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John Talbott

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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  1. OK. In the case of L'Angl'Opera, what seemed to me the first time as "edgy" food, pushing the envelope, inventive and interesting, on sampling a second time seemed too contrived and trying to make a point by juxtaposing ingredients, eg Granny Smith apples and catsup, rather than presenting new stuff. Gilles Choukoun, whose food at the Café des Delices I always liked, seemed to be straining. The first time, I ate alone and the second time ate with three others, so I also saw and tasted many more items. As for the Petit Pontoise, the first time I thought what they did (e.g. foie gras) was perfect but the second time, the "chutney" that accompanied it, made it too sweet and rather than cutting the "fat", (I'm sorry, there's no other way of saying it,) it was a cloying additive. I think Margaret has a point. The first time, I'm often really struck by something or things but on repetition, they either seem less interesting or are familiar or as she says, you expect too much. The other factor, I think, is that with some places, the chef is always moving forward and changing whereas with others after a few visits you've seen what he or she can do. For instance, I'm impressed that Thierry Blanqui at the Beurre Noisette seems to be adding new dishes every time I go. I'm not saying that the reasons behind the jinx are always on the part of the chef or the restaurant, certainly I and any diner bring a lot to the table; it just seems to me that some places wear better than others; again, in my case the Fables de la Fontaine, L’Ourcine and L’Astrée really did. In all three cases, the second and sometimes now third meal is/was every bit as good if not better than the first. But I'd be interested in what you and others think. Maybe I'm just more fickle.
  2. I try to warn readers of my restaurant lists to be aware that my first impressions of a new restaurant may be overly enthusiastic and subject to revision on subsequent visits. This spring I’ve had my doubts reinforced several times and thought I would provide the details here. Places that suffered from the “sophomore jinx” were: L’Angl’Opera Petit Pontoise But those that held up were: Fables de la Fontaine L’Ourcine L’Astrée Then there were the places that were OK but not as good as the first visit: Le Duc de Richelieu Les Ormes And finally, the places that just fell off the radar screen: Mon Vieil Ami Le Gourmand Grenadin Casual Café L’Absinthe Rouge Tomate Le Soleil Le Vin Dans Les Voiles
  3. This is from another thread: Outside of Veyrat (and I haven't been in a couple of years) there are two places around Annecy that I would highly recommend. The first is the Ferme de Lormay (Chez Albert) in Le Grand-Bornand 33 km from Annecy (better known as a skiing destination). It's not in my Michelin but is in my 2003 Gault/Millau as only a 12 but it's very special. The guy (Albert Bonamy) prepares great rustic cuisine with gutsy terrines, well-thought out mains and terrific tartes. The few times we've been there, the cars have all had Paris or local license plates which I think is a good sign. We went for lunch and then hiked around as did most customers (it's at the end of a very long road up a valley (the Bouchet). (You can cut up to Switzerland if you wish to afterwards) It's closed quirky times (May and the first part of June, Sept - mid December, Tuesdays; so check 04.50.02.34.29). If you must stick around Annecy in the evening, the Brasserie St Maurice, 9 rue du college 04.50.51.24.49 is not bad (it's surpring fusion-y cuisine) but not like Pere Bise in its heydays. I would caution you against eating at Ciboulette, it's not up to it's ratings, and L'Atelier Gourmand was not as good the 2nd time as it was the 1st. Despite its awful name, Super Panorama - perched high above Talloires, offers a terrific place to have lunch if it's sunny and the sailboats are out, etc. This may seem a bit bizarre, but just thru the Mont Blanc tunnel in Courmeyer (Italy) is a place we drive to from Megeve, Courcheval, etc to eat called La Maison de Fillipo (39.01.65.86.97.97). It's the Italian counterpart of the Ferme de Lormay, good, indeed great rustic cooking. It's the sort of place where the sausages, terrines and bread already on the table with some red wine, alone are a meal, but then you're faced with antipasti, and so many courses before you get to the pastas you're flagging. However, somehow you can make it thru the mains and desert and cheese and there's just enough room for a grappa. Our last bill was still way under $100. I'm a bit worried that they now have a website http://www.lamaison.com/ but maybe that's a sign of times not a sign of being over-touristed. We've usually eaten there at night but during the day the "other side" of Mont Blanc is perfect for hiking. It's closed in November and Tuesdays as well as June though, so depending on when you hit it - it may or may not be closed.
  4. For some reason, the potatoes from the Ile de Re and Noirmoutiers are highly prized and priced. We spent some some on the nearby Ile de Yeu and we had them daily. I loved them but can't tell you more than that they are limited in number, usually sold by the box, taste more firm and have I guess you could call it salty flavor. I like them but my eating pal tells me he cannot tell any difference.
