John Talbott

This is an interesting thread because at Chaudun a few months ago, the head lady almost lectured me like a small, ignorant boy on how their chocolates are alive and die in 2 weeks, etc etc. I knew all this and was a bit put off (it had not happened there before so it was puzzling).

I apologize if this isn't helpful on this trip to Bordeaux etc. but perhaps it will help others. Today's Le Monde has an "Gouts" article by Jean-Claude Ribaut on truffles places in Provence as well as two restos in his Toques en Pointe.

having two of them left in your quartier seems a bit unusual to me. Do you live in a very "commerçant" quartier ?) ← Yup, I'm on a market street. But as others have noted things are changing; in 20 years we've had a cremerie converted to an eyeglass shop, had our "charcoal" depot become our second chocolate place, lost one horsemeat store to ladies undergarments, had a green grocer replaced by a wine store chain, lost a bagel shop to a cruddy Italian takeout place and a flower shop to a Sicilian takeout place but picked up another new quality wine store, an oyster shucker and another new nice flower shop. Despite the changes, we've held on to 3 butchers, 2 cheese shops and 1 semiartisinal bakery.

I'm not sure where this comes from but if memory serves me correctly, there was a report on France 2, 20h news two nights ago showing very nice horse meat. In my quartier, we had three horse meat shops, now reduced to two, but they exist. You all are too young to recall when during WWII, horse meat was super available, not rationed, and constitued such a "luxury" that it remained on certain menus, eg the Harvard Faculty Club, for years.

My experience has almost exclusively been at places that would qualify as "extra fancy shop/fancy brand premium" - Dehillerin and A. Simon, which admittedly serve a lot of Americans but have never disappointed me. I've been in other shops in the area but have not found a second hand shop. Both of the above are well-described by P. Wells and in the Paris Gault Millau; I suspect you can get bargain places by looking at Paris Pas Cher. One place I can tout you off is IKEA where pots and pans are awful.

There were two: the one at 68 rue Pierre Charron in the 8th that was in Figaroscope's Dossier of Oct 20, under places frequented by the media, and one in the 18th on Rue Ordener, now closed I think. That's all I have in my records/memory bank.

