Gibiers - Merged topics - Game in Restaurants

[admajoremgloriam]

Here is a thread on places where I have eaten good game in Paris this season. The season is not over, but I thought it would be more useful to post the information while you do not have to wait till next year to make use of it.

LES FONTAINES

This place is so fine. I go there about once a week and quality and service manage to remain on a high level. Their menu changes everyday and they are successful both on classical French dishes and on game ones. All their dishes are very well done, large in size and use high end quality ingredients (as in really good potatoes or cabbage, not as in caviar and bellota in all dishes). Their price is also a bargain: from 11 (e.g. fricassée de poulet au chanterelles -a kind of wild mushroom- which I had yesterday, very satisfying) to 22 (game dishes mainly) Game dishes sampled there include boar, hare, pheasant, doe and partridge and cost an average of 18 euros. They are served with a mre or less fixed set of side ingredients: a wine pear, sprouts, a grilled apple, turnip and celery and carrot purees. The decor is non existent but the service is friendly and the food of a rare quality at this level of restaurant: I would recommend this place any time.

LE VIOLON D'INGRES

See my reviews on this place. I have tried ring dove and wild duck here, both were very pleasant and game is widely included in the very nice 39E lunch menu.

LA BICHE AU BOIS

Classical, a bit crowded, you must definitely book in advance here. I have only been once but was rather pleased with my lunch there. The 25E menu (which I believed is also served for dinner) includes at least 2 different kinds of game. I had a "paté de chevreuil" for starter and a wild duck with black currant for a main. Cheese and dessert were also nice. A real bargain but too far away for me to go as ften as I otherwise would like to (in the 12th, near Gare de Lyon).

AU BON ACCUEIL

This place is indeed rather welcoming and the menu is rather appealing. I went today and they had one game dish included in their 25E lunch menu (doe). I ordered à la carte however and went for sea urchins with sea water sauce. A nicely designed dish without too many tastes interfering with the urchins' taste. Very pleasant for 15E. Then I had the 'poule faisanne' (female pheasant), flamed with hazelnut liquor and served with a potatoe purée and chesnuts. A good dish, very harmonious visually as well as on a taste perspective. Perhaps even a bit too harmonious, not much risk taken there. Still, a much better than average game dish , priced at 23E (I also had 'poule faisanne ' at Thoumieux and the dish was nice as well, though not as nice, with well prepared cabbage. The service was so unpleasant however that I would never recommend this place).

Dessert was pretty bad a light coconut blanc manger, overtuned by a useless coconut ice cream and an unbelievably strong sesame cookie. The pinneaple was hardly to be seen at all (7,5E).

There, that is what comes to mind for now, if I remember ot try some other places, I will add them here, and so should you! Good game to you all.

Edited December 12, 2003 by admajoremgloriam (log)

[Dungenesse]

LES FONTAINES

This place is so fine. I go there about once a week and quality and service manage to remain on a high level.

Sounds wonderful! Can you please give us the particulars: address, phone, hours, days closed, etc. Thanks for starting a game thread -- we'll check back for other suggestions.

[admajoremgloriam]

Here is the info for Les Fontaines:

9 rue Soufflot

6ème arrondissement

Tél : 01-43-26-42-80

RER Luxembourg

closed on Sunday

Open all day, food served from 12 to 15 and 19 to 23 (23 being last order).

[John Talbott]

Game season is upon us. Already some restaurants are serving the earliest offerings, e.g. Scottish grouse, but other waterfowl and migratory bird seasons have opened. In the near future, everything will be available in Paris. So, anticipating questions on where to go, here’s a list from prior years. Note: As usual, I don’t dwell on the big guys, eg Ducasse, Frechon, Savoy, Besson who will have game but at pricey prices. Most of the following places are affordable (the classic example was le Biche au Bois, which before the turnover of equipe, was the best buy in the town with the old Chez Catherine a close second. Across the street from Biche is Le Quincy which is also affordable but tends to have only one game dish, usually a fowl, as a special of the day and is usually quite good and of course Bobosse’s (Michel Bosshard) Cote de Boeuf is legendary.

A part ca, on trouve:

Bon Acceuil

Chez Michel

La Grange Bateliere

Le Repaire de Cartouche

La Regalade

Le Petit Bougnat, where I’ve not been and

Le Petit Columbier, which can get pricey.

I hope others will add to the list and I will provide the lists from Figaroscope and perhaps Zurban when they appear. Also, aficionados should consider the reviews in Emmanuel Rubin (he of Figaroscope)'s Le Paris des Envies gourmands: 1 plat, 1 adresse 2002 published in August 2001 or its English version Gourmet Paris: What to Eat Where, Dish by Dish published in November 2001.

