about the wines, his description of badly smelling rougets and mysteriously smelling salmon, as well as mal-labeled dishes, tilts the balance {for me anyway}. He also reviewed {EN: less enthusiastically than others, including myself, have}, Dominique Bouchet, 11, rue Treilhard in the 8th, 01.45.61.09.46, closed weekends, a la carte 45-55 E, which he found too precious for the results, which for him weren’t great; a pho place Pho Bida Saigon, 44 av d’Ivry in the 13th, 01.45.84.04.85, open every day and costing a mere 10 E which he thought was very good authentic and inexpensive Vietnamese food in an uncharming surrounding; and the reborn but with the same chef, Sasso, now called Il Gallo Nero, 36, rue, Raymond-Losserand in the 14th 01.42.18.00.38, closed Sundays and Mondays, lunch formulas start at 13,50 E, a la carte 25-28E, where you should go for the pasta of the day special rather than the ambiance. In Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde, Jean-Claude Ribaut reviewed: the Italian-influenced (the chef’s parents are Italian) bistrot Giufeli, 129, rue du Chateau in the 14th, 01.43.27.32.56, closed Sundays, where the menu changes daily (you can receive it by email at 11 AM) and the food is precise and tasty, a la carte about 20 Euros; the newly taken over Beauvilliers, 52 rue Lamarck in the 18th, 01.42.55.05.42, closed Sundays and Mondays, where he says the chef shows true talent, listing a number of delicious sounding dishes (fricassee of langoustines, foie gras with hibiscus jelly, lamb saddle with potatoes Anna, etc.), lunch is 35 E, degustation menu = 63 E and a la carte count on 70E; and the re-engineered Petrus, 12, pl du Marechal-Juin in the 17th, 01.43.80.15.95, open everyday, lunch = 35 E, menu = 42 E and a la carte count on 80 E, which has gone from a cremerie to a fish resto and now is attempting to expand its clientele with a more inexpensive lunch formula featuring 6 firsts and 6 seconds, in addition to its regular menu of classics, with two levels of wines as well. Friday, in the IHT, Patricia Wells wrote about Joel Thiebault, the supplier of interesting and unusual vegetables, which can be found at the President Wilson market Wednesdays and Saturdays and the Rue Gros market Tuesday and Friday mornings, as well as in places like Gagniere, L’Astrance, Mon Viel Ami, Ze Kitchen Galerie, La Table de Lancaster, Le Severo, Jamin + Le Soleil. Two friends of Thiebault, Antoine Meyssonnier and Raimondo Briones, came up with the idea of also supplying the veggies each Friday in boxes costing 38-58 Euros, to average citizens. They also supply recipes to utilize their produce on the web. Thiebault’s website is here. Friday, Francois Simon wrote in his “Croque Notes” in Le Figaro about the Breton paradox, that, despite a few exceptions, eg Roellinger, Thorel, Jeffroy, Breton food is not up to that in the rest of France. However, he does reveal his Parisian find of the week, a restaurant on the place St. Augustin called L’Evasion, 01.45.22.66.20, where he liked the roast pintade with sautéed potatoes and excellent Paris-Brest as well as wines from nearby Auge. March’s Where’s Alexander Lobrano also features Dominique Bouchet, see coordinates above, as well as touting as “great little bistros:” Chez Casimir + La Baracane. It seems like every season brings a new free tabloid sized newspaper to the Paris streets that contains restaurant reviews; the most recent is ENVILLE {get it, en ville?} Anyway, despite my doubts, it delivered some current, interesting, in depth reviews, all places already mentioned here, but not a bad spread at all. The reviewers, Francois Lemarie and Andrea Petrini, this month, covered the following: La Table de Lucullus {From which, after months of eGullet speculation, I learned where chef Nicolas Vagnon is eventually going – the Ile d’Yeu – which is one of the undiscovered treasures of France and where a lot of his and our tuna and other fish derive}, Apicius and Ze Kitchen Gallery {where irony of ironies I ate again very well that very day}, also the bio wine place Chapeau Melon and not necessarily bio wine place Les Crus du Soleil. This week’s Postcards from Paris, Kathleen Peddicord talks about brunch at Le Pain Quotidien, several locations, for instance, in the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th, which she calls the most “charming meal” she’d had for 19 Euros, with standard American brunch fare plus French bread, croissants and spreads. They also carry salads. In Bonjour Paris this week, Margaret Kemp gives her take on "World" brunch at the Crillion. In brief, Jean-Francois Piège offers: oeuf en cocotte with a number of different accompaniments, smoked salmon, ham, three hot dishes, and a cheese board - plus jams, croissants, yogurts, fresh fruits, and desserts. Cost - adults 60E, children 30E. She also gives the disputed history (from 1860) of bunch and mentions brunch at the Jacquemart-Andre Museum (24 E) as has been noted above. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