  5. Three New/Changed Restaurants Le Bistrot du 6e, 116 Blvd Raspail, 01.45.48.72.16. Four of us ate at this restaurant which had received a nice review by Francois Simon in Le Figaro on June 20th. Our firsts were all bad: the sautéed encornets tasted or indeed were pig ears, my pal’s shrimp were dry & small and the ladies' salads were so-so. Our seconds, especially the fish dishes – daurade prepared two ways: one crisp, the other whole, and a bar - were better, as was my pastilla with pigeon. Our bill was 150E for four. Sumai’s Café, 33 rue de Vaugirard, 6th, 01.42.22.39.00, was reviewed somewhat ambivalently June 28th by Francois Simon in Le Figaro; e.g. he criticized the slowness of the service, the limpness of the dishes, the noise and the smoke. Four of us agreed that the entrees (gaspacho and sautéed morilles) were fantastic but Colette and I thought the fish (sandre and bar) was lacking character; our French friends, however, loved their pork. The bill was 188E for four but I’m willing to try it again. Le Cigale Récamier 4 rue Récamier, 7th, 01.45.48.86.58, is the reborn Le Cigale transported from the rue Chomel to the space previously occupied by Le Récamier. This is one of the few restaurants that devote a sizeable portion of their carte to soufflés (as does the self-evidently named Le Soufflé on Mont Thabor a few feet from L’Ardoise.) Le Cigale Récamier has retained its specialty soufflés – salés (for mains) and sucrés (for desserts) – along with a full menu of regular dishes plus specials on the blackboard, but now served in this elegant old space in the dead-ended street/alley near Le Bon Marché. Five of us ate well; four had a rocket salad with artichoke hearts and parmesan but the other who had a purée of eggplant was equally happy; two had soufflés (one made with and also having a small pot of wonderful morilles; the other a chicken Henri IVth), two lottes (which our hosts found OK but not exciting) and one had rougets with spinach leaves that she loved; we shared two soufflés for dessert (pistachios with peach marmalade and vanilla with caramel sauce). A definite repeat. Warning about L’Ourcine: On July 1st Gourmet Magazine had a stringer taking photos, so I think we’ve got until October or so before the world invades what remains a charming and superb neighborhood resto.
  6. I appreciate the comments made about the "impressions" of the book "Food Business" I originally posted June 2nd after Paul Brussel and Robert Brown asked and/or implied that someone might summarize the book. I think the issue about legal action over defamation of character may represent an interesting "cultural difference" between the situation in the US and France. I have been told by European and French lawyer-friends that as opposed to the US, where fact checkers and lawyers are involved in the pre-publication process of everything from the Washington Post's Watergate series to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, in France such vetting is not normal; rather the process occurs after the fact, and the situation, such as occured in Nanterre, is common. Perhaps someone with legal training and experience in both countries, who like myself but I suspect not all the commentors, has no conflicts-of-interest, could comment. It's also interesting that I purchased the book in France 17 May, a week after the Nanterre judgment, and it surely did have all the André Gayot stuff within with no disclaimers. Disclosure: I am not nor have I ever been a lawyer. None of the litigants nor defendants are known personally to me. I have only taken two courses in the law and those in the quite distant past. P.S. However, I do read the newspapers and following up the perhaps totally incorrect (according to A Good Critic) assertions in "Food Business," (I assume including those concerning the past, present and fate of Gault and Millau in Chapter 3), it is interesting to note that Reuters, picked up at the least by both Liberation and Metro, reported Friday, July 9th, that Christian Millau was ordered to take down his 200 square meter villa on the slopes over Saint-Tropez and pay 150,000 Euros, because he had built it on completely unconstructable land with an illegal construction permit. So the story is not over.
  7. The week of July 5th, 2004 Le Monde’sJean-Charles Ribaut in Friday’s “Toques en Pointe” reviews just one restaurant in Paris (the others are La Taverne du Mont D’Arbois in Megève and the Café Royal in Evian.) It is the Café Lenôtre, at 10 ave Champs-Elysees, 01.42.65.85.10, actually reopened in June 2003 by the Lenôtre group, which offers a spectacular site and food ranging from escabèche de rougets to a hamburger with foie gras. It’s open every day from noon to 11 PM (except Sunday – 7 PM). Francois Simon’s “Croque Notes” in Saturday’s Le Figaro recommends two books on ‘zincs,” those steadily-disappearing old bars whose counters are made of zinc – “Au vrai zinc parisien” by Francois Thomazeau and photographer Sylvain Ageorges and “Les Carnets de zinc” by France Dumas. He also informs us that Claude and Chantal Colliot have thown in the sponge at La Bamboche, 15 rue de Babylone in the 7th- 01.45.49.14.40; the good news being that they’ve turned it over to two of their young chefs. Simon bemoans the fact that it’s not enough to serve brilliant food at a reasonable price, one has to make an ass of oneself to get folks attention. Sunday, Astrid de T’Serclaes in Le Journal du Dimanche’s Version Feminina gave yet another list of restaurants with outside seating to add to those summarized in prior Digests: Le 3 Le River Café Le Grizzli Le Sainte-Marthe L’Ile in Issy-les-Moulineaux (92nd) In Monday’s Le Figaro Entreprises, Francois Simon in his “Table d’affaires” reviewed Maison Chardenoux, 1, rue Jules-Valles, 11th, 01.43.71.49.52. Since Ducasse