Chocolate & Zucchini

Coincidentally (I had not yet seen the NYT article, or this topic), I had lunch at Coco & Co today. Intrigued by the "Coco burger" listed on the menu, I asked about it, and was told it was served only on weekends -- just thought I'd mention it in case anyone wants to give it a try. (I had a very good vegetable omelet instead, followed by a homemade yogurt that rivals my mother's, and I recommend the place. It is tiny and cute, though not in a cloying way, and the service is good-natured.) Clotilde.

Thanks for the kind words, Felice and John! It's somewhat difficult for me to compare my work to that of others, but if I may, I can point you to the mini-site I've set up for Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris. You'll find a presentation of the book, as well as reviews and excerpts. As for a Paris booksigning, I have yet to put one together for this book, but I am hoping to arrange something in the fall. Cheers, Clotilde.

Funny - my friend and I had lunch there on the same day. We also ordered the 39-euro lunch menu, but our amuse and dessert were different from yours, Daemon (or perhaps the one you mentioned was the extra one you'd ordered?): Bread: Mini baguette from Poujauran + Bordier butter, sweet or "smoked" (they'll soon switch to regular Poujauran pain de campagne as these miniature baguettes are too time-consuming to make) Amuse: Fennel soup with black olives, lard-topped crouton (fennel + olive is a winning combination; the overall result was a tad salty for me, especially when you factor in the slice of Colona lard) Starter: Parsley root soup, herb emulsion (great flavor, would have wished for a crunchy element in there somewhere) Main: Saint-Pierre (John Dory), oyster foam, grenaille potatoes from Noirmoutier (a well-executed classic -- well, apart from the foam; the lunch menu has you pick fish or meat -- meat that day was lamb) Dessert: Sweet carrot soup, blood orange sorbet (excellent mix of spices in the soup, and I would have bought a liter of that sorbet if it were for sale) Coffee: you get a choice between Ethiopia, Panama, and I forget what the third was (7 to 8 euros), and it came with a fresh mint ganache and a passionfruit caramel from -- you've guessed it -- Jacques Genin. A fine meal overall -- good value, pleasant atmosphere, friendly and efficient staff. I do think the chef might balance the lunch menu a little better: however good each of them was, that was a lot of soup for one fixed menu! I'll add that the business card lists a website, which is not working yet but might in the future (who knows, this is France after all): http://www.agape-paris.fr. Clotilde.

You're very welcome -- have a great time! [if anyone's interested, here is the blog entry Fibilou refers to.] Clotilde.

Last time I checked, the opening days and hours were Mon-Sat 8:30am-6:30pm. Clotilde.

I've been less than impressed by Le Meurice, and utterly disappointed by Le Grand Véfour. I should note that I haven't had dinner at either and have only tested their weekday lunch deals, but the way I see it, a meal at a starred restaurant should be a stellar experience regardless of the time of day and the menu you choose. (Conversely, the weekday lunch menus I've had at Le Bristol, Les Ambassadeurs, and Le Pré Catelan were fabulous. Great bang for your buck.) Clotilde.

I don't just jump to the punch line, but I am certainly guilty of scanning -- so many reviews, so little time! Most reviews I read en diagonale, as the French expression goes, and get a general feeling for the writer's opinion. If I get the impression that the review is witty, well documented, and/or particularly pertinent, then I'll go in and read it more carefully. Also, when there's a rating, such as in the Figaroscope's C'est nouveau section, I don't even scan the one-hearters or broken hearts, unless it's a restaurant I've been to, or had a mind to try. I should note that 99% of the reviews I scan/read are scanned/read online, and this certainly accounts for my limited attention span. Clotilde.

Thanks for the heads-up and good news, Braden. It remained closed for so long I thought he had thrown in the towel... Hope the haircut was a success, too! Clotilde.

Funny -- when I had lunch there with John a while ago, they forbid me from taking pictures (which completely turned me off, I have to say). Perhaps they've finally understood that pictures = free online publicity = people actually coming to their restaurant? Clotilde.

Patrice Chapon has two shops in Paris: one at 52 av. Mozart in the 16th, the other at 69 rue du Bac in the 7th.

I was sourly disappointed by my lunch at Le Grand Véfour last spring. The service was sketchy, the food was average -- not *at all* three-star food -- and the tables so close to one another the atmosphere felt stuffy. I might go back and try the dinner service if I get the opportunity, but from my one experience, it seems they're not putting in a lot of effort at lunchtime. As far as luxurious lunch menus go, I enjoyed Les Ambassadeurs and Le Bristol much, much more. (Le Meurice did not impress me either.) Clotilde.

Les Cocottes have just opened, it seems -- see Caroline Mignot's report. I look forward to checking it out. The great news is that it is (so far) open every day. No phone number yet, but it is on the same Rue Saint-Dominique block as the others, and they don't take reservations anyway! Clotilde.

I don't have another ferme-auberge to recommend, as Le Castelas is the only one I've ever been to in this area, but I thought you might be interested in my report from a visit a couple of years ago, if you haven't googled upon it already. Clotilde (no relation to the one Margaret refers to!)

I hadn't mentioned Wally le Saharien in my initial post because I was under the impression that it was Algerian (from Kabylia, more specifically), but I may be wrong. In any case, I had dinner there a little over a year ago and the food was okay, but I wouldn't rush back: the atmosphere was sinister that night, and the service was very slow even though there were just two tables in addition to ours. Also, they only offer a fixed four-course 40+ menu (no choices) at dinner, something they fail to mention when you call to reserve, and this ended up being more food than we would have ordered if we had had a choice. Clotilde.

Dear all, I love Moroccan cuisine, but I've yet to find the ideal Moroccan restaurant in this city, one that would serve authentic food at reasonable prices and in an unpretentious atmosphere. L'Oriental -- formerly on rue des Martyrs in the 18th, now on avenue Trudaine in the 9th -- is no good imho (bland dishes, clueless service) and I've been told that La Mansouria has gone downhill so steeply it is now practically underground. A bit of online research has turned up such suggestions as L'Atlas, Chez Omar, le 404, and the recently opened Gourbi Palace, but I'm wondering if the first two still live up to their reputation, and whether the latter two aren't too branché for their own good. Any thoughts or recommendations to share? (And I wouldn't mind a super basic hole-in-the-wall, unencumbered by the obligatory Arabian Nights paraphernalia.) Many thanks! Clotilde. PS: I've searched the forums and couldn't find a recent discussion on the subject, but feel free to point me to it if there is one.