March 08bis – l’Auberge des Saints Peres & Vintage

[John Talbott]

March 08 bis – l’Auberge des Saints Peres & Vintage

Another superb, “out where?” place.

9.0 Auberge des Saints Peres, 212, av Nonneville in Aulnay sous Bois, 01.48.66.62.11, closed Saturday, Sundays and Wednesday nights is the find of 2008, by my great and wonderful friend Atar. We’ve all passed Aulnay sous Bois a million times on the RER B going from Charles de Gaulle to Paris but who would ever think there’s a Michelin one-star there worth stopping for? Atar, that’s who. We went* on a day that started out brilliantly sunny and a mite chilly but good suburb weather. The RER from the Gare du Nord took maybe 15 minutes and the walk to the resto another 15, but we were well on time for our reservation. And it was truly in the woods. It looks like any old auberge, that is, very aubergy. They gave us two innovative, spicy and tasty cakey amuse bouches and then their version of ouefs mayo which was more like Herve This meets Jean Chauvel (of Les Magnolias). Three of us ordered the 38 € “menu” and one a 32 € “paella”, but more of that later. Two of us had a starter consisting of wheatberries in a dense sauce with caviar and topped with three super scallops; the other starter was a “nougatine” of white chicken liver that sounds weird but was extra-prima. At this point we knew we’d gone from ordinary good food to the sublime. Madame’s “paella” was something the chef said would never pass the test in Valencia, but in Aulnay it sure did – pieces of chicken, pork, scallops, encornets, shrimp, bass, chorizo and bacon with a bowl of paella rice. Two of us had as a main course the nicely cooked rascasse with flavored aspic circles underneath, served with delicious, small veggies; the other “on menu” main consisted of two incredible pieces of veal onglet with capers and spicy tomato sauce and a cornetto of fried squid. Just as I was beginning to dig in, the chef sent over two side treats – his own version of catsup and a three layered potato delight. The cheese spread was very impressive, the three of us having the “menu” never repeated anyone else’s selections. Then we were presented with a “pre-dessert” of a fluffy thing made from some flower atop an intense syrup. We had three desserts: agrumes with citronelles (made bubbly with “aspirin”); pineapple with a flambéed cap and something he described as “it started as an apple tart but…..” which had no pastry but good apple slices laid on top of a circle of aspic made from really concentrated apple juice. The mignardises included a “marshmallow,” centrifuge tube with crème and a flower wafer. The bill was 113.25 € per couple. I’ve described lots of food, but trust me, the portions were not too large and we did not leave the restaurant feeling over-fed, just very content and ready for a leisurely walk back to the RER.

*On my only visit, March 18th, I was “outed” as reviewing the place but comp’d to nothing.

Go? First chance you get to jump off the RER, do so.

Filling the Sunday lunch hole.

6.0 Vintage*, 46, rue d’Argout in the 2nd, 01.40.26.57.54, open 7/7, lunch menu weekdays at 15 €, a la carte 25-30 €. Wow, did this place slip under the radar screen. While it was mentioned in passing in Figaroscope in an article on new decors and reviewed in the JDD, only Richard Hesse in Paris Update gave it the full treatment. We went on a Sunday, always a tough day on which to find good luncheon food and were dazzled by the tables and chairs, photos of stars from Chevalier to Loren, Sinatra CD’s and college banners from Drake to Duke. I started (and indeed Colette helped nicely because it was huge) with a cassolette of pleurotes sauteed in butter, oil, garlic, parsley, shallots and chives – yum. Then I had an entire foie gras which was almost raw in the center and crispy brown on the outside with a Balsamic sauce that I thought was fantastic and she, a duck breast on a pile of pureed carrots (very good) that she judged too tough but I thought was OK. We ended by sharing a serving of fondant of chocolate (two slices of chocolate) with a crème anglaise that was terrific. With a natural red wine, good warmed bread, Lavazza coffee and one calva = 64.50 €.

* Our last meal here was March 16th, fully paid for.

Go? You bet; it’s another Sunday lunch option. PS They say they receive fish delivery Mon - Fri so we'll try some one day too.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Your Auberge does sound good! Many thanks.

(We were introduced to your "chicken liver foie gras" last year in the Jura. It is indeed excellent and quite difficult to find offered on a menu.)