pierre45
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Posts posted by pierre45
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"But with so many other places to visit, and such a poor first experience, I promised myself not to chance it again... We shall see."
Zeitoun, I relate to this comment. I had the same reaction when I visited Le Pré Verre shortly after it opened, even though I had been a big fan of the Delacourcelle bros. at Clos Morillons. Since my visit Pré Verre subsequently was showered with accolades from every reviewer, but my remembrance of the dried out, terminally overcooked joue de cochon I was served lingers on. Just a bad day I am sure.
I find the food at Le pre verre uneven,the service harried and the place overly crowded and noisy.So i don't think it was a bad day.Therefore as Zeitoun stated
There are many other places to visit
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Thanks to David’s suggestion, we went to Le Bambou the other night and loved it.
Felice - A bit late for this week, but maybe useful info for the future is Thursday-Friday's Le Monde, in which Jean-Claude Ribaut, wrote a long article - “Kim Anh, Vietnam in Paris,” about this 30 year old resto, chef’d for 20 of those years by Caroline Kim Anh. It’s at 51, avenue Emile-Zola in the 15th, 01.45.79.40.96, open every night except Monday, gastronomic menu = 34, a la carte about 40 E.
I concur with John,another excellent vietnamese restaurant is Le Banyan,again in the 15th.Around 30 E
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But do not take kids if you think you will have any special requests.
I’m not really surprised by your waiter’s response as special requests are much more unusual in Paris that they would be in the States. In the US special requests are fairly common and for many reasons are usually accommodated, even if the kitchen throws a fit when they come in—which they often do. The waiters, knowing they are working for a tip, will do everything in their power to ensure the customer gets their request, even if it means battling with cranky line cooks, because it means more money in their pocket. In France there is not this incentive and I’m sure for various other reasons, it’s just not done that much. From my experience working in a restaurant in Paris, I’ve noticed that people here generally order what’s on the menu, they don’t ask for sauce on the side, and they don’t ask for the sauce that’s normally meant to go on the duck, to be put on their chicken, etc, etc. Probably, because they wouldn’t get it even if they did. It’s just not done. Of course, there are exceptions and people do make the occasional special request, but there’s no guarantee that it will be granted and people know that and accept it. The regular who’s been going to the same café for xx years, can ask for whatever they want, because they’ve built up a relationship with the staff and every one knows them. A first time customer will not get this service, but if you go back a few times, you will.
I know it seems like a simple thing for the waiter to just go and get some raw vegetables from the walk-in in the kitchen, but depending on how busy it is, you might get your head torn off. In my experience in restaurants, the less interaction the waiter has with the kitchen, the better.
I’m sure people who have worked in kitchens could give a little more insight.
An excellent explanation.This is specially true if you're a one time visitor.In starred restaurants special requests are usually accomodated.
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Is France different from its European neighbors in this regard? Do Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Italy, etc have a history of embracing ethnic food? I am happy to stand corrected but don't believe so. And I do not mean an Italian restaurant in Vienna as an example.
LOndon and paris have the most ethnic food in europe.
Indian and lebanese food is 1st rate in london.Indian food in london is much better than in Paris for obvious reasons.Lebanese food however is better in Paris.
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WE HAVE BEEN EATING AT COMPASS for years .Its like a revolving door, chefs come and go. We enjoyed it mostly when it was named marika and under chef katy sparks however our recent dinner with the latest chef John fraser was really mediocre at best.Its very amateurish.there is an effort to be creative that ends up as duds.Too bad.the location of the restaurant because of its closeness to Lincoln center is excellent
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Dear fresh_a,
This is the address of Thierry Burlot's restaurant. Was it formerly Detourbe's?
I asked T Burlot about Philipe Detourbet,as he to0k over his restaurant.
It seems detourbet has opened a bistrot in the 17th .I forgot the name.Let me know if you find it.
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Ptipois, I'm glad you now seem to be acknowledging the existence of numerous factors other than immigration in determining the spread of non-French restaurants in France -- otherwise it would be hard to point to enough American immigrants to explain 900 McDonald's stores. I'm still, however, intrigued by the blanket assertion that "the French don't as a rule like spicy flavors but that this never was an obstacle to the opening of non-french restaurants that serve a de-spiced version of the original cuisines." How have you made this determination? What magic apparatus allows you to conclude that the number of Vietnamese restaurants in Paris serving de-spiced Vietnamese food to a capsicum-fearing public is exactly the same as the number of Vietnamese restaurants that would be serving piquant Vietnamese food in a hypothetical Paris where the population loved hot peppers and strong spice flavors?
