John Talbott

I realize it’s too late, but for the record next year, Figaro Madame had an article by Camille Labro that suggested these three places: the Cajun restaurant Bayou La Seine, 20, rue Saint-Paul in the 4th, 01 42 77 68 29 ; the already mentioned store Thanksgiving and The Real McCoy.

Small and intimate restaurants in Paris A compendium of existing threads This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Small restaurants, circa 2001 Small and intimate restaurants in Paris

Menton1 has suggested we come up with our ideas about Reflecting on it, there are certainly places with very few covers (for example, Spring, with 16) but is it intimate? Or is an intimate place more like Les Anges that has 30 covers but where the tables are widely separated so it's more conducive to an intimate conversation.

Yes we do. While there was one on small restaurants, it's dated (2001). I've just put up a compendium of "Romantic" ones herebut that's different, so I'll start a new thread.

Romantic meals A compendium of existing threads This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior threads on eGullet. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Getting married Small and intimate Romantic meal Romantic dinner Romantic Restaurants

I can't see how it would hurt. He's a really nice guy and welcomes comments. Have a nice and good meal.

Thanks to everyone, plus a few of our friends, for a great time. Here's our report: Alexandria, not Alexandra’s, in the Victoria neighborhood, mentioned by Busboy and others, was the highlight of our stay in Athens. It is a sort of Mediterranean fusion cuisine (Greek-North African-Egyptian-Middle Eastern) that is unique. We followed our eGullet pioneers’ advice and had the incredible fatouch salad and lentil soup, the former most outstanding. Then we shared good mains that were interestingly spiced – marinated (really stewed), lamb with currents and pine nuts and veal and vegetables with couscous – both of which I liked more than Colette did. We left happily 70 € lighter than on arrival. The one drawback is the fact that most folks were smoking and the room was unpleasantly smoky; we asked for a no smoking section, but they do not have one, although they have two rooms – oh, and the pita bread was pathetic. Better pita was served with superb tzasiki had at Thanases near the Monastiriki metro station, which serves kabobs and that’s pretty much it. It is what it is, serving a mostly Greek clientele - simple, solid food. Not bad for 40.74 €. The Benaki Museum’s resto was also kind of fun; albeit not great food but nice salads and view; we saw that some folks were having hot meals that looked good. (42.20 €). It’s located on a shaded terrace overlooking the National Gardens. Our meals at Alexandra’s (57.40 €), the Park Hotel’s second restaurant – (we couldn’t get into their first ranked place – 17) - as well as Agora (36.30 €) and the Taverna Filipou (30.50 €) near the Hilton and Congress Center, where I was stuck, were not so successful. Daphne’s in the Plaka, we were assured, was not a “tourist” place, (which it is), but for dinner on an election day Sunday, we weren’t quibbling. However, I ordered moussaka for the first time this trip and have never had worse and Colette‘s shrimp (the shrimp were OK, not overcooked) saganaki (over-killed with ouzo). Bill = 48.90 €. And, Theofilos on Aminda Street, was another place open for lunch on that Sunday, election day, and again we were grateful to be fed; however, the food was pretty bad; the most lackluster Greek salad of the trip, a so-so spinach pie, and a pallid, almost tasteless veal with canned, boiled artichokes. The saving grace – a simply superb walnut cake. Bill = 89.50 €. Now to the Peloponnese. Arapakos in Nafploi/Naphlion, along the quay, gave us our first good fish meal; before we ordered, we were taken to the back of the restaurant and shown several chilled drawers, each holding different fish – all looked very, very fresh. We started with eperlans, fried to perfection, to which we added a bit of salt and lemon; a terrific starter. Then, we shared a grilled sea bass with olive oil and overcooked broccoli (the waiter said the fish came with both rice and French fries – we asked for a vegetable instead!) As this is a great wine producing area we asked for a “local red” & were offered the house wine – it was good, not great. Dessert (offered) was sliced apples with honey. Bill = 57.00 €. We liked it well enough to come back the next day and start with the cold potato and olive oil with garlic, followed by fried red mullets (me, delicious) and grilled sea bream fillets (Colette, good). Another offering of dessert – walnut cake with herb-flavored ice cream. Bill 43 €. Unfortunately, we tempted fate by eating at their next-door neighbor Savouras, a restaurant that simply did not deliver the same quality fish – my whole fresh, not frozen, grilled calamare(i) was only passable, even when plastered with a lot of freshly ground pepper (why does one always have to ask for the pepper mill here?), salt (don’t tell my cardiologue), olive oil and lemon (why is it so different here?); however, Colette’s fish soup with the head of a red snapper was terrific (by me) and OK (according to her - she prefers the French version, ah Colette); but I thought the seaweed, veggies, herbs and spices with a type of lemon soup was soooooo different it got extra points. Backing up, the Greek salad was nul – the tomatoes (in full season and at all the farm stands here) were hothouse Holland, the feta horrible, the olives and green peppers average but astonishingly, the pungent red onion almost saved the dish. The after meal treat given to us - yogurt and grapes and honey dessert was super. The bill = 37 €. Ah, but then we ate at O Vasilis, a 85% tourist/group taverna in the heart of old Nafplio (aside jewelry shops, a chapel with lots of icons open until at least 11 PM and the trip’s best ice cream afterwards at the Antica Gelateria di Roma, run by an ex-Roman, 6 years here - love, indirectly, brought him). Anyway, Colette found her Greek salad OK and her spinach pie not as good as friend Helen’s in the Bronx, while I thought the rabbit stifado was great and the sausage starter acceptable. Bill was 30.30 €. Extra points for the 40 Scandinavian kids and chaperones and teachers who didn’t smoke, thus lowering the eye-reddening factor by 95%. In the town of Geraki we found only one place open: Aτnanti. I had the best roast chicken I’ve had in years and Colette’s Greek salad was OK. Bill = 13 € for a world’s record price-quality ratio meal, including a so-so rosé – no red available! At night, however, in the spectacular site – Monemvasia - the well-reputed fish resto Aktaion/Akteon had a wonderful acceuil (and exciting football) but pretty subpar frozen shrimp and salad and eggplant salad (really a purée). The tempest that had been blowing for several days kept the boats in the harbor, hence, no fresh fish for us. Bill = 41.80 €. We then had a pretty good lunch at the Taverna Akrogiaki in Stoupa. I had anchovy filets with small “nuggets” of garlic and rabbit with rosemary. Colette liked her small, grilled sea bream, plus an OK slice of walnut cake. Bill = 31 €. (The setting, overlooking the small sandy beach, was superb.) Dinner was at the hotel/restaurant Toypiεtiko Taγτetoy at the top of the pass between Kalamata and Sparta (where we dined facing the rugged mountain peaks where I suppose the ancient Spartans left their kids out to either survive or perish). It was akin to a spartan (no pun intended) ski lodge, but featured a really spectacular piece of stewed goat on what I’m always astonished at in Greece, good pasta with grated cheese. Colette had a Greek salad (always “safe”) and a so-so bean soup. Also on offer were rooster (a first for us) and rabbit, both reported to be good choices by the Lonely Planet guide. Good chow for 45.50 E. Then, another lunch in Mycenae at O Spiros a sort of slash, hash place in the midst of tour-bus heaven (Petit Dejeunier I think it was called, our first choice, was closed for “winter” but its charming WWII-suffering patron referred us); OK, nice welcome, friendly wine, huuuuuge lamb’s knuckle with quite good potatoes, not great moussaka and wonderful local fresh great tomatoes in a salad, as well as Greek greens (probably a type of dandelion green), terrific baklava. Bill = 31 € E. And dinner was at the Ruby Room at the Holiday Inn, Attica Ave (42.5 Km) near the Athens Airport; excuse us for this, we hadda catch the early AM plane to Munich and on. I had a vegetable soup that was acceptable but not worth 7 E (Why?; somehow a cris de foie crept up after ten days and I was miserable); Colette had a (Surprise!) Greek salad that was also barely acceptable and we slunk off for our airplane. Bill = 52 €.

