L'Angle du Faubourg

[cabrales]

I dined at L'Angle de Faubourg in Paris during 2Q 2002. An interesting dinner choice, as I had secured reservations at both parent Taillevent and L’Angle de Faubourg, the chef of which had been a sous-chef under Michel de Burgo. As members may know, L’Angle gained its first star this year.

Pissaladiere de’escargots “Petits-Gris” au pisto (15 euros) (“Petits-Gris” snails from Burgundy)

Paleron de veau braise, jeunes primeurs a la francaise (23) (Braised veal, young vegetables)

Ravioles de betterave aux fruits rouges (10) (Beetroot ravioli with red fruits)

Glass of Taitttinger special cuvee

Chablis, Raveneau, Montee de Tonnerre, 1997 (between 65 and 70 euros)

This is a good restaurant with respect to value-for-money, and offers fairly reasonably tasting food.

The amuse was caille de brebis with a tapenade and some olive oil. The intensity of the crushed olives in the tapenade was intended to contrast with the caille de brebis, but the resulting flavors were not matching. An acceptable amuse. Meanwhile, I am sipping on the Taittinger champagne and feeling unhappy with it.

The escargot appetizer was average. While there was a slightly amusing aspect to the utilization of basil together with garlic in the green-colored sauce for the snails (as opposed to the traditional parsley and garlic pairing), the snails themselves were not as warm as I would have subjectively preferred. There were about 5-8 small snails sitting on top of an unusual-colored pastry piece that was long and narrow (I took almost none of this pastry item, which was overwhelmed by butter tastes and which was also unduly sweet for some reason). The taste of the snails was appropriate, albeit not particularly good. The use of basil was rendered more amusing by the inclusion of leaves of flat parsley in the refreshing salad served as part of this dish. On top of the pastry item, and together with the snails, were lengths of fried onions (?); this neither helped nor hindered the dish. Overall, an acceptable appetizer.

The main course of veal, accompanied by nicely cooked vegetables (slices of carrots, beautifully refreshing green peas, a single small piece of radish which was partially colored red, and a single small onion). The flesh of the veal, which had been described to me as having been cooked for 7 hours, was supple and tender. I liked this dish, although the jus of cooking in this context could have suggested a red as opposed to a white wine. The sauce was based on cooking jus. The peas in particular conveyed feelings of the season, and were a nice medium green.

The beetroot dessert rendered me curious. Thin slices of a dark, deep burgundy-colored beetroot formed the two parts of “raviolis”. The hues were beautiful, and I was struck by the intensity of the colors. There were perhaps 6 ravioli, with mascarpone cheese and small sections of strawberry inside. In the middle of the raviolis was a marscarpone -flavored ice cream. There was a good amount of burgundy colored beetroot-based syrup surrounding the raviolis. I was struck by the visual appeal of the beetroot, although I would have preferred a slightly softer and less crisp texture to the beetroot ravioli slices.

Background

After walking about 10 minutes from the relevant section of the Champs Elysees, I arrived at a corner restaurant that seemed ordinary from the outside. The inside was nice – with the color themes of a medium grey (utilized for certain portions of the walls, including ones with large handwritten words, like ones found at Loraine, Joigny, while walking from the ground floor of Cote Saint-Jacques to the lower level of the main dining rooms using the staircase adjacent to the salon) and a matte, reddish clay color. I liked the color scheme, in part because a darker shade of burgundy than what one had at L’Angle is my favorite color. I liked the lighting, which was not too bright and which augmented the decorative elements along the walls. Along the right-hand-side area of the restaurant, one saw, for example, that the clay color had texture – horizontal lines that were of uneven distance from one another. A nice decor for a one-star.

The service was more than sufficient for a one-star. In particular, the sommelier team (dominated by women the night I visited – the only place in Paris at which I have witnessed such phenomenon, except at the Bristol) was nice. I was particularly tempted by certain well-priced whites (e.g., Haut-Brion Blanc 1984 at 180 euros, Mersault Clos de la Barre 1996, Lafon at 110 euros) and champagnes (e.g., Salon 1985 at 150 euros). However, I adhered to my original choice of a more reasonably priced Raveneau Chablis. The 1997 Raveneau was a bit young for drinking now, and was a bit too fruity for my tastes.

There was a 60 or 65 euro set menu (no choice) for a four-course dinner. The three-course (no choice) dinner on the night I visited was at 35 euros and consisted of: Veloute de laitue aux herbes (veloute of lettuce with herbs); Palerin de beau braise, gratin de macaronis aux artichauts (Braised veal, gratin of macaronis with artichokes); Tarte fine aux pommes, glace caramel et au beurre demi-sel (Apple tart, with caramel ice cream and with half-salted butter). This 35 euro menu was rather appealing, and I would have ordered it, but for my desire to sample the beetroot dessert earlier described.