[Le Zouave]

Yesterday, an amazing dinner at la Régalade: palombe, perdrix rouge (both extremly well cooked), a game tourte with foie gras, game terrine with an onion confit, a sanglier stew and many, many more. This was in the coup de fusil section of the menu, meaning +5 to +15€ (and maybe more) for each game entrée or plat. Honestly, I wouldn't go to another place.

I remember an overcooked grouse at Le repaire de cartouche, last year, but I'll probably go back this year to see what else the chef can cook (or overcook).

I also saw a huge game menu at the very classic Gérard Besson, in the 1st. The guy definitely knows how and what to cook, but the place can be really boring, from time to time. And expensive (I think it's a 1*).

Anyway, John's list is quite exhaustive -- as usual, indeed. I'd probably like to go back to the Bon Accueil and Chez Michel (he had grouse a couple of weeks ago).

[Bux]

In line with John's pun, I've got a grouse about our recent trip. I've been in Paris and points south in early September and late October. In spite of clear blue skies, warm temperatures and longer daylight, I prefer late October for the menus.

[John Talbott]

From the Digest for the week of November 1st:

Thursday-Friday’s Le Monde’s Jean-Claude Ribaut wrote about the return of game to the tables. As an example he notes that Taillevent’s lunch menu Nov 8th will consist of caviar, lobster, partridge, cheese and orange dessert. The venerable restaurant is at 15 rue Lamenais in the 8th, 01-84-95-15-01, closed weekends and has a menu at lunch for 70 €, a tasting menu for 130 € and a la carte, count on 120 and 140 €. He also mentions that game is appearing on the menus of Gérard Besson, Le Pressoir, Lucas-Carton, Alain Dutournier, Michel Rostang, Guy Savoy + l'Astrance.

[fresh_a]

01 44 95 15 01

[John Talbott]

To appear in the Digest later this week: "November 5th, Jean-Claude Ribaut in Le Monde’s “Toques en Pointe” reviewed the bistro Le P’tit Bougnat, 118, bd de Courcelles in the 17th, 01-47-63-97-11 with menus at 17 €-23 €, à la carte about 35 €, offering such game as: grouse, partridge, pheasant, wild boar, rabbit - with classic sides: celery puree, pears in wine, blueberries and chestnuts."

[Margaret Pilgrim]

To appear in the Digest later this week: "November 5th, Jean-Claude Ribaut in Le Monde’s “Toques en Pointe” reviewed the bistro Le P’tit Bougnat, 118, bd de Courcelles in the 17th, 01-47-63-97-11 with menus at 17 €-23 €, à la carte about 35 €, offering such game as: grouse, partridge, pheasant, wild boar, rabbit - with classic sides: celery puree, pears in wine, blueberries and chestnuts."

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I would be very interested in any eG reviews of Le P'tet Bougnat. We had reservations a couple of months ago but had to cancel because of illness, and never got around to getting back to it.

[John Talbott]

Game update

Some new news in the game front

At least on the days I went:

Le Regalade had flying things; partridge, pigeon, etc but no hoofed meat;

La Cerisaie featured wild duck, pigeon, lievre, stewed wild boar and duck breast

Pétrelle had civet de sanglier and perdreau

Le Temps au Temps had civet de biche and papillote de biche

Le Voltigeur had stewed venison

Marty, La Cuisine + Lauriston had biche

Le P’tit Bougnat had it all

[DCMark]

John, do you know how the game laws/production in France differs from the US? In the US, it is highly illegal for hunters to sell (or give) their game to stores or restaurants. Is this game you are eating really wild or is it farm-raised?

[John Talbott]

John, do you know how the game laws/production in France differs from the US?  In the US, it is highly illegal for hunters to sell (or give) their game to stores or restaurants.  Is this game you are eating really wild or is it farm-raised?

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I have no idea; I'm just a consumer. Maybe somebody else reading this thread will know.

[Ptipois]

Most game is wild. Or more precisely: wild but kept in a reservation (venison); fake wild, i.e. raised in cages, set free before the gaming season, and then shot (pheasant); genuinely wild (wild boar, partridge, palombe, grouse, woodcock, etc.). There is probably some farmed game but I don't know about it.

[DCMark]

Thanks. For me, anything raised in cages is certainly not wild and will not have all the attributes of truly wild game. I would expect that most game kept in cages is not shot prior to being offered at a butcher, rather killed by more normal farming methods.