In Wednesday's Figaroscope, the "Dossier" covered huge (200-500 covers) dining spaces, that included: Golden Wok 500 covers La Coupole “ l’Ile 450 Quai Ouest 400 New Nioulaville + Chai 33 400 Chartier 346 and at a good price Mandala Ray 320 Mood 300 Le Café du Commerce 280 La Gare 260 Barrio Latino 300 Buddha Bar 300 Moussa l’Africain 200 Asian 200 and other big spaces – the Café de la Paix, Mollard, Bofinger, Flo, Jenny + Boeuf sur le Toit.

From my picture here and he had asked me a question about Nicolas Vagnon a good while back.It just goes to prove that now at least 4 chefs in Paris read the France Forum and/or are members in the Society.

For my view see here.

Well, last night, one of my most esteemed eGullet buddies disparaged this reference, but for years, I’ve found Art Buchwald’s annual IHT description of Thanksgiving to be a comforting tonic. To answer your query Dave, he says “One of our most important holidays is Thanksgiving Day, known in France as le Jour de Merci Donnant .” He then goes on to recount the tale of Kilometres Deboutish (Miles Standish), etc. So as to stay on topic I’ll end by quoting this - “Le Jour de Merci Donnant was first started by a group of Pilgrims (Pelerins) who fled from l'Angleterre before the McCarran Act to found a colony in the New World (le Nouveau Monde) where they could shoot Indians (les Peaux-Rouges) and eat turkey (dinde) to their hearts' content.” And so forth...... Happy Thanksgiving Art and Dave and all. John

