Felice

I didn’t really want to chime in on the Dernière Goutte discussion at first because a) I’m completely biased since I know the owner well and b) because even though I love La Dernière Goutte and have always found it to be a wonderful shop, I am by no means an expert and my opinion is formed a lot by what I’ve read. However I did a little searching and did want to add for what it’s worth, that it’s not just American guidebooks that sing its praises. Every French guide I have--and I have a lot-- mentions LDG or Fish for their wines. “Paris en Bouteilles” says “Arrêt obligatoire !…pour sa collection de vins très large et d’un rare à-propos…” So it’s not just the Patricia Wells of this world who are writing it up. I decided to ask two friends, both whose knowledge of wine far exceeds my own, one in the wine business here in France for many years and another who has quiet an impressive collection, what they thought of La Dernière Goutte, since I know they have been but have no affiliation or bias towards the shop what so ever. Both had very positive comments and didn’t feel that it was “just an ordinary shop”. They both thought it had an excellent selection of wine that reflect the owners’ taste. The former mentioned that although they might not have an overly large selection of winemakers, they normally have each cuvée from a particular winemaker, something he said you don’t find in other shops. I think to compare LDG to Augé or Lavinia is a bit unfair. As Margaret mentioned, LDG is a tiny shop. They specialize in wines from Roussillon and Languedoc, and don’t pretend to have a large selection of Burgundies or Bordeaux. Augé, which I love, specializes in vins naturels and Lavinia is enormous and therefore can stock just about every wine imaginable at the best price possible, something a tiny shop just can’t do. It's like comparing Amazon.com to your local bookstore. I’m not trying to change anyone’s mind and am not trying to argue that it is the best shop in Paris either. I just didn’t want people not familiar with the shop reading this thread to come away thinking it was just a shop for tourists with limited wine knowledge, something I feel would be unfair and untrue.

I was looking for a place to have a drink and something light to eat on Friday night after work, and decided on trying Le Café de Passage, which I found in my copy of “Paris en Bouteilles”, one of those little books from the “Paris est a nous” series. This one lists all of the better wine shops and wine bar/bistros in each arrondissement. I am so surprised that I haven’t heard more about this place and just loved it. It’s been around for ten years, so I’m sure it’s well-known and perhaps it just doesn’t get a lot of press anymore.*** I started with a glass of Arbois paired with some really good Salers. We also had something that I had only heard of recently and haven’t seen on any menus in Paris before, it was lard de Colonatta, paper thin slices of lard which where served with a plate of steamed ratte potatoes and warm grilled bread and a bowl of gross sel. It was amazing. We also had very good rillettes de canard served with a large jar of cornichons and pickled onions and a really great bruschetta made with home-made tapenade, and shaved cured ham and parmesan cheese. Everything served was clearly made with the best ingredients. They had all sorts of small plates including at least ten different cheese plates, different bruschettas, foie gras, charcuterie, etc. They also had desserts, but I didn’t pay much attention to those. They serve roughly 15 wines by the glass and have about 400 by the bottle. According to my book, they have one of the best whisky collections in Paris with over 200 labels. Definitely a great place for a glass of wine and something light to eat. And they serve late. Café de Passage, 12 rue de Charonne, Metro Bastille. Open Tuesday-Saturday 12-15h30. 19h30-2h. ***While posting this I see that it's been mentionned in this thread before.

Any thoughts on wine list at Chez Les Anges? I think they are open as well.

Can anyone comment on the wine list at Abadache? La Cerisaie? I'd like to find a place for Monday night with an interesting wine list, but a lot of places are closed.

I would imagine that Sunday night would not be the most popular night for dining out for locals, which might explain why you were surrounded by other non-French speakers. And I agree with Barbara, if you're eating in a pretty touristy area like the 5th or the 6th, you're going to find a lot of non-French speakers in most restaurants. You'll have to go to the outer arrondissements or more residential areas if you want to see where the Parisians go.

Thanks Phyllis, I have scoured the newsstands but unfortunately cannot find a copy... ← Look up two posts and you will see that Fresh A was kind enough to provide a link to the article in PDF form.

I was in the cheese shop Quatrehomme yesterday and asked which cheese were particularly good right now and they said that goat cheeses are at their best.

I was making dinner for friends last night and wanted some of Joel Thibault's beautiful beets for a salad, so I trecked to his stand in a market in the 16th. He has amazing products and the staff couldn't have been more helpful, explaining each vegetable and giving tips. It was definitely worth the trip. Potatos Carrots More carrots Radishes

Any chance of supplying a link to the article for non-US egulleters? ← They do have some articles on-line, but not all. You can also buy the New Yorker in France, and I'm sure elsewhere, but it is a small fortune (about 8 euros in Paris). I have a subscription which they send me in France, so it's a fraction of what it costs in the news stand. I'll check their site to see if it's online yet.