The Week of February 7th, 2005 Monday, Francois Simon, in Le Figaro ’s “Entreprises” contribution was on the steadiness of le Relais d'Auteuil, 31, bd Murat in the 16th, 01.46.51.09.54, closed Saturday and Monday at lunch and all day Sundays, business lunch = 48 E. He gives it 4/5 stars on food; 2/5 on price/quality. He says several of the dishes have a formidable brio; but he did quibble about his 110 Euro wine which took too long to arrive and at the wrong temperature. Tuesday, this week’s “A Nous Paris ’s Jerome Berger gave 3/5 blocks to Temps au Temps and as others before him have noted, the dishes are tasty and the prices gentle. His colleague Philippe Toinard, gave the same rating to Le Resto, 10, rue de Castellone in the 8th, 01.40.07.99.99, a la carte = 30-45 E, closed Sundays, which he summarizes as “it’s good, it’s well done, it’s classic.” Sebastien Demorand in Wednesday’s Zurban devotes his primary review to the Southwestern La Pibale Club 308, 308, rue de Charenton in the 12th, 01.44.75.01.55, metro = Dugommier or Porte de Charenton, closed Saturday and Monday for lunch and Sundays, formula at 22 and menu-carte 30 Euros. Along with his Madiran, he liked the calamars like in the Bay of Biscay, the spicy pate, fantastic boudin, indeed pretty much everything. Sounds nice even though it’s a schlep for most folks; look at the map, it’s way out there in no man’s land. In his “Casseroles” he covers three places; a Thai-French bistro Yo, 10, rue Port Mahon in the 2nd, 01.47.42.00.33, metro= Quatre-Septembre or Opera, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, lunch formula and menu running 18-22 Euro, a la carte 28.50 E that does sound pretty good (pintade in a wok, ox tail terrine, shrimp toast; Les Couleurs, 117, rue Saint-Maur in the happening 11th, 01.43.57.95.61, metro= Rue Saint-Maur or Parmentier, always open for 20 Euros a la carte but stuff like calamars on pasta, gorgonzola on osso bucco; lots of cell-phones, tattooed rear ends and Bobos (if you haven’t been to Spoon this’ll substitute; and a Spanish place Chez Eusebio, 11, rue Hegesippe-Moreau in the 18th, 01.44.70.05.42, metro=La Fourche, closed Sundays and Mondays, a la carte about 25 Euros for ham, cod, calamars again, and paella. Wednesday, Emmanuel Rubin in Figaroscope’s “C’est nouveau” dished out the hearts as follows: 2 hearts each to a Spanish place Casa del Campo, 22, rue de la Chaussee d’Antin in the 9th, 01.42.46.02.48., open everyday except Sundays 11:30 AM til 1 AM, Metro=Havre-Caumartin, which he calls a beautiful Iberian spot that while looking like a beer and tapas place serves pretty good food for only 10-15 Euros, and an Italian place Settebello, 9, rue Duban in the 16th, 01.42.88.10.15, open everyday except Sundays, Metro La Muette, serving a beautiful veal Milanese and good risotto with langoustines for 40 Euros; then 3 one hearters to Le Reveil Bastille, 29, bd. Henri-IV in the 4th, 01.42.72.73.26, open everyday except Sundays and Monday dinner, Metro Bastille recently opened by two 30 year olds serving eggs with mayo, entrecotes, etc., for a la carte 25-30 € and lunch menus for 13,50 & 19 €; Bwyty {just pronounce it and you’ll see}, 12, rue Pecquay in the 4th, no telephone, open everyday but Mondays - from 12 noon til 7 P.M. most days, but 12 noon til 10 PM Fridays and Saturdays, Métro : Rambuteau, for soups and sandwiches at 10-15 Euros and New York, British or Canadian brunches weekends, and l’Escargot Montorgeuil, 38, rue Montorgueil in the 1st, 01.42.36.83.51, open everyday but Mondays, Metro = Les Halles, a very old place taken over by new folks and charging quite a bit (e.g. 60 Euros) for not so great stuff; snails you should take Tums with, hollandaise on the turbot that was too buttery, etc. The “Dossier” this week concerned itself with places to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day: For up to 60 Euros: Thoumieux Indira Le Petrelle Le Banyan Aux Saveurs de Claude Ze Kitchen Galerie Cafe Moderne Le Jardin d’Ampere Café du Commerce Bistrot Romain {my goodness} From 60-100 Euros: Tante Jeanne Ginger La Place Bon Au Gourmand Maceo Hotel de Vigny Aero-Club de France From 100-200 Euros: Les Ormes Les Muses Les Trois Marches in Versailles Les Bateaux Parisiens you can guess where Park Hyatt Paris – Vendome Over 200 Euros: Cafe Faubourg Michel Rostang Hotel Ritz Hotel Crillon Right in line with those ideas for this fete, Francois Simon went to what he hoped was a perfect place for an intimate twosome – the Hyatt’s La Chinoiserie & le Cafe M 24, bd Malesherbes in the 8th, 01.55.27.12.34, where he had a special “black” menu available for the remainder of the month, e.g. scallops with truffles,” lotte cooked in squid ink, and great lamb “Satchmo” which was stuffed with black olives and trumpets of death and a trilogy of chocolate desserts – but “chancy” service where the wine (again) arrived late and the noise from the kitchen destroyed his hope for an intimate evening. It cost him 160 E and he looked at the bill with horror (there was indeed an error) - the menu is 58 E per person without drinks and 78 Euros per with a glass with each dish; bottom line: Should one go? Answer: Yes, but another night and straight to the main course. Wednesday in the New York Times, there was yet another article? on Mireille Guilano and her book French Women Don’t get Fat: the Secret of Eating for Pleasure which doesn’t really inform this Forum of anything more than we’ve heard from others, including Francois Simon and Gilles Pudlowski. Jean-Claude Ribaut was very busy this week. In Le Monde on Thursday-Friday, his Toques en Pointe covered two bistros: La Pibale, coordinates, prices and dishes served above and l’Ami Marcel, coordinates in the guidebooks, where he really liked the ex-Ritz chef’s dishes. He also reviewed the ancient and ancient-looking l’Alsaco {not sure why}whose coordinates, prices and dishes are also in the guidebooks. In a much longer piece, which included a recipe (fricassee of chicken with cream of morilles), he wrote what is really an essay on the birth of restaurants in Paris, featuring Le Polidor, 51, rue Monsieur-le-Prince in the 6th, 01.43.26.95.34, which started as a cremerie-restaurant in 1848, open everyday with menus at lunch for 12 Euros and at dinner for 19 and 28 E and a la carte 26 E, which is why it’s long been a favorites of students and Hemingway, etc. and takes cash only. Friday, Francois Simon in Croque Notes calls his column “the syndrome of the little places.” First he mentions a restaurant in Beziers, already written about, run by two chefs, Fabien Lefèbvre et Olivier Bontemps, at 12, rue Boieldieu, 04.67.49.90.00 cooking a short menu of regenerated nouvelle cuisine items. Now on to the little places: he thought of going to Mondragon, because a reader recommended Beaugravière, chef’d by Guy Julien, 04.90.40.82.54 but wanted save room for dinner, so he ate at l'Auberge à…hold on, it’ll come to me, the name is exquisite Saint-Pantaléon-les-Vignes, 04.75.27.98.27 where he had the 11 Euro menu with coldcuts, pate and ham, chicken and a crème caramel with wine and coffee. Finally, how about the Michelin 2005? It’s all too predictable concerning Le Divellec, Pourcel, Lameloise, Marcon, Barbot + Piège . The Feb-March Voyages d’Affaires reports that at Orly Rungis, the Novotel has revolutionarily changed its “traditional bar” to a cafe, really a full-service restaurant. In addition the giveaway magazine recommend several restos in Paris: La Lorraine, l’Alcazar, + Le Stella, one in Lyon – Le Nord and one in Marseilles Le Julien. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread. Edited by John Talbott 14 Feb 2005 for elimination of redundancy from week before.

