Laidback

Le Grand Pré in Roaix Les Abeilles in Sablet Chateau Mazan in Mazan Les Florets in Gigondas Auberge de la Garenne(casual with terrace) in Crestet Mas d'Entremont just outside Aix en Provence

There is a new restaurant on Grenelle where the relatively recently relocated Soleil was, What happened to the home of Baba Géant?

Laidback: Tx for the report, but for 3 what was the final bill and how much do the wines run? I am going with another cheapie next week and have gastric distress already. ← John our grand total bill for 3 was 503€. 22€/glass for Billecart Salmon champagne 12€/glass- verre vin rouge 139€ bottle of 2006 Condrieu Chaillées de l'Enfer Vernay 7€/cup of café du Panama 8€/bottle of Saint-Géron water I thought that the food cost was fair and the wine list exhorbitant, but who am I to say? The Condrieu was the best any of the 3 of us had tasted, much superior to the 85€ Condrieu 2006 from Gaillard we had for lunch. Perhaps you should start on proton pump inhibitors already.

We went to Agapé last friday with the prettiest of the hosts on this forum and I will allow her to post her impressions of the meal which was the €77 menu. The food was so good that we forgave the disjointed service and reserved again today for lunch. The outside appearance is standard street appeal: but the interior is nicely done and the linens, china, glass and silverware are beyond reproach. The 3 very affable servers immediately remembered us and knew what we had ordered before...ego salve. They did lose a few points by asking where our "daughter" was today. All products were from name brand suppliers: Bordier butter both salted and blended with seaweed, mini-baguettes from Poujauran, meat from Hugo Desnoyer, cheese from Antony; you get the idea. They were again practically complet and again the food was light years ahead of the service, which was even more friendly than before, but even more discombobulated. We ordered the €39 luncheon menu...The terrific Condrieu wine arrived and 55 minutes later our entrée had not appeared. Laurent, the main man, finally realized we had been forgotten and offered the parsley root soup that we had had Fri. night as an extra entrée while our veau cru fumé from M. Desnoyer that we had ordered was being plated. Then immediately upon finishing that, our main courses were delivered. I politely reminded them of our previously ordered entrée and in about 1 min. it was produced with apologies, and was superb. After the proper delay( not 55 mins.) our main courses arrived; Ms. Laidback ordered the Desnoyer lamb which we had enjoyed Fri. and I had probably the best quality/prepared Lieu Jaune I have ever put fish fork to, served with the ever popular oyster foam with tiny grey shrimp and Grenaille potatoes: For dessert Ms. L. had the same delicious cold carrot soup with blood orange sorbet as before, whereas I had the best Comté cheese I can remember, a 2004 vintage from the exclusive affineur fore noted. The coffee was served with Jacques Genin caramels and basil chocolates. In my opinion this quality of product, perfectly cooked is a steal for €39 but tread VERY carefully through the wine, champagne and Armagnac(no Cognac available...points deducted) list or your credit card will melt before your eyes.

For about a year now, since it opened, I have walked by the Bistro Canaille about 4 or 5 times on my way to Carte Blanche which is only a few doors down on Rue Lamartine. It always had`a clean, pleasant street appeal and prices low enough to be worrisome as to the quality. Yesterday Ms. L. and I gave it a shot and were very pleased. There are only about 20 seats and if it was full you would meet your dining neighbors. We discovered why this place is affordable and at the same time good; husband and wife team, no expensive products, i.e., foie gras, truffles, but rather proudly prepared items such as starters of warm lentilles vertes with rillons de veau and pastorale salad with pine nuts dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; house special of joues de cochon au caramel with mashed potatoes seasoned with mustard seeds and poitrine de veau served like pot au feu in a broth with carrots and courgettes The riz au lait was unusual, but good, sprinkled with nuts and dried fruit. Bread was acceptable, coffee from Richard, wines affordable; we had a pichet of Chapoutier Cote du Rhone for €17 2 courses are €22; 3 for €28 or you can simply order a single plate for €16 at noon. I don't urge you to cross multiple arrondissements to eat here as it is just a simple bistro, but I have done much worse for much more money.

3 stars I rate very highly are Olivier Roellinger, Troigros, Astrance. My least favorite would be Pierre Gagnaire. It has been a few years since I visited 2 others which at the time were superb; Auberge de L'Ill and Les Crayeres.

Very subjective but: Salade frisée aux lardons oeuf pochée=Chez Georges in the 2nd Cassoulet (Montauban style)=Violon d'Ingres joue de cochon=Bistro Canaille in the 9th grilled turbot, beurre Nantais=La Grille in the 10th.

Thanks for clearing the air fresh_a; if anyone is to be believed on this subject it should certainly be you.

John I am a little unclear which restaurant you are referring to; because of your 6.0 rating it must be l'Epigramme.

