julot-les-pinceaux

I went to Roellinger's last november. Here are report and pictures. It is probably my favourite restaurant today, though a very special one.

Absolutely. But a different bottom line.

I had a deep emotional connection to the place and the man, and it took me a while to be able to express what I think about the restaurant then and now. Here is what I eventually came with, five years later. The fascination around Loiseau's suicide overshadowed what his specific style and talent were, and I feel that no one paid tribute to it (except Alain Passard, the only chef I ever heard talking about Loiseau also as a chef and not only as a person). I also feel that no one pays attention to the new chef, Patrick Bertron, who is talented and, in my opinion, very far from merely continuing what Loiseau did, if at all. Actually, I keep trying to ask them to cook for me as they did at the time, and they just don't.

I beg to differ. As industries "rationalize" their production more and more, they tend to ensure that the lifetime of their products is just enough over the warranty time, so it does not cost them much in repair but maximizes their sales overtime. This comes for the electronic industry and cell phones and DVD players are prime examples. But appliances that get used (say washing machines) tend to follow that rule, alas. Of course stoves can hardly get used.

It is very impressive. Very virtuoso.

All in all, I would have found the experience annoying if I had had to pay for it (I did not this time). The quality is there, no doubt about it, though the truffles we had smelled good but tasted of nothing. Food was very precious, very virtuoso, like this blanc manger de truffe -- the yok is suspended in whipped white with chives and truffle, the whole thing is cooked in a cylinder. The result is lighter than air, very very impressive. There's a rosace of truffle on top added after cooking of course and a dark truffle sauce served in the plate. It's a good support for the truffle, but as I said the truffle itself is no good, and the thing lack salt and, most importantly, any kind of crisp. It also lacks some acidity that would give it a kick. The best dish of the night was the sweetbread "brun et blanc", so roasted and braised. There's a parallelepiped of brown ris de veau, on top of it three balls of white ris de veau, serving as pillars for a rectangle of toasted bread (obviously the same size as the parallelepiped), and on top of that some sort of little moutains of I don't know what and tiny discs of truffle. Of course a veal juice is poured on that plate and the whole thing offer a nice mix of the two aspects of sweetbread -- cream-like melty, and offal-like. A casse-croute de homard is also quite good, first quality lobster perfectly looked, served in a cylinder of bread or some sort of dough. Spinach inside too, a creamy lobster sauce. It came with an absolutely remarkable lobster bisque on the side. The amuses were amusing, I think I forgot most of them. Cheeses were Anthony's but second rate. There was a non-interesting double starter of truffle salad -- one potato salad on the right, an herb salad on the left. Dessert were painfully classic, and you don't get my sympathy serving fraise des bois in January. Portions are very appropriate for people on diet. Prices very appropriate for millionaires, though wines are reasonable priced, all things considered. The room is just the most georgeous I ever went to. It is also very comfortable. Service is very friendly but not always there when you need them -- this is not the kind of place where you would expect to have to look for someone if you want salt or more wine. Or to be politely kicked out of the room for coffe, so they can clean it. But this is a very, very, classy place. All in all, a great place for a fancy dinner. But for a good dinner, head to les Elysées.

I went last week and honestly it sucked. I loved the room, georgeous, and the place is infinitely stylish and classy. More so, I believe that the other palaces like Le Cinq or le Meurice which I find q bit pretentious and over the top. But apart from that, while I had a prefectly pleasant evening, and all the more so since I was invited, it was mostly precious and uninteresting. I would say that the quality was high but even was that not always the case with underwhelming truffles and second rate cheese (eventhough it was from Anthony). I will post separately for more detail.

Thanks for backing me up. It is really hard to say what made that meal so exceptional and I find it reassuring that people shared my experience. I guess Bau is just a very very good chef.

OK, I was wrong about Porcini. But not about scallops. Let's change the subject. I went to Christian Bau in Schloss Berg and put pictures and comments here. Now many already told me that the meal looks dull on pictures. And yet it was not. It was magical, exciting, exhilarating, included no frustration despite the tasting menu format. My theory is that we have been accustomed to meals that look that precious and sophisticated at the expense of how they taste. But everything tasted great at Bau, and every dish was very well composed and so was the whole meal. Like I said in the end, it was like Rochat, only good (wouldn't it be a nice post title?): there's sophistication and at the same time respect of the basics of cuisine and taste. The chef says he wants to renew the tradition of haute gastronomie (obviously not reinvent it from scratch, as you can judge from pictures), that he is from a new generation of chefs and cooks for a new generation of customers. Back to the topics of New German cuisine, my beginners' experience with German three stars is that Germany is conquerring a market left more or less deserted by the Spanish and the French: the one of great and reliable meals and restaurants. It does not seem that anyone in Germany is really competing to be at the forefront of fashion, as the top 50 restaurants lists attest. But I can't think of many places in France where the level of quality is so constant and so high as it is in the top German restaurants I have tried so far. That's also what the chefs say: that it is harder to get and keep three stars in Germany than it is in France and that, with their six or seven national guides and many specialised magazines, German chefs are under much harder scrutiny than their French or Spanish or American counterparts. And in the end, they seem to be in their kitchen more.