I've heard nothing for at least 6 months.

Answers: No, Don't know. Explanation: I wasn't a huge fan of either, despite the spectacular flowers at Beauvilliers and its closeness to home, so I think I'll wait and see what the big boys think (eg Simon, Demorand, Rubin, Berger) before springing for it.

OK; I think I've got the next 3 years of supper soups covered. This thread really had legs; you never know. Thanks everyone. One more book in French I learned of was Soupes by Sophie Brissaud. Now "aux marmites."

After reading that the French eat soup 5 nites a week on average it occurred to me there must be one or more fabulous cookbooks for soups. With the way I eat at lunch I think I might just up my twice a week habit to more. Anyone have one they trust (the array at FNAC looked impossible to choose between). Thanks.

In the February Paris Notes available on line only by subscribing at http://www.parisnotes.com/ Roger Grody wrote a piece entitled "The Mighty Macaron: A common pastry has been transformed into Paris’ sexiest sweet," and to avoid copyright issues, I'll not but summarize the places he mentions and for which types of macarons: Laduree: "most prominent and prolific purveyor" Lenotre: the "square macaron" Gerard Mulot: chocolate ones La Maison du Chocolat: ditto Paul Hevin: " La Fontaine au Chocolat: " Pierre Herme: "biggest stir" for ingredients such as truffles to ketchup Sadaharu Aoki: "eastern flavors."

Repaire is more "French." Both are good, but the setting at the Dome du Marais is more impressive.

Francois Simon in "Croque Notes" Saturday wrote I take it "signed" doesn't necessarily mean announced. On attend.

Actually there's been a lot on the French press some of it on other threads here and some in the Digest, I believe it's January 17th

It was the La Poele d’Or, 37 rue du Miromesnil in the 8th

Good catch; I'll fix Yes; My wife Colette and I ate at the B du Dome New Year's Day this year and had the bar and scallops and I couldn't distinguish it from our first meal there in the summer of 1991. It's ideal when everything else is closed.

So that's what's replaced Androuët at that location! I'll look forward to trying it. ← Maybe but Androuet's still on the street, just down a bit towards the Rue de Bac.

