Nov 2006 Spring Les Autodidactes Accolade Pré Salé

[John Talbott]

November 2006: Spring, Les Autodidactes, Accolade, Pré Salé, Tante Marguerite, 35° Ouest, Pramil, La Traversiere

8.5 Spring, 28, rue de la Tour d’Auvergne in the 9th, 01.45.96.05.72, open only for dinner, everyday but Sunday, which opened to a three-heart welcome from Emmanuel Rubin in Figaroscope and a rave review in Le Fooding, has an American (gasp) chef, Daniel Rose, of all things, who does everything from take your reservation to cook to say goodbye. OK, everyone knows I pride myself on not being recognized and not taking free meals, but Daniel “outed” me as I sat down (although the reservations were made by my cohost Felice in her name) and so anything I/we say is suspect, although (1) we paid, (2) he didn’t recognize Felice or the other more famous food celebrity we were there with and (3) there is no way in a tiny place of 16 covers he can change the way he cooks. It’s a set 4-course 36 € menu that varies according to the market. The night we went we had an amuse gueule of rillettes that were simply the best. The accompanying bread (4 types if I counted correctly) from next door, not figuratively – literally – was very, very good. The 1st starter was a carrot soup with shredded veal knuckle (jarré) - - terrific. The 2nd entrée was a salmon cru lightly marinated, with olive oil and juliened apple (? Granny) and currents and pesto drops – terrific, or did I say that before? Then we had the pigeon that was – you knew this was coming - perfectly cooked – raw inside, toasty and caramelized outside with a sweet but not too sweet sauce, on top of smashed potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes. The dessert was a spectacular chocolate cake with drizzle and cherry confiture (I broke my no chocolate after 3 PM rule to have a teeny bite) but I loved my substitute cheese. We had a marvelous Fronton which a relative from Toulouse supplies. As one of our foursome, no mean slouch, remarked on exiting – that’s the best meal I’ve had this year. Could well be, even though we’ve got a month left. I feel rather sad about writing up what I believe Margaret Pilgrim calls “a secret place,” but the truth will out; the night before the Figaroscope review appeared, he was packed with all French locals; suddenly he got folks (Parisien, bien sur) from all over; and soon, after the Michelin + Lebey and others report in on their meals last & this week, it’ll be the Yanks. Sorry Daniel. Truly. Moral = occasionally, Figaroscope, Le Fooding, Michelin + Lebey all get it right together. Bill = 194 € for four.

8.0 Les Autodidactes, 9, place Jean-Zay in Levallois-Perret, (Where? Ah, come on guys, it’s just a brief walk from the Anatole France Metro stop and recall – it’s not far from the other place I tried to get you to go to last year on April 29, 2005: l’Instant Gourmand), 01.47.39.54.02, open (now) only for lunch M-F, is a breath of fresh air, discovered by the A Nous Paris gang (4/5 blocks) and at this writing undiscovered by others. It’s in a wonderful, beautiful square which the day I went had four separate markets on its four sides. The restaurant itself is very classy and packed full with a clientele who are very ties and suits but it’s not “snotty classy,” indeed, most folks got their hands very messy with the shellfish. The amuse bouche was a nice sweet cream of pumpkin soup with superb crusty bread. The 35 € menu had 4 choices for each course; I had delicious clams from St Lunaire with fresh coriander, followed by morue cooked in its skin with an intense sauce of oysters on the side, that when the morue was dipped into it, gave it a marvelous sweet/spicy taste, and finished off with a hot/cold (moelleux) of chocolate that was pretty close to the gold standard. Other items, such as six succulent scallops with mashed potatoes, also looked great. With coffee and wine the bill would be 96 € for two. This is the second find of November (despite the pathetic Café Maison Richard chocolate covered almond passing for a mignardise) but I posit that no one will venture eight stops from St Lazare – even you, dear reader, who used to be adventurous enough to go much farther “out” to the Barriere de Clichy in Asnieres or Les Magnolias in Perreux sur Marne. Tant pis pour vous, tant mieux pour nous.

