julot-les-pinceaux

Not everyday indeed, but when he's here, he cooks for real, hands in the pots. He's no Ducasse -- though they probably share a same hatred of good old restaurants.

I'm seconding BPS here. Rohat and his team can be exquisite and witty, but it is also their place and sometimes Rohat can be very old-style, vaguely condescending French service. He's not the warmest guy. By the way, congratulations to Alexandre, "sommelier de l'année" of Gault Millau. To me, he's the best part of l'Arpège. Actually, his pairings are the only reason I might go back.

They say Senderens and Lasserre are out of the institutions category. As I don't want to buy the guide (I regretted doing it every time I did it except in 2000), can anyone tell me how they are rated?

Well, the extension of McDonalds in France really is yesterday's news. Now arguments about the lifestyle are absolutely relevant, as are the ones with emphasis on the smart marketing (from the addictive sugar in the sauces to the toys for kids). But the basic reason for McDonals success in France, which is, PhilD, their fastest growing market outside the US, is the quality of what they serve. When McDonalds took up in France, cheap food/snacks in France were generally quite bad, and they still are in many, many places. We all have ideas of nice, Camdeborde-like typical French bistrot sercing delicious simple food. But the reality for anyone travelling in France who would like to have a simple sandwich or croque monsieur in a random café is more than awful. Old industrial bread, surimi-like ham, tasteless butter... By contrast, McDonalds and even current packed sandwiches from gas stations are pretty decent. And they're not only decent, they have quality in the industrial sense: you know what you'll get. When on the road in France, you more or less know what you'll get from a McDonalds (though there actually are significant differences from on branch to an other), you know that it will be good and you also have sanitary reassurances. Stopping in a random bistrot is taking a chance in comparison. Now of course McDonalds is crap compared to a good sandwich jambon beurre made with quality ingredients. But where do you find it and at what price? You can eat well in France but that's far, very far, from being the rule. Follow the guides and recommendations and you'll experience wonders. But stop to random places and the disrespect for food can be painful. Even in Paris, stop at a random bakery -- sometimes the quality is just revolting. So I would argue that it's not necessary to relate to cultural stereotypes and French gastronomic pride -- basic economic considerations are sufficient here. People just get value for their money -- they should.

As I wrote in the dedicated thread, the Lièvre à la Royale was still a good demonstration that Senderens is a great, great chef, in spite of the insufficient talent of his current chef de cuisine. But indeed desserts are awesomely awesome, see for instance Senderens' classic Dacquoise au poivre noir, citron confit et glace au gingembre, served with the wonderful Doisy-Daesne Sauterns in a perfect pairing I already described upthread. The sablé rhubarbe/fraise was not half bad either (again see my description upthread) The rest is definitely, as Olivier says, "quite good". But "quite good" is almost an insult to Senderens.

It is hardly questionable that the current chef at Senderens is not good enough to fully express Senderens' genius (but the chef pastry is). Nevertheless, and despite a slight overcooking dryness, this lièvre was the best I ever had (and desserts were wonderful as always). Senderens serves a slice that is larger than Besson, and not covered with the sauce at the beginning, so you can see the carefully composed stuffing. While some stuff is blended, the stuffing is mainly made of big pieces of hair, foie gras, truffle... The sauce is a killer. It's amazingly good and intense, and precise, with every flavour distinctly present: blood, hare stick, truffle juice, brandy.... They have a the good taste of bringing it (and more) in a pot and I'm sorry my tongue is not longe nough to clean the inside. I recently wrote a paper about what Nouvelle Cuisine was/is, and it's like Senderens and Besson wanted to illustrate it: While both were delicious, Besson's was more tender with blended, merged tastes and a subtle, old-style harmony. In Senderens', every bit was clearly identified, including in the sauce as I said, and the result was an harmony between elements that remain identifiable as opposed to a dish that seems to be suis generis. (More Senderens pictures at picasaweb.google.fr/zejulot/senderens)

Speaking of which, had a good lunch there the other night. I wouldn't fight for it but it sire were nice ingredients prepared simply in a picturesque location. More pictures here: picasaweb.google.fr/zejulot/racines.

Thanks. I'm watching the bests and imitating.