The Week of January 31st, 2005 Monday, Francois Simon, in Le Figaro ’s “Entreprises” reviewed La Poele d’Or, 37 rue du Miromesnil in the 8th, 01.42.65.78.60, closed weekends, Metromesnil, a la carte 80 E (per Pudlowski). He says here’s a resto that’s escaped the banal environment (I assume he means of the deadly 8th) and presents spirited food. He doesn’t say what he had but recounts the menu (there is no prix fixe despite that statement in the article). This week’s “A Nous Paris ’s” Philippe Toinard wrote up Bon, 25, rue de la Pompe in the 16th, 01.40.72.70.00 closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, a la carte 33-52 E. Bottom line, the chef, Bruno Brangea possesses certain talent and he gives him 3/5 blocks but he disliked the unwelcoming and somewhat bizarre entrance. In Zurban Wednesday, Sebastien Demorand reviewed very positively: Cinq Mars, 51, rue de Verneuil in the 7th, 01.45.44.69.13, metro Rue du Bac, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, lunch menu (a forced choice of 1st, main and dessert) at 21,50 E, a la carte 35-40 E, which he says is the sort of place he’d like to run once he gets tired of food criticism {me too}; he liked the classic French bistro dishes, e.g. the terrine de campagne, sausage with pureed potatoes, chocolate mousse, etc., {my take on the place will be posted soon). In his “Casseroles” he covered two forgettable places and another oyster/shellfish place: a North African resto Baya, 28, rue des Blancs-Manteaux in the 4th, 01.53.01.91.50, Metro Rambuteau, closed Mondays, a la carte 25-30 E closed Sundays, 25-30 E, which did not impress him at all despite the cozy surroundings, Colock, 131, rue du Cherche –Midi in the 15th, 01.47.34.43.58, closed Sundays, in the old Mauritius space, {a place my wife Colette has been watching undergoing renovation for years it seems, thinking it looked promising}; it’s not, according to Demorand; despite having low prices, its cooking is amateurish, in the American sense, {Ed note: if you’re in France now, get a copy of this issue of Zurban; he has a commentary by a couple exiting the resto that is hilarious,} and another oyster/shellfish place {how many have opened in the last year?} Six a huitres, 6, rue Crozatier in the 12th, 01.44.73.09.82, Metro Reuilly-Diderot, closed Sunday and Monday nights, lunch formula with wine = 18 E, a la carte 30-35 E, with nice "Perles Blanches," a nice owner, nice 30’s décor and nice reasonable whites. In Figaroscope’s “C’est nouveau”, Emmanuel Rubin gave three hearts to a place that opened two weeks ago and I’ll report on in my next “New Resto” post, Auguste, 54, rue de Bourgogne in the 7th, 01.45.51.61.09, Metro=Varenne or Assemblee-Nationale, formula at 35 E and a la carte 50-60 E, in the old Glenans space, he liked the endives and ham, bar and chocolate soufflé. He gave one heart each to: Regis, 5, rue de Montfaucon in the 6th, Metro=Odeon, open everyday but Monday 11 AM – MN, 15-30 E, but his comments about the oysters constitute a 2-heart type rating, a creperie Creperie du 2e, 54, rue d’Argout in the 2nd, 01.45.08.05.23, closed Sundays, metro Sentier, about 15 E, and a Japanese place Ta Sushi, 4, rue Etienne-Marcel in the 2nd, 01.42.33.52.02 open everyday, metro Etienne Marcel about 15-25 E. Finally, he gave a broken heart to the Cafe de l’Homme, in the Musee de l’Homme, 17, place de Trocadero in the 16th, in the old Totem space, 01.44.05.30.15, open everyday, costs 40-50 E but the setting is impressive. I’m ambivalent about relaying all the info about this week’s “Dossier” which concerns itself with things milky – i.e. creams, yogurt, milk-shakes and the like. You can go to the article or guidebooks for coordinates. They are: Farm milk La Ferme Buttermilk Ty Breiz Lassis Arti Milkshake Bioboa Milky drinks Cojean Haddock poached in milk Le Balzar Milk fed lamb Mavromamatis Milk caramels L’Ampere Rice pudding L’Entredgeu Panna cotta Emporio Armani Caffe Milk jam Anahi Pastilla with milk Au P’tit Cahoua Francois Simon must have drawn the short straw because his “Hache menu” this week was devoted to milk in coffee at Starbucks, 26, av de l’Opera in the 1st (there are 7 now scattered around Paris). He paid 8.50 E for a big glass of OJ, a bad croissant and a cappuccino. “Should you go,” he asks? “You’ll have to some day,” he says, implying if only for the comfortable setting. Thursday, Pierre Charles in ParuVendu, did two pages on bio food: the restos first, coordinates given if not in the guidebooks yet: R’Aliment Les Nouveaux Robinsons, 57 rue Robespierre in Montreuil, 01.42.87.06.36 Il Baccello, 33, rue Cardinet in the 17th, 01.43.80.63.60 Le Jardin des Pates Le Potager du Marais, 22, rue Rambuteau in the 3rd, 01.42.74.24.66 Cibus Bio a Croquer, 41, rue d’Amsterdam in the 8th, 01.42.80.53.56 The bio markets are bd des Batignolles (Sat 9 AM-2 PM), place Brancusi (ditto), and bd Raspail (Sundays same hrs). Bakeries: Boulangerie Moisan in the 12th, Boulanger de Monge in the 5th, and l’Autre Boulange in the 11th. The supermarkets are the three Nouveau Robinsons in Boulogne, Neuilly and Montreuil, Biocoop (www.biocoop.fr) and Naturalia (www.naturalia.fr). Butchers: BCB in the 5th and Laudic in the 10th. On Saturday Francois Simon’s “Croque Notes” in Le Figaro were teeming with info: Dominique Versini at Casa Olympe is turning out a fabulous cocotte of vegetables, the menu-carte is 37 E; Yves Camdebord, ex-Regalade will sign for his new hotel/restaurant that’s in the 6th on Monday; the team from De la Garde is moving to Beauvilliers in the 18th; the chef featured in M6’s Thursday hit TV show “Oui Chef,” Cyril Lignac, yesterday opened his new resto (which to some extent the show was built around) Cuisine Attitude, 14, rue Cauchy in the 15th, 01.45.54.43.43 (closed weekends); calls keep flooding his direct telephone line, the latest one recommending the café Chemin de Fer in Sens, that has an exceptional stuffed cabbage, but one must call in advance to make sure they have it (03.86.65.10.27); the astonishing 25 Euro menu at Temps au Temps {Ed Note: already noted in earlier Digests and resto reviews}; and finally, notes the publication of the Petit Lebey of Bistros this week. Just below, Jean Miot highlights two places: Dessirer, 9, pl du Marechal-Juin in the 17th, 01.42.27.82.14, run by Michel Rostang, with good oysters, original foie gras; well it all sounds good; and La Ribaudiere in Bourg Charante (Jarnac) with an astonishing wine and cognac list. In addition, Alexandra Michot has a long article (pegged to the Chinese New Year) on chef Ping Wang and his 15 year old Chinese place La Nouvelle Fontaine d’Or in the 16th, 39, rue La Fontaine, 01.42.24.55.41. This month’s Where has little of note by the omnipresent Alexander Lobrano. He lists a bunch of Thai restos without real reviews, but I think in his favored order: Le Banyan, Blue Elephant, Khun Akorn + Mum Sabia. He also wrote a newsy note of Jean-Pierre Vigato’s move of Apicius, already noted in the Digest. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