A good quality-to-price relationship, and deserving of a star. Not a cuisine that is inspired, but a reliable, reasonably priced cuisine. Of course, the cuisine at L’Angle is significantly below the level of that at Taillevent, but the cuisine is good and very reasonably priced. In addition, a nicely priced wine list for what is available (although the selections available left much to be desired).

The other dishes on the menu on the day I visited were as follows (very rough translations in light of time constraints):

Appetizers

Veloute de tomate refraichi au basilic (10 euros) (Veloute of tomato with basil)

Legumes croquants et pousse de salades, tomme de montaigne (12 ) (Crunchy vegetables, perhaps with a cheese from the mountains??)

Rissotto cremeux “de bouche a oreille” (16) (Creamy risotto of the day)

Lomo de thon roti aux epices (17) (Tuna roasted with herbs)

Gelee de crustaces, salade d’herbes fraiches (17) (Shellfish gelee, with a salad of fresh herbs)

Pot de foie de canard confit a l’ancienne (40 for 2 persons) (Duck foie gras, historical style)

Main Courses

Filets de rouget a la plancha, legumes grilles a la fleur de thym (22) (Grilled red mullet, grilled vegetables with thyme flowers)

Cabillaud roti, mijotee de cocos aux aromates (23) (Roasted cod)

Selle d’agneau farcie, jus a l’ail rose (22) (Stuffed lamb, pink garlic jus)

Magret de canard aux amandes caramelisees (24) (Duck with caramelised almonds)

Cheese and Dessert

Cabecou frais au vinaigre de miel (8)

Roquefort, jus au vin de Banyuls (8)

Saint-Nectaire fermier (8)

Assiette de sorbets de saison (9) (Plate of seasonal sorbets)

Croustillant de rhubarbe, granite au pamplemousse (10) (Rhubarb crunchy item, granite of grapefruit)

Nage de fraises au vinaigre balamique (11) (Nage of strawberries with balsamic vinegar)

Creme chocolat en capuccino (11) (Chocolate cream, capuccino)

[admajoremgloriam]

Am just coming out of a very nice diner there, nothing mind blowing but a perfect evening and the restaurant helped making it so. First of all, you should know that this is not the kind of place I would recommend for a romantic dinner (too wide, too bright even) but it is very well-fitted for a dinner with two or three friends as they have many round tables that are quite far apart from each other.

We had the 35 euros "menu d'un jour" which is served even at dinner and consisted today of "a green lentils, chiken and quenelles consommé", "a seared red tuna with small chopped vegetables" and "a caramelized pear macaron with cream". Even though there was not plenty to eat, all dishes were very well balanced and executed. Good products (fine tuna especially) and well cooked ones. No dish shattered my conceptions or made me pause at all, but neither did anything make me think it was poorly done or wrongly prepared.

The service was really nice and the meal came up to 65 euros each with coffee, water, Gerin's Cote du Rhone (30 euros) and a glass of Manzanilla xeres as apéritif. For this price and at dinner, this is as good as it comes.

Edited November 14, 2003 by admajoremgloriam (log)

[rpdkpd]

We had an excellent dinner there in February. From my notes:

Menu Degustation

Capuccino celery soup with truffle

Rouget planche with bouillabaisse sauce

wine: Languedoc Cuvée Aurelles

Braised lamb shank

wine: Gevrey Chambertin (Melpin) 1999

Chocolate croustillade

One added "plus" is that they draw on Taillevent's wine cellar, and since we ordered the menu degustation they were able to give us a number of very thoughtful suggestions about wine at relatively reasonable prices.

[raisab]

Dreaming about Taillevent, I pulled up theiir website, and noticed they advertise a prix fixe menu at Angle du Faubourg for 35 euros. Is this accurate? Or will the supplements run it up even more? How about wine? For those who have been there, what were your impressions of this place? Thank you all in advance!

[John Talbott]

Dreaming about Taillevent, I pulled up theiir website, and noticed they advertise a prix fixe menu at Angle du Faubourg for 35 euros. Is this accurate? Or will the supplements run it up even more? How about wine? For those who have been there, what were your impressions of this place? Thank you all in advance!

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Been once, not bad, not blow your socks off, bill was quite a bit higher; never saw a reason to return.

Now Taillevent in 1968 that was something else.

