November 2005 – Meurice, Senderens, Benoit

[John Talbott]

November 2005 – Le Meurice, Senderens, Benoit, Carte Blanche, Maxan, Chapeau Melon, Tяuc, Diapason, Fils de la Ferme, Kodo, Gorille Blanc, ParisBoheme

Caution to readers – I’ve decided to affiliate myself with those folks who give ratings and prices to meals, eg and cf Michelin1-3, Figaroscope –1-+4, Gault-Millau 0-20, and Parker 0-100. I tried to find a clever prime number like 181, but settled on 10, but I’ll try to use the whole range rather than chicken out, as say Gault-Millau does between 11.5 and 19.5. For my idea of this scale, see the end of this post. By the way, I only rate the food, no points for welcome, décor, flowers, voiturier, etc.

Le Meurice - see downthread dated November 6, 2007

8 - Alain Senderens, 9, place de la Madeleine in the 8th, 01.42.65.22.90, open lunch and dinner everyday, is a place my wife Colette and I tried to crash one Sunday a bit back, but they wouldn’t serve the regular (downstairs) stuff in the upstairs bar and we didn’t want Senderens’ idea of tapas and sushi, being fans of his since we first ate at l'Archestrate during the last great riots in 1968. So I returned Sunday. The décor is startlingly different; while the wood trim and light fixtures are pure Lucas-Carton, the tables and chairs are pure modern. My companion this time had the lightly-smoked warm salmon with cucumber and a sauce made from eau d’Ecosse (eg Scotch whiskey); I had the chipirons a la plancha with confited tomatoes – both were quite nice. Then she ordered the (never-seen-before-at-least-by-me) tartare of veal and langoustines on a bed of rice vermicelli and I had the red perdreau with a huge stuffed cabbage wedge – again both were flawless. The surprise of the meal was the price range of the wines, from 23 E up, despite the firsts and mains running in the 20’s and 30’s respectively. Our bill = 148 E for two. Oh yes, the mignardises with the coffees were terrific, including two chocolate divinities.

7.5 - Wow, Carte Blanche, 6, rue Lamartine in the 9th, 01.48.78.12.20, closed Saturday lunch and Sundays, far exceeded my expectations even after Demorand, Simon and Rubin had elevated them (the front man is ex-Gagnaire; the cook ex-Beauvilliers). It’s one more terrific destination (along with Chez Jean + Georgette) in this former culinary waste-land north east of Notre Dame de Lorette.) It looks ordinary enough, but the ardoise suggests a bit of talent and some “stretch.” It has about six firsts, mains and desserts and 20 wines (running 21-60 E). You get two dishes for 25 and three for 31 E. My French companion and I went for three and three, despite her reluctance to do dessert (she didn’t leave a smidgen). The firsts we chose were unlike anything I’d seen before; a ring (called a declinasion) of slightly warmed celery stuff and chips of what (apple maybe) and microtomed raw scallops set on a bed of granny smiths and mangoes; followed by two spectacular dishes; confited pork, almost sausage-like, in a casserole of fall veggies and a rollatine of veal with veal kidney inside and “smoked” mashed potatoes; finished by a “moelleux” of caramel on top of chocolate and huge “bonbons” of rolled chocolate in a crusty wrap. And the coffee was terrific. If you go, ignore the names, it’s a bit like l’Angl Opera, the names are just there to confuse you. I will give this place until Christmas until the dreaded “tourists” discover it and there it goes, prices, reservations and language – but until the guidebooks appear – enjoy it! Oh yah, the bill, how does 86 E for two sound to you? (Boy, I’m going to get in trouble for this, but my meal the day before at the Meurice, while scoring at 8, of a langoustine/mussel soup a la Detourbe, an extra dish of scallops/shrimp with a fluffy mousse, St Pierre with lentils and a dessert of mango three ways, was fine, but nowhere near as interesting, imaginative, or challenging as here; and compared to 112 E for one at le M., the difference in the price/quality ratio of these two places is astounding).