I'm certainly not an expert here, but I think if all classes were in French, there wouldn't be so many. I'd Google French Cooking Classes English. I bet the Ritz and Varenne and other places have listings, eg Expatica: "French cuisine classes; Living in France, there's no better place to learn about cooking. Whitney Kellogg selects some crash-course French cuisine classes on offer, especially appropriate for English-speakers." Shameless advertising: A friend of mine who speaks just basic French did a stage at the Ritz and loved it: read Alice Steinbach's Educating Alice: Adventures of a Curious Woman, Amazon quote - "Steinbach takes off again and recounts eight endeavors, including studying French cooking in Paris"

Yup. Don't be intimidated by all the stuff here, we're basically just poseurs, strutting our peacock plumage. Read this Forum, trust in your hunches, buy Zurban, Figaroscope + Time Out when you land and don't sweat the small stuff. I just had 3 fabulous meals in 10 days, that equal any others for years; more or less falling into them. OK, so the rest weren't Mt. Everest. Hope, trust, glory!

Thar you go. Good to hear it. This is why one should listen to what's happening here.

Dominique Bouchet, 11, rue Treilhard in the 8th, 01.01.45.61.09.46, closed weekends, Metro Monceau or St Augustin or Miromesnil. What can I say? Demorand would say “Wooooow!” Simon “Go? But yes!” Rubin: “three hearts, easy.” I was touted onto the ex-Crillon’s chef’s new place by Karen Fawcett of Bonjour Paris, who told me about it when we were stuck in line at Customs. Since then, of course, everyone is onto it. And with good reason. It’s top notch, at a reasonable price, with great ambience, décor, service and food. You think you’re back in time before restaurateurs became celebrities; Bouchet said in Figaro that he wanted a place where he can deal with the clientele and he does; not in the Passard manner, where you feel he’s doing it as an obligation, but like the young, eager guys in the Provinces or La Famille, who truly want your opinion on how certain dishes work. And they worked for me. The amuse-bouches consisted of radishes and lox on toast; top-quality both. My first course was escargots and artichoke hearts in a slightly spicy, savory tomato sauce; my second, quenelles of crustaceans on a bed of mushroom duxelles. When I looked around the room, all I saw were smiles; these were happy people. Anyone who’s reviewed books for academic publications knows that therein you have to point to a flaw, whether reviewing the Bible or Harry Potter, and here it’s the lack of ventilation (the one addicted smoker raised more than my eyebrow). I had a carafe of drinkable Bordeaux for 10 E and better than average coffee. No bottled water, cheese (from Cantin; looked mighty good) or dessert; the bill = 46 Euros, my lowest that week for the best meal by miles. Going back?; you bet, next week. Caution: because it’s been so well-reviewed, it’s already “complet” the day before; in three months, count on 30 days; and by November, when Lebey + Pudlo appear, faggetaboutit. A final note: I ate there the first time on January 27th and I’m aware of the “no politics” rule at eGullet.com, but that day, when France remembered the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and commemorated the Shoah, for those of us old enough to remember, was very moving and being fortunate enough to eat such superb food had a special meaning. Update: I ate there again the following week and because of a scheduling conflict had to eat a day earlier, called, “complet,” how about “au bar,” “sur,” and what a view of the maestro and his quartet working like it was easy to turn out 30 dishes every 20 minutes; he’s a bit different than some others I’ve watched in that he relays the orders to the line chefs, finishes off every dish and watches the salle and kitchen and bar attentively. It’s like those movies of guys monitoring 50 cameras over a Las Vegas casino. I liked this meal even better than the first and not just because he was talking with me continually; it made me realize why we eat out and not just at home. I can buy and have bought foie gras and scallops of the top quality he uses; but I could never replicate the sauces and spice combinations (respectively a rich dark brown sauce and a crustacean delight, both with microtomed truffles) and I’ve never had rosemary needles in the tuilles, inspired! He says he doesn’t care about the guide books, everyone comes by word of mouth, but he will worry when they cause a flood that chases the regulars out. Oh, all the other dishes I saw being prepared, served and consumed looked super. Have I ever written this long a tribute? Nah. Cinq Mars, 51, rue de Verneuil in the 7th, 01.45.44.69.13, Metro Rue du Bac, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, lunch menu (a forced choice of 1st, main and dessert, the day I was there it was artichokes and shrimp, chicken and a tart?) at 21,50 E, a la carte 35-40 E, mine ran much more, like 50E but it was worth every Euro. This is the place Sebastien Demorand of Zurban said he’d like to run once he’s tried of restaurant critiquing, and I agree. It’s a perfect “new” bistro (John Whiting take notice). What do I mean? It’s old looking (scraped stairs, exposed beams, old chairs) but with new touches (the bar, refurbished tables, clean wall) and food that is classic bistro stuff but done modernly. Example, my grilled peppers had just the right amount and quality of virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and were on a bed of greens that no one served here before the 1990’s; the pot-au-feu had a hunk of beef that was not mushy but crisp and crunchy on the outside as if it had been barbequed; and the chocolate mousse was made with high class stuff, not the industrial chocolate one’s used to. Several of the wines were available by the ficelle (e.g. measured by the “string,” like “Marking by the Twain,” charging you only how much you consume) and the coffee was from Cellini. The staff was as warm and welcoming as it gets; the clientele amiable, only one smoker, no English spoken (one table of Italian residents and one with an expat American antique dealer). It reminded me in ambience and a bit in food of the old, late, lamented Chez Catherine. PS. Neighbors had the sausage on a huge pile of pureed potatoes and they finished every bit; the tuna slabs looked inviting; and a table having the veal blanquette looked happy. I’m going back soon. La Cafetiere, 21, rue