[42390]

You are correct about the 35e menu, offered at both lunch and dinner. The catch is that there is only one choice per course. Stray from the 35e menu and you will find your bill higher, but it is still probably one of the best priced 1 stars Paris.

I have eaten there 3 times and like it quite a bit. They have a good selection of well priced wines by the glass too.

If you are looking for good values among the 1 stars try Maison Courtine, 157 Avenue Maine. They have a 35e menu too only with 6 or so choices per course. Some dishes carry a 5-10e supplement. I ate there in September and would certainly return. It lacks the high priced Christofle and such on the table, but has a very high quality:price ratio.

[pierre45]

I have eaten at L'angle du faubourg a few times.1st time when it opened.I took the fixed menu and i was quite impressed.I have been twice since ,choosing mostly a la carte and i found the food and everything else just average.

[Hectorp]

My wife and I were just in Paris last week and we tried L'Angle Du Faubourg, Jean Claude Vrinat's other restaurant at the corner of Rue Balzac and the Rue Du Faubourg Saint Honore (about 4 blocks North of the Champs Elysees). I believe this is a Michelin One Star...and I would say comfortable being there (i.e., no apparent ambition to move up the scale).

General comments:

Ambience:

Pleasant modern decor with a color scheme in which dark maroon seems to predominate. Interesting variety of guests. I got a sinking feeling when they sat us next to the only other Americans in the place...but what can you do?

Service:

I saw someone mention in another post that Lucas Carton had reduced prices by "down-skilling" the staff. I would say that the same approach has been taken here. The sommelier was good, but the wait staff was junior, scant and stretched very thin (there seemed to be about 1/5 the number than there were at Taillevent).

The meal took about 2 1/2 hours (which is more normal for a 3-star service), but it only needed to take about 1 1/2. The other hour was just because they were too busy to be normally attentive.

Food: I apologize for no pictures or precise titles...the standards of food reportage here are very high...but then I understand that they they change their menu frequently anyway.

The quality was very good...with about the same proportion of hits and misses that I have gotten at a Paris 3 star restaurant.

Pumpkin mousse with sour cream on top served in a narrow shot glass. This was excellent and provided the same succession of flavors experience that Arpege's famous egg does (maybe the order is different). There is a salty crust on top, the tangy sour note of the cream and the sweetness of the pumpkin mousse. Delightful.

Foie gras ravioli. It was a single ravioli which, for some reason they sat in a bowl of beef consumme surrounded by finely chopped vegatables. The consumme made the ravioli a little rubbery. I just don't hink this was big success.

Pigeon. Presentation was good and the flavor was good...but a little austere...my inner comfort food loving self really wanted Pigeon Andres Malraux from Lasserre (stuffed with foie gras and unbelievably tender).

Molten chocolate cake. What's not to like? well-paired with a Sauterne dessert wine.

In sum. The food was good, the wine was very good and very affordable, the service was friendly but a little slow and inexpert...overall though a pleasant good experience. The bill for two (including a glass each of Dom Perignon, a bottle of wine and dessert wines for each of us) was about 210 Euros.

Chris

Edited December 16, 2005 by Hectorp (log)

[raisab]

The meal took about 2 1/2 hours (which is more normal for a 3-star service), but it only needed to take about 1 1/2. The other hour was just because they were too busy to be normally attentive.

Why would you say it should have taken an hour and a half? This is a serious question. With 4 courses,you had an aperitif, wine, coffee,after dinner drinks, and perhaps some Amuse Bouches? How about a conversation with your dinner companion? Part of my complaint to French restos lately is that they cater to the American need to rush thorugh dinner. I find most bistro meals take about 2 hours. so 2 1/2 hours for a four course seems pleasant to me. Again it is different expectaions for different parts of the world. If this meal had only taken 1 1/2 hours I think most in Paris would of been extremely displeased.

Edited December 16, 2005 by raisab (log)

[Hectorp]

I didn't mean to stumble into that religious argument.

What I really meant to say was that we felt that there was more waiting than was completely welcome.

I'm not an exclusive advocate of any particular meal duration.

I've had a 3+ hour meal (at Taillevent at Lucas Carton and Tru in Chicago) which I felt was exactly the right length....because of the way it was orchestrated.

But it's all about pacing. You'd probably agree that it takes a certain attention to sequence to sustain a meal of 3+ hours and not make it feel like there are huge crevasses in your interest in the experience. I could go to the symphony to hear a piece that was written to last an hour...and if the orchestra takes two one hour breaks in the performance...of course I could talk to my companion during the silences...but my irritation with that experience doesn't mean I couldn't deal with a symphony that was actually written to last 3 hours.