THe existence and proliferation of non french restaurants in paris is a function of market forces.In other words its a matter of demand and supply.
DEmand for ethnic food is created by new immigrants ,travel experiences and marketing( i,e Mcdonald).With new immigrants mom and pop joints start appearing to meet the need of immigrants, th're usually quite authentic,cheap & not fancy.With time better lit and larger restaurants start appearing geared mostly to the FRench ,therefore they are made to appeal to the french palate ,therefore spices are toned down.quality of ingredients improved and ending up sometimes with a refined version of the native cuisine.THe french in general demand high stds as a result some restaurant acheive a high level of culinary excellence.
Also because of the market some type of restaurants may flourish for a while and than disappear.i,e armenian.
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This is an interesting topic that gets discussed once in a while with my friends who are into food.
My comments are based on my residence in Paris and having travelled extensively in most of the countries discussed.The list starts with the best .
-Lebanese food.Paris abounds with Lebanese restaurants ,groceries and bakeries.
Sometimes the food is better than what one finds in lebanon,except perhaps the sweets.The high quality of ingredients are the reason
-Vietnamese food.The food is not 100% authentic,because the spice level is lower .
However the ingredients are better than in vietnam .
-Maroccan.Quite good because of ingredients but spices toned down.still quite good.
- Chinese.High end chinese is respectable and quite refined and better than in China but not honk kong.I have been disapointed in most of the food in china.poor ingredients and also lack of communication.
-Thai.Some delectable cuisine meant for the french palate.Toned way down & not authentic.
I am not mentionning Korean,Armenian,African,Iranian & russian cuisines since they are not as numerous as the ones listed above.
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Recently i had dinner in some new restaurants with an excellent qualiy/price relationship.Average cost for a 3 course meal was about 30 euros ,excuding wine.
LA REGALADE.I was curious to see how the new chef Bruno Doucet compares to the previous one Y camdeborde.We had for appetizers,brandade de morue covered by a salade in olive oil and pesto dabs,wich was declared tasty,however the foie gras quenelle in asparagus foamed broth was truly unique.
Main dishes of poitrine de cochon over mashed potatoe was a bit heavy,however quite tasty.the rice pudding with caramel sauce dessert was from a huge bowl with unlimited helpings.Overall dinner was enjoyable but it lacked the inventive touch of the previous chef.
TEMPS AU TEMPS.A husband /wife team in a very small space.We had soup of yam and tomatoe layered and served in a glass.visually striking and delicious.mains of roast pork was tender and juicy,and an asparagus rissotto dish was rich and flavorful.Panna cotta dessert was truly refreshing. The quality of the cuisine is quite high in this restaurant and the service by Mme efficient and friendly.
CINQ MARS.Another small restaurant located in a fancy section of Paris.Lots of young and attractive people.Quite a hip place.crevettes with mayonnaise and fresh goat cheese and tempenade were pleasant.The Main dish of tuna carpaccio was standard but the pot au feu with mustard and cornichon quite tasty.
The cuisine here is not exciting but the place is fun
LA CERISAIE.Mme takes care by herself of this 11 table restaurant,while Mr cooks.THe cuisine is southwest with strong basque influence.
Calamari salad was ok but the boullion with quenelle was too salty.
Plat of foie gras was excellent and another main dish of young lamb was succulent.
Pain perdu with armagnac as dessert was a lost cause however the chocolate tarte was scrumptious.
This restaurant seems very uneven,but there is a true effort to please
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I'm on a borrowed conection so can't spend much time writing about my visit yesterday to Pierre Herme's shop on rue Bonaparte, so here's the next best thing, a few pics I took.
SD
I just had a few of the above as dessert.Delicious,of course and beautiful looking but paris abounds with many boulangeries that don't cost as much.