up’d and left it to renovate Aux Lyonnais the new owners have totally revamped the menu and while the welcome is less than relaxed, he says to go because the restaurant is true to its legend. He notes that Friday night their aligote is very agreeable as is the Cotes-du-Rhone. The menu is 23E at lunch and he gives it 3 out of 5 stars. Also in Monday’s Le Figaro Entreprises, Lena Lutaud wrote a two-page article on the state of (business) affairs of Restaurant Bernard Loiseau on the occasion of its annual shareholders’ meeting. For those who read of Loiseau’s rise in the Michelin in “Burgundy Stars,” tasted his food in Saulieu and knew of his fear of de-starization and subsequent suicide, covered in detail in “Food Business,” this article makes interesting reading. The stock has fallen 26%, 15% attributed to his absence and Dominique his widow, has plans to boost revenues by offering hotel/food/spa packages and food with the Loiseau endorsement. At Saulieu, Patrick Berton has succeeded Loiseau in the kitchen but no mention was made of the status or fate of his semi-independent Tantes (Marguerite, Jeanne & Louise) in Paris. Tuesday, A Nous Paris reviewed the reborn Le Regalade already rated three hearts in Figaroscope the week of June 7th (see above). The review by Jerome Berger was titled “Comme Avant,” e.g. As Ever, Like Before, and he gave it 5 out of 5 blocks. He reserved 15 days before, the waitfolk were the same as under Yves Camdeborde, and the food is still based on quality and quality. He also reviewed Maceo, 15, rue des Petits-Champs in the 1st, 01.42.97.53.85, giving it 3 out of 5 blocks. Currently, they have a “red menu,” largely based on tomatoes and strawberries, for 39E until September 15th. On Wednesday, Figaroscope’s “C’est nouveau” gave 2 hearts to the Villa 9 Trois located in Department 93 (9 Trois, get it?) in Montreuil-sous-Bois, at 28, rue Colbert, 01.48.58.17.37 (FYI, Montreuil is the last stop on Metro #9 Pont de Sevres-Montreuil) and the restaurant is about 4 blocks away. They especially liked the veal kidneys, less so the puree of girolles. They also have 2 hearts to Le Soleil 109 ave Michelet, 01.40.10.08.08, in Saint-Ouen opposite the flea market already listed by them the Week of May 19th, see above. There they liked the tasty osso bucco and baba. Both run about 50E average. Then they listed 3 one-heart places: Scène Sur Seine, 45 quai des Grands-Augustins in the 6th, Le Village, 25, rue Royale in the 8th and the Villa Catalogne. The compendium this week included cocktail places which I’ll skip and refer you to the website if you desire to know more. N.B. For some reason, as of today (10 July) it has still not been posted on the website. Francois Simon’s Hache Menu in the same issue reviewed Biotifull Place located in the Beauty Shop part of the Department Store Printemps, which his colleagues only awarded one heart to the week of June 7th (above). As usual, it’s hard to figure out how serious Simon is; calling it perfect one minute but saying it costs 18.50E for almost nothing and you’re left hungry for the next meal, the next. Finally, Francois Simon, writing in Gastronomie in the same issue updated the four year quest of Marc Veyrat, of the eponymous Maison de Marc Veynat near Annecy and La Ferme de Mon Pere in Megeve, for a Paris site. Simon says he has renovated the ground floor space at 17, ave Niel in the 17th which will be a “tasting laboratory” open some days to the public. I cannot find the free version but if you’re interested in the summary or paying for the original, go here. Wednesday, I bought Pariscope, which as usual for the past 11 years, has included a six page English summary of restaurants, art & exhibitions , movies, etc. compiled by the folks at Time Out. A bombshell! No more; this was their farewell. Not farewell for les vacances, or farewell to Pariscope but to appear elsewhere, no, a real farewell, period. This is a shame, because while they could be wrong in their judgments (in my opinion), they represented a good source of information on new restaurants. They reminded me and us that their online resource – TimeOut.com/Paris will continue and it has to date included about four restaurants a month. For their last compendium, for some reason they relied on Alexander Lobrano (see next paragraph) for another lists of “Best of’s.” These included: L’Astrance Contemporary Taillevent Traditional Chez Jean Modern Bistrot La Régalade Traditional Bistrot Pierre Gagniere Haute Cuisine Le Cinq Hotel Restaurant Le Dôme Seafood Le Train Bleu Brasserie Au Trou Gascon Regional Au Moulin a Vent Steak-Frites Beurre Noisette Budget Les Magnolias Surburban So long, TimeOut guys, we’ll miss you. Alexander Lobrano’s “The latest from the foodie front lines” in July’s Where covers one restaurant that I’ve not seen mentioned elsewhere: Frugier 137, Ave de Versailles 01.46.47.72.00 near the Maison de Radio France in the 16th which he says mixes modern & classic cuisine. The June-July Gault/Millau Magazine reviewed four restaurants already covered by others (above). They are: L’Ourcine – 13/20 Fables of Fontaine – 12/20 Les Papilles – 12/20 Rouge – 10/20 Digester’s Note: Thanks to all those folks who take the time to feed me information and suggest new sources for discovering new restaurants. Á bientot. Please post comments in the the discussion thread and not in the digest thread.
  8. Le Monde's J-C Ribaut reviewed Les Trois Marches very positively on June 11th; you can get the link to the whole review from the Digest of the Week of June 14th (above). I've never been disappointed eating there. It's not vegetarian but I'm sure they can cook up something. The restaurants along the avenues in front of the chateau are pleasant and serve salads but are pretty interchangeable and on a day like this not so fun outside.