7.0 N* l’Accolade, 23, rue Guillaume-Tell in the 17th (in the old, late, un-great and most unlamented) Miss Betsey space, 01.42.67.12.67, closed Saturday night and Sundays, is a breath of fresh air in a happening neighborhood (e.g., Meating, Mon Marché, etc.) I entered and my heart sank, because the first thing I saw were the Miss Betsey (what an awful name - as my dining companion pointed out, no wonder it failed) tin buckets of bread, symbolic of the Miss Betsey crew’s dedication to the green, the earth, the terroir, the utter lack of fat; recall - their amuse-gueule was/were carrot sticks soaked in cardamom; the décor, chairs, nothing hadn’t changed. Except, it slowly dawned on me, the ardoise was huuuuge and could be eaten by gentlemen and ladies, boys and gurls, gluttons and minceurs. Pfew! OK. My frugal dining chum chose the menu at 20 €; that’s right 20 €, and ate very well indeed, with a delicious mouselline (soup) of choufleur with what should probably be called melon-ball-size pieces of gizzards but reminded me of something that Borat would prefer – delicious; followed by a pastille of lamb (it was too muttony for me, but that’s my issue) that she thought adequate. Me, after yesterday’s disastrous try at game, went for the crispy pigs’ ears with salad – my, oh my, died and gone to heaven – the 111-116th Street Marqueta folks in Spanish Harlem couldn’t have done better and this guy - Sébastien Altazinun as the horse folk would say, from Guy Savoy out of Michel Rostang - followed with a wonderful veal kidney in a wine (not mustard) sauce, quite lovely; ending with a moelleux of chocolate with both ice cream and a modified (low-fat – hah) crème fraiche. With no water, one coffee (Illy, yessss), and an acceptable Languedoc = 80 €, beat that! This was a day – it was raining like crazy, bone-chillingly cold, grey, yuk - to be in an intime French café eating comfort food and the setting, company, food and ambiance all came together. Run, don’t walk, before the French critics and Americans hoteled nearby, find it.

6.0 Le Pré Salé, 9, rue d’Argenteuil in the 1st, 01.42.60.56.22, is in the old Argenteuil space, which scared me a bit, but I figured that despite its location at the very angle of the street’s, a dose of feng shui would have cured its curse. But I was also hesitant because it only got 2 hearts from Emmanuel Rubin and his “2-hearters” can go either way, in my experience. But, despite (1) its space’s curse, (2) the fact that it was empty when I entered and only attracted three other customers subsequently in the midst of Japanese tourist and French business-person heaven, (4) has only been reviewed in Figaroscope, and (5) had “Summer in the City” followed by Stan Getz playing on the hifi (Chopin’s Etudes came on much later), things went well. The amuse bouche was a pumpkin soup (yet again) but this time was bouillon not cream/butter-based and was pretty good. I then had a fabulous nage (OK, cream and butter played a part here) of coques, teeney-tiny mussels and non-frozen shrimp – all fresh and good and well-cooked, followed by a layered masterpiece – a bottom round of smashed potatoes, foie gras de canard on top of that and then a brochette of poached pears laid along its top. Divine. But then I tempted fate by having the tarte Normande which was only so-so. The menu was 29.50 € for three courses; which with a bit of wine gets you out for 42 €. If I had it to do all over again, however, I would have skipped dessert and taken the 23.50 € menu with two courses. A couple more comments: the bread was horrid – soft, soggy and without a crust of note; the pré sale the day I was there was not meaty but fishy; and the furniture was very, very cool.