I'm (semi) embarassed to say that I have only a few French language cookbooks, among them Escoffier's Ma Cuisine, Anne-Catherine Bley's soup book but my standard is the ancient Brit TV star Floyd's Floyd on France in English but his stuff tastes pretty good.

I realize not everyone is a Premium Subscriber to Bonjour Paris, but this week, Margaret Kemp gives her take on "World" brunch at the Crillion. Since it's in English I gotta watch my word count, but in brief, Jean-Francois Piège offers - from a host of different countries: oeuf en cocotte with foie gras, smoked salmon, ham, three hot dishes, and a cheese board - plus jams, croissants, yogurts, fresh fruits, and desserts. Cost - adults 60E, children 30E. She also gives the disputed history (from 1860) of brunch and mentions the Jacquemart-Andre brunch (24 E) aready noted above.

My memory is hazy, but isn't the "gastro-lab"on the Av Niel? I know I saw it somewhere, but can't find it by searching. Anyway, he also has some, (? how much given the reviews), interest in the new resto at Roland Garros called, I believe, Roland.

The Week of March 7th, 2005 Monday, Adrian Leeds in Parler Paris related her cooking lesson/demonstration with Christian Constant which sounded quite wonderful. Also on Monday, Kathleen Pedicord in “Postcards from Paris” detailed the two food opportunities in the more-or-less recently renovated Palais de Toyko, 13, av President Wilson in the 16th, closed Mondays, Metro=Pont de Alma; the first, a cafeteria serving dishes at about 9 Euros; the second, a full restaurant, reviewed in prior Digests, Tokyo Eat, featuring, for example a 12 Euro plat du jour such as a pot roast with veggies; they also have for dessert a “mango sushi” [sic] with white chocolate and sticky rice. Sebastian Demorand, in Zurban Wednesday, devotes his major review to Le Titi Parisien, 96, boulevard de la Tour Maubourg in the 7th, 01.44.18.36.37, Metro=La Tour-Maubourg, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, with a lunch formula at 22€; a la carte about 50€. While they have lots of classic dishes (herring, andouillette, haricots verts salad), you really come here for the beef; in all its forms (tartare, entrecote, cote de boeuf (65E for 2)) with all choices of sauces (morilles, bearnaise) and accompaniments (your pick). His “Casseroles” section features: the Casa del Campo, a tapas place in the 9th; the new version of La Table de Lucullus, 127, rue Legendre in the 17th, 01.40.25.02.68, Metro=La Fourche, closed Sundays and Mondays, lunch menu at 16€, (a new) menu-carte = 26€ and degustation menu at 38€, which he subtitles “solid fish,” (from the l’Ile d’Yeu,) and thinks it succeeds at its 50% less cost than before; and the haute cuisine resto R, 6-8, rue de la Cavalerie in the 15th, 01.45.67.06.85, Metro=La Motte-Piquet-Grenelle, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, a la carte about 60€; he says you know the type of place: Parisian morgue-like service combined with the Asian-influenced type of cooking of carpaccio of bar with Japanese sauce and cod with fennel and chorizo served in a restaurant on the top of a splendid 1930’s building with a view of the roofs of Paris around the Eiffel Tower. Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin’s “C’est nouveau gave two hearts each to Meating, 122, av de Villiers in the 17th, 01.43.80.10.10, open everyday but Sundays and Mondays, Metro=Péreire, located where Apicius used to be {oh yah, now I remember}, a la carte about 60 € for carnivores although he describes it as a BCBG “steakhouse,” where the ceviche of scallops, cote de boeuf and sorbets were all good; and the old favorite La Dinee, 85, rue Leblanc in the 15th, 01.45.54.20.49, open every day but Sundays and Mondays, Metro – Balard where ex-Chabanel, the prices remain reasonable – 24 and 31 €, but he says despite the “good intentions,” the results are a bit feeble {my trans.