  9. The week of June 28th 2004 As usual, I got Le Monde’s “Toques en Pointe” by Jean-Claude Ribaut a bit late. He finally got around to reviewing Le Gourmand, 22 rue de Vaugirard in the 6th (01.43.26.26.45), a place where the specials on the 24 E formula and 29E menu-carte change weekly, thus one must go by and read it to see what will be featured each day. Ribaut noted the carpaccio of langoustine and red tuna with pimentos as examples. He also covered Les Alchimistes, 16 rue Favart, in the 2nd, ex-Café Runtz, 01.42.96.69.86, which recently reopened under a new team. He calls the entrees (e.g. sardine mille-feuille) savory, the plats (grilled salmon with pine nuts) “with-it” and the desserts (chocolate “soupe” with pistachio ice cream) delicious. A la carte count on 36E. He also reviewed Sébillion, a brasserie located at 20, ave Charles-de-Gaulle in Neuilly (01.42.96.69.86). He admired the “all you can eat” gigot at 21.60E with a gamay but also have the usual fare, e.g. tete de veau, pot au feu, baba, etc. Count on 36E. Full article here. Also, Friday, Liberation’s Vincent Noce reviewed L’Espadon Bleu, 25 rue des Grands Augustins in the 6th near Jacques Cagna’s mother ship, 01.46.33.00.85, chef’d by his nephew Julien Logereau and open several years. He summarizes the food as correct (he notes especially that the eponymous swordfish was cooked to its exactly proper texture, etc.) and liked the fish choices available according to the market but disliked the lack of a no-smoking space. The whole article can be found here. M.-H.M. at Libe also reviewed the Petrossian offshoot, L’instant Petrossian which has a smaller menu but retains things such as herring, tarama and 4-7E wine by the glass; it’s at 25, rue des Grands-Augustins in the 6th. 01.46.33.00.85 N.B. Yves Camdeborde’s second at Le Regalade is now at the piano of L’Ami Jean, near the Quai d’Orsay. Saturday, Francois Simon’s “Croque Notes” in Le Figaro covered Robuchon’s new place at 16 ave Bugeaud (ex-Seize au Seize) 01.56.28.16.16, already well-written up elsewhere. The food is well made, with small portions, served impeccably; but, and you knew there was one, Simon was asked to be on time and at a time (e.g. 19h30 precisely) he might rather be showering. On Monday, the very same Francois Simon, in Figaro’s Figaro Entreprises reviewed the relatively new (since January) restaurant, Sumai’s Café, 33 Rue de Vaugirard, which Ribaut had reviewed May 14th in Le Monde., as a “vast” restaurant where admired the wild rocket salad with Serrano ham and parmesan, encornets and navarin. His review is not without its criticisms, for instance, he criticized the slowness of the service, the limpness of the dishes, the noise and the smoke, however, but thinks the place and “your” mood will over-ride its faults. For the entire review, click here. Tuesday’s A Nous Paris carried Jean Aubry’s review of Chartier, 7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre in the 9th, 01.47.70.86.29 and gave it only a 1 out of 5 squares, summing it up by recommending you choose the table closest to the door. In the sidebar they announced that Catherine Guerrez of Chez Catherine, much beloved among other things for price/quality while at her rue de Provence digs, was now offering two formulas in her rue Berryer site: 40e (entrée-plat) and 35E (plat-dessert). Wednesday’s Figaroscope’s “What’s New” is on vacation until September and in what is now a several-year tradition, Figaroscope published a little booklet of “Best of’s” for the summer The ten best tables (most of whose coordinates should be found in previous Digests)were: The most chic: Le Lancaster The most bistro: L’Ourcine The most clever: Les Papilles The most bluffant (tough translation): Les Ambassadeurs The most “in-shape”: Ken Club The most arty: La Blanchesserie The most “beautyfood”: Bioboa The most cerebral: Le Café de la Maison rouge The most “eat well surely”: La Table de Joel Robuchon The most ephemeral (i.e. summer only): Le restaurant plage du Batofar Also Wednesday, Figaroscope’s Francois Simon, in his “Hache Menu,” trashed La Ferme St-Antoine in part because they had run out of chicken, their signature dish and also for other faults, such as their sole, of which he said it would be difficult to find a more pathetic example. But he did pass on a valuable lesson for diners; noting that you can tell how bad the crevettes are by how much sauce comes with them; e.g. lots of sauce=bad product. “Should one go?” “No.” Plus they’re not giving the food away – it cost 81.80E for himself. Finally, in this week’s Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin teases us by previewing recently or soon to be opened places not yet reviewed: Hotel Murano an urban spa-resort with restaurant Chez Jean inspired by Benoit Bordier Chiberta taken over by Guy Savoy Hiramatsu’s second place in the 16th Hotel Jolly-Lotti’s restaurant run by Gualtiero Marchesi une cantine besides the quai de Valmy in ephemeral factories Yves Camdeborde’s new néo-pension de famille Bel Canto number 3 in Neuilly Pariscope’s “TimeOut” section reviewed or better-put, kvetched over La Table de Joel Robuchon’s harsh reservation clerk, plastic flowers and rushed service (for a bill of 70E) despite the judgment that Frédérick Semonin’s food was “truly dazzling.” The second place, Le Vin dans les Voiles, already mentioned in a prior Digest and “7 new/changed Restaurants thread,” comes in for unqualified approval as a nice wine bar with a “bargain (24E) lunch.” The list that usually follows the two reviews is comprised of classy loo’s which I won’t waste space giving. Alexander Lobrano’s “The latest from the foodie front lines” in June’s Where reviews several new