[Ptipois]

Thanks.  For me, anything raised in cages is certainly not wild and will not have all the attributes of truly wild game.  I would expect that most game kept in cages is not shot prior to being offered at a butcher, rather killed by more normal farming methods.

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You must take into account the trigger-happiness of French chasseurs to understand this strange piece of ethnography: the shooting of numerous pheasants in Sologne woods soon after they are released from their cage. It has nothing to do with gastronomy.

[DCMark]

Tell me there is still wild pheasant hunting in France...I hope to hunt them when I move there.

I have hunted wild pheasants in South Dakota. I have also hunted 'caged' birds here in Virginia. The cages experience left a nasty taste in my mouth as this was not really hunting but simply killing.

Thanks for the info.

Thanks.  For me, anything raised in cages is certainly not wild and will not have all the attributes of truly wild game.  I would expect that most game kept in cages is not shot prior to being offered at a butcher, rather killed by more normal farming methods.

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You must take into account the trigger-happiness of French chasseurs to understand this strange piece of ethnography: the shooting of numerous pheasants in Sologne woods soon after they are released from their cage. It has nothing to do with gastronomy.

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[John Talbott]

Last week, December 11th, in Le Figaro’s “Propos de Table,” Jean Miot wrote up L’Ami Jean, 27 rue Malar in the 7th, 01.47.05.86.89, closed Sundays and Mondays, menu at 28 €, a la carte = 35 €; which has an all game menu at 48 €. I have eaten there not altogether felicitously but others have done much better and this review tempts me to try again.

[pierre45]

Last week, December 11th, in Le Figaro’s “Propos de Table,” Jean Miot wrote up L’Ami Jean, 27 rue Malar in the 7th, 01.47.05.86.89, closed Sundays and Mondays, menu at 28 €, a la carte = 35 €; which has an all game menu at 48 €.  I have eaten there not altogether felicitously but others have done much better and this review tempts me to try again.

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I have eaten a few times at l'ami jean and i think the food is average.THERE ARE

many other restaurants that are offering gibier that are much better ,such as

-Lauriston.the sanglier i had a few days ago was outstanding

_L'entredgeu

-Au petit marguery

- even, a la biche au bois or le repaire de cartouche

Bon appetit

[John Talbott]

Thursday, Gerard Besson, per Figaro, declared that the game season was open, offering up partridge, deer and wild boar in a 145 E menu.

[PS]

Judging by the number of seasonal specials on offer at Chez Michel on Monday, Thierry Breton has got his hands on a considerable quantity of game. I'd tell you what it was, but I'm afraid my game vocab wasn't up to the task.

[John Talbott]

Well, this is, in a way, a positive update of my prior review of Chez les Anges on April 29th and a report of the first good game meal we've had this season (we had biche last week that I wasn't sure wasn't frozen). In any case, four of us ate there today and after acceptable 1sts and before passable desserts all four had wonderful game - perdreau, biche and canard colvert - all with great sauces and good accompaniments, eg my colvert came with a most tasty turnip puree and a great sauce. The prices were also not at the exhorbitant level others pump them to, either - all were 22-26 E. Total for 4 = 224 E.

[John Talbott]

Another game sighting; today at La Cerisaie, where they had a wonderful warm pate of game in a crust (really a tartelette) with sour cherries as a first and civet de sanglier, wild duck and wood pigeon/ring dove as mains - we had the latter two plus a goose breast - all superb. The bill = 108 E for three; not bad eh?

[sharff]

Another game sighting; today at La Cerisaie, where they had a wonderful warm pate of game in a crust (really a tartelette) with sour cherries as a first and civet de sanglier, wild duck and wood pigeon/ring dove as mains - we had the latter two plus a goose breast - all superb.  The bill = 108 E for three; not bad eh?

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We sat across from John but he was in disguise without a tie on so I didn't want to introduce myself.

A pleasant surprise to us were the signs posted asking the customers not to smoke.

I had the pate of game and thought it was a little flat in flavor. Somewhat like a salty sausage filling without much taste of the game.

My wife had chestnut soup as a starter that she described as creamy with an earthy flavor. It had bits of foie gras in the soup. She thought the dish was a winner.

We agree with John on the wood pigeon and goose breast - both were wonderful.

Our bill was 84 for three courses for two people, a bottle of wine, and two coffees. Not bad at all.

And John, who was that author you were with?

Al Sharff

[jml3]

My wife and I will be in Paris next Monday evening, and would like a reasonably priced game meal - perhaps sanglier, but winged game is also a possibility. I know there is - but cannot find it - a thread on this topic. Can someone point me to the thread and/or suggest places that are open on Monday?