Café Qui Parle and Carte Blanche redux

[Laidback]

The "Café Qui Parle is also close to us on the N. slope of Montmartre. Some of you may remember we discovered this terrific little bargain spot last year, again on John's "crumb trail".

Shown here are gambas in a risotto flavored with mint and citrus fruit; €20

filet of duckling with girolle mushrooms and gnocchi served with an apricot sauce;€17.50

Rognons d'agneau served over roasted olives and root veggies;€17 and delicious

and Tete de Moine(monk's head cheese from Savoy) shaved into thin slices, arranged like a flower, with a fig compote.€7.50

One of our perennial favorite's, "Carte Blanche", where we took a cooking class with the young chef, who is a marvel; gets better each year. We have already dined here 2 times this trip and will go again when our son and DIL get here.

We had piquillo stuffed with minced veggies;

Bulots with chorizo, another combo that worked well:

a croustillant du Boeuf:

roast squab with calamari and a bowl of smoked bulghar;

a rouleau (a weird "surf and turf") of rabbit loin and shrimp;

tiny clams(palourdes) topped with sautéed foie gras(a candidate for best entrée ever);

and for dessert, a large sable lightly touched with peanut butter covered with poached apricot and almond milk/cumin ice cream

and just another spectacular chocolate dish.

My photo of the menu on the ardoise is of poor quality, so if you have questions I will try and de-cipher, notice the prices which are a gift for this level of cooking

Jean-François Renard loves the orient; he just got back from his 5th trip to Thailand and he spent his vacation last year in Japan, working a bit in a restaurant and he incorporates some of the Oriental spices, serving pieces , etc. and his partner, Claude Dupont, can put you on to a very affordable wine that will marry well with the chef's inventive dishes.

Our last visit was maybe the best ever, perhaps the vacation refreshed his zeal. Incidentally he strongly recommended a new Japanese chef at "Guilo Guilo" in the 18th. Has anyone tried it?

[John Talbott]

Incidentally he strongly recommended a new Japanese chef at "Guilo Guilo" in the 18th. Has anyone tried it?

←

It's on my list but he was away the last few weeks.

[fortedei]

Fat Guy,

We've had our little contretemps about the current state of French and Italian food.

Look at the second photo (gambas in a risotto flavored with mint and citrus fruit).

Is this something the French have copied from a trendy Italian chef? What about serving spaghetti as a "side", as Julot had recently. From trendy Italian chefs as well?

Why can't French chefs stick to what they know best, French food, which for me, overall, is the best food in the world. Why do they want to get involved with pasta and risotto where they just make a real mess of things?

Best,

fortedei

[John Talbott]

Fat Guy,

We've had our little contretemps about the current state of French and Italian food.

Look at the second photo (gambas in a risotto flavored with mint and citrus fruit).

Is this something the French have copied from a trendy Italian chef? What about serving spaghetti as a "side", as Julot had recently. From trendy Italian chefs as well?

Why can't French chefs stick to what they know best, French food, which for me, overall, is the best food in the world. Why do they want to get involved with pasta and risotto where they just make a real mess of things?

Best,

fortedei

←

I'm afraid the passion for outside influences - Italian risotto, polenta, pasta, Spanish gaspacho, hams, Asian spices, raw fish, and on and on can be blamed on poor Madame Medici but over the past 15 years are omnipresent in at least Paris if not all France.

[Sukie]

I can see why Carte Blanche is one of your favorites....that is an incredibly awesome looking/sounding meal...everything right down to presentation and most notably....the stunning plateware (love, love, love the slabs of wood and granite).