places or new chefs. At the Plaza Athénée’s Restaurant Alain Ducasse, he found that the “Olympian….experience” was “maybe” still offered but in general despite the ingredients and quality it was more solid than exciting. Near the B.N. F. Mitterand in the 13th he liked Bioart, an organic restaurant which he felt rose to the level of similar places in San Francisco or London, as well as Pearl which he said hits “every trendy note,” e.g. hibiscus, quinoa, star anise, etc. He also applauds L’Ourcine, already well-covered here and liked “a great new restaurant” in the 17th, Terrasse Mirabeau which serves “fashionable contemporary bistro” food. au feu, baba, etc. Count on 36E. Time to catch up with some Pariscope Time Out sections from June: June 9th they featured Les Paillotes in the Ville d’Avray, which was noted in the Figaroscope of May 19th as a nice restaurant outside Paris (20 min. from the Gare St Lazare). Sounds terrific, overlooking a reservoir, “satisfying summer eating,” and average bill of 40E. Second place featured was Les Papilles, 30 rue Lussac, previously reviewed by Figaroscope May 7th with 3-hearts and Bonjour Paris June 6th and sampled by me in my thread on 7 new/changed restaurants. Anyway, they describe it as “brilliant value for money,” a menu at 28.50E and run by an ex pastry chef at Taillevent and the Bristol. Then they list several “legendary literary dens:” Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Harry’s New York Bar Café de Flore La Closerie des Lilas Les Deux Magots La Coupole June 16, Pariscope’s Time Out section reviewed Le Sot l’y Laisse, 70 rue Alexander Dumas in the 11th, 01.40.09.79.20 which got 2 hearts in June 2nd’s Figaroscope and was also touted by Adrian Leeds in ParisParler the week of June 7th. Because the TimeOut folks are extra-sensitive to being quoted verbatim, I’ll just communicate the sense that they love this place because it’s the essence of a “neighborhood bistrot,” with good meat dishes and reasonable prices, e.g. average of 30E. Cook Book, their other selection, 9 rue Surcouf in the 7th, 01.45.51.92.82 was also reviewed nicely this week on the TimeOut. This review calls it pleasant, describes the cooking as “pretty good,” but the emphasis on world food may be a downside for visitors seeking to escape California & Co. This week’s compendium listed “midnight snacks:” La Tour de Monthlhéry (Chez Denise) Le Crocodile Le Violin Dingue La Taverne de Nesle La Maison de l’Aubrac Mathis Still summarizing past issues of Pariscope’s Time Out section, June 23rd’s copy covered the Lebanese restaurant Les Fleurs de Thym and the wine bar Le Cercle Rouge 7 rue Sabin 01.40.21.02.51 in the 11th which was reviewed and got 1 heart June 9th in Figaroscope. The authors suggest that it’s a good place for a quick bite to eat and some wine before the opera, which is a pretty nifty trick since the representations at the Opera Bastille begin pretty promptly at 7:30 PM and the wine bar only opens at 8. The theme this week for their list is places near water, which include: Jemmapes Les Rendez-vous des Quais La Balle au Bond Le Chalet des Iles Le Grand Bleu (NB this place, located at the Port de l’Arsenal, across from 46 blvd de la Bastille in the 12th, 01.43.45.19.99, is open 11:30-midnight and thus could be used for the pre-Opera snack suggested above) Finally, if you have a friend who has no sense of humor or interest in food but does have 5 Euros he/she’ll never miss; get ‘em to buy a copy of Fooding a “Nova” publication and deftly slip off somewhere to read the ultimate parody of Gourmet, Saveurs, Fine Cooking etc. My favorite pictures are of the coagulated steak tartare (p. 43) and the deconstructed gaspachos (pps. 96-99). There are also serious reviews of their favorite 140-some restaurants and bars with English summaries: e.g. Au Bon Accueil – daring dishes L’Epi Dupin – mouth-watering inventive dishes Chez Casimir – pure ingredients Le Troquet – brilliant generous food A fun read!
  10. For what it’s worth, here are the restaurants listed in Figaroscope 21-27 April for Bastille – 11th Le Square Trousseau Le Brespail A l‘Ami Pierre Swann et Vincent Paris Main d’Or And Figaroscope 28 January-3 February for Rue des Rosiers – 4th Jo goldenberg La Verriere du Marais Le Loir dans la theiere Chez Marianne I would add my personal favorite in the area – Le Dome du Marais 53bis rue des Francs-Bourgeois; great setting, good product.
  11. Just to balance things, I had a very disappointing meal at La Pamphlet two years ago and never went back; but it gets continuing great reviews.
  12. John Talbott

    Lille

    Re: Entertainment and quoting from another thread: "three great temporary exhibitions (Rubens in Lille, Rubens vs. Poussin in Arras and Watteau and the fête galante in Valenciennes) and one fabulous new/renovated museum (Matisse in Le Cateau-Cambresis)" Re: eating; everyone raves about A l'Huitriere, but for numerous reasons we ate at the Brasserie de la Paix 25 pl Rihour 03.20.54.70.41 and had a fine meal in late April.
  13. I used to love Biche Au Bois especially in game season when they had biche on the 122 FF menu; but they underwent a changement in direction two years ago and I think things really went downhill despite the very nice waiter who stayed on. Recall that Paris is really very small and so easily navigated; just go where you want and don't be bound by the Marais/Bastille geography. That said, however, there is a very nice new restaurant, Le Duc de Richelieu right near the Biche which was recently well reviewed in both Figaroscope and Pariscope's TimeOut section (see the Paris Digest, week of May 31st above) and I loved it on June 3rd. But again, why be bound by geography?