} Then he awards 1 heart each to three places: Le Nouveau Nez, 112-114, rue St-Maur in the 11th, 01.43.55.02.30, open everyday except Mondays. Metro=Parmentier, yet another wine bar with the trimmings, costing 15 € and up; Le XVIIIe Barathym, 2, rue Ramey in the 18th, 01.42.54.61.31, open everyday, Metro=Château-Rouge {EN: Does this all sound familiar?, because Zurban reviewed it last week}, a bobo resto of the area, running 25 € except for the formula at lunch which = 12 €; and L’Arpent, 12, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 1st, 01.42.36.52.90, open everyday but Sundays, except for 2/4 Sunday lunches, Metro=Louvre, a pocket bistrot serving two daily specials like rabbit’s head and pork cheeks with mustard. In Figaroscope’s Dossier, they call their listing “Resto-delis, Juice bars,” but there are really non-traditional places to eat of many varieties: Unclassifiable A Toutes vapeurs Dans le noir Eat with the Chefs L’Atelier des chefs L’École de cuisine d’Alain Ducasse The Equipped Resto-delis Granterroirs Les Vivres Be Byzance Thematic places Rouge Tomate Pomze Terre de Truffes The expansionists The 3 S’s (eg Soups-salads-sandwiches) Bert’s Cojean Lina’s The neo-oyster-shuckers F. Landeau L’Écaille de La Fontaine Ballon et Coquillages Régis Le Chasse-Marée Coffee houses Starbucks Coffee Colombus Café New Parisian Wine-bars Les Papilles Les Caves Miard Le Verre Volé La Muse Vin Couleurs de Vigne Chapeau Melon Ones you gotta follow Ephemeral places Juice bars Soup & Juices Et 54 Bioboa Biotifull Place And Also Wash by Arcaffe In the same spirit, Francois Simon’s “Hache Menu” is all about the onomatopoetic Mu, 7, passage de la Bonne-Graine in the 11th, 01.47.00.43.23, open only at lunch (except Sundays), where he urges you to go for their giant plate of veggies for 12 €. Gastronomica’s Winter 2005 edition has two book reviews of interest to our membership: “Cooking for Kings:The Life of Antonin Careme, the First Celebrity Chef.” Ian Kelly, New York: Walker & Co. 2004 $26.00 reviewed by Carolyn Chapman. “Escoffier:The King of Chefs.” Kenneth James. London & NY: Hambledon and London. 2002 $29.95, reviewed by Alexandra Leaf. In an article in April’s Food & Wine entitled “Affordable Paris,” (defined as a prix fixe menu running from $23-105 without beverages), Jane Sigal covers several types of restaurant in Paris in these categories: Book a Table at a Grocer’s {Ed Note: I’d quibble with her calling these grocers} Les Papilles Bellota-Bellota Da Rosa Rouge Tomate Follow the Young Proteges Café Moderne L’Ourcine La Famille L’Ami Jean Eat at the Cooking School L’Atelier des Chefs Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise Ferrandi Go to the Grand Restaurants at Lunch Le Meurice Le Grand Vefour Le Bristol Trust in Serendipity L’Angl Opera Edited by John Talbott for clarity. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

As usual, I take the curmudgeonly position; I hate brunch and when making reservations for Sunday lunch always ask if there is only a brunch menu or they serve other things too. Once we ate at L'Appart in the 8th on Sunday (it's a dead ringer imitiation of those restos on the Upper West Side of Manhattan that were so popular in the 1960's and '70's, with books all around in a "homey" atmosphere) and we had the regular menu (very disappointing) and if I had been in the US I might have been tempted by the brunch, it did look good, all French customers eating all American food; bizarre, bizarre. Excuse me for being contentious, but why go to or live in Paris to eat American? It's a bit like the puzzling popularity of the American restaurants at the US Embassy, when their French resto is so much better and authentic. Finally, there was a "brunch" Dossier in Figaroscope a while back but I'm unable to find it.

I've sure seen plenty of panini and pizza places.

It's here.