One more New Restaurant: Sot l’y laisse

[John Talbott]

Well, I didn’t include Le Sot L'Y Laisse, 70 rue, Alexander Dumas in the 11th, 01.40.09.79.20 in my post of “9 New/Changed Restaurants” last week because it was a “throwaway” (that is to say, I wasn’t sure I’d go there) lunch on the day, Saturday, before I had to leave Paris. But having been urged to by my new food finder, I see why Figaroscope, Pariscope’s Time Out and Paris Parler all liked it. It’s what we old-timers thought almost any bistro around the corner could deliver routinely 30 years ago but now seems to take a trip – good product, honest, inventive cooking and good prices. What can I say: it’s in a part of Paris few Americans are likely to schlep to if they’re there 4-5 days, but it’s great for those who are less transient. It’s run by a terrific, amiable couple, example: he’s chopping onions like one is taught to and throws them in a skillet and it smells great; I re-look at the ardoise and cannot find onions on it so I ask what dish it was for, answer, big shrug, “I don’t know, something in the future, that’s what he does sometimes.” Anyway, I had a wonderful cold tomato soup (it was into the high 80’s that day), cod with an intense sauce of lots of crustaceans and a timbale of squashes and a powerful coffee crème caramel. The prices are indeed easy as noted by the reviewers; my bill was 44.50E, but on weekdays the 2-course formule is something like 12E and the 3-course menu 16E (I could be a bit low). And when have you last seen a real French Chablis for 30E? Finally, when I ordered a wine, Madame steered me gently to a less-expensive one! Go now, they won’t be there in five years.