  14. The week of June 21st Last week I again missed seeing Jean-Claude Ribaut’s article in Le Monde until the following Monday, leading me to question if Le Monde doesn’t delay posting its articles for 24 hours. Anyway, his article posted on June 17th has a press date of June 18th and covers Corsican restaurants in Paris, which he notes are rare. He lists four of them though (and I know there are more, e.g. my favorite the Café Corse is not listed): Auberge Chez Rosito, 4, rue du Pas-de-la-Mule, 3rd, 01-42-76-04-44. Modestly priced. La Table Corse, 8, rue Tournefort, 5th, 01-43-31-15-00. Not expensive at lunch. L'Alivi, 27, rue du Roi-de-Sicile, 4th 04-48-87-90-20. Open 7/7 and has a delicious « stufatu with olives » (braised beef, pork shoulder, smoked ham, onions, garlic, tomato, wine, olive oil, over pasta with grated cheese, laurel, parsley, Corsican herbs, etc.) It’s under new management. Le Paris-Main-d'Or, 133, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, 11th 01-44-68-04-68. A venerable local brasserie serving Corsican pork sausages and roast goat. Click here to read the whole article. On June 19th, François Simon in his “Croque Notes” in Le Figaro heads his comments “Lastours, pétard de Prusse!,” (trans.=a pleasant surprise) in which he visits le Puit du Trésor near Carcassonne, now chef’d by Jean-Marc Boyer an ex of l’Ambrosie which he says he’d go back to anytime. But the reason why he really wrote about it, is its new practice (along with others) of providing a wine “doggy-bag” so you’ll not exceed the blood alcohol test limits of 0,5 grams per liter (in most states in the US, our equivalent level is 0,8), now strictly enforced by the highway patrols. He notes that it’s not so bad to arrive at your destination and finish the bottle off, albeit you may be taken for a bum. Coming back to Paris, though, he has some harsh words to say about Le Fouquet’s (01.47.23.50.00), which he thinks has lost its place in the world of de luxe brasseries and has fallen into the genre of dietetic food, which arrives with all the charm of hospital food. His confrere, Jean Miot, meanwhile, reviewed two restaurants in his “Propos de Table.” One is the Castel Marie-Louise, 1, avenue Andrieu in La Baule whose chef Eric Mignard has been there more than 27 years, for which I refer you to the original article. The other, though is in Paris. It is the Point Bar, the grey-walled zen-saddened restaurant with Rorschach-like photos at 40, place du Marché-Saint-Honoré in the 1st (01.42.61.76.28), which despite the trendy décor, he liked. Its chef Julien Perrodin trained with Jean Bardet in Touraine and Gagniere in Paris. Miot lists about 10 dishes that sound inventive; he says the wine is reasonable and the prices manageable – 18-21E formulas at lunch that come with coffee and the carte is 35-45E. Francois Simon starts off his review in Monday’s Le Figaro Entreprises of the venerable restaurant Lasserre, 17, avenue Franklin-Roosevelt, in the 8th 01.43.59.53.43, with a bang. Get this, he says occasionally a place escapes him, a place that’s “incompréhensible, vain, déjà vu, entendu, mange.” OK, then he notes that the price of the lunch menu is 110E which seems to him only yesterday was 52E. But he goes on to name dishes that sound solid and appropriate for the rich, dumbfounded diners who number among them the beautiful women who are rapidly disappearing from the great places. Like so many of his reviews, he turns what sounds horrible into a compliment and winds up saying he’ll remember the meal for a long time (yes, but with what emotion?) Wednesday’s Figaroscope gave its three and two hearts to two Italian places; the Delizie d’Uggiano in the 1st and Caffè del Gattopardo in the 18th. Rubin et al chose to feature with a photo but only give one heart to Pères et Filles, 81, rue de Seine in the 6th, 01.43.25.00.28 and one heart sans photo to C…. T’Issy, 28, bd des Frères-Voisin in Issy-les-Moulineaux (recall that La Manufacture, which gave birth to several interesting chefs, is out there) 01.40.93.06.25. Then another one heart went to the bio sandwich shop – Bioboa in the 1st . Given these ratings I’ll not write up anything about the dishes but refer you here. Also in Wednesday’s Figaroscope is their "Dossier" of places serving tartares and carpaccios. They are: Tartares of beef: Severo Rue Balzac Carpaccio of beef: Casa Bini Tartare of lamb: Fleurs de thym Tartare of Tuna: L’Espadon Bleu Bon 2 6 New York Pizza with raw tuna: Market Carpaccio of lotte: Le Pré carré Tartare of langoustines: Taïra Tartare of salmon: Zèbra Square Also in Wednesday’s Figaroscope Francois Simon’s "Haché Menu" reviewed Carpaccio, at the Royal Monceau. Once again, he obviates the necessity of my giving you the details by saying there must be 50 Italian restaurants better than Carpaccio but do go if you’re holed up at the Monceau with a busted leg. He does note, though, that for 24E you get an Olympian portion of beef carpaccio. Time Out’s website added Cook Book, 9 rue Surcouf in the 7th, 01.45.51.92.82, to their monthly list this week. This is “world food” à la Spoon which they recommend if you’re hankering for New World wines and food. Finally, the restoaparis website features a Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Latin at 35, rue des Ecoles in the 5th, 01.43.26.38.69 which has been run by the Gourdou family for more than 30 years. Please post comments in the the discussion thread and not in the digest thread.
  15. L'esprit de l'escalier: After the brie, mirror the last day's stage (Montereau to the Champs-Élysées) with coffee and St. Louis sugar, in honor of Montereau and the Générale Sucrière, accompanied by Madeleines, whose non-Proustian Place de la is only a few meters from the Place de la Concorde.
  16. Ah what a delicious question. I don't know of another dish named for a race although I do recall a dessert made in honor of the Giro. For the wine, the tour goes through so many magnificent regions, but despite those, I'd have to go with the most stunning view year in and year out and serve a Côtes du Ventoux, although I suppose that since on the 21st, the time trial will go up the Alpe d'Huez, you might try a wine from the surrounding vineyards. That day, if Lance hasn't already gotten out in front in the Pyrenees, he'll sew it up in the time trial, so some Texas food would not be inappropriate. In honor of the 8th stage, ending in Quimper, some L'Aven-Belon oysters. The last day always starts somewhere in the ile de France, sometimes in Meaux, so some Brie de Meaux.