6.25 - Maxan, 37, rue de Miromesnil in the 8th, (in the old Poele d’Or space, where I had a pretty good meal, less than a year ago, under a new chef, (?what’s going on here?)), 01.42.65.78.60, closed Saturday lunch, Sundays and Monday dinner, is even better now. It’s bright, with a stunning Morris Louis type wall (shown only in the A Nous Paris pix and the serving men are incredibly hustle-bustle (like outdoor café garcons of yore). It’s had mixed reviews (4/5 in A Nous Paris, only 2/4 in Figaroscope, but the enthusiasm of Philippe Toinard (talented chef with inventive ideas) and Sebastien Demorand (“serious” cooking going on here) convinced me. And it’s not my usual bourgeois, dark and dirty place; everyone but me and four “blondes” had ties and Wall Street suits; all were there for business and most everyone was in and out in 55 minutes – hey, it’s the 8th after all. There is now a menu du jour for 30 E (there was not before, despite Francois Simon’s article) and everyone was having it (it included a nice looking salad and a terrific looking chuck of beef with huge fries as well as a fish of the day which looked pretty good). The “amuse-gueule” was a puree/soup of Jerusalem artichoke. I, like 90% of the clientele, first had the tourte of wild rabbit, which was rich, like the lievre a la royale at the late lamented Caille et Plume, but did not leave your head spinning with fat globules; really gamey (buck shot and all); and had a poivrade sauce that was as dark as they get. Then I had veal kidneys piled in a tower on top of spinach and artichoke slices; yum. I was tempted by the macaron “all coffee” but because I was set for another meal in a few hours, I finished with OK Richard coffee but gold standard mignardises. I also had a naturel Bourgueil from a couple (Breton) whom we visited a few years ago that was very easy on the wallet. Oh yes, the bread was like that at la Regalade, crisp outside, moist inside. My bill was 53 E. (NB if one had the foie gras starter and beef main it would have run 46 E not 30 E for two courses). Only one couple smoked, only two folks spoke, but very quietly, on their portables, and I only heard French spoken. Problem? Really none, except for some Minchelli-type cutesy-poo stuff on the menu; e.g. a dessert labeled the “return of the wine harvest” and the fish of the day unidentified.

6 - Chapeau Melon, 92, rue Rebeval in the 19th, 01.42.02.68.60, open for dinner Wednesday and Saturday nights only, was well-described by Felice two weeks ago (and highly-rated by Demorand in Zurban & Rubin et al in Figaroscope Sept 29th). I went with a group of seven and we had a set meal for 25 E much like she had; the oysters (which the chef schlepped in just before serving) were a la japonaise; eg with sake and spices; the mackerel was as fine a sashimi-quality product as I’ve ever had (indeed all their products were super); the crab-filled raviolis surrounded an incredibly tasty (unfrozen) shrimp with a divine sauce; the lentils with foie gras were identical to her description and we finished with several slices of just right Conte. Much wine was had, all of it “unfiltered, natural, bio” etc. Everything was first rate: the only downside – its size (18 covers) means that it fills fast but that’s OK because everyone must be seated before they serve any one.

6 – Oh Boy! Le Tяuc, (that’s right, the R is reversed) - 58, rue du Poteau in the 18th, 01.42.52.64.09, opened a few days ago, but just a few weeks ago it was all plaster dust, however, as of now, it is a wonderful “secret find.” Why do I tell you about my “secret find?,” because you’ll never go – you’ll look at the map and say – “You want me to go where?” Well - silly you. It’s raw (the walls are bricks, beton and plaster); the tables are “Spoonish,” but the cooking is worthy of the 6th or 16th. I started with a rocket salad with parmesan, safe eh? Well, it had sun-dried tomatoes and fresh rocket and despite the “French solution,” eg salt, was OK. But the main, a huuuuugge portion of lamb, almost raw, sitting behind three ribs, with an incredible ratatouille (big chucky bits of perfectly fresh veggies) was spectacular. Illy coffee too. But trust me, you don’t want to schlep way out here – stay home – leave us alone. Bill (no, I cannot) = 29E.

5.5 - Le Diapason (in the Terrass Hotel), 12/14 rue Joseph de Maistre in the 18th, 01.44.92.34.00, is a space long misused. Often, my best food-buddy called to ask about eating on the roof of the Terrass Hotel overlooking all Paris, esp. over the cemetery of Montmartre; the answer inevitably was: it’s too hot, too cool, too uncertain, too xxx, etc. But now, with the consultation of Alain Ducasse (what would we do without him?), it’s a totally new thing. Ok, let’s start with the negatives: it’s on the edge of the tourist center of the world, the hill/mountain Montmartre; triangulated between the tee-shirt shops of the Place des Tertre, the sex-shops/cabines/etc of the Place de Clichy and the bourgeois neighborhoods to the north (disclosure: where I live). But despite all that, it’s really a great place that has been totally renovated with bright lights, bilingual wait-staff, marbled-tables and not-at-all-bad food. Two of us shared the amuse-gueules of toasted bread with purees of broccoli and eggplant and then moved on to shredded rabbit with a mesclan salad (super) and snails on a bed of warm, crushed tomatoes (pas mal); then frogs legs, prepared like fried calamari and a magret de canard – he hated it, I loved it; and ending with some great Basque cheese (which my exigent French pal noted was straight outta the frig). The bill, for dinner, in tourist-central, for one would be 50 E or less (plus they have a great wine list). Moral: not everything is as it appears; sometimes home is beat.