The meal took about 2 1/2 hours (which is more normal for a 3-star service), but it only needed to take about 1 1/2. The other hour was just because they were too busy to be normally attentive.

Why would you say it should have taken an hour and a half? This is a serious question. With 4 courses,you had an aperitif, wine, coffee,after dinner drinks, and perhaps some Amuse Bouches? How about a conversation with your dinner companion? Part of my complaint to French restos lately is that they cater to the American need to rush thorugh dinner. I find most bistro meals take about 2 hours. so 2 1/2 hours for a four course seems pleasant to me. Again it is different expectaions for different parts of the world. If this meal had only taken 1 1/2 hours I think most in Paris would of been extremely displeased.

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[John Talbott]

The meal took about 2 1/2 hours (which is more normal for a 3-star service), but it only needed to take about 1 1/2.

Part of my complaint to French restos lately is that they cater to the American need to rush thorugh dinner.

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I would like to respectfully disagree. Twice this week I had the experience in restos where the clientele were 100% French businessmen (except for me) where they were in and out in 55-65 minutes. It's not the Americans that are driving that train.

[Felice]

The meal took about 2 1/2 hours (which is more normal for a 3-star service), but it only needed to take about 1 1/2.

Part of my complaint to French restos lately is that they cater to the American need to rush thorugh dinner.

←

I would like to respectfully disagree. Twice this week I had the experience in restos where the clientele were 100% French businessmen (except for me) where they were in and out in 55-65 minutes. It's not the Americans that are driving that train.

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I don't think so either. I think it's just not possible to pay the bills with only one seating and French restauranteurs are being forced speed up the service and to turn tables. Especially the smaller places which offer a great rapport/qualite prix.

[raisab]

Through lunch I wouldn't expect or necessarily want a prolonged dining experience. But through dinner I have come to expect about 2 hours. I always book the 21:30 sitting soI won't be rushed through. I do find that restaurants feel they are doing me, as an American, a favor by speeding up my meal.

I still feel the 2 1/2hours experienced At L'Angle still resonable for the amount of food and drinks that were consumed.Most kitchens have a set speed for meals and again it comes down to expectations not being met.

[fresh_a]

I would like to respectfully disagree.  Twice this week I had the experience in restos where the clientele were 100% French businessmen (except for me) where they were in and out in 55-65 minutes.  It's not the Americans that are driving that train.

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No. Now it's going global...

[Hectorp]

As magnetic a digression a discussion of meal durations can be...I wonder if there's anyone else who has dined at L'Angle Du Faubourg and what their experience was like.

By the way, on our walk to the restaurant from Place des Ternes we passed the Caves de Taillevent (sp?) and there was a wine tasting event going on in the warmly lit interior. I was tempted to abort the dinner and join the little party.

Chris

[Carlsbad]

Four of us had dinner at L'Angle Du Faubourg in July, which we all enjoyed very much. I thought this review was very close to our experience, although I think the meal was paced about right for us. In general, the service was just about as described- a little thin and rough around the edges, and certainly not in the same league as that at Taillevent. We did find the sommelier very helpful and engaging, and she led us to two terrific wines.

[Newburg]

We dined at l'Angle du Faubourg on a weekday in June this year, and had the Menu Dégustation at 70 Euro:

Velouté de petit pois á la menthe fraîche

Risotto crémeux "de bouche á oreille"

Daurade á la plancha, legumes confits aux citrons

Foie gras de canard poêlé au banyuls

Fromage affiné

Croustillant au chocolat "Caraque"

Sorbet aux fruits du moment.

Total cost for two persons was 229 Euro, including aperitifs and a bottle of standard champagne.

I shouldn't comment on the quality as such of the dishes, as I don't have much basis for comparison, but we liked the food very much and felt that it was a fine experience.

Duration of the meal was 3 ½ hours, which to us felt right with adequate spacing between dishes.

The physical ambience of the room was fine, and we liked the contemporary decor, the warm colours, and the plushness. On the other hand we had the feeling that this is a place where you speak softly and don't draw attention to yourself.

The service was OK as such, but quite remote and impersonal, and one of our waiters seemed somewhat inexperienced. Upon booking, we had mentioned that we were celebrating a 50 years birthday, in order to increase the chances of securing the table. We definitely didn't want any fuss about the birthday, but were on the other hand mildly surprised that they didn't congratulate us. Some people are impossible to please.

On a side note, a couple of days earlier we had sampled Alain Passard's temporary Végétable restaurant at the Printemps department store. This was a unique chance to enjoy some of his dishes, and a great culinary experience.

A big thanks to eGullet for passing on the information about this opportunity!