Meat is expensive, especially the one from Desnoyer and especially when it is aged correctly as it is here. In my opinion, no one in Paris beats Le Sévero or le Bis for beef. Other meats are as good or better other places, but only le Sévero, that I know of, has truly good beef aged enough. And L'Ami Louis.

This was Besson's take on it today: It was pretty perfect, less intense than in Saulieu but more classic, and probably more civilised (I remember keeping the taste of the one in Saulieu in my mouth for days) while still very gamey and death-tasting. Besson, as old-style master, managed a stuffing that plays on texture remarkably well and bring the fat that is totally absent from the hare's flesh. The cooking is perfect, with profound, symbiotic tastes and not a trace of dryness. Pasta on the side is stuffed with mushrooms.

Lizziee last march: http://lizziee.wordpress.com/category/fran...urg-baerenthal/

My bad about the walking. But by now you know what you were not certain of then: that we would never have found a cab at that time anyway

A word to second Robyn about Le Petit Zinc -- art nouveau and a very decent place, especially for fish. There's a good chef in there those days.

Gérard Besson too, of course. http://picasaweb.google.fr/ZeJulot/GRardBe...882892129402834

I don't think Gérard Besson deserves a lower rating, though I would not be surprised if he got one in those days focused on appearance and uninterested in good food. It's true that his desserts suck. But I would support a higher rating as I don't think that anyone does what he does better than he does it. Game is his great specialties and here is his game menu for this fall: http://picasaweb.google.fr/ZeJulot/GRardBe...882892129402834 The next picture in the gallery is the lunch menu -- 48eur without dessert.

Yes, games in France have differents "seasons" but overall the season is fall. Now there are complex legislation as some animals (eg becasse) can be hunted but not sold. The butcher on rue Montorgueil apparently called "au boeuf du cantal" had nice game today: hare, wild duck, perdreau (don't know the English name)...

Recent meals left me disapointed with the savouries parts of the meal, despite (or leaving aside) the sheer brilliance of the langoustines dish (in which I still don't understand the role of the Pak Choi). But desserts were just extraordinary, every bit as good as in the best Lucas-Carton days, and the wine pairings alsowere at the top level. The millefeuille, best in town, just conceived, llight and fresh, comes with a Santo Artimino 2003, a wine whose power is tamed by the fatty character of the millefeuille but whose flavours also highlight the discreet ones in the millefeuille. It very airy texture is also a nice contrast with the crispy-creamy millefeuille. Blood'n guts! The Dacquoise, my favourite dessert, (citron confit et poivre -- confit lemon and pepper), has an extraordinary love affaire with a wine that is a star by itself, the Sauternes Doisy-Dane, ici en 2002. The fat is this time in the wine, while the dish (with its macaron, lemon confit and icre-cream) is almost seasoning the wine, like pepper on foie gras. In mouth, it starts as two different, opposing things but it converges with the citrus, fruitful flavours in the end. Donnerwetter! The sablé rhubarbe-fraise looks like a millefeuille (but is a sablé, rhubarb on the first floor, strawberries second floor) and comes with a magical Riesling Spätlese "Zeltinger Schlossberg" 2007 from Selbach-Oster. This pairing is more on the merger side, as the wine amplifies the fruits and kind of coasts the sablé. Mamma mia! For chocolate lovers, the Coulant Samana is a must, I heard. I'm not one of them. It comes with a 20y old Sao Pedro port. It's intensely chocolate-y but not really bitter. So my take on it is still that Senderens is one of the greatest geniuses alive. But there are two main issues: 1- The expression of this genius heavily depends on quality of execution. Which raises not only the problem of the chef and pastry chef (obviously the current pastry chef is really good), but also the issue of a restaurant that is open seven days a week and long hours. They have to have several teams. When Robert, the chef of the last years of the Lucas, was running the kitchen at Senderens, I think the restaurant still deserved its third star. But he went. Now the performance is more uncertain: sometimes dazzling, sometimes only interesting, like Frege had. 2- The wines pairings (I already wrote that but I persist) use wine that are not good enough, so they're not the revelation that they were at Lucas. And the exception, currently, is with the desserts. Conclusion: those days, go to Senderens for desserts only. You'll have a truly great experience. And stay tuned to the locals for the best use of local restaurants.