5 - Le Fils de la Ferme, 5, rue Mouton-Duvernet in the 15th, 01.45.39.39.61, was recommended to me by my eGullet friend and Paris Bistrot expert John Whiting, who really liked it. And I can see why; it’s inviting, nicely-priced and out-of-the-way (except for those pesky women seeking outlet shops near the rue Alesia). Two of us shared our six dishes and the hit rate was pretty high. The waiter neglected to bring us the amuse-bouches that looked like the tiered Les Magnolias-type things, which was a slightly annoying, but since my companion is French, this gaffe can’t be chalked up to anti-touristism. The starters: the tomatoes with cagouilles (land snails) were too heavily weighted in favor of the tomatoes (in November), but the pate de campagne was simply fabulous (I would never have ordered it, but my buddy fell back on the old Bocuse dictum- eg when testing a restaurant, try a sliced vegetable). Seconds were scallops (for only 3 E extra) with endives and an incredible chestnut puree and chicken a la Americain (eg Southern fried chicken) with a dipping sauce of something and spinach, which I liked and he didn’t. Then a dessert of crème brulee with caramel and cinnamon which we disagreed about (I thought the top was insufficiently browned/burned; he thought the underpinnings were too bland) and we topped it off with a terrific munster, not too young, not too old, just right. The bill?; for normal folks count on 80 E for two.

3.5 - Kodo, 29, rue du Bourg-Tibourg in the 4th, 01.42.74.45.25, open everyday except Monday, is one of those restaurants you really want to love; it’s one of the places Zurban says is very branché; and it’s cool, with modern tables but old plastered walls and loud modern music. The chef looks 12 years old, cares what you think, is inventive - although not too much so, and the place is in a location that needs a good place, passers-by are about ¼ Hassidim, ¼ weirdly-dressed tattooed “artistes” and ½ bobo’s. And, it is good: no menu unfortunately, but lots of interesting stuff. I started with what was called a samosa of salmon but was really sliced salmon wrapped around couscous with a wonderful orange sauce (I almost had the tartare of haricots verts with pommes a la Maxim’s because that sounded pretty good too). Then I had the biche which was the best so far of this game season, perfectly (almost raw) cooked, sitting on polenta - which normally I ignore, but this was made with figs, making it terrific. (Again, I almost went with the ris de veau which sounded equally good). I finished with a Lavazza coffee and some sort of nut in a not-too-sugary caramel – perfect! So why do I only give is a 3.5? Well, it’s very expensive and while it’s not fair to rate a place on its fullness, the place was empty until 1:30, when two suits showed up and had one dish. I don’t think they’ve figured out how to do “it” yet, despite getting 3 hearts in Figaroscope the same week they gave Senderens three too. They need Jean-Pierre Coffe or Ducasse Consultants SA, to help them. If they asked me; I’d go for two different crowds; I’d keep the same food at lunch, it’s fine for the suits but they’d have to turn down the music and offer a formula and menu more reasonably priced (say 20 E for the formula and 28 for a menu); and then appeal to the kids at dinner-time, which would involve doubling the size of the bar and adding some less adventuresome dishes (tapas, pasta, etc.). My bill = 60 E (no surprise since I’d been warned that Figaroscope’s estimate of 45 E was very deceptive).

3 - Le Gorille Blanc, 11 bis, rue Chomel in the 7th, 01.45.49.04.54, closed weekends occupies the old Cigale space and despite being reviewed positively by several critics was only 1/3rd full. I started with a feuillete of wood mushrooms that were disappointing in the dryness of both the pastry and mushrooms. Then I had biche with a thin sauce that was not spicy enough for my taste. (They had plenty of game too – terrine of gibiers, perdreau, etc.) I passed up a dessert for a wonderful poire William and coffee. Bill = 47.50 E.

