John Talbott

We also really liked L'Auberge de la Charme and the Clos Vougeot caterer a couple of years ago; it and other replies can be found here.

ParuVendu yesterday provided another set of places from which one could eat sur le pouce or takeaway: La Ferme Opera, Le Cafe BHV, Kit a Bien Manger, Home Maid, High Noon, Tarte The Tartine, Cojean + Bert's.

I thought they closed two years ago? ← Whoops, I went by the back of it on the #60 bus a few days ago and it looked the same, but I'd better check out the front entrance to make sure it'still there.

I just noticed that it's been a month since anyone has posted here; that's reflective of the mood now in Paris. Two writer-friends who wound up eating at the same disappointing resto last week (one heart by Rubin) with every other real food critic in Paris said it was a indicator of how dead things were. But in March things will pick up. (1) Gordon Ramsay is opening his Versailles place in the Les Trois Marches space, (2) Dutournier will be in Marly, and (3) Benoit Bordier, ex-Chez Jean in the 9th, not, the RFC reminds me, the Basquaise l'Ami Jean in the 7th, will be cooking at Les Etangs de Corot, the Relais & Chateau in the Ville d’Avray, between here and Versailles. Beautiful website eh?

That's Felice territory so I'll let her answer.But I'm surprised no one has mentioned the biggest and most comprehensive entrepot I've been to in town, the Centre des vins de propriétés, Entrepôt Ney Geodis, 215 rue d'Aubervilliers in the 18th. One needs a car or taxi, but it's worth the schlep. However, without that, if you're living/renting in Montmartre, Le Caves de Roy (for bio, natural, unfiltered), Guillaume de Kergorlay's Sanglier and even Cavavin, serve one quite well.

Hummm, well, when we were touring the Seguret market last summer with our wonderful polyglot host, Ms. Wells was clearly leading her market group through it.Speaking of which, Dave, if memory serves me, Ms Wells took Calvin Trillin, of "Let's Eat" and other fame, through her fave, the Poncelet market, in that tiny town north of you. Are you going to include markets in "our" city too?

While there are topics that mention Le Pre Verre, an incredibly popular neobistrot in the 5th, such as Dinner near Notre Dame and a micro-visit I was surprised to find no topic devoted to it when I went to add a note about the recent publication in the US of "Spiced: Recipes from Le Pre Verre" Philippe Delacourcelle, Univ of Nebraska Press. I'm mystified by that omission in our usual comprehensive coverage, especially since it's inventive, reasonable and central - and personally, I have had some fine meals there. I'd be interested in what our resident cooking experts, especially Ptipois and Chocolate & Zucchini, think of the recipes. PS If you want the book, be sure to order it from Amazon.com through the Society, every little bit helps support our mission. I'm not sure if Amazon.fr works equally well for us.

Sounds good to me.John

Wednesday-Thursday, in Le Monde, Jean Claude Ribaut wrote an article on olive oil from around the world (France, Chili, Italy, Corsica, etc), some of the chefs who use it and some places to buy it.

Not me. After she moved - I ate there twice and think it's just too 8th for me. I loved the old Rue de Provence location - incl. the wine, her husband, staff, menu and customers. A great disappointment for me. The old CC was the place to eat and send others to. To digress a bit, this is why I worry about Daniel Rose moving from Spring to a bigger space; the loss of the personal touch, one-to-one contact, hands-on food, etc. I know - I'm a elephant, but I regretted Eric Frechon's moving downtown too and surely will mourn Jean Chauvel's departure toward the center. But they all deserve every sou/cent they make. A French teacher I had 2 decades ago accused me of wanting to preserve Paris as a museum - I pled/pleaded and still plead guilty.

Chacun à son et cetera. I really liked my two meals at the Paris location with two finicky eaters but have not been back; hummmm. But I was not put off by the light show. I was concentrating more on the food show. But Martin (whose cooking I have experienced firsthand) was in the kitchen neither time.

I'm sorry to hear it, but will be interested in the details. By the way, when was your last previous visit? I haven't been there since October, when I felt it was still very special. ← I must confess it's been a while; I went several times after it opened but somehow, as is usual with me d/t my fickleness, I moved on to other places, not necessarily because anything was wrong but ADHA made me do it.I will be posting the details Saturday AM Paris time I'm sure but no need to hold your breath; go and see for yourself! Res ipsa loquitur.

I don't mean to be a tease, but most of you know I post my reviews en bloc and to avoid double posting, I will be putting up Feb 08bis in a few days. Of, course I'd be delighted if other members tried TauT out - but our bottom line today was that it was a nice bistrot du quartier, no less, no more, not the destination it was several years ago. More to follow.

Please report back on La Regalade, I've had a bumpy time there since the change.And yes Spring will be closed until April. And yes again, the telephone answering machine was unplugged last week.

Yum Count me in.

I shall try it out this week.

In the "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" department, not 50 paces from where I experienced this scam 6 months ago, a female gypsy tried it again as I was walking across the Pont Alexandre III to lunch about which more later. Either they or we don't learn.

The Week of February 18th, 2008 Monday in Le Fooding, Chloé Aeberhardt discussed Lao Lane Xang 2, 102 avenue d'Ivry in the 13th, 01 58 89 00 00, closed Wednesdays, with a lunch menu at 10,80 €, count on 20–25 € à la carte for items such as a croustillant rice salad, lacquered duck with tamarind red curry sauce and bar with lime. Monday-Tuesday, in ANP, Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 blocks to L’Idee, coordinates given before, where instead of a long menu, the chef chooses what to cook depending on the market, and Jerome Berger also gave 3/5 blocks to Gustave et Jules, 12, rue Edouard Lockroy in the 11th, 01.43.55.54.29, open everyday from 6 PM to 2 AM, a la carte about 25 €, which he describes as a zinc where one drinks a lot and eats a little. Wednesday, in Figaroscope, Emmanuel Rubin’s C’est nouveau awarded three hearts to the Laotian-Thai-Vietnamese-Chinese Lao Lane Xang 2, coordinates above whose food he calls suave and deliciously abrasive and two hearts to l’Entetee, coordinates given before, whose dishes he thought were amusing but a bit showy. One heart each went to Mets & Vins, 14, rue Saussier Leroy in the 17th, 01.42.27.64.58, closed Sundays, which is pretty much what it says it is – charcuterie and cheese starting at 15 € depending on the wine; and the Japanese sushi/curry/ravioli place Nagoya in the 6th. A broken heart was awarded to the Caffe Minotti in the 7th, whose new team has made an old place worse, pricey and pathetic. Figaroscope’s Dossier this week had as its premise the three hot food streets: Paul Bert: Bistrot Paul Bert, Ecailler du Bistrot, Unico, Le Temps au temps, La Cocotte, Crus & Decouvertes + Chardenoux Rebeval: Valentin, Zoe Bouillon, Mon Oncle Vigneron, O. Bon. Home, Mukura + Chapeau Melon St Dominique: Le Violin d’Ingres, Café Constant, Les Fables de la Fontaine, Les Cocottes + La Fontaine de Mars, that Francois Simon went to and declared worth going to for what it costs to eat in a bistro today – 121 € for two. A side box discussed places in Saint Germain: La bocca della Verita, Boo, Le Lup, Maison Georgienne, Coco & Co + Les Valseuses. Wednesday as well, Richard Hesse in Paris Update reviewed Le Repaire de Cartouche favorably for the food but guardedly for the waitstaff. Wednesday-Thursday, Jean Claude Ribaut wrote an enquete on eggs in all their forms from powdered to omelettes in Le Monde. Thursday, Francois Regis Gaudry in L’Express wrote about two places who coordinates are well-known: the Table de Joel Robuchon, whose club menu at lunch with an entrée, plat, cheese, dessert, café, mignardises, mineral water and ½ wine bottle come to 55 €; and Versance which he calls the antithesis of Bigarrade this month’s hot place, for the same price. His colleague, Pierrick Jegu, tried two other places whose coordinates have been given: Gustav + Jules which he indicates has nice wine but also good bistro food; and Chapeau Melon which has natural wines and “Top Top” food that’s more than convincing. Thursday, Philippe Couderc in Paris Obs revisited the old haunt La Grille in the 10th where he gave it 14/20 and the more ancient Pied de Cochon, mythic Les Halles place open 24/24 {where I went really late or early for the classical onion soup and was most disappointed – I know, I know}. Friday, Jean Louis Galesne in Les Echos wrote up five new restaurants in Paris: the first, Les Parisiens, ex-Amogenes, will open in a bit, the others have just opened and include: a jazz-club-café-restaurant, the Duc des Lombards, 42, rue des Lombards in the 1st, 01.42.33.22.88, open every day, running one about 35 € with a Michelin-star chef Alain Alexanian, from Lyon’s L'Alexandrin serving light plates at lunch, such as daurade on Jerusalem artichoke with nut milk and artichoke sauce and rutabaga raviolis with red beans and girolles and at night little plates as well (but I take it different); a Japanese place Kaiseki Bento in the 8th; L'Entêtée coordinates and descriptions above, where he thinks she’s still finding her way; and Au Relais des Buttes, 86, rue Compans in the 19th, 01.42.08.24.70, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, menu = 34 €, a la carte 60 with a new chef from Villaret + Le Soleil, serving crab stuffed with morilles, veal kidneys with tarragon and profiteroles {I’ll be posting my review shortly.} Saturday’s Figaro contained a full page orchestrated by Francois Simon. The biggest space was allocated to an article, summarized here that started on its first page about “who merits three Michelin stars.” Then oddly enough, in his “Croque Notes,” he discussed one of these places which eventually will be promoted - Le Petit Nice in Marseille, maybe in the next Michelin, to appear in ten days. It’s not entirely complementary; he comments on the appearance of too many amuse bouches, a piling on of plates that three stars feel are necessary, thus taking an hour to reach the entrée. Simon thought that while the rougets were fresh, they were too fussily prepared and there was no flash of lightning. He says that the chef, Passedat, does better with simple dishes rather than try fancy stuff that dulls the effect. He doesn’t give prices except for the main course’s bass costing 77 €. Also, of note, in the accompanying article he implies that Le Petit Nice was chosen so that the Michelin could have a place between Eugenie Les Bains and Monte Carlo, now that the Pourcel’s have flopped. Saturday/Sunday, in Bonjour Paris, Margaret Kemp reviewed l’Endroit and John Talbott had an essay on “What do Americans want?” Sunday, in JDD, Pierre Orsi of the eponymous resto in Lyon picked La Coupole + Le Pere Claude as his favorite places in Paris for under 35 € {even though they clearly show that Le Pere Claude costs 60 € before liquids). And in their Femina magazine, Astrid de T’Serclaes went to Les Petites Sorcieres. In February’s Paris Notes “Paris Bites,” Rosa Jackson writes positively about several places serving winter stuff, especially veggies, such as: La Bastide Odéon, La Marlotte, Les Saveurs de Flora, Le Soleil, La Crèmerie + Racines. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