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i'm looking for ideas for my famous friend from a famous newspaper who's visiting paris, and her recommendations from an equally famous writer were chez denise, chez michel, and cafe moderne. also l'os de moelle. i think that chez michel is not as good as it used to be so thats off my list. and i haven't been to the other two......chez denise is a scene.
so i said okay, chez denise, but they want to go at 7 pm to avoid the crowd as they are unsure of themselves in a big crush in french, the communal tables and all...... what do we think?
any other suggestions? which cheese shop would you' all recomend, which bakery for crouissants (i have the recommendateion from LKCHU for the oragnic maison kayser on rue monge and will take them there.......maybe marriage freres......
merci beaucoup in advance,
marlena
Eh bien si vous aimez la foule go by all means to the ones you have mentionned ,
however if you really want to impress your famous friend , many other bistrots are much better.you need to make some research.They have been discussed on this site.Bonne chasse et appetit
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I used to love Bastide D'Odeon and have probably visited there more than any other Parisian restaurant. But I was dissapointed the last time, a couple of years ago. I sometimes bring a group, never more than 5 or 6 total. This last time they gave us a serverely limited menu. I complained about not being told about it, but they would not budge. Does anyone know if this is still the case there? I realize that service may have been a bit slower with the regular menu but we were willing and the restaurant was certainly not busy that night! I love Giles cooking but I do not like being treated like a stupid American.
I spoke with gilles about the poor experiences some of my friends have had.
He agreed that beeing human that happens ,however de does his best most times.
I told him that he is discussed over the internet,he was curious about that and said he will check it out.Next time ,if you have any problems ,mention the internet as your source of info.
Incidentally if you make a reservation at least week ahead ,usually you get a better table and tratment.
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I revisited these old favorites after a few years absence.I normally prefer the discovery of new talents and visit mostly new places( like john ,i guess).
Thierry burlot has reduced his prices recently as reported by john and i was curious about the changes.He incidentally is also the chef at the new baccarat restaurant.He is young and talented.his cuisine is modern with an inventive twist.
The langoustine ravioli with coriander was an interplay of texture and taste,delicious and the st pierre prepared at the table was fresh with a fragrant sauce,just delightful.The dessert a mango mousse with chunks of pomelo was refeshing .A red chinon went bautifully with the meal.Total cost for 2 was 118 euros including the wine.The menu at 32 euros was full wth supplements and the wine list had very few at around 30 e.
La bastide d'odeon seems to have kept its high standards. It is a Provencal type cuisine, generous and tasty. My long conversation with Gille Ajuelos, the chef, who incidentally is a friend of Thierry Burlot, gave me an impression of being a man who is honest and dedicated. For appetizer, I had a salmon tartare with a potato cake doused with olive oil, very tasty. The main dish was a Grenadin de veau de Correze which was young veal, very flavorful. Also, my companion started with a meillefuille of eggplant wrapped around a light chevre and topped with grilled tomato, simple yet pleasing. Her main dish was a Durade accompanied with gnocchi and wild mushrooms which she enjoyed. For desert, I tried the tarte au pomme, always satisfying and she tried the moelleux au chocolate which always pleases a chocoholic. The wine was an unusual Corsican white with unheard of local grapes, spicy and with fragrant fruit. The whole meal cost 104 Euro with the wine.
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What a marathon .What was the lenght of time? Thank you for your well written and humerous report.
I agree completely with you about L'auberge bressane and chez les anges.
The food is boring at l'auberge and downright bad chez les anges.
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Don't think I'm going to pop out these corks in quite a while. I've been told that these sweet and semi-sweet Vouvrays last forever, only getting more interesting with every year. So, I'll let you know in 2011 ;)
You are quite right . The wines from Huet improve with age and last a long time.
I had a 1924 recently .It was unbeleivable .The fruit was intense and multilayered.
the wine was not demi sec any more it was completely dry.
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Very nice report with a touch of humour .I look forward to reading about your experience at M Bras.
A bientot
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Sorry for this Chowhound type ? but I know I can trust the E-Gulleters for an accurate response and Im a bit rushed for time being that I get into Paris tmw.
Should be arriving at the Gare de Lyon around 1pm. Ill rendez vous with some friends at Le Train Bleu for a cocktail then planned to drop our bags off at the flat in the 11th and head via metro to Mon Vieil Ami for our first meal. Looks like we may be cutting it a bit close considering I recall they finiish seating for lunch at 2pm. That said, considering Le Repaire de Cartouche as an alternative choice.
Is it walking distance from the Gare de Lyon? Is there a better choice within a
15 minute walk of the Gare de Lyon?
a la biche au bois.45 ave ledru rollin
Hearty, robust cuisine.REasonable,very popular and friendly. Expect Jean Gabin to walk at any moment.
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Thanks for the information. Thierry Burlot is on, and L'Argenteuil and L'Atree are off.
I would suggest the following ,in the 15th, both with excellent qualite/prix.