2.5 - Benoit, 20, rue St-Martin in the 4th, 01.42.72.25.76 is open every day and one can easily dispense 80-90 E a la carte without wine, but it also has a multi-choiced 39 E lunch menu. However, as one might expect of a place like l’Ami Louis, i.e., which is much beloved by Americans, it serves portion sizes way outside the French bell-curve – hello “Super Size Me.” Lordy, it’s been a long time since I’ve graced its space, but it hasn’t changed a bit; oh sure, it’s pricier, the staff are less brusque and more friendly indeed terrific, the drapes are cleaner and there is clear evidence that Alain Ducasse, the St Jude of culinary lost causes, has placed his gentle hand on it. “Ok, Ok, get to the point Dad.” Is there a point? Not really. If you loved it 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago, you’ll love it now. If you’ve moved your vision on to other horizons, it will not cause you much great distress either. The good news: it looks exactly the same; the bad news: it is pretty much the same except it’s pricier. For numerous reasons, basic French/Scots’ genes, primordial principles and a challenge from a French food buddy that I couldn’t manage more than one dish, I ordered the 39 E menu rather than the 20+ entrees and 40+ mains; hey, if Ducasse can’t do ordinary stuff, why stretch to sample the rest? Surprises and deceptions, bien sur. The amuse(s) bouches were very good, freshly prepared and warm, a nice start. I chose an entrée of queue of beef, which paled in comparison with yesterday’s more bourgeois pate de campagne (they also offered a jambon sur l’os and a veggie dish) and it was much, much, too much to eat even if it were good (which it was not, having the taste of a too old dish towel). Then I had a very successfully prepared pheasant hen, moist and well seasoned (e.g. not too much of anything, including salt) with wonderful cabbage. (They also had morue and black sausages.) Finally, forced to choose between crepes Suzettes and chocky mousse, I went with the calories and the orange was wonderfully intense but the crepes pretty ordinary (the late lamented Bistro Cote Mer did’em better). Oh - the clients – 1/3 were “tourists,” now don’t get your back up just yet, they were in from Marne la Vallee or such; 1/3 were local habituees/convivs and 1/3 were Amuricans, speaking flawless English (nasty aren’t I?). What else, oh yes, the madeleine was warm & yummy and the bill for the “menu” and two glasses of basic red wine runs to only 52 E, (but no bottled water or coffee - mind you). Go back? Sorry, you - not me.

0.1 – I really thought this idea of rating places was kooky or at least goofy, but tonight I found the anchor point on the south side and have new confidence. My friend and superb sniffer-out of new places in New York and Paris cut out an article in Pariscope recently about Paris Boheme, 181, rue Ordener in the 18th, 01.46.06.64.20, open everyday, that said the new chef was trained (in part) in my current US zip code, Baltimore. So I had to go, even though he warned me not to. I hadn’t been there, a few hundred meters from my flat, in 15 years. Enter, same old bar and smoking center, traverse the corridor to the two huge rooms in the back, ask for “no smoking,” huh, they were the two tables to the East in the bar, ah no. So OK. Sit besides lobster tank, can’t be bad eh? Wrong, worst meal of the century, no I already used that. Small carte, big wine list. Ordered defensively: the shucker’s plate – 3 nice fresh gambas, 3 nasty clams and 3 tired oysters; then (what could go wrong) confit de canard with potatoes; tasteless, inedible, but nicely cooked mushrooms. What’d’ya’do now? Plead “grippe.” I’m a coward. The part that really grates me is that a couple blocks away I had a great meal at Le Tяuc, above, for 4 Euros less. Go figure!

Scale (subject to fickleness and change):

10 - Giradet in the old days.

9 - Ducasse, Bocuse, Loiseau at their prime

8 - Bon Acceuil, Ze Kitchen Galerie, Cerisaie, Constant x3 now

7- Bistro Cote Mer at its flowering best

6 - Cinq Mars

5 - Terminus Nord

4 - 2 Pieces Cuisine

3 - Le Bouclard

2 - Sale + Pepe

1 - le Nord-Sud

0 - Auguste, The Place

Ø- Iode

Edited November 6, 2007 by John Talbott (log)

[getxo]

John,

What a feast of new information!

As always, a lavish treat to read your opinion.

Thanks a bunch. Will take your notes to heart.

Best,

Henry

[ulterior epicure]

John.

Re: Senderens - reservations suggested - for a Sunday lunch? Don't want to end up with "tapas and sushi" at the bar...

U.E.

[Carlsbad]

These great reviews are making me very jealous.

[John Talbott]

John.

Re: Senderens - reservations suggested - for a Sunday lunch?  Don't want to end up with "tapas and sushi" at the bar... 

U.E.

