Minor Paris Report, Late 2022

[weinoo]

After our visit to Florence, our second and final stop was Paris. We've stayed in the same apartment a couple of times; it's located on Square du Temple Elie Wiesel, with a view of the square from its windows.  It's around the corner from Rue de Bretagne, home to any number of fine food shopping establishments.

 

There's the Marché des Enfants Rouges, established sometime in the 1600s. Fun to walk through, maybe grab a bite or a quick glass of wine.  Nearby are a couple of groceries; I wish my grocery here at home did something like this...

 

 

 

Lots of oysters! To take home!! (Here on the lower east side, they're more likely to be selling weed...https://www.instagram.com/p/Clt3VDTOlsU/?hl=en)

 

There's an amazing cheese shop, which we take advantage of...

 

 

Chocolate, butcher, patisserie, etc. all within a stone's throw - it's great.

 

Our first night in Paris, we met an old friend for dinner.

 

L'Attache

 

 

 

 

 

All the tableware reveals itself as you finish up the dish.  The food was good (wine great); the plates are...interesting.

 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[rotuts]

@weinoo 

 

its not my business 

 

how that last pate

 

was Cleaned Up

 

pleased the job was done

 

effectively

 

 

[Anna N]

53 minutes ago, weinoo said:

the plates are...interesting.

Very. 

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

@weinoo

Another post that really needs an envy emoticon.

[weinoo]

6 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

@weinoo

Another post that really needs an envy emoticon.

 

Undoubtedly referring to that cheese shop...

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

8 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Undoubtedly referring to that cheese shop...

 

Yes indeed. And the oysters.......

[ambra]

16 hours ago, weinoo said:

We've stayed in the same apartment a couple of times; it's located on Square du Temple Elie Wiesel, with a view of the square from its windows.  It's around the corner from Rue de Bretagne, home to any number of fine food shopping establishments.

Would you mind sharing reservation link? I'm on the hunt for a place now. Thank you!

[weinoo]

1 hour ago, ambra said:

Would you mind sharing reservation link? I'm on the hunt for a place now.

 

Absolutely - but be forewarned; it's booked up A LOT!

 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10824038?source_impression_id=p3_1675081304_gPGUBJANYHGzzYTl

[weinoo]

On our second night in Paris, we dined at what may have been our favorite meal while in Paris.

 

Soces (in the 19th)

 

This was one of those all-out dinners; that is, we ate a lot!!

 

 

 

 

 

Cap Ferrets. So good. In the upper right hand corner, the tarama. And the rillettes were somewhere on the table as well.

 

 

Carpaccio Saint-Jacques.  Oysters and Saint-Jacques deserved this...

 

 

 

Côte de Veau. Allegedly for 2 people, but could have fed like 5. The thing was huge! And hugely delish. The potatoes that came with were unbelievably great.

 

 

Said potatoes - don't even ask me how they were prepared, other than the perfect frying at the end.  So a really crispy shell, with creamy mashed potatoes within.

 

 

Dessert, too. Cause we're nuts!  

 

What  a meal - wonderful service, lively place without being crazy noisy.  Just great.

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[rotuts]

@weinoo 

 

wow  what a meal 

 

Id order the same myself !

 

re : oysters ;

 

there is a generous hunk of butter ( ? ) on the plate

 

and a small bowl of something or other and a time >

 

what's the butter m if it butter , for ?

 

what the something or other ?

[Shelby]

33 minutes ago, rotuts said:

what's the butter m if it butter , for ?

I wondered the same thing.

 

Those potatoes.  I stared at them for longer than I care to admit.

[weinoo]

59 minutes ago, rotuts said:

and a small bowl of something or other and a time >

 

what's the butter m if it butter , for ?

 

 

I'm pretty sure the butter is for the bread that's also on the table...somewhere!

 

The little bowl looks to be red wine vinegar mignonette.  We tend not to use anything on these oysters, other than a little squeeze of lemon juice.

Edited January 30, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[rotuts]

as I thought

 

Very wise to pair a Premier Cru Chablis w

 

oysters and scallops 

 

my favorite Trio.

[ambra]

21 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Absolutely - but be forewarned; it's booked up A LOT!

 

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10824038?source_impression_id=p3_1675081304_gPGUBJANYHGzzYTl

Thank you! You were right though, totally booked up for ages. 😃

[weinoo]

13 hours ago, ambra said:

Thank you! You were right though, totally booked up for ages. 😃

 

Yes - "back in the day" it was a much easier rental (they do have another property right nearby - did you see that?).  Prior to staying here a number of times, we'd found a place via VRBO, and liked it a lot; then that place came off the market. So - it's always something, as Roseanne Roseannadanna might have said.