-La chaumiere
-Le gastroquet
Bon appetit
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Next week, Im in Paris for 2 days of eating prior to a wedding in London. Have not been to paris in over 12 years. Been sorting through these boards and have a decent itinerary consisting of art, food, food, food, art, food - Can't wait.
Im staying in a flat in the 17th Ar. John Talbott mentioned it's an up and coming restaurant area but I haven't been able to unearth any specifics. Can anyone point me in the proper direction of a solid bistro, cheese shop, patisserie etc in the general vicinity?
Best choices for bistrots are
-l'entredgeux
-Beatilles
-tante jeanne
Bon appetit
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Thanks. It sounds like a good value for a two-three star establishment. I think we will give it a go.
Do you know anything else about the chef, Jean Pierre Vigato?
He is a talented chef and his restaurant L'apicius was one of the best 2 stars for the money. I have eaten there on numerous occasions.
I would welcome any comments about his new restaurant ,specially about some of his dishes. Actually i am planning to dine there in may.
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Sorry,i should have written mostly still water since badoit is a light sparkling water.
New york came 1st perhaps because quite a few of the participants were from new york.
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The City of Paris has begun a campaign to get Parisians to drink more tap water. I have noticed that in the last 5-6 years, restaurants are also serving more tap water. It is no longer taboo to ask for tap water in French restaurants; many of them bring the water in beautiful carafes, some in pitchers, some in wine-type bottles-- but always with flair!
Can anyone get me that Pierre Cardin carafe?
I conducted a blind tasting of non sparkling water in paris last winter.
We tasted in crystal glasses evian. vittel, badoit ,paris tap water and new york city tap water. the results were as follows
-new york tap
-Badoit
-paris tap
-evian
-vittel
Incidentally in restaurants i always order carafe of Chateau de la seine (paris tap
water).
I think the perceived difference between the various bottled water is psychological due to marketing by the various companies.
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Lunch at L'Abadache 89, rue Lemercier 17th This was our most disappointing meal.
Ouch; I think I'm the main cheerleader for l'Abadache so I'm concerned it may have fallen off. With all the new places to try, I've not been back in quite a while.
I had dinner at l'abadache in mid dec and i was very disapointed with the restaurant.
They seated me in the communal table, all by myself which felt like beeing in siberia.
They refused to give me a table ,saying its for 2 .This is not the usual treatment for solo diners in Paris.Service was terrible i had to go and pick my own bread basket and had to remind the inexperienced waitress a few times about the wine that i had ordered.The food was average .I wondered what john saw in this restaurant.The only logical explanation was that he may be known by the owner or that the resataurant has deteriorated.
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In December 2002, we ate at what was then known as Quinze, and now is eponymously called Thierry Burlot, 8, rue Nicholas Charlet in the 15th (of course), 01.42.19.08.59. We thought it was great food then but the forced choices (2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts) for 42 E seemed expensive and limiting. For whatever reason(s), Burlot has revamped the offerings and now has a 26 E lunch formula and 32 E menu-carte, which despite lots of supplementary charges, offers a huge variety of terrific food for a reasonable cost (142 E for 3 of us); e.g., firsts such as wonderfully herbed langoustines and succulent shrimp raviolis with a piquant lime sauce, seconds such as lamb’s leg, veal with an intense red wine sauce with veggies and salmon, and desserts ranging from licorice crème brulee to caramel sauce on caramel ice cream (that was incredible). Lesson learned: occasionally it pays to return to the oldies that have been set aside for reasons that seemed sound at the time.
My last dinner at T Burlot was about a year ago and i thought that the qualite ,
prix relationship was not that attractive,specially since previousely he offered 3 course dinner for about 32 euros. I am glad to see that he has gone back.
The food is excellent value at the new price.Its modern cuisine,with an inventive twist.The setting with table clothed widely spaced seating is very attractive. One can spend a lovely evening ,listening to Cesaria Evora.the chef's favorite singer without worrying about one's bank account.
I should add that john unearth's restaurants that no one talks about.
Also ,except occasionally, i seem to aggree with his comments .
Consistency and Inconsistency
in France: Dining
Posted
Je suis tout a fait d'accord avec toi,Felice.However there is the point that john was making about inconsistensies in restaurants.This is a fact and its true in all restaurants,however to a lesser extend in starred ones.
Chefs & their teams are human and make mistakes or are too busy or tired.Perfection does not exist. For some it's not often and they are the ones that prosper.