November 2006: Spring, Les Autodidactes, Accolade, Pré Salé, Tante Marguerite, 35° Ouest, Pramil, La Traversiere 8.5 Spring, 28, rue de la Tour d’Auvergne in the 9th, 01.45.96.05.72, open only for dinner, everyday but Sunday, which opened to a three-heart welcome from Emmanuel Rubin in Figaroscope and a rave review in Le Fooding, has an American (gasp) chef, Daniel Rose, of all things, who does everything from take your reservation to cook to say goodbye. OK, everyone knows I pride myself on not being recognized and not taking free meals, but Daniel “outed” me as I sat down (although the reservations were made by my cohost Felice in her name) and so anything I/we say is suspect, although (1) we paid, (2) he didn’t recognize Felice or the other more famous food celebrity we were there with and (3) there is no way in a tiny place of 16 covers he can change the way he cooks. It’s a set 4-course 36 € menu that varies according to the market. The night we went we had an amuse gueule of rillettes that were simply the best. The accompanying bread (4 types if I counted correctly) from next door, not figuratively – literally – was very, very good. The 1st starter was a carrot soup with shredded veal knuckle (jarré) - - terrific. The 2nd entrée was a salmon cru lightly marinated, with olive oil and juliened apple (? Granny) and currents and pesto drops – terrific, or did I say that before? Then we had the pigeon that was – you knew this was coming - perfectly cooked – raw inside, toasty and caramelized outside with a sweet but not too sweet sauce, on top of smashed potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes. The dessert was a spectacular chocolate cake with drizzle and cherry confiture (I broke my no chocolate after 3 PM rule to have a teeny bite) but I loved my substitute cheese. We had a marvelous Fronton which a relative from Toulouse supplies. As one of our foursome, no mean slouch, remarked on exiting – that’s the best meal I’ve had this year. Could well be, even though we’ve got a month left. I feel rather sad about writing up what I believe Margaret Pilgrim calls “a secret place,” but the truth will out; the night before the Figaroscope review appeared, he was packed with all French locals; suddenly he got folks (Parisien, bien sur) from all over; and soon, after the Michelin + Lebey and others report in on their meals last & this week, it’ll be the Yanks. Sorry Daniel. Truly. Moral = occasionally, Figaroscope, Le Fooding, Michelin + Lebey all get it right together. Bill = 194 € for four. 8.0 Les Autodidactes, 9, place Jean-Zay in Levallois-Perret, (Where? Ah, come on guys, it’s just a brief walk from the Anatole France Metro stop and recall – it’s not far from the other place I tried to get you to go to last year on April 29, 2005: l’Instant Gourmand), 01.47.39.54.02, open (now) only for lunch M-F, is a breath of fresh air, discovered by the A Nous Paris gang (4/5 blocks) and at this writing undiscovered by others. It’s in a wonderful, beautiful square which the day I went had four separate markets on its four sides. The restaurant itself is very classy and packed full with a clientele who are very ties and suits but it’s not “snotty classy,” indeed, most folks got their hands very messy with the shellfish. The amuse bouche was a nice sweet cream of pumpkin soup with superb crusty bread. The 35 € menu had 4 choices for each course; I had delicious clams from St Lunaire with fresh coriander, followed by morue cooked in its skin with an intense sauce of oysters on the side, that when the morue was dipped into it, gave it a marvelous sweet/spicy taste, and finished off with a hot/cold (moelleux) of chocolate that was pretty close to the gold standard. Other items, such as six succulent scallops with mashed potatoes, also looked great. With coffee and wine the bill would be 96 € for two. This is the second find of November (despite the pathetic Café Maison Richard chocolate covered almond passing for a mignardise) but I posit that no one will venture eight stops from St Lazare – even you, dear reader, who used to be adventurous enough to go much farther “out” to the Barriere de Clichy in Asnieres or Les Magnolias in Perreux sur Marne. Tant pis pour vous, tant mieux pour nous. 7.0 N* l’Accolade, 23, rue Guillaume-Tell in the 17th (in the old, late, un-great and most unlamented) Miss Betsey space, 01.42.67.12.67, closed Saturday night and Sundays, is a breath of fresh air in a happening neighborhood (e.g., Meating, Mon Marché, etc.) I entered and my heart sank, because the first thing I saw were the Miss Betsey (what an awful name - as my dining companion pointed out, no wonder it failed) tin buckets of bread, symbolic of the Miss Betsey crew’s dedication to the green, the earth, the terroir, the utter lack of fat; recall - their amuse-gueule was/were carrot sticks soaked in cardamom; the décor, chairs, nothing hadn’t changed. Except, it slowly dawned on me, the ardoise was huuuuge and could be eaten by gentlemen and ladies, boys and gurls, gluttons and minceurs. Pfew! OK. My frugal dining chum chose the menu at 20 €; that’s