 

Le Grand Bain

 

Le Grand Bain is a place we're somewhat familiar with, having dined here on previous trips. As we like a lot, and as it's open on Sundays, it works quite well.  This particular Sunday night, however - slightly different, as it was World Cup final night...and we know the results of that! (Yes, France lost to Argentina...on PKs). Paris was insane, and we made the ridiculous mistake of trying to take the Metro to the restaurant. Long story short - we ended up walking, all the way to the restaurant, in the rain. 

 

Another little side story...I've been semi-watching this cooking show called Paris Bistro Cooking, for a bit of time now. It's not a competition show, which makes it at least watchable, in my opinion.  Turns out the chef on the show is actually the chef at Le Grand Bain; I'd never put the two together until I saw the credits at the end of an episode. Weird.

 

We were seated next to this really cute (okay, hot), young couple from Germany. They were quite interested in some of the dishes we'd ordered, and asked for advice on what they might like, which was fun sort of helping them along with their meal. Even let them taste one or two of our dishes before we'd taken a bite, something I rarely do (did I mention they were hot?).

 

Anyway, what'd we eat again?

 

 

This! Gratin Dauphinois.

 

 

This head gets the heads turning for sure.  Head of a sea bass,.

 

 

A nice hunk of pork, with the crispiest skin...quite good.

 

There was also Céleri-Rave Rémoulade, a snack of panisse, a play on Tuscan ribollita, and (evidently, as I look at the bill), 2 desserts.

 

 

One of which was this tarte tatin.

 

A genuinely pleasant evening, on a rainy night in Paris.

Edited January 31, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[gfweb]

Those potatoes look almost like pave.

[weinoo]

On 1/31/2023 at 8:15 AM, weinoo said:

as I look at the bill), 2 desserts.

 

I take this back. As I take a better look at this picture...

 

 

I realize it was a play on a tarte tatin, and I think it was savory - a leek tarte tatin.

Edited February 2, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[heidih]

I did wonder due to the greenery. Nice concept.

[FauxPas]

On 1/30/2023 at 5:59 AM, weinoo said:

Said potatoes - don't even ask me how they were prepared, other than the perfect frying at the end.  So a really crispy shell, with creamy mashed potatoes within.

 

10 hours ago, gfweb said:

Those potatoes look almost like pave.

 

The menu says "Pommes Dauphine". Mashed potatoes and choux pastry, then fried. 

https://www.seriouseats.com/pommes-dauphine-recipe-5217321

[Anna N]

11 hours ago, gfweb said:

Those potatoes look almost like pave.

Much more so than Pommes Dauphine. I admit to being quite confused.  Normally I would say well Mitch must know what he's talking about but then he tells me that the  tarte tatin wasn't, so....

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, FauxPas said:

 

 

The menu says "Pommes Dauphine". Mashed potatoes and choux pastry, then fried. 

https://www.seriouseats.com/pommes-dauphine-recipe-5217321

 

@weinoo said Gratin Dauphinois, which is different.

This  doesn't look like pommes dauphine, which is a potato puff.

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by gfweb (log)

[weinoo]

At Soces, with the veal, they're Pomme Dauphine.

 

At Le Grand Bain, they're gratin dauphinois. But look like pave.  Probably a cross between the two.

[weinoo]

36 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 Normally I would say well Mitch must know what he's talking about

This is where you'd run afoul, especially of my memory.

[weinoo]

Many years ago, we ate at a wonderful restaurant called Rino (in the 11th), with a chef named Giovanni Passerini. A Roman, he was cooking real Italian food...in Paris. It was somewhat groundbreaking, in that aspect.  Long story short: he went on to open Passerini, to great acclaim.  Writers calling it not just the best Italian restaurant in Paris, but the best in Europe.  

I remember reading this Alec Lobrano piece when Passerini opened, but we'd never been.  There's also a Passerina wine bar, across the street, where we'd shared a glass or two a few nights prior. And an Italian "deli" as well.

 

Passerini

 

 

We started with brandade - 

 

 

These were a must...

 

 

And better (?) than mine, at home!

 

This was great:

 

 

Bigoli. Which if memory serves me correctly (hah!), was Significant Eater's main course. Mine...

 

 

Lotte...aka monkfish. Really excellent.

 

For dessert, semifreddo. From my investigation of the bill, a fair amount of low ABV alcohol was consumed.

 

I can recommend this place.

Edited February 2, 2023 by weinoo (log)

[Senior Sea Kayaker]

Thanks for posting the menus (and I'm glad I'm fluent in French).