Les Fontaines: changes to an old favorite

[Poppy Quince]

Looking for a place to meet a friend for dinner near the Luxembourg gardens last night, we dropped in to Les Fontaines on rue Soufflot, a longtime favorite for its endive salad with bleu cheese and excellent meats. It looked a bit spiffier than the funky 1950-ish decor I remembered, but not strikingly so. The menu however was completely changed and not a salad to be found. Meat, meat and more meat, with an assiette of charcuterie to start if you wanted something sliced.

Although the waiters were the same, the couple who used to run the place were no longer evident. The waiter said the management had changed 2 years ago.

We decided to stay and in fact it was quite serviceable: an entrecote with sauce poivre, onglet with sauce roquefort and filet du canard, each with its own potato sidedish. Large portions at less than 100 euros for three, including, by the way, that assiette de charcuterie to share. It had some lettuce in the center.

[Ptipois]

After the departure of the owner, M. Lacipière, Les Fontaines went severely downhill. I seem to remember that M. Lacipière left more than two years ago. I went there a few months after that and had a very bad meal. If it is any better now, the place has probably changed management several times since. Les Fontaines used to be one of the top bistrots in the 5e, and there are not many of them.

A tip for you if you are in the neighborhood and crave a good French-style salad: La Maison de la Lozère (rue Hautefeuille) serves the best salade au roquefort in Paris. If you can find a table, that is.

Edited October 3, 2007 by Ptipois (log)

[follonica2]

That's odd. I was there for dinner in June and there were several salads on the ardoise. Two in my party had them.

[John Talbott]

After the departure of the owner, M. Lacipière, Les Fontaines went severely downhill.

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Now that explains my dreadful meal there after Paga raved about it.

[follonica2]

No question that it went downhill. I was there once under the old regime and liked it but wasn't impressed this last visit.

[Poppy Quince]

So we're agreed, Les Fontaines is off the acceptable list. Even if it wasn't dreadful, I want more than serviceable. And for what it's worth, it was nearly empty the night we were there; it may not last long in this incarnation.

P'titpois, thanks for the mention of Maison de la Lozère. It's been on the "to try" list for quite some time, but that salade sounds like just what I want, so it's moving up in priority!

[Ptipois]

So we're agreed, Les Fontaines is off the acceptable list.  Even if it wasn't dreadful, I want more than serviceable.  And for what it's worth, it was nearly empty the night we were there; it may not last long in this incarnation.

P'titpois, thanks for the mention of Maison de la Lozère.  It's been on the "to try" list for quite some time, but that salade sounds like just what I want, so it's moving up in priority!

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And if you want aligot and sausage, they're served on Thursdays. People order nothing else that day. Tables are hard to get. Whatever day of the week you want to go there, book ahead.

[John Talbott]

And if you want aligot and sausage, they're served on Thursdays. People order nothing else that day.

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Once again one is up against an age-old problem; can a place stand on only one dish, no matter how magnificent. A mutual friend of ours, Pti, told me to go somewhere for "x," but in the process, I forgot what "x" was and three of us ordered what we wanted - it was horrible. Yes I loved (before they were taken over by the syndicates) - Chez Rene for the coq au vin and the Brasserie Lorraine for the fish soup and Le Truc for the huuuuge lamb chop, but one has to have more than one dish and one has to eat with others (occasionally).

[Ptipois]

Once again one is up against an age-old problem; can a place stand on only one dish, no matter how magnificent.  A mutual friend of ours, Pti, told me to go somewhere for "x," but in the process, I forgot what "x" was and three of us ordered what we wanted - it was horrible.  Yes I loved (before they were taken over by the syndicates) -  Chez Rene for the coq au vin and the Brasserie Lorraine for the fish soup and Le Truc for the huuuuge lamb chop, but one has to have more than one dish and one has to eat with others (occasionally).

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I only wrote that La Maison de la Lozère served aligot and sausages on Thursdays and that they were so good that people went there especially for that dish... Not that the place stood only on one dish.