It's funny that you posted this because I just got finished reading a great article in this week's New Yorker by Jack Turner titled Green Gold, The return of Absinthe. It's in the March 13 issue, so it should be in the stands now for those interested. The bulk of the article is about an American named Ted Breaux who is passionate about Absinthe and is said to be brewing the infamous drink the way it was made over a century ago at a distillery in Saumur. His company is called Jade Liqueurs and they have made three different varieties of absinthe so far. Verte Suisse, which they say is a re-creation of the absinthe made by the Swiss company C.F. Berger in the 19th century; Absinthe Edouard 72 which is said to resemble the drink made at the time by Pernod; and the Nouvelle Orleans which is Breaux's own recipe. The article also goes into depth about the history of absinthe and what eventually caused its ban in the early 1900s. A very good read.

When I first arrived in Paris I worked in a small bistro/wine bar and still do when they are in a pinch. Our clientele dropped significantly after 9-11 and was even worse when the Iraq war began. Believe me, restaurant owners were thrilled when tourists started coming back. The first seating consisted mostly of tourists and the second seating was pretty much French; so it worked out nicely. We had a lot of tourists and it was never a problem. I don’t think the owner worries a bit what nationality people are, as long as the dining room stays full. It seems that the only people who have a big problem with tourists are other tourists or expats. I’ve certainly been guilty of it too.

I have an American friend who did a stage at a one-star in Paris and she definitely had to get papers. I don't know if this is always the case, but the restaurant can get in a lot of trouble for having someone without papers, even if it's an unpaid position, which they very well might not want to risk. I think she may have even paid an intermediary person to set up the stage for her. I'll see if I can get some more info from her.

I find that Paris has many relatively inexpensive, yet wonderful restaurants. But I’ve only been here for five years, so I can’t compare the quality and prices of today’s restaurants to those of 20 years ago. And although there are many great places with menus of 30 € or less, you definitely need to do your homework. If you were to blindly choose a place, you stand a good chance of being under whelmed. Recently I went to le Bis de Severo in the 14th. The coté de bœuf was possibly the best beef I have had in Paris. I sometimes find that the beef here can be tough but this was amazingly tender and flavorful. We asked our waiter what made the beef so remarkable and he said that the owner is also trained as a butcher and that he ages his beef himself for an additional period of time. What ever he does, it works. The coté de boeuf was the most expensive thing on the menu, but the over all bill was still only 50€ each for three-courses and two bottles of wine, which is pretty reasonable I think. Other places that I have really liked which fit into this category include Le Pré Verre, La Bistral, Le Troquet, Les Papilles, Le Timbre, Les Temps aux Temps, La Cerisier, Le Baratin, Chez Michel, La Régalade, la Boulangerie, Fish, Carte Blanche, Le Comptoir, le Sot y Laisse. L’Avant Gout. I’m sure there are others that I am forgetting. And there are a few that I would still love to try—Abadache, l’Ami Marcel, L’Ami Jean, and the new Table de Claire, to name just a few.

Wow, I guess I haven't been to Chez Michel in some time. The last time, which was at least a year ago, he still had the 3-course 30 Euro menu and the food was still wonderful. What's changed?

Just wanted to add to what everyone has already said. I travelled to Paris alone for my 30th birthday and had an amazing time (so amazing that I moved to Paris the following year). I ate out every night and think I was perhaps given better service than normal. I had never dined alone before really and did feel a bit intimidated at first, but it quickly wore off. I wouldn’t think twice about it if I were you. And I didn’t skimp either, I had an aperitif, three-courses, wine—the works. The only time I encountered a problem was while making a reservation at Les Bouquinistes for a Saturday night. At first they said no problem, but when I said I was alone they changed their mind and said they could only take me at 22h30, which was disappointing. So, I ended up going elsewhere. I now sometimes prefer eating out alone. It gives you the chance to really take in your surroundings and concentrate on the experience. However, if you want some company one night you might want to post in the eGullet thread ISO: France Dining Friends

It's quite OK and was written up in the March Paris Notes by Rosa Jackson in her Paris Bites. ← I loved it and have always wanted to go back. The chef, Christophe Beaufort, was written up in today's Figaroscope in a piece they did about their 7 favorite Parisian chefs.

I'm pretty sure you can get Heinz ketchup everywhere.

I know that La Derniere Goute has at least a few Alsatian wines and Ostertag has had several tastings there. Lavinia is a good choice though for a large selection.