←

One must have them - as I noted upthread, a few weeks ago, we couldn't get in downstairs or get them to serve us the regular menu at the Bar (which has identical furniture, go figure!). But Sunday 4 days ago there was no one upstairs so clearly (clear to me) they don't book as many tables and staff Sundays.

[getxo]

John,

Re: Senderens

Did you sit in the smoking or non-smoking section?

I understand there is a nonsmoking section on the ground floor.

Which section do you recommend for decor?

[John Talbott]

John,

Re: Senderens

Did you sit in the smoking or non-smoking section?

I understand there is a nonsmoking section on the ground floor.

Which section do you recommend for decor?

←

I asked for no smoking, not sure I saw any anywhere.

Upstairs has less of the old wood details but identical chairs & tables. I guess downstairs is best for decor but frankly, it's so modern it's almost fungable (I'm sure I'll get in trouble for that.)

I liked it better back in the good old days ('68-70) when it seemed to my aging brain to have been more old style, dark and warm.

[molto e]

John,

What a great lineup of restaurants and great commentary. How long of a period did you canvas those in?

Molto E

[pierre45]

John,

Fantastic reviews with a great sense of humour.

As usual you 're saving me the trouble and cost of eating in some and raising my interest about others.i,e la carte blanche and le truc.

I like your grading system. Are you sure about the z kitchen gallery ? you gave it a 6.

[pirate]

Mr. Talbott, your credibility zoomed when I noted that you gave a 10 to Girardet (in the old days). I ate there in 1984 and 1985. 1984 was outstanding in every regard. In 1985 I was a little let down by one dish, It was lapereau roasted. It came out well-done and when I mentioned it to the waiter he snapped back "that's the way it's supposed to be done" Being American I didn't argue, I just assumed some Americans wanted it that way and so they made it that way for all Americans. Incidentally on the same trip I had lapereau (it was in fashion at that time) beautifully prepared at the Kunststube just outside Zurich and at the now closed Capeline in Paris (Chef Goya is now, to my knowledge, at Bistro 108 in the 17th). Last April I ventured over to Rochat , Girardet's successor., also 3 Michelin star. The food was quite good but the atmosphere was very formal and almost funereal. I didn't enjoy it..

[raisab]

I had dinner with a friend at Carte Blanche on Monday night.

The place is attractive on the inside with a monochromatic color scheme but yet warm.

We walked in with a reservation and were seated immediately. My friend and I sat and conversed for about 5 minutes, after which the board was brought out with the menu. A few minutes later we were asked if we had made our decisions on our choices. We were not asked whether we wanted an aperitif, so I asked if they did not serve them here. (Of course they did). We ordered our coupe of champagne and Kir Royale. Within 1 minute we were asked whether we had chosen again. We claimed we had not and as he had not explained what the menu Carte Blanche was, I asked him about it. It is their form of menu surprise for 35 euros. We both ordered that and I asked him for the wine board as he had not set that up for us. We ordered our wine (a red from a lesser know part of Burgundy, whose name I have forgotten). I am not joking when I say our entrees were brought out within 1 minute of ordering! We still had our full aperitifs at the table! The server placed them down in front of us and walked away! We did not touch them. We watched him deliver entrees to other tables and explain what was being served. After about 5 minutes we called him back to our table and in French (which we had been using with him the entire time) we asked him to explain what had been served, as it was a menu surprise. It was presented beautifully on a granite slab. Inside a little tomato paste can was a confit de tomate with a granita of tomate on top. Served along with it in a sardine can were three different types of fish (I don’t know how to get a French keyboard on my laptop but it was poisson marine). The fish was salmon, tuna, and fresh sardine. It was marinated beautifully. Both items were incredibly delicious. We both took our time eating as we felt we were being rushed.

Our next course was a Boudoin Noir and a Seared scallop on top of some mushrooms and pastry. (This and the remainder of the meal were described for us as presented). The boudoin was the best I have ever tasted. The scallop was great as well. The plat was a confit of pork with julienne vegetable. It was presented in a beautiful copper domed kettle. This was the only thing which I felt did not live up to the rest of the menu. The pork could have benefited from being braised just a bit longer and it just did not have a lot of taste to it.

For dessert we were served a moelleux (sp?) de chocolat et carmel-gingembre. Basically a very rich chocolate custard layered with a caramel-ginger custard. On the side was a madeline. It was delicious!

The food quality and presentation at this place were great. Even though I did not like the pork, my friend loved it. The service? I don't know if they assumed because we were American we would want to be rushed through dinner, but once they realized we were there for a French meal, they responded accordingly. I guess maybe that belongs in the comparison thread.