Host's note So as to explain the sequence of posts here, Julot actually mentioned his meal at l'Acajou March 18th on the Les Magnolias topic. Then Laidback below responded. I thought we shoulod have an entire topic on the resto and Julot kindly responded. So let's continue our observations here. Thanks. Julot I think yours may be the 1st mention of l'Acajou since I listed it among my favorite "new places of 2004". Glad to hear that your polished palate agreed with my less educated one. I plan on visiting it again next month.

nicely done Ameiden; I am amused at the image of Fernand Point dining at Pic!

John, I am a bit confused as to which restaurant you paid a return visit; would you mind specifying for the more dense among your readers?

John , what do your sources have to say about "Jean" since Benoit Bordier has left?

Degustibus and all that jazz...did you see this thread?

Holy Moly John...what a catharsis of culinary criticism you inflicted upon yourself...17 thorough reviews in one fell swoop! I went from starving for your unique critiques to a feast, all in the span of one post. You don't receive nearly enough credit for the fine job you do...a big thanks from me.

Anchoiade, picholine and Nyons olives, pelardon, caviar d'aubergines....

Julot, has anyone mentioned lately how much we appreciate you? For some unknown reason I have never dined at Les Elysées, but that will change during our Spring visit this year after your descriptions. It is obvious that you are no plouc with a knife and fork in hand.

You have an amazing itinerary. I am a glutton but even so would be challenged to follow your dining plans. I agree with Felice that Chez Denise(and also imho, Relais Venise) could be skipped for honeymoon material. Your Sat. in Montmartre could possibly be close to you at Le Café Qui Parle which serves brunch then and the delightful couple are very happy to use their excellent English . I can think of few places more spectacular for the proposal than Les Crayeres in Reims and they will arrange a complimentary tour of the Pommery champagne caves which is just across the street from them.

Les Zygomates in the 12th arrondissement has a very good selection at moderate prices.

Thanks for bearing the sad news. He was the epitome of graciousness.

An interesting idea/list; I crossed B. A., Table, Bouquinistes and Marlotte off my list as well, but what prompted your removal of Carte Blanche, as I still enjoyed it as of last Oct.? A slip in product, service, inventiveness??? Enquiring minds want to know.

I have repeatedly ordered Christian Constant's version at Le Violon d'Ingres since he changed from a luxe, gourmet restaurant to an upscale, gourmet bistro a couple of years back. The change included a significant price reductiuon as well. It is infinitely more to my liking than some of the lesser quality, inconsistent offerings around town, e.g. Fontaine de Mars.

No, hey, we make up the rules as we go along, non?So maybe there should be two categories: 1. Places you'd go back to if they still existed as they did then (and I'll contribute Giradet, Pere Bise, le Barriere de Clichy + Robuchon). 2. Places you'd go back to now if it's the last meal: Again, I'll throw in Ze, Spring + le Bristol - the latter if I could afford and eat it all. ← Among existing places in Paris, Ms. L said that I would choose L'Astrance or the Bristol and for extinct places perhaps the Duquesnoy on rue Bosquet. Expanding to the whole of France, I would probably choose Les Crayeres under Boyer, but Troisgros and Roellinger ignite warm memories as well.

To finish up my report on restaurants in the 18th, I would like to add that after being unable to tolerate the long line for the €15 weekend brunch at the Café Qui Parle, we made reservations for lunch on a week day and were quite impressed with the product, cuisine and especially the charm of the young couple in charge. He, the chef, worked in Manhattan with Daniel Boulud (among other French super stars) and she, the everything else, was formerly with the Four Seasons group in NYC, Las Vegas and Paris. They gladly and proficiently speak English although the day we were there we were the only anglophones. This is not your average café at all, more a classy little bistro and is located at the corner of Caulaincourt and Tourlaque about a block from the Montmartre cemetary. You can eat well for only €12 which my wife did; a well seasoned split pea soup and a generously garnished chicken fricassée with grilled pineapple. I chose instead an exceptional wild mushroom velouté followed by an excellent filet of duckling stuffed with apricots and garnished with gnocchi and girolles : This place was taken over by the present young couple about a year ago and has been relatively low profile, but not anymore since OIL (Our Illustrious Leader, aka, Dr. Talbott) gave it a very favorable, and in my opinion well deserved review. The chef has technique, creativity and uses good provender plus his mate is genuinely warm and friendly. My guess is that as the word spreads one will need reservations lunch and dinner and the prices will ease upward. Go soon.

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. ← Yes, John related that to me. Your visit was shortly after my 1st visit and I have taken photos all 3 times. Admittedly, the original maitre d' was much stiffer and more formal than the friendly young man who replaced him and who actually seemed pleased that I took photos. What a disastrous mistake to forbid you of all people to take photos!