right 20 €, and ate very well indeed, with a delicious mouselline (soup) of choufleur with what should probably be called melon-ball-size pieces of gizzards but reminded me of something that Borat would prefer – delicious; followed by a pastille of lamb (it was too muttony for me, but that’s my issue) that she thought adequate. Me, after yesterday’s disastrous try at game, went for the crispy pigs’ ears with salad – my, oh my, died and gone to heaven – the 111-116th Street Marqueta folks in Spanish Harlem couldn’t have done better and this guy - Sébastien Altazinun as the horse folk would say, from Guy Savoy out of Michel Rostang - followed with a wonderful veal kidney in a wine (not mustard) sauce, quite lovely; ending with a moelleux of chocolate with both ice cream and a modified (low-fat – hah) crème fraiche. With no water, one coffee (Illy, yessss), and an acceptable Languedoc = 80 €, beat that! This was a day – it was raining like crazy, bone-chillingly cold, grey, yuk - to be in an intime French café eating comfort food and the setting, company, food and ambiance all came together. Run, don’t walk, before the French critics and Americans hoteled nearby, find it. 6.0 Le Pré Salé, 9, rue d’Argenteuil in the 1st, 01.42.60.56.22, is in the old Argenteuil space, which scared me a bit, but I figured that despite its location at the very angle of the street’s, a dose of feng shui would have cured its curse. But I was also hesitant because it only got 2 hearts from Emmanuel Rubin and his “2-hearters” can go either way, in my experience. But, despite (1) its space’s curse, (2) the fact that it was empty when I entered and only attracted three other customers subsequently in the midst of Japanese tourist and French business-person heaven, (4) has only been reviewed in Figaroscope, and (5) had “Summer in the City” followed by Stan Getz playing on the hifi (Chopin’s Etudes came on much later), things went well. The amuse bouche was a pumpkin soup (yet again) but this time was bouillon not cream/butter-based and was pretty good. I then had a fabulous nage (OK, cream and butter played a part here) of coques, teeney-tiny mussels and non-frozen shrimp – all fresh and good and well-cooked, followed by a layered masterpiece – a bottom round of smashed potatoes, foie gras de canard on top of that and then a brochette of poached pears laid along its top. Divine. But then I tempted fate by having the tarte Normande which was only so-so. The menu was 29.50 € for three courses; which with a bit of wine gets you out for 42 €. If I had it to do all over again, however, I would have skipped dessert and taken the 23.50 € menu with two courses. A couple more comments: the bread was horrid – soft, soggy and without a crust of note; the pré sale the day I was there was not meaty but fishy; and the furniture was very, very cool. 5.5 Tante Marguerite, 5, rue de Bourgogne in the 7th, 01.45.51.79.42, was the second of the “Tante’s” Bernard Loiseau established in Paris and my favorite because of the mixture of good food and recognizable political figures who frequent it. After he died tragically three years ago, I stopped frequenting any of the Tante’s, unsure of how his wife and estate could manage them without his manic and creative energy. So when I heard that Tante Marguerite had a new chef and Rubin gave it two hearts, I thought I’d go back. And I’m glad I did. It’s much the same as before, same nice front-room guy (who remembered me – that’s always good for the ego), same comfortable furniture, same lobbyists and political seconds-in-command (the big boys all took the day off after the first “primary” in French history) and same sort of menu (albeit holding on to some Loiseau signature dishes and adopting some new ones - recall that Loiseau’s mantra was to keep changing – ergo, he would have approved). In any case, the start was mixed: the amuse gueule was nice sliced charcuterie and good breadesque sticks but the bagette was soft-crusted, not crisp. I had what Rubin did for a 1st – the parsleyed ham, that was so generously sliced I could hardly finish it; and dessert – roasted pineapple with Szechuan peppercorns and a perfectly cooked cannellé (moist inside, black outside – just as it and beef should be) that was delicious. The main I had, veal breast that was rolled and cooked in skin and quite generous too, was also nicely cooked. I believe a new twist is the variety of Loiseau wines by the glass, 50 cl carafe and bottle that go up from 7/17/25 €, respectively. The menu is 36 € at lunch and 40 € at dinner, so with a bottle of the lower-priced wine and no coffee or water, two can exit for under 100 €. My life coach, Paga, insists I worry too much about the presence of suits and ties (believe you, at TM, I blend in), amount of French spoken (100%) and the 59 minute meal businessmen take these days (but today, not a one cleared out in less time) and it all worked well. It’s a nice place, M. Loiseau - wherever you are, you should be proud. 