Our meal for two, including a 26 euro bottle of wine, two aperitifs, sparkling water and coffee came in at 126 euros. I would go back as value to quality was wonderful; I just would not order the pork confit.

Edited December 14, 2005 by raisab (log)

[John Talbott]

I had dinner with a friend at Carte Blanche on Monday night.

The service? I don't know if they assumed because we were American we would want to be rushed through dinner, but once they realized we were there for a French meal, they responded accordingly. I guess maybe that belongs in the comparison thread. 

←

Far be it for me to explain why this happened but I can say that twice in the past week (I'll be posting stuff over the weekend) at swank places with largely French businessmen, the stuff flew in and out of the kitchen. Now that was at lunch and even F Simon talks about how quickly one can/should get fed a business lunch but at dinner it should not be that way. Yesterday I had to tell the wait staff at Gaborieau-Pergolese the same thing; I'm in no hurry; and still the rush-rush went on.

[pierre45]

I had dinner with a friend at Carte Blanche on Monday night.

The place is attractive on the inside with a monochromatic color scheme but yet warm.

We walked in with a reservation and were seated immediately. My friend and I sat and conversed for about 5 minutes, after which the board was brought out  with the menu. A few minutes later we were asked if we had made our decisions on our choices. We were not asked whether we wanted an aperitif, so I asked if they did not serve them here. (Of course they did). We ordered our coupe of champagne and Kir Royale. Within 1 minute we were asked whether we had chosen again. We claimed we had not and as he had not explained what the menu Carte Blanche was, I asked him about it. It is their form of menu surprise for 35 euros. We both ordered that and I asked him for the wine board as he had not set that up for us. We ordered our wine (a red from a lesser know part of Burgundy, whose name I have forgotten). I am not joking when I say our entrees were brought out within 1 minute of ordering! We still had our full aperitifs at the table! The server placed them down in front of us and walked away! We did not touch them. We watched him deliver entrees to other tables and explain what was being served. After about 5 minutes we called him back to our table and in French (which we had been using with him the entire time) we asked him to explain what had been served, as it was a menu surprise. It was presented beautifully on a granite slab. Inside a little tomato paste can was a confit de tomate with a granita of tomate on top. Served along with it in a sardine can were three different types of fish (I don’t know how to get a French keyboard on my laptop but it was poisson marine). The fish was salmon, tuna, and fresh sardine. It was marinated beautifully. Both items were incredibly delicious. We both took our time eating as we felt we were being rushed.

Our next course was a Boudoin Noir and a Seared scallop on top of some mushrooms and pastry. (This and the remainder of the meal were described for us as presented). The boudoin was the best I have ever tasted. The scallop was great as well. The plat was a confit of pork with julienne vegetable. It was presented in a beautiful copper domed kettle. This was the only thing which I felt did not live up to the rest of the menu. The pork could have benefited from being braised just a bit longer and it just did not have a lot of taste to it.

For dessert we were served a moelleux (sp?) de chocolat et carmel-gingembre. Basically a very rich chocolate custard layered with a caramel-ginger custard. On the side was a madeline. It was delicious!

The food quality and presentation at this place were great. Even though I did not like the pork, my friend loved it. The service? I don't know if they assumed because we were American we would want to be rushed through dinner, but once they realized we were there for a French meal, they responded accordingly. I guess maybe that belongs in the comparison thread.   

Our meal for two, including a 26 euro bottle of wine, two aperitifs, sparkling water and coffee came in at 126 euros. I would go back as value to quality was wonderful; I just would not order the pork confit.

←

The bottle of wine that you had was a Rully from faively.A decent burgundy for 26 E. I had 1/2 a bottle for 13E. They opened a bottle and gave me half.When i had dinner last thur.

I found the food, good bistrot fare ,nothing special.There are quite a few in my neighborhood and its not worth the schleppe .The waiter is inexperienced,but he means well . so i dealt with the owner.who is the host.They are both rushing ,all the time.

The cost was almost the same as Chez lez anges ,where i ate on tue and the difference in the cuisine,the service and the ambiance is huge.

[John Talbott]

I just realized, now, 2 years later, that I never reported on my lunch at the Meurice, despite having listed it in my topic title. Now, of course, I cannot remember all the details, or any of them for that matter, but I do have a record of having had the 75 E Liberté menu, some wine (which was 30 E by the bottle) and a coffee (7 E). I thought it was a fine experience.

I apologize for the delay.