5.5 Tante Marguerite, 5, rue de Bourgogne in the 7th, 01.45.51.79.42, was the second of the “Tante’s” Bernard Loiseau established in Paris and my favorite because of the mixture of good food and recognizable political figures who frequent it. After he died tragically three years ago, I stopped frequenting any of the Tante’s, unsure of how his wife and estate could manage them without his manic and creative energy. So when I heard that Tante Marguerite had a new chef and Rubin gave it two hearts, I thought I’d go back. And I’m glad I did. It’s much the same as before, same nice front-room guy (who remembered me – that’s always good for the ego), same comfortable furniture, same lobbyists and political seconds-in-command (the big boys all took the day off after the first “primary” in French history) and same sort of menu (albeit holding on to some Loiseau signature dishes and adopting some new ones - recall that Loiseau’s mantra was to keep changing – ergo, he would have approved). In any case, the start was mixed: the amuse gueule was nice sliced charcuterie and good breadesque sticks but the bagette was soft-crusted, not crisp. I had what Rubin did for a 1st – the parsleyed ham, that was so generously sliced I could hardly finish it; and dessert – roasted pineapple with Szechuan peppercorns and a perfectly cooked cannellé (moist inside, black outside – just as it and beef should be) that was delicious. The main I had, veal breast that was rolled and cooked in skin and quite generous too, was also nicely cooked. I believe a new twist is the variety of Loiseau wines by the glass, 50 cl carafe and bottle that go up from 7/17/25 €, respectively. The menu is 36 € at lunch and 40 € at dinner, so with a bottle of the lower-priced wine and no coffee or water, two can exit for under 100 €. My life coach, Paga, insists I worry too much about the presence of suits and ties (believe you, at TM, I blend in), amount of French spoken (100%) and the 59 minute meal businessmen take these days (but today, not a one cleared out in less time) and it all worked well. It’s a nice place, M. Loiseau - wherever you are, you should be proud.

5.25 35° Ouest, 35, rue de Verneuil in the 7th, 01.42.86.98.88, open everyday but Sunday and Monday is a relatively small place (30 covers including 5 at the bar and 2 on a high table) that garnered three hearts from Figaroscope about six weeks ago. I’m not at all sure I agree with Rubin on this one; it was fine but not worth the 220.00 € for three starters, three mains, one dessert and one bottle each of wine and Badoit. The starters were 12-24, mains 31-38 and desserts all 10 €. The amuse gueule was a pumpkin soup and my hosts followed with langoustines in more pumpkin soup, while I had warmed filets of sardines on a spicy pimento base – all were fine. Then we had a sole, bar and langoustines in a bisque sauce, again fine but no shooting stars. Finally, I had a nice pastry cup filled with cream and warm citrus and topped with orange ice. The wine we had was superb; for the budget conscious they ranged from 19-132 €. They do have a formula with one starter, one main, a glass of wine and a coffee for 29 € but that looked rather plain. So I suppose a couple could get out for under 100 €.

5.0 N* Pramil, 9, rue Vertbois in the 3rd, 01.42.72.03.60, closed Sundays and Mondays, menu = 29 € at lunch, was my second choice after Pershing Hall’s prices caused me to have a brush with the CCU; it’s description in Wednesday’s Figaroscope was intriguing and it is, after all, across the street from the most beloved of all Americanophilic French places, l’Ami Louis. It has great whitewashed stone walls and ceiling beams, nice stemware and the chef, who works the salle like Passard and Ducasse, is seasoned and super nice, and the food – most sage. The amuse g/b was his own mix of rillettes – simply superb. I started with a “cake” with tiny bits of veal brains just subtly offset with slices of lemon and leaves of mache – wow! Then I had the seven hour lamb, not muttony, thanks God, but not dazzling either, but with very nice veggies. And I terminated (so to speak) with a cheese assortment that was a bit too chilly – a goat, St Nectaire, Cantal & bleu. With 3 glasses of wine and coffee (Illy, but too dilute – Sorry, my fixation), but no bottled water, one left 44.50 € lighter. You were curious about the name, non? Well, it’s not an acronym or contraction of Pratiquement Mille – it’s actually his name – Pramil. By the way, I predict that in 3 years this place will be the new Pamphlet or Ramalaud due to the punch line of the old joke – location, location, location.

0.5 La Traversiere, 40, rue Traversiere in the 12th, 01.43.44.02.10, closed Sunday evening and Mondays, was a place I’d read about, somewhere, months ago, that had undergone some change and specialized in game and fish, so it not only represented “newness” to me, I had waited months for game season to arrive to go. Well, like Humphrey Bogart, who famously came to Casablanca for the waters, I was misinformed. I cannot imagine anything new in it at all; it is a classic Pathé movie set, crummy old bistro. It does clearly say Gibiers on the outside and since that’s why I was there, I broke my rules about ordering the menu (the 30 € menu had just a civet de sanglier, which I always find too dry, and the 39.50 € menu, a civet of lievre, which I wasn’t in the mood for.) No, I lusted after either biche or pheasant and figuring that I could get biche anywhere, I ordered the pheasant – surprise! - it too was bone dry. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I entered to a warm welcome, the crowd was my type (in that I lowered the average age by at least ten years) and I felt reassured that these locals knew a good place and had been eating there forever (this was confirmed when the padre next to me finished his baba and left without paying, waving goodbye.) They had reasonably priced wine by the glass and various sized carafes although some of the prices on the wine carte raised my suspicion. The amuses were two types of charcuterie – not bad. I started with a huge chunk of terrine of lievre – dry and so-so but full of buckshot – a good sign. But then came the pheasant with chestnuts and I had trouble finishing my third bite – it’s a sad day when the best parts of a game dish are the roasted grapes not the sauce, pancetta, chestnuts or three purees, far less the pheasant. The bill was (ouch) = 51.40 €; the worst price-quality meal of the year.

Scale (subject to fickleness and change):

10 - Giradet in the old days.

9 - Ducasse, Bocuse, Loiseau in their prime

8 - Ze Kitchen Galerie, Violin d’Ingres, Chez les Anges, Thierry Burlot now

7- Bistro Cote Mer at its flowering best

6 - Cinq Mars, Repaire de Cartouche

5 - Terminus Nord

4 - 2 Pièces Cuisine, a neighborhood place

3 - Le Bouclard, ditto

2 - Sale + Pepe, ditto

1 - le Nord-Sud, ditto

0 - Auguste, The Place

Ø- Iode

HS* = outside classification, unfair to rate given my state of mind that evening.

N* = a place that if one lived nearby in the neighborhood (N) would be a great place to go to but gets a lower grade due to the schlep (perhaps unfairly).

NN* = a place that if one lived nearby (N) in the neighborhood (N) would be a great place to go but gets a lower grade due to the horrible, immense, unpleasant schlep.

Edited By John Talbott Nov 23 and Dec 19 for typos.

Edited September 23, 2008 by John Talbott (log)

[Ptipois]

About Spring, you'll find a few pictures here.

[docsconz]

John, how did Daniel Rose come to "out" you at Spring? From where did he recognize you?

The meal sounds and looks wonderful and almost has me on a plane back to Paris right now.

[John Talbott]

John, how did Daniel Rose come to "out" you at Spring? From where did he recognize you?

←

From my picture here and he had asked me a question about Nicolas Vagnon a good while back.

It just goes to prove that now at least 4 chefs in Paris read the France Forum and/or are members in the Society.

[docsconz]

John, how did Daniel Rose come to "out" you at Spring? From where did he recognize you?

←

From my picture here and he had asked me a question about Nicolas Vagnon a good while back.

It just goes to prove that now at least 4 chefs in Paris read the France Forum and/or are members in the Society.

←

Cool. That is what I suspected.

[grace3]

Thanks for the Spring pictures.

I am adding Spring to my February list!

Joan

[pierre45]

As usual a delightful and informative read on the latest culinary scene in Paris.

Thanks to john and Pitpois "spring" will be on my list and Ouest is dropped from my radar screen.

Pitpois' pictures and prose were also wonderful.

Do you think i should mention your names when i call Spring?

Icidentally ,one item typifies this review.

A reference to " Pamil " restaurant as "pratiquement mille"

[John Talbott]

As usual a delightful and informative read on the latest culinary scene in Paris.

Thanks to john and Pitpois "spring" will be on my list and Ouest is dropped from my radar screen.

Pitpois' pictures and prose were also wonderful.

Do you think i should mention your names when i call Spring?

Icidentally ,one item typifies this review.

A reference to " Pamil " restaurant as "pratiquement mille"

←

I can't see how it would hurt. He's a really nice guy and welcomes comments. Have a nice and good meal.

[John Talbott]

Since Colette and I have been coming to Spring (almost two years now) I keep being impressed with Daniel Rose's relaxed but innovative cooking. Today, four of us went for the 35 E lunch and it was as good as ever. He started us off with wonderful olