Boudin noir in Paris

[aprilmei]

Hello everybody, I've been reading e-gullet for a while now, but this is my first post.

I'll be in Paris the last week of August - yes, I know it's a bad time as far as eating goes. But I'm desperate for boudin noir, especially after reading Jeffrey Steingarten's piece (It Takes a Village to Kill a Pig) in his last book where he writes about making it with Pierre Herme and his wife. So where's the best place to go for boudin noir in Paris? and where can I go to buy some to bring back from my holiday? (it's legal to bring back this type of sausage where I live). Should I buy it in cans or in casings? And what brands are best? or should I go to a charcuterie?

thanks so much...

[Bux]

Let's hope the heat wave has abated by then. Boudin noir is rich food and from all reports, this is a record breaking hot summer. I can only recall having boudin noir once in Paris and someone posted here that the restaurant had closed. I'm a great fan of boudin noir, but a greater fan of andouillette. Given the option I favor the latter which I can't get in NY. (For those unfamiliar with French andouille and andouillette, the Cajun sausage sold under that name in the states bears no resemblance to the French sausage whose name it borrowed. Come to think of it, the same can be said for boudin.) I can get boudin noir in NY, albeit not as good as in France, but I've also had it in the Caribbean as morcilla in Puerto Rico and as boudin des antilles in Martinique. The latter were among the best if you like it spicy. There's great boudin in the Basque region.

Michelin has a list of Parisian restaurants by specialties. Boudin is one of the listings, as is andouillette. I have last year's Michelin. It recommends eight restaurant within Paris and one in the suburbs. If you don't have access to a copy of the Guide Rouge, perhaps someone will post the names on the current list, although I suspect there were no changes from last year.

Jeffrey Steingarten could probably make sawdust sound appetizing, but then again maybe that's partially because I trust him not to do that. In my opinion, the best boudins are likely to come from a good charcuterie, but as I've only bought them fresh in the south where I can cook them in a friend's kitchen, I can't refer you to a Parisian source. As for the legality of bringing them home with you, I'll defer to Claire's opinion. Ms. Voyant not only knows all the laws, she knows where you live.

[Bux]

From another thread here in the France board, here's an opportune post.

"Repaire" hasn't been a secret for years. I remember an article years back in the New York Times, as well as one in Conde Nast Traveller, calling it one of the best bistros in Paris.

I noticed yesterday that Repaire de Cartouche is on Patricia Wells' 2003 list of favorite places in Paris. I would say this means 'the cat is out of the bag.' She talks about the boudin noir they serve, which makes me think I may need to work it into my itinerary.

[tighe]

You might also want to get your hands on a copy of 'Gourmet Paris' by Emmanuel Rubin. It's organized by dish and he gives his top recommendations of where to eat each one.

[dlc]

About 24 months ago I stopped in a wine bar "Le Passage" in the 10th that had a fantastic selections of wine but the real treat was an apple and boudin noir tart. Ethereal and earthy, sweet & savory, light and dark it had it all. I am starving just thinking about it

[aprilmei]

Bux, I've heard very mixed things about andouillete. Some people say it's fantastic, the most delicious thing in the world, others say it tastes horrifically like what was inside the intestines when the pig was still alive (scary thought). Please enlighten me: are andouilletes supposed to taste very strong and "fruity" and these people (the ones that don't like it) just didn't like it, or did they unfortunately come across bad andouillete that hadn't been cleaned properly? Do some taste stronger than others? have you ever eaten a "bad" (off-tasting) one? What should the flavour be like? I love entrails and have eaten loads of intestines at Chinese restaurants. I've never eaten one (so far) I haven't liked, but don't want to mess up my impeccable entrail-eating track record with an off-tasting andouillete.

Hoping it cools down by the time I get there - last I heard it's 39 degrees Celsius.

thanks.

[Louisa Chu]

aprilmei, one of the best place for boudin noir in Paris - La Fontaine de Mars. No vacation closing, on the menu, served with butter sauteed apples, 13 euros. Their sister restaurant L'Auvergne Gourmande has it as the plat du jour - with either pureed potatoes or a compote of apples and pears - about once a month - but you'll miss it this month as they're serving it this coming Monday - for next time, it's 11 euros.

Where to buy it to bring it back - La Maison du Jambon on rue Cler - one of the best charcuteries in town - open again the 27th.

La Fontaine has andouillette on the menu too - try it. I just had it a couple of weeks ago. A little funky, a little musty, sliced, sauteed slightly crisp, with that lightly chewy and gelatinous texture that people who like offal love - really good.

[Bux]

Bux, I've heard very mixed things about andouillete. Some people say it's fantastic, the most delicious thing in the world, others say it tastes horrifically like what was inside the intestines when the pig was still alive (scary thought). Please enlighten me: are andouilletes supposed to taste very strong and "fruity" and these people (the ones that don't like it) just didn't like it, or did they unfortunately come across bad andouillete that hadn't been cleaned properly? Do some taste stronger than others? have you ever eaten a "bad" (off-tasting) one? What should the flavour be like? I love entrails and have eaten loads of intestines at Chinese restaurants. I've never eaten one (so far) I haven't liked, but don't want to mess up my impeccable entrail-eating track record with an off-tasting andouillete.

I don't know that much about andouillettes. I'm still doing research. Some have a mild taste and aroma and some can be "appreciated" from across the table. I'm not sure what accounts for the difference. I know some are made from pork and others from veal and it's not always clear which I'm ordering. I'd like to think the barnyardy flavor -- an acquired taste, to be sure -- that's strong in some, is not the byproduct of poorly cleaned intestines. In fact, I'm quite sure it isn't, but I don't know if the lack of such character is due to over processing, or the animal itself. I had one at Balzar, one of the brasseries taken over by the Flo group that I thought was very mild. I distinctly recall commenting to my wife that maybe I've become jaded with andouillette as it didn't seem distinctive tasting. Then I had a much more artisanal seeming product, it was all misshapen, at a small bouchon in Lyon and it was distinctly distinctive. It didn't strike me as an off-taste however.

[Louisa Chu]

Another great source for take-home boudin - noir and otherwise - Charles Traiteur. Award-winning boudin noir, blanc, and andouillette - lots of varities. Three locations - I know the one on rue St. Dominique near me. They even have a website Roi du Boudin - King of Boudin.

[Bux]

Wow, I just clicked through to their boudin noir page. Nine varieties including an Antillais and a Fumé, although I'd have to an oignon first. Pretty fancy list of boudin blancs as well. Maybe I want an appartment with a kitchen rather than a hotel and restaurant reservations the next time I'm in Paris.

[Louisa Chu]

Bux, did you also see the little Quicktime video of frying the boudins blancs in the pan? Talk about food porn. Wait until you see the stuff - and shop - in person. Dark, cool, deep, narrow - boudins to the left; savoury tartes to the right; cheese in the back, four haunches of jambon du pays on the side.

And all the boudins are cooked - just slice and eat - best in this weather. Going back to try some this week.

Apartment with kitchen - there's an idea. Did I mention that I'm getting a stove after all?

[Bux]

Are you sure you'll want to look at a stove when you get home from the job?

This month you could use a solar frying pan anyway.

[tighe]

You might also want to get your hands on a copy of 'Gourmet Paris' by Emmanuel Rubin.  It's organized by dish and he gives his top recommendations of where to eat each one.

I finally got my copy today, and here's the recommended places for andouillette and boudin (though not boudin noir specifically).

Andouillette:

Anjou-Normandie, 11th

Les Bacchantes, 9th

Le Ferme des Mathurins, 8th

L'Opportun, 14th

Le Passage, 11th

Le Rubis, 1st

La Taverne de L'Arbre Sec, 1st

Le Vieux Bistro, 4th

Terminus Balard, 15th

Boudin:

Aux Chapentiers, 6th

Fermette du Sud-Ouest, 1st

Le Rhone, 13th

Chez Henri, 6th

Chez Yvette, 15th

Chez Prune, 10th

In the final analysis, I have to say it was a grave mistake for me to purchase this book at this stage of the game. Don't get me wrong, its a great book but my already overly long list of places to consider has now officially passed the point of becoming rediculous.

[aprilmei]

Wow, thanks for all these suggestions. Let's hope it gets cooler or I'll only be in the mood for salads - which would be a major tragedy.