Enough, anyway. Chicken should always be well-done. Some chefs have taken the habit to undercook chicken during the last ten years or so, which only makes it rubbery and doesn't let the taste come through. ← According to a little booklet I received from the Mairie de Paris, the virus is killed at temperatures above 60 degrees celsius.

I agree with John. I went last year and had a fun time, but don't feel compelled to go this year. Also, I went on a Sunday and it was so crowded there were areas where you could barely walk. I do remember having a really great foie gras sandwhich though. If you are still here next weekend, why not go to the Salon Fermier instead?

I just posted a few wine tastings for March in the events section but wanted to add that the Dernière Goûte will be having their free Saturday tastings with the wine maker again in March, but they didn't have their schedule ready yet as of Monday. As soon as I have it, I will post it.

If you are in Paris on March 10-12, you won’t want to miss the SALON PARIS FERMIER DE PRINTEMPS being held at the Parc Floral. I’ve posted more information about it in the events and on the eGullet Calendar

Saturday's Le Monde wrote that the turkey farmer first reported that 400 out of 11,000 turkeys had died and that many others were noticably sick. It then stated that throughout the following day their "death rate increased at a spectacular rate to the point where nearly 80% of the flock where striken" (my translation), authorities then killed the rest of the flock. If I'm reading this correctly, it's pretty frightening to see how quickly this disease is spread. These birds were also sheltered so it's not clear how they were infected. The article later remarks that if indeed the H5N1 virus has been introduced into the region, it could very well mean the end of Bresse Poultry.

I went to Transversal again last weekend, this time for dinner, which is a quite different experience from lunch. At dinner there is a set menu-surprise with ten miniature courses for 38 €. Here is the menu, which was given to us at the end. I took a few photos but I'm sorry to say they didn’t turn very well. Menu Spécial “Poucet Lolo monte en haut du pommier pour souffler ses 20 printemps” Pépin bref, long de pomme This one was a bit strange. It was a single apple seed on a large plate. No one really knew what to make of it. I thought it would perhaps set the theme for the evening, but apple didn’t really appear in any of the following dishes. Perhaps the answer is in the phrase above written on the menu. Macarond foi de morue A macaron of cod’s liver. I loved this one, the sweetness of the macaron went well with the saltiness of the cod. Jaune Gelé Raw egg yolk suspended in soy jelly, served with dried seaweed and dried tuna. Sant Jacques “bis gout” en sushi chaud-tiède Slices of raw and seared scallop with saffron rice over squid ink. Calamars sur un air de chorizo-clementines Carlamari with a « choirzo » foam and clementines. Sardines filet, gelée de volaille, olives Mini potau’f This was a deconstructed “pot au feu” with brightly colored vegetables strewn about the plate and a small bowl of broth. Rôti du beuf, huile de pomme de terre, gras de jambon Tender roasted beef with a puree of potoato. The beef was topped with a paper-like substance which melted in your mouth, which was the ham fat. Prédessert: Tour de Poire “Vitry sur Beurre” Delicious pears in carmalised butter Ile Planante, mangue œufs mimosa, huile figee, arc de sechouan This was a mound of airy eggs whites with mango and solidified oil, and a spicy flower. I enjoyed everything, some were good, some interesting, some delicious. Overall I was quite happy with the experience. However the group I went with, all French in either their late 20s early 30s, were not so thrilled. One girl was disgusted by all of the different forms of oils used even in the dessert and proclaimed that it was “infect!”, not an adjective a chef likes to hear. Others felt it was pretentious. Fresh A, I know you said you were going for dinner, did you? Thoughts?

The book I used was the "Guide des Gourmands" Les Meilleurs Produits du Terroir, 18th edition. I wanted a book that talked about various products and where to find them. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but I think it will be useful. By the way I just noticed that the Boucherie Nouvelle got a "coq d'or" as well, it was given in 2004 for its " sublime collection d' agneaux" so this seems like the place you want to go to. They even call him the "Lord of the Lambs" and say "his shop gives you the unique occassion to sample lamb from different regions in France with their marked characteristics" (My quick translation). It sounds pretty amazing actually and I think I will go myself. I just checked the Pudlo and it seems that the name is listed there as Boucherie Jardin with the same address (178 rue de la convention). In any event the butcher's name is Jean-Francois Jardin and the store you want is at 178 rue de la convention. In Pudlo Boucherie Nouvelle is listed at 209 rue de la convention and the butcher's name is Thierry Michau, as you mentionned. So, something is off somewhere. It seems like Pudlo only gives "hearts" for restaurants now.