  17. I was there in Frebruary and said this: Mon Vieil Ami, 69 St Louis en l'Ile, 01.40.46.01.35 telephone, 01.40.46.01.36 fax, opened a while back and was quickly reviewed in Figaroscope Jan 14th, (3 hearts), by Patricia Wells January 30th, by Francois Simon in Figaroscope's Hache Menu February 4th and more recently by Gault Millau (13/20) in Feb-March and in Paris Bites in Paris Notes in March. It's Antoine Westerman's (Buerehiesel in Strasbourg) newest venture. Located on the Ile St Louis amid jewelry and art shops, it's modern and jammed with closely-packed tables. They offer a "welcome" drink and a menu at 38E, the same price as taking a 1st (10E), plat (20E) and dessert (8E) separately. The weekday lunch I went (it's also open weekends), it was packed mostly with anglophones, thus no smoking. I had a 1st of very nice poireaux and mackerel poele, a main of a cocotte of Barbery duck with carrots and potatoes and couscous, which was not mind-blowing and a generous dessert of exotic fruits. The wines ranged from 4.20E a glass to the 30's. My bill eating solo was 51E. It's closed Monday and Tuesday lunch. Metro Pont Marie
  18. Since we're headed down nostalgia lane, Bux, I have to weigh in. I think in retrospect that everything 40-50 years ago was exotic (even cheap Vietnamese places around the Sorbonne), glittery (Tour D'Argent) and so inventive (Lucas-Carton). I thought the corner brasseries (now long gone) were astonishing; with tomatoes and simple dressing that tasted like something, rillettes that melted in your mouth, cheese that had force and character and bread that wasn't industrial or Banette. But then, I thought that the frite stands and Mateus Rosé and La Vache qui Rit were pretty good too. Branché?, who was branché then? We were in Paris, we were young, the war's scars were still evident in places like St-Malo, but there was life in the streets and cafés. Bad food, immature palates, lack of judgment, so what? I'd go back to some of those awful joints I first ate in, in 1953, any day.
  19. The week of June 14th Last Friday I missed Jean-Claude Ribaut’s article in Le Monde about three chefs, three signatures, three styles, which he entitled: Three styles: Gérard Cagna, the Promethian (named after the Titan who shaped men out of clay, was the first to give them fire and showed human beings how to save the rich fatty meat for themselves not give it to the gods), Olivier Roellinger, the Appolonian (God of Music, Healing, Prophesy and Light) and Gérard Vié, the Dionysian (God of Wine, Vegetation, Ecstacy, and the Life-Force). As per my focus on Paris restaurants, I will mention only Vié’s Les Trois Marches in Versailles in detail. Ribaut calls him a magician with enthusiasm and inspiration and cites several dishes that sound fabulous (e.g. big langoustines in a small crépe of pieds de porc cooked in a coulis of crustaceans). Always click on the red word to get the original. The mythological info can be found here. Cagna plies his trade at Le Relais Sainte Jeanne, Route de Dieppe (D 915), 95830 Cormeilles-en-Vexin. Tél.: 01-34-66-61-56. Menu découverte 60€. Menu dégustation 110€. A la carte, count on 100€. Roellinger is at La Maison de Bricourt (Relais gourmand): Rue Dugesclin, 35260 Cancale. Tél.: 02-99-89-64-76. Menus 88€ (lunch) and 105€ (dinner). The St-Malo big deal menu is 150€ (lunch and dinner). A la carte, count on 150€. And Vié is at Les Trois Marches, 1, boulevard de la Reine, 78000 Versailles. Tél.: 01-30-84-50-00. Lunch 58€ (Tuesday to Friday), menu plaisir 160€. A la carte, count on 180€. Francois Simon starts off his review in Monday’s Le Figaro Entreprises of the Bistrot du 6e, 116, boulevard Raspail, in the 6th of course, 01.45.48.72.16, with the subtitle of “simple et juste,” which given his literary flair, surely means “straightforward and correct” more than its literal translation. Indeed, the review contrasts this place with the bistros that are interchangeable as well as those that are sincere and put themselves out, like L’Ardoise, reviewed last week, and places that gently lead you on but for not a lot of money. Le Bistrot du 6e, however, is part of another category that is honest and Simon says that while he has quibbles with things like the banal (and probably Banette) bread and “all too-ready” sauce, he thought the waiter was unusually sincere in asking if he liked it and the clientele especially charming. He mentions several dishes on this carte (a whole grilled bar, pastilla with pigeon, duck on mashed potatoes) that aren’t replicas of the copy-cat places serving goat cheese salad, duck breast with honey, cod with pureed potatoes, etc. and says you’re in good hands culinary-wise. For the original article click here. Wednesday’s Figaroscope gave 3 hearts to Les Ormes, ex of the 16th, now in the old Bellecour space, where I ate on its (re-)opening day; the coordinates are at that site. The Rubin team says the cream of lettuce with filets of rouget was refreshing (I loved it), the veal’s head rough & tough (a compliment apparently) and the veal shank (jarret) tasty. The menu is 44E and average 60-70E. Thaï got two hearts, it’s on the Rue St-Roch in the 1st. The rest of the choices were one-hearters – Le Temps Au Temps, Le Café des Techniques in the Arts-et-Métiers Museum and Cantella (Italian). It’s all here. Also in Wednesday’s Figaroscope is their "Dossier" of places open after 10 PM. Fresh_a wasn’t translating, he was quoting literally, when he said the advice about last one mentioned, Djoon, was “Wait and see” because the chef had been replaced so quickly (four months after opening). The restaurants were: Kong Pierre au Palais Royal Atelier de Maitre Albert Maresco Brasserie Publicisdrugstore (sic) Libre Sens Ginger Mathis Lucas Djoon Wednesday’s Figaroscope also featured Francois Simon’s "Haché Menu" as well, in which he usually finds something good to say about the place reviewed. This week not so. I’ll cut to the chase with La Baraque, 102 rue de Charonne in the 11th, where he asks “Should one go?” and answers “No,” it’s not only not good but too expensive. Read it all here. Rosa Jackson in the June 2004 "Paris Bites" in Paris Notes repeats what we've heard elsewhere about Yves Camdeborde, e.g., that he'll open "very soon" (well, we all know what that means in French, normalement = forever) a small hotel (une pension de famille) ? where, which will be open to the public for lunch, and to guests in the evening. It will have an open kitchen, where he will be visible to better communicate with diners and the staff, but will not change his style. She also reviews Le Café Constant, just past Les Fables de Fontaine and Le Violin D’Ingres on Rue St-Dominique in the 7th, already well-covered and open since last summer as well as Le Cristal Room at the re-located Bacarat House in the 16th, also more than six months’ old and well-reported elsewhere already. Clotilde Dusoulier, on the Bonjour Paris site had this to say about Les Papilles, where I ate a few weeks ago, click here: simple and tasty, around the Luxembourg, serving “traditional French cuisine with a South-west” twist.