Oh boy do I feel guilty. After eating at Equitable for a decade after it was "discovered" by the New York Times, liking it especially because it was a rare good place open for Sunday lunch, we went January 6th and were equally disappointed but although Colette urged me to update info on Garance, I did not on Equitable. Sorry. But Lena & Mimile, only a bit away is terrific.

In a front-page article, in the New York Times today, Martin Fackler says that one of the reasons that the Michelin is moving into foreign markets is "to compensate for its declining influence in Europe, where it has lost readership to the Internet and the shifting demands of consumers who no longer want their tastes dictated to them." There is much criticism from Japan, which is the peg and dateline of the piece, saying the Michelin doesn't understand Japanese cuisine and that “has debased its brand. It won’t sell as well here in the future.”

After a month's interdiction, RTL radio said that restaurant/cafe owners were down 5% business in cities and 9% in rural areas but in today's Figaro Delphine Chayet had an article quoting a Oscour/INVS showing that so far since January 1st there have been 15% fewer coronary infarcts and fewer strokes going to the ER despite the fact that cigarette consumption has held steady. Reduction of second-hand smoke in restaurants perhaps?

Today's Figaro on page 12 of the pdf had an article on obesity in the US vs France that boils down to the finding that: the French stop eating because of internal signals, eg satiety, whereas Americans stop because of external ones, eg the end of a TV show or when others stop. The American reference is Obesity 15:2920-2924 (2007).

It means that "jury" was split on Bocuse - 9 for and 9 against; Pic - 9 for and 8 against He's the chef at Stella Maris a fine but expensive place IMHO He is on neither the Pro or Con List, likewise Taillevent + Pre Catalan

Wonderful Vinotas; I wish more members would post about the quirky little spots they find in all corners of the hexagon or city.

This morning’s Figaro had an article that started on its first page about “who merits three Michelin stars,” that I thought belonged here rather than in the Digest. My first impression, looking at the photos of the 14 chefs featured was how strikingly it was that they were all white French males, despite the fact that the “jury” that selected them was more diverse, having two women (Margaret Kemp and Alexandra Michot) and five foreigners (Oscar Caballero (Sp), Rudy Chelminski (US), Margaret Kemp (UK), Andrea Petrini (It) and Chiyo Sagae (Ja)). The others are all well-known and consist of a who’s who of French resto critics – Beaudouin, Bougereau, Demorand, Champerard, Esquerre, Gaudry, Gantie, Gloaguen, Leclerc, Pudlowski, Ribaut, Rubin and of course the host, Francois Simon. It’s interesting to note who wasn’t there - Claude Lebey, Philippe Toinard and Jerome Berger leap to mind and any blogger among the dozen French and Anglo individuals from that sphere. As for their “findings” there was consensus on some (Gagnaire and the Bras) but dissent on others (Bocuse and Pic). Simon (and/or his editor(s)) divided the list into three categories; Who truly merits three stars Gagnaire Bras Louis XV Guerard Roellinger And also Alleno, Barbot, Veyrat, Passard, Pic, Bocuse Who Doesn’t Merit three stars Martin Trama Lr Squer Savoy Lorain And also Bocuse, Relais Bernard Loiseau, Pic, Ducasse, Blanc + l’Auberge de l’Ill Who will merit three stars Piege Passedat Elena Dutournier And also Marx, Frechon, Yoshino, Chibois + Osteau de Baumaniere. Finally, Simon holds firm in his prediction/leak already summarized by him and Adrian Moore concerning Le Petit Nice, l’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Il Vino, Aida, Ze Kitchen Galerie + La Grenouille PS I’ll put up the link Monday when the IS/IT folks at Figaro go back to work; currently though it’s readable on their pdf version, free when one registers which I strongly suggest. PPS Simon also states that the Michelin ratings are now based more on marketing and geography than gastronomic merit. Monday in the Digest I'll post info from Simon's "Croque Notes" about Le Petit Nice. Edited by John Talbott for PPS and links.