5.25 35° Ouest, 35, rue de Verneuil in the 7th, 01.42.86.98.88, open everyday but Sunday and Monday is a relatively small place (30 covers including 5 at the bar and 2 on a high table) that garnered three hearts from Figaroscope about six weeks ago. I’m not at all sure I agree with Rubin on this one; it was fine but not worth the 220.00 € for three starters, three mains, one dessert and one bottle each of wine and Badoit. The starters were 12-24, mains 31-38 and desserts all 10 €. The amuse gueule was a pumpkin soup and my hosts followed with langoustines in more pumpkin soup, while I had warmed filets of sardines on a spicy pimento base – all were fine. Then we had a sole, bar and langoustines in a bisque sauce, again fine but no shooting stars. Finally, I had a nice pastry cup filled with cream and warm citrus and topped with orange ice. The wine we had was superb; for the budget conscious they ranged from 19-132 €. They do have a formula with one starter, one main, a glass of wine and a coffee for 29 € but that looked rather plain. So I suppose a couple could get out for under 100 €. 5.0 N* Pramil, 9, rue Vertbois in the 3rd, 01.42.72.03.60, closed Sundays and Mondays, menu = 29 € at lunch, was my second choice after Pershing Hall’s prices caused me to have a brush with the CCU; it’s description in Wednesday’s Figaroscope was intriguing and it is, after all, across the street from the most beloved of all Americanophilic French places, l’Ami Louis. It has great whitewashed stone walls and ceiling beams, nice stemware and the chef, who works the salle like Passard and Ducasse, is seasoned and super nice, and the food – most sage. The amuse g/b was his own mix of rillettes – simply superb. I started with a “cake” with tiny bits of veal brains just subtly offset with slices of lemon and leaves of mache – wow! Then I had the seven hour lamb, not muttony, thanks God, but not dazzling either, but with very nice veggies. And I terminated (so to speak) with a cheese assortment that was a bit too chilly – a goat, St Nectaire, Cantal & bleu. With 3 glasses of wine and coffee (Illy, but too dilute – Sorry, my fixation), but no bottled water, one left 44.50 € lighter. You were curious about the name, non? Well, it’s not an acronym or contraction of Pratiquement Mille – it’s actually his name – Pramil. By the way, I predict that in 3 years this place will be the new Pamphlet or Ramalaud due to the punch line of the old joke – location, location, location. 0.5 La Traversiere, 40, rue Traversiere in the 12th, 01.43.44.02.10, closed Sunday evening and Mondays, was a place I’d read about, somewhere, months ago, that had undergone some change and specialized in game and fish, so it not only represented “newness” to me, I had waited months for game season to arrive to go. Well, like Humphrey Bogart, who famously came to Casablanca for the waters, I was misinformed. I cannot imagine anything new in it at all; it is a classic Pathé movie set, crummy old bistro. It does clearly say Gibiers on the outside and since that’s why I was there, I broke my rules about ordering the menu (the 30 € menu had just a civet de sanglier, which I always find too dry, and the 39.50 € menu, a civet of lievre, which I wasn’t in the mood for.) No, I lusted after either biche or pheasant and figuring that I could get biche anywhere, I ordered the pheasant – surprise! - it too was bone dry. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I entered to a warm welcome, the crowd was my type (in that I lowered the average age by at least ten years) and I felt reassured that these locals knew a good place and had been eating there forever (this was confirmed when the padre next to me finished his baba and left without paying, waving goodbye.) They had reasonably priced wine by the glass and various sized carafes although some of the prices on the wine carte raised my suspicion. The amuses were two types of charcuterie – not bad. I started with a huge chunk of terrine of lievre – dry and so-so but full of buckshot – a good sign. But then came the pheasant with chestnuts and I had trouble finishing my third bite – it’s a sad day when the best parts of a game dish are the roasted grapes not the sauce, pancetta, chestnuts or three purees, far less the pheasant. The bill was (ouch) = 51.40 €; the worst price-quality meal of the year. Scale (subject to fickleness and change): 10 - Giradet in the old days. 9 - Ducasse, Bocuse, Loiseau in their prime 8 - Ze Kitchen Galerie, Violin d’Ingres, Chez les Anges, Thierry Burlot now 7- Bistro Cote Mer at its flowering best 6 - Cinq Mars, Repaire de Cartouche 5 - Terminus Nord 4 - 2 Pièces Cuisine, a neighborhood place 3 - Le Bouclard, ditto 2 - Sale + Pepe, ditto 1 - le Nord-Sud, ditto 0 - Auguste, The Place Ø- Iode HS* = outside classification, unfair to rate given my state of mind that evening. N* = a place that if one lived nearby in the neighborhood (N) would be a great place to go to but gets a lower grade due to the schlep (perhaps unfairly). NN* = a place that if one lived nearby (N) in the neighborhood (N) would be a great place to go but gets a lower grade due to the horrible, immense, unpleasant schlep. Edited By John Talbott Nov 23 and Dec 19 for typos.