Mazarine, 01.46.33.76.90.21, Metro Odeon was a new bistro recommended to me by a local expert. It’s in the old Casa Corsa space and serves honorable bistro food, but not nearly in a class with Cinq Mars. We had the lentilles and the leeks for starters, then a standard but acceptable tartare of beef and an above-standard crispy, tasty lapin, both served with huge amounts of mashed potatoes, and topped it off with a moelleux of chocolate and a crème caramel and good coffee; the bill was 80 Euros. If I lived near here or was going to school nearby to brush up on my French, I’d frequent it. La Poele d’Or, 37 rue du Miromesnil in the 8th, 01.42.65.78.60, Metro Miromesnil, was on Margaret Kemp of Bonjour Paris’s Top 10 of 2004 list but a friend warned me off; however, one day I was unsure of where to go and Francois Simon had that morning published a glowing review; plus as opposed to Pudlo’s estimate of 80 Euros a la carte, Simon said they had a menu-carte for 38 E; red caution! they don’t. But I found the food quite good. I had a perfectly cooked (that is, pink and bloody, as ordered) veal’s liver and a wonderful soufflé with essence of chestnuts. What could have been 80 E turned out slightly less than 50 E but I’d watch the prices. Auberge & Cie, 23, rue Clauzel in the 9th, 01.48.78.74.40, Metro St Georges, closed Saturdays at lunch and Sundays. They have a regular menu-carte at 32€ and a degustation menu at much more and say they don’t take credit cards if your bill is under 50€; no problem. I took the 32€ menu (the other one had foie gras in every starter and I was foie gras’d out that day). My starter was a portion of snails in a wonderful sauce (? what the spices were) and they offered me a spoon, which I used. The main was a confit of duck which came with what was described as a galette of potatoes but was unlike the standard one; not that it was bad, this was sliced potatoes in a creamy sauce on a flaky pastry round which was superb. I ended with the moelleux of chocolate which wasn’t the best nor the worst I’ve had. With wine and coffee it was 47 Euros. Now we get to the disappointments. I decided to revisit the Bistrot Cote Mer, 16, bd St Germain in the 5th, 01.43.54.59.10; a place I loved for not only being open for that rarity, Sunday lunch, but for its superb bar de ligne and langoustines and crepes with Grand Marnier and Illy coffee. Of course it’s all changed since Carole Rostang took off to open Absinthe - no more Sundays, no more Rostang connections/produce/wines, no more superb, fresh fish (my daurade smelled like it was still dying); what remained – the tattered seats, ersatz plants and Illy coffee and Illy cups. The good news; I think it’s cheaper than before for the prix fixe; 17 E for a 1st, main, glass of wine and coffee; for 22 E you can add a dessert (but not the famed crepes), but the bad news, I swear the a la carte prices have gone way up. Auguste, 54, rue de Bourgogne in the 7th, 01.45.51.61.09, Metro=Varenne, was a real disappointment. We, or at least I, expected as good a meal as at Bouchet above, especially after the glowing article in that week’s Le Figaro; the chef Gael Orieux’s provenance, (the Meurice), the fact his suppliers were those Yannick Alleno uses, and the gentle prices of the wines (starting at 14 E a bottle and 5 E a glass.) Three of us had three firsts, of which only the cannelloni of leeks were inspired (the cold cauliflower soup with oysters and endives with ham were a big nothing) and then three mains, of which only the bar was worth commenting on (again the chicken and lamb fell flat, and the lamb was not cooked as asked for – e.g. rose). We fled before cheese or dessert. Our bill = 164 E for three. 33% success does not meet my standard, esp. at those prices. La Cabane, 96, rue de Levis in the 17th, 01.46.22.51.50, open for every meal but Monday night, Metro=Malesherbes. Sunday lunch’s slim pickings prompted me to try this place tucked way up in the strange part of the 17th. Why strange? Answer: Two French men asked me directions and I assure you, I didn’t look like I was at home. Anyway, it’s a very nice place, nicely renovated, nicely reviewed, nice looking oysters, nice staff, etc. Where’s the but? But, except for the oysters, it was ordinary; a cassolette of sea creatures and shocking pink praline tart were both only so-so. Cheap tho’; menu 21 E with a glass of wine, coffee 2 Euros. And if you’re staying at a hotel nearby, it’s a safe haven; but it doesn’t match l’Huitrier just a kilometer or so southwest. L’Autobus Imperial ex-Royal Mondetour, 14, rue Mondetour in the 1st, 01.42.36.00.18, closed Sundays, Metro= Les Halles, was a place where Sebastien Demorand loved the squid and desserts and Rubin gave two hearts; I did not score as well; I loved the salade perigourdine - very, very tender and tasty gesiers and a bit of duck breast - indeed it was the best gesiers’ dish I’ve had since the much-mourned Chez Tony closed, the only problem, like Passard, the chef covered his sins with salt. In addition, the squid just didn’t live up to its reputation (or compared with that at the rue Delambre Bistro du Dome) and the coffee was not serre as I’d asked; I left without dessert. My bill was 37.50 E. I cannot see how this place got as many hearts as Cerisaie, l’Abadache, Fables, Brasserie Lorraine, etc., etc. etc.) It is a really antique looking place, and I say that in the best sense, and if I’d stumbled in, in the 1950’s, I think I would have liked it; but French cuisine has moved on since then and so have I. Le Square, 227 bis, rue Marcadet in the 18th, 01.53.11.08.41 Metro=Guy Moquet open everyday (they say), menu 13 E at lunch, a la carte 35E. The amuse-bouche was diced tomatoes like at l’Huitrier, and then I had a nice flan of courgettes with decent, albeit frozen, crevettes and a nice crustacean sauce and beef cheeks with thinly sliced correctly under-cooked carrots. Bill=35 E. What’s wrong with this picture? Sebastian Demorand said they need more time; he was being kind; they over-spiced and over-salted everything. In this out of the way, very nice, quiet and sleepy residential part of 18th , it ain’t gonna survive plus who will schlep out to it? P.S. Reading this again before posting, it makes it look like I’ve got it in for Alain Passard; not true, but his name popped into my head twice this week when I things I associate with him happened. Sorry Alain. Edited by John Talbott Feb 6th to fix wrong resto on rue Delambre; it is the Bistrot du Dome, the offshoot of Le Dome.