Jamin does not exist anymore (alas) and was already not in in the 2007 guide. This one they can't demote. I think.

What about decent chicken or lamb? And in this season, winter vegetables: panais, salsifis, etc.

and not spring?

Can we start a "there's nothing good at Ducasse's" club? I feel it is time to go after the big fraud.

Of course we are grateful that we can have exceptional food at cheap prices. That was my starting point. And of course l'Ami Jean is the other obvious response. But my point, once again, is not about quality only. It is about art, the attention it deserves, and the conditions in which it can or cannot be fully enjoyed. And I disagree with the "can afford" agreement. Prices of those places still reserve them to middle and upper class. The difference between bistrot and gastro is not the clientele, it is the circumstances in which they go there. And bistrots is supposed to be more casual, a place where you go more regularly. My point is that La Régalade food deserves better than a casual attention, and we should recognise that we could have a better overall experience if we agreed to pay a bit more. That said, it not a little bit more. Imagine having more time and room at la Régalade: Say 30 seats instead of 40 and no rotation in the night. Then the turnover would be something 3 times less. So prices would not be bistrots at all. At 180eur for a meal (three times what I paid for the first dinner), you can totally go to les Elysées or Apicius or Robuchon.

They turned to a traiteur.

I am indeed focusing on the exception. Totally guilty of that. But I am also focusing on a qualitative approach as opposed to a quantitative one. Exceptional food is not only about the quality level. There's something more to it, a sensitivity, an art if you like. That's the case at La Régalade. What I say is that art, that level of commitment, that way of putting yourself at risk, which Doucet does every day, does deserve more attention and better conditions than the bistrot conditions. I am not in any way equating fancy dining with quality, less again with exceptional food. Of course you do have bistrot food in some penguin restaurants, not even a good one at that. I say that there is such a thing as the adequation between the food and the place, and that we diners could think about it instead of focusing on prices. I am not advocating anything in terms of closing bistrots and making career. Market takes care of that and my views usually have no impact on it. Actually, all my favourite places tend to close. My only focus is on my pleasure and the one of those who listen to my advice or exchange views with me. Yes, I do feel that there is something absurdly low in the Régalade prices. Again, it's like playing a Beethoven quartett in the métro. You can have music in the métro, maybe. And it can be pleasant and appropriate. And I'd be happy to have the Alban Berg Quartett playing for me on line 4. But I'd rather have the chance to listen to them in better conditions of calm, silence, concentration. And I am not shocked that it would cost more. You are absolutely right about the quality level. I mentioned the Paul-Bert as a place that does not raise the same issue as la Régalade. Actually, it is all in all a rather expensive for a bistrot, whereas la Régalade is cheap for a gastro. Food there neither requires nor deserve the kind of attention that Doucet's food deserves. So my statement "good ingredients..." was indeed wrong. What I meant was "exceptional ingredients cooked with passion and sensitivity...". You're right that good ingredients decently cooked are available here and there, and even more and more so.

Well, first I think that 32eur for a dinner is hardly affordable. This does not result from any decision about it, from Sarkozy or Trichet or Doucet (though I am always tempted to blame the first two), but from a general price structure. I am sure that those guys (restaurateurs) can only offer very good food at these comparatively decent prices by offering it in these conditions: tiny, speedy and noisy. They could not make ends meet otherwise. So if few people can afford restaurants or bistrots, it is not because prices are arbitrarily excessive. No one in today's middle class in France can afford that kind of prices on a regular basis. Even at Régalade prices, going out to eat is an event for a regular French budget. La Régalade, just like most restaurants in Paris, is just full of "bobos" that are very well-off. That said, my point is that la Régalade (and a few other places) offer some of the best cooking skills and ingredients, and that it is actually a shame to have to eat this perfect duck on a table where there is no room for the plates and glasses, unable to move my elbows, and hardly able to follow a conversation with my guest, not to mention that I have to free the table in 40 minutes. There is such a thing as the conditions of a meal. A contrario, I say that this demonstrates that there is some sense in the usual fine dining takes place: with more room, more time, more service, and yes, at accordingly higher prices. It does not have to be like le Meurice, but having some room and some time and some calm is not irrelevant. And yes, it has a cost. Good ingredients well cooked are the exception in the world we live in. They are luxury. It's just a fact. It is a consequence of the amount of qualified labour it requires, and the cost of it. You may regret that fact, and I may regret it too. Since very good meals are de facto exceptional, I am saying that we should treat them with more respect (and me too, by the way). I am also saying that, if we are serious about enjoying and honoring the hard work of talented people, a more traditional restaurant is more appropriate than a bistrot, which in and of itself is designed to grab some quick meal on the run, not to seat for a special moment. And while I'm it, I am also saying that it may make more sense to eat a few almonds as a meal more often, and to accept to pay a bit more for quality cooking. That sure is not the way it used to be. But the World changes.

It's me again. More pictures from the next truffle festival meal, even better can be found here. scallops, hare pie and duck this time. I think La Régalage is actually too good. At some point, I am not sure that it makes sense to present that level of art (or craftmanship, I am not interested in that debate) in such an informal setting. Of course this is the logic of hard discount: they can only sell for that low a price because they have significant volumes, so the room is packed and they rotate tables three times a night. And I am happy that I can eat really top notch food for non-Arpège prices. But really, I am asking the question: does that whole frenzy of bistrots make sense in the end? Do we always want to spend less time and money on food? Can't we just eat less the rest of the time and take more time when we're out? Don't get me wrong: I am uninterested by the whole decorum and circus of le Meurice or le Plaza, the role of social mirror of the restaurant, the rituals and the rigidity, the dress code, etc. But frankly, the hard work of cooks, farmers, and the others, deserve better than the bistrot model, noisy, tiny, speedy and, yes, affordable. Can't we show more respect?

Totally second that. The season was slow to start but it suddently turned quite good.

Host’s Note I decided to split this off from the Regalade topic because it seemed to stand by itself as a topic for discussion. John Well, I do think that La Régalade is still by far one of the hottest bistrots in Paris. Mostly, I think it remains the model for "bistronomiques", and that few offer that food quality at that price, actually applying grands restaurants techniques and care at a great price. I was so excited to discover that good truffles have finally appeared this year, and not looking forward to the 230 eur of the feuilleté belle humeur or the 350 of the Rostang menu. La Régalade sounded like the way to satisfy my longing without having to reinforce my stake in organised crime. Anyway, some pictures and more specific comments here.

I don't think you have to worry about that -- brasseries and restaurants recommended on this board and which serve raw seafood are totally safe.

why wait?

The one called Patya in rue Cler is my favourite in that category. I think they're one of the obvious choices for very broke food lovers in Paris.

Totally second that, obviously. And I take this opportunity to recommend Jancar in particular. On my return from Munich, I discovered that Mr Jancar senior passed away during my exile. The place apparently went into trouble, the stand is smaller and they don't accept cards anymore. But they're as nice as ever, and mostly, they have the best vegetables and fruits on that market, and kindly advise and offer tastings. Better than Thiébault, though with less choice, in my opinion. And while you're at it, there's the great Christian Constant nearby (patisserie, rue de Fleurus), open every day. Le bistrot d'Hubert on the other side of the station (bd Pasteur) is usually much appreciated, as are the many good bistrots in the rue du Chateau. You can walk to Desnoyer while on that street for the best meat in town (www.regalez-vous.com). And at the corner of Rennes and Notre-Dame des champs (or is it?) is one of the best charcuteries in town, with top notch andouillette and boudin. Of course la Grande Epicerie au Bon Marché is always there for high end grocery, and there is the nearby Le Babylone for great lunchtime snacks, always packed. Going toward the rue de Seine and Saint Sulpice are the classic marché saint Germain, Gérard Mulot, Hermé, Ladurée, etc. And La Rotonde is my favourite brasserie in town. La table de Fes is one of the great couscous places in town. And indeed la Cerisaie is always great. Le Duc also, big forgotten of our restaurant lists. And of course, speaking of Edgar Quinet, you have a Chicago Pizza Pie there, so forget about all other recs ;-)

Well, it makes (or used to make, havent' been in a few months) for great simple sandwiches. The dough may not be made on site, I don't know.