  20. I apologize for not giving the coordinates the first time. Here are most of them: Au Bon Accueil, 14 rue de Monttessuy, 7th, 01.47.05.46.11 Ze Kitchen Galerie, 4 rue des Grands Augustins, 6th, 01.44.32.00.32 La Maison du Jardin, 27 Vaugirard, 6th, 01.45.48.22.31 Le Beurre Noisette, 68 Vasco de Gama, 15th, 01.48.56.82.49 Le Pre Verre, 01.43.54.59.47 - 8 Thenard, 5th (Maubert/St. Michel) L’Equitable – 1 rue Fosses Saint-Marcel, 01.43.31.69.20 5th La Dinee, 85 rue Leblanc 15th, 01.45.54.20 Café Constant, 139 St Dominique, 7th, 01.47.53.73.34 Les Fables de la Fontaine (often misprinted as the Tables) 131 St-Dominque, 7th, 01.44.18.37 L’Ourcine, 92 Broca, 13th, 01.47.07.13.65 L’Astrée, 3 rue Général-Lanzarec, in the 17th Le Duc de Richelieu, 5 rue Parrot, 12th, 01.43.43.05.64 Open for lunch on Saturdays (sometimes a problem) La Grande Rue Beurre Noisette Le Regalade, 49, ave Jean Moulin, 14th 45.45.68.58 Fine repeat 1/2 101/2 Dix Vins, 57 Falguiere, 15th 01.43.20.91.77 Petit Pontoise Fables Viel Ami Open for lunch on Sat & Sun L'Equitable has reinstituted its Sunday menu at 30E Le Reminet, 3, rue des Grands-Degres, 5th, La Mediterranee, 2 pl de l'Odeon, 6, 01.43.26.02.30 L'Ardoise, 28 rue du Mont Thabor, 1st L’Etoile Marocain, open 7/7 inc all holidays J’Go Moulin de la Galette Petit Pontoise, 5th, 9 rue de Pontoise, nr Reminet, 01.43.29.25.20 Viel Ami
  21. Boy are you lucky. As for markets, where are you staying? There's a bio marche on Blvd Raspail in the 6th (metro Rennes, which station, on second thot, is closed weekends, I think, so go to ND des Champs) open Sun AM and regular, eg non-bio, ones all over (eg Metro Maubert-Mutualite), open Sun AM. Many have fish (the one in my neighborhood has two fish places open from about 9 til 1.) For upscale fish, I believe the Poissonerie du Dome - located on Rue Delambre between Le Dome and the Bistrot du Dome is open Sunday AM's too. In Paris, most open air markets are open Tuesday mornings to Sunday noon with a rest day on Monday, but there are exceptions. Your concierge, if you have one, should be able to help. On Mondays, you can get good fish at the Grand Epicerie (food store) at the Department Store Bon Marche near Metro Sevres-Babylone.
  22. Bux, I just went to Gayot.com to see if I could pick up news for the Paris Digest and it struck me the the news was very old. Do you know how often they post it? Thanks.
  23. I eat alone about 75% of the time and usually reserve the morning of the lunch. All the below should be fine: Au Bon Accueil Ze Kitchen Galerie La Maison du Jardin Le Beurre Noisette Le Pre Verre L'Equitable La Dinee Café Constant Les Fables de la Fontaine L'Ourcine L'Astrée Le Duc de Richelieu
  24. John Talbott

    Chamonix

    This may seem a bit bizarre, but just thru the Mont Blanc tunnel in Courmeyer (Italy) is a place we drive to from Megeve, Courcheval, etc to eat called La Maison de Fillipo (39.01.65.86.97.97). It's the Italian counterpart of the Ferme de Lormay, good, indeed great rustic cooking. It's the sort of place where the sausages, terrines and bread already on the table with some red wine, alone are a meal, but then you're faced with antipasti, and so many courses before you get to the pastas you're flagging. However, somehow you can make it thru the mains and desert and cheese and there's just enough room for a grappa. Our last bill was still way under $100. I'm a bit worried that they now have a website http://www.lamaison.com/ but maybe that's a sign of times not a sign of being over-touristed. We've usually eaten there at night but during the day the "other side" of Mont Blanc is perfect for hiking. It's closed in November and Tuesdays as well as June though, so depending on when you hit it - it may or may not be closed. This was taken from here.
  25. If you Google vegetarian restaurants in Paris you'll get at least a dozen and there's a fine list here. The best known is Entre Ciel & Terre in the 1st and is listed in the Michelin, Zagat's lists two - Bon and Genier de Notre Dame and there are lists each year in both Figaroscope and Pariscope's Time Out which I don't usually save. Also remember that Indian restaurants run for or by Hindus are vegetarian. Finally, even the top places will prepare vegetarian food on request, indeed guys like Alain Passard (L'Arpege) are trying to make it with just veggies.
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