My memory fails me but a thread a while back mentioned Andrew Todhunter’s book “A Meal Observed,” Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2004, about one meal and its preparation at Taillevent. I haven’t eaten at Taillevent in years, indeed, I hear from natives that they consider the Zagat “vote” that it’s the best restaurant in Paris to be their idea of the typically American inability to distinguish quality from price. In addition, I’m less interested in how food is made than how it tastes. Finally, after the culinary version of the Bermuda triangle of Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential, Lanchester’s The Debt to Pleasure and Echikson’s Burgundy Stars, what was left to say? But my trusty old travel writing superstar friend Alice Steinbach, who herself spent time in the kitchen at the Ritz, gave me a copy. Coincidently, the day after I had spent a most pleasant early afternoon watching Dominique Bouchet orchestrate 26-30 stunning meals at his new restaurant on the Rue de Treilhard in Paris, I found myself staring at the wall. I had just finished writing a chapter, due in a couple weeks; just finished a spy novel (work, mind you, for another project) and so, despite some misgivings I picked it up. My, oh my! Did I have fun. And, I couldn’t put it down. Now, there’s much “too much about penguins,” for sure. Technique, petty disputes, details you’ll forget by the morning. But some observations about food in Paris are wonderful. Notice I did not say about Taillevent, because in some ways, Taillevent is just a peg for the tale. My favorite section (perhaps because I’m morbidly schadenfreudesque) deals with the views of the legendary Francois Cochet, an amateur chef’s chef, or amateur critic’s critic. He went to school with Taillevent’s owner-impressario-egotiste Jean-Claude Vrinat (who comes off generally very poorly in the book), who explains (1) why it’s best to eat at lunch (business folks who brook no guff, versus the rich and foreigners at night), (2) his devastating views on Gagnaire’s and Loiseau(while alive)’s pretentiousness, e.g. “for those tricks, nothing!”) and Robuchon’s tyrannical behavior; and (3) Cochet’s thoughts on a chef’s greatest danger: pride. This book is a fun and quick read; it explains classical kitchens; it really explains classical, new and contemporary cooking, chefs and training; and it’s very well-written and I suspect extremely well-edited (except for continually misspelling of Troisgros as Trois Gros). Todhunter says he’s not a “foodie,” but for a guy who’s worked in restaurants a good bit, including at Chez Panisse, this disclaimer is a bit disingenuous. He knows food, he knows people, he knows Paris. Buy it!

Thursday, Pierre Charles in ParuVendu, did two pages on bio food: the restos first, coordinates given if not in the guidebooks yet: R’Aliment Les Nouveaux Robinsons, 57 rue Robespierre in Montreuil, 01.42.87.06.36 Il Baccello, 33, rue Cardinet in the 17th, 01.43.80.63.60 Le Jardin des Pates Le Potager du Marais, 22, rue Rambuteau in the 3rd, 01.42.74.24.66 Cibus Bio a Croquer, 41, rue d’Amsterdam in the 8th, 01.42.80.53.56 The bio markets are bd des Batignolles (Sat 9 AM-2 PM), place Brancusi (ditto), and bd Raspail (Sundays same hrs). Bakeries: Boulangerie Moisan in the 12th, Boulanger de Monge in the 5th, and l’Autre Boulange in the 11th. The supermarkets are the three Nouveau Robinsons in Boulogne, Neuilly and Montreuil, Biocoop (www.biocoop.fr) and Naturalia (www.naturalia.fr). Butchers: BCB in the 5th and Laudic in the 10th.