Yes, indeed, the new resto is called Au Petit Monsieur, wouldn't yah know the one week I fail to put up the link you'd want it.

The Week of November 13th, 2006 Monday, Le Fooding’s Elvira Masson wrote an article entitled “Rock in the Casbah” about a new couscous place Le Gourbi Palace, 48 rue Albert Thomas in the 10th, 01 42 08 45 20 from Monday to Saturday 12 :30-2 :30 and 5 :30-11 PM except Saturday lunch.. Du lundi au samedi de 12h30 à 14h30 et de 17h30 à 23h. Fermé samedi midi et dimanche, formula at lunch with a dish and coffee = 10,30 €. Parisist Monday had an article on L’As du Falafel by Robyn. Monday-Tuesday, in A Nous Paris, Jerome Berger awarded 3/5 blocks to Le Cameleon coordinates above, Jean Paul Arabian’s new place, where he enjoyed the leeks vinaigrette, foie gras and ray and they have a 25€ lunch formula (for 2 dishes); and his colleague Philippe Toinard gave 3/5 to l’Accolade, 23 rue Guillaume Tell in the 17th (where Miss Betsey used to be), lunch menu 20€, a la carte 34-47€, he commented particularly on the moules stuffed with parmesan, tuna and Breton Sable with pears and ice cream. Wednesday, Emmanuel Rubin’s “C’est Nouveau” in Figaroscope featured the 2 heart bistronomique place that has replaced the “adorable” {but I guess unprofitable} C’Amelot, 50, rue Amelot in the 11th, 01.43.55.54.04, open Tues-Saturday, running one 40-50 €, with a lunch formula for 19.50 €, where he thought the oeufs coque with a mushroom forestiere sauce were not bad and the double pork chop was beautiful but the accompaniments poorly done – noting that the charcuterie was Spanish. Three other places got 2 hearts as well; a half-kitsch/half-casbah place Gourbi Palace in the 10th; a intimate neo-bourgeoise place Pramil, 9, rue du Vertbois in the 3rd, 01.42.72.03.60, closed Sundays and Mondays, menu = 29 €, lunch formula 18 €, for leeks with anchovies, foie gras with pigs’ ears and 7-hour lamb; and the rebirth of Pharamond, coordinates well-known, in the 1st, taken over by an ex-l’Ami Louis person that runs one 40-50 € for escargots, tripes and rice pudding. Finally he gave a broken heart to La Toque Saint Germain in the 1st that serves dry, pitiful food to tourists around the Chatelet. As for this week’s “Dossier,” It’s all about wine bars and wine places where one can eat: Wine bars l’Abordage Le Bar des Artistes A la Vierge de la Reunion Cellars where one can eat Cremerie Caves Miard Les Coulisses du vin La Garde Robe Nono Places serving wines from a producer Drouant Lavinia Bistrot du Sommelier Ritz And also, consider : La Cave du Daron, Le Vin se livre + Le Vin de Soif An innovation, in a small box they give their preferences For breadth and finesse of its selection la Garde Robe + la Vierge de la Reunion For the food and quality of products l’Abordage + Caves Miard For the team and atmosphere Nono Francois Simon, went to Fish la Boissonnerie, coordinates well know, where he says to go for the good (Anglo) ambiance and not so bad food despite its lack of reputation for that. The menu-carte of 32.50 € seems to have interested him. Wednesday-Thursday in Le Monde Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote an article about this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau and recommended the gourmand, non-filtered, non-chapitalized wine of Michel Guignier (69910 Villié-Morgon : 04-74-04-22-24), available for 5.50 Euros from Yveline et Daniel Hallée at l'Œnothèque (the restaurant where you can also buy bottles to take-out) at 20, rue Saint-Lazare in the 9th, 01-48-78-08-76. He also wrote another article on the attempt to sell more French wine by sprucing up the labels; noting that close to 90 % of wines are bought by producers for less than 5 Euros a bottle. Wednesday in Paris Update. Richard Hesse wrote about three places he’s nostalgic about: Chez Clovis, Le Trumilou + Le Rubis. Thursday, Jean-Luc Petitrenaud, in this week’s l’Express wrote about one really established place in Paris La Fermette Marbeuf 1900 in the 8th as well as L'Auberge fleurie in Sars-Poteries. And also on Thursday, Thursday, Gilles Pudlowski in Le Point, reviewed in Paris: in his following it category: the Otalian restaurant Carmine + Dar Moha a Magrebian place; as well as finding La Regalade + Al Dente in good shape; and outside that Christian Sinicropi has replaced Christian Willer at La Palme d'or in Cannes, that Jacky has been succeeded by Christophe Marguin at the restaurant of the same name in Dombes, and a long tribute to the famed resto of Chagny – Lameloise. He also mentions a Basque gateau maker in St Jean de Luz – Etchebaster, his product of the week is Vodka and he gives a recipe for a Caipiroska cocktail. As I digested a bit back, Francois Simon predicted that Bertrand Gueneron, exLucas Carton would move to Au Bascou on the Rue Reamur at the beginning of April and this week’s “Croque Notes” has what I can only call a tribute to him, albeit a tribute to a very living chef. He (Simon) raves not only about the Basque cuisine but the desserts. {I hesitate to digest the latest Gault-Millau principally because it is difficult to differentiate the paid pages that look like news from the news pages that look like ads. In any case,} the November issue seems to like the new places - Ca Blanca, Petrus + Café M at the Park Hyatt Madeleine and find in good shape – Maximin, Le Soleil + Christian Etienne in Avignon but gave Le Bistro d’Edouards in Lourmarin a frowny face and La Chassagnette in Arles an insupportable one. In the November Where Alexander Lobrano recommended l’Ecallier du Bistrot + Au Coin des Gourmets the former for seafood, the latter for Indochinese cooking as well as Le Cou de la Girafe + Sensing for fine dining and the “brilliant new brasserie” Brasserie Printemps in the department store of the same name. {Lobrano’s reviews were brought to my attention a few years ago by an eGullet Society member and I’ve never really dug into the descriptions in the listings until this week when I discovered that he sometimes does what few critics in Paris dare do – give places a zetz – as when he comments that l’Ami Louis has “exhorbitant” prices, Benoit caters to “(very) affluent tourists,” that Lipp coasts “on its reputation despite merely passable food,” and that Helene Darroze’s dishes are “hit-or-miss.” I have new respect for a man who can take on the sacred cows that Americans incomprehensibly go gaga over.} His choices in the October issue were David Zuddas’s (Auberge de la Charme in Dijon) “fast eating” not fast food, menu at the BE boutiques in October only sadly; a reappraisal of Alcazar after 10 years, the Table de Fabrice, 13 quai de la Tournelle in the 5th, 01.44.07.17.57 with a 40 E menu and great views of the Seine, and the new Cave a Bulles artisanal beer place in the 4th. He also had a lengthy article on all the restaurants in museums: Les Ombres + Café Branly at the Quai Branly Georges at the Pompidou Le Grand Louvre + Cafés Marly, Richelieu, Mollien, Denon + Pyramide at the Louvre Café des Hauteurs + Restaurant d’Orsay at the Orsay Café des Techniques at the Arts & Metiers Salon des Porcelains at the Guimet Café/tea salon at the Jacquemart-Andre Tokyo Eat at the Palais de Tokyo Café de l’Homme at the museum of the same name and Ziryab at the Monde Arabe. Finally, in October he also recommended the new Bistrot Volnay. Saturday-Sunday, Bonjour Paris had two articles by Margaret Kemp entitled “GaultMillau 2007” on the fact that the guide gave its highest rating to Jean-Francois Piege of the Crillion and “Senderens triumphs at Senderens" as well as one by John Talbott on “How to avoid tourist traps.” Sunday in the JDD there was a full page article by Benoist Simmat on Recipes for Survival for Chefs, noting that Marc Veyrat would not be reopening his winter place in Megeve but instead had gone to Japan {NB Margaret Kemp in the article referenced above states it’s to save up for his much anticipated move into Paris}. It says he denies money problems. It then goes on to talk of various moves chefs have made to make ends meet: (1) Senderens “giving up” his stars and opening a new type resto and Guy Martin opening Sensing, Pierre Gagnaire Gaya and Savoy and Rostang opening branches, (2) cutting prices of lunch by 1/3rd (Passard, Camdebord, Rostang + Darroze to under 100 € and (3) chefs trading in on their names with books, courses, consulting and products. It winds up by saying that the big stars are Ducasse + Robuchon for their multi-national empires. In addition, there was a small box quoting Emmanuel Rubin, Francois Simon and Vincent Gregoire (advisor to Senderens criticizing the Michelin for essentially sticking to their old standards at a time when the world was moving toward “zapping.” Finally, Astrid T’Serclaes reviewed what she called the gay friendly Grizzli Café that she recommends for after-theatre dining. Please post comments here and not in the Digest thread.

I don't know his origin but he's a Louisville Ky food & wine critic. The second is a Brit site (Hamps), the third US and the fourth obviously NY.As for me, the one I went for was Echezeaux.

In the spirit of providing our members all the info they might want/need - two additional items re: Thanksgiving. One, the butcher on the Rue du Bac (maybe about #58) has a big sign in his window that he'll provide your turkey (d/t the area I suspect at a pricey price). And two, I stumbled upon a site of an American chef (for all I know one of us) who will come to your flat and cook it. Happy Thanksgiving. John

Pronouncing French Wine Terms and Names This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information for members of the eGullet Society. Please feel free to add links to additional sites, threads or posts or to add suggestions. The WSJ recently had an answer to a letter to Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher that gave several sites to consult to read and hear how wine names and terms are pronounced. It included: Robin Garr’s Wine Lovers Page’s Lexicon How Bordeaux’s are pronounced at Barry Bros & Rudd’s Pronunciation page The “Living, Audio” Wine Dictionary at Strat’s Place’s Wonderful World of Wine section and The Tasters Guild of New York’s Pronunciation Glossary

Hi.First off, I hope you'll check out our threads on brasseries that are in the compendium we've put together. Second, having taken my kids and grandkids to brasseries all over town for some years, I cannot imagine one that wouldn't meet your requirements. The steak, frites and seafood are not going to be of the top top quality - for that you'd have to go to the great but reasonable beef places like the Bis de Severo + Le Quincy or for seafood to l'Huitrier + Bistrot du Dome. And as for frites, I pass, although my crew swears by Leon de Bruxelles which I boycott on principal. Finally, 8 is not so many, on weekends (like this one) I saw many multigenerational tables of 6-8. As for Sensing, you'll find some mixed opinions here; I can't advise you, folks I respect come down on both sides but I personally did very very well.

I’ve had some additional thoughts on the Figaro article after re-reading it at lunch. First, it featured a photo of the Youpala Bisto in Saint Brieuc which was never referred to in the article. Second, regarding paying the bill, on closer inspection, almost all the respondents made one statement about themselves (ranging from - I always pay except when I’m recognized, to - well, one time I didn’t, well, actually it only amounts to 5-10% of the time anyway) and another about their staff (ranging from - they always pay, we have it budgeted - to they pay 1/3rd of the time.) Pudlo imperially declares that it’s OK to take freebies from “les grands” but not “les petits.” Finally, since all these guys and one woman know they’re going to be quoted in Figaro, I think one must take all the answers with a grain of salt. PS I’d remind everyone that one restaurateur commented a few years ago to either Simon or Pudlo or Morteau that the people calling up expecting a free lunch, were invariably Anglophonic types writing for obscure (to be generous) Anglosaxon publications/websites.

John, if you can, please find out what happened to Jean-Marie Robin. Or is he the "personable front man" to whom Laidback is referring? ← Well, I forgot part of the charge. I did drop by today and indeed the chef is serious (at least for someone who looks 12 years old), the carte interesting and the prices right (by me at least) but I forgot to ask what happened to Jean-Marie Robin. Next time.

For those of us who loved Le Reminet, I have bad, sad news: an eGullet Society member (who would have posted this herself save her trouble logging on) phoned last night to inform me that Hugues Gournay has sold it, after ten years of hard work and it would be a totally different place hence.

French Food Guides 2007 – Chapter 2 Saturday in Le Figaro Alexandra Michot and Francois Simon vastly simplified my job by summarizing what the food guides say this year. They asked the editors at each one, three questions: 1. What are your favorites? 2. Do you pay? 3. How often do you visit the places listed? And the answers: Michelin the ancestor 1. Une cuisine en ville in Dax. 2. Yes. 3. For starred places two visits a year; for others every 2-3 years. Lebey the Dean 1. Le Chateaubriand, Violin d’Ingres + Pres d’Eugenie in Eugenie les Bains. 2. Yes {although I have it on good authority that this is not 100% accurate.} 3. Every year and the date appears in the guide. Pudlo the notable 1. Hier & Aujourd’hui, Gorille Blanc + Sizin 2. He says he does {but implies others don’t}. 3. Every place is visited but not every year {again I have inside info that there may be long pauses between visits.) Champerard the rascal 1. Le Crillon, Auberge des Glazicks in Plomodiern and Pic in Valence. 2. Yes. 3. Every year. Gault Millau the {? Raymond} Poulidor 1. Caius, Christophe, l’Epuisette in Marseille and Magali & Martin in Lyon. 2. Yes, but if she (Patricia le Naour) is recognized and comp’d, she asks another staffer to revisit. 3. No, we visit a third a year. Bottin Gourmand the peaceful 1. In Meudon l’Escarbille, le Griffonier, + Le Petit Comptoir in Angers. 2. Yes we pay the check and tip. 3. About every three years {if my math holds.} Carnet de Route the pioneer 1. l’Atelier de Jean Luc Rabanel in Arles, l’Hostellerie Le Prieure in Lavoute Chilhac and Les Glazicks in Plomodiern. 2. We always pay but tip only 1/3rd of the time. 3. Only 42 of our listings weren’t revisited and we print the date of the visit. Le Fooding the restless one 1. In Bermicourt la Cour de Remi, Chateaubriand + Sa Qua Na in Honfleur 2. Yes, but impossible to do. 3. {No answer because someone divided the answer to #2 into two parts and omitted that to #3}. Moral of the story: The times they are a changin’. Gourmets have their feet on the ground and no longer want or use the old “bibles” (read the Michelin) but search the Web {That’s us folks!} and its blogs, etc., because they want what’s hot and fresh (for exemplified by Omnivore’s Carnet de Route + Le Fooding.)

Wednesday-Thursday in Le Monde Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote an article about this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau and recommended the gourmand, non-filtered, non-chapitalized wine of Michel Guignier (69910 Villié-Morgon : 04-74-04-22-24), available for 5.50 Euros from Yveline et Daniel Hallée at l'Œnothèque (the restaurant where you can also buy bottles to take-out) at 20, rue Saint-Lazare in the 9th, 01-48-78-08-76.

French Food Guides 2007 – Chapter 1 Today I had a chance to look over the first two guides to appear – the Pudlo Paris and the “big” Lebey. Here are some highlights: From the Pudlo Paris: Chef of the Year – Helene Darroze {I’ve already said enough about her PR abilities/spending) Strange tables of the year – Mori Venice Bar + Aida {I know, I know} Young chef of the year – Romain Corbière of Le Relais du Parc Bistrot of the year – Geraud Rongier {Whaaa? Who?} Best price/quality ratio – Hier et Aujourd’hui {Ah, at last I can agree.} Hostest with the mostest – Catherine Delaunay at La Luna Butcher of the year – Regalez-vous who supplies Gagnaire, Passard, Pacaud + Barbot Baker of the year – Veronique Mauclerc in the 19th Pastry-makers of the year – Le Pain de Sucre in the 3rd. From M. Lebey, the following Coups de Coeur {there is no translation}: Great places Le Meurice Senderens Astrance Le Pre Catalan Traditional cooking Ribouldingue Le Cameleon Le Comptoir Josephine Chez Dumonet Le Violin d’Ingres Le Repaire de Cartouche Le Cerisaie La Table Lauriston Caves Petrissans Le Baratin Le Chambord Modern cooking Ze Kitchen Galerie Spoon Le Chateaubriand Avant Gout World food Fogon

No idea. I have an IBM connected via France Telecom/Aol ADSL and I have no trouble.By the way, thanks to both Fresh_a and Dave for the links.