I did not find a thread so I'm creating one, knowing that the powers to be are watching and will make order if necessary. We had a meal at Tante Louise last week that was phenomenal -- at least my meal in my judgement. I started with their classic foie gras poelé, that is just perfect with a powerful jus the, the Loiseau way, brutally pan-fried. And then I had one of the best sweetbreads I had in a long time, pan-fried in butter, perfectly crispy around and melty inside, cooked to perfection without any of the grainy texture and offal taste that result from overcooking the sweetbread (often happens when they are braisé). I also have great memories of their rognons cuits dans leur graisse, that I had several times and deem the best rognons in town. The place is a middle range restaurant, comfortable with distant enough tables but no fine dining by any stretch. We made the night even better by having desserts across the street at Senderens, but I should probably tell that story in the appropriate thread. Let me just say that desserts and accompanying wines at Senderens these days are every bit as good as they were in the Lucas Carton days, truly wonderful. I hope it lasts, since, I believe that it all depends on the pastry chef.

Robyn and her husband took us to l'Ambroisie last week. It was a wonderful evening and left me with no doubt that l'Ambroisie is a genuine French treasure. Thank them. But it also left me with two certainties: - Maybe as a result of Mathieu Pacaud gradually taking over from his father, the perfection that used to be the trademark of l'Ambroisie is not there anymore -- eg the foie gras was with old stingy pepper, the girolles were tasteless, the seabass was slightly overcooked, the lobster not slightly, the peaches were not ripe enough. Nothing particularly off-putting or substandard, but l'Ambroisie that I visited is just not as good as l'Ambroisie it was once. - Regardless, the place is unique, but its concept itself is beyond expensive: this is a infinitely refined eating house for very wealthy people -- wealthy to the exact extent that they don't care about the price. L'Ambroisie is better appreciated as a regular. It's not only that they treat regulars better (they do), it's also that the simplicity of the meal, its limitations, the way they adapt to their clients: everything points to the same idea that you have to come every month and not care about the money to fully enjoy this incredible place. In a word, it's a club. It's not a disapointment. Just a realization that the very concept of this restaurant makes it out of my league. I put a more detailed report with some stolen pictures here.

It is stuffed with foie gras, sweetbread, poulette and truffle as far as I remember and is an absolute Chapel classic. I also remember that they have a very old quite cheap Sylvaner that seems to be a perfect match with it.

I was there in August. It is a very, very pleasant house and very simple, very delicious food. I took some pictures and made some comments here: http://picasaweb.google.fr/ZeJulot/Chapel# The wine list seemed to have some treasure, though I did not have any. Staff was very nice. I did not understand the mignardises or the amuses, and I would stay away from the frogs' dish. But I promised myself I would be back for the stuffed pied de porc. The poulette is simple and flavourful, a very refined dish in its simplicity, I would call it "not charming", but in a good way. I will definitely try to go again next time I am even vaguely in the area. But I would not plan a trip around it. The bar and the lounge in the back are awesome.

Click for pics

I'm just back from that. I'm speechless (sort of). It was extraordinary and it is clear from talking with Briffard that it will only get better as he gets cooks and suppliers to work even more the way he wants them to. Staff seems happy and proud of what's going on. Of course the room is as gergeous as ever and Beaumard is still running the show in there, not to mention the spatial wine list. Pithiviers de grouse et canard col vert was on the (lunch!) menu for the second day. I used to think that Briffard was best value in town. Now I think he's best in town. Wow. I will post edited pictures tomorrow -- still need to process them. Practical information: most items are still classic Briffard from les Elysées. New fall menu is expected on October 6. Lunch menu changes every week. In order to guarantee always the best, the menu will be reprinted everyday depending on supply. I'm not sure what other restaurants will do, or why they're here, really.

Seriously, there is neither good food nor material for sightseeing more than a couple of hours in La Défense (especially with the Cnit being refurbished) -- just have lunch in Paris, before or after. That's ten minutes away and Briffard has an 85€ lunch menu.

L'ambroisie for instance closes for school holidays. Winter school holiday are late feb early march (this year 14 feb - 2 mar for the Paris region, dates are different for other regions). Spring holiday are in april (11-27 for Paris this year). Also in may there are many holidays (May 1st, 8st, and the religious stuff) therefore many prolounged weekends. On the whole none of these periods is as difficult as christmas or august but some restaurants are closed. Definitely no sight that I can think of. May-June is just the most georgeous time of the year, and obviously when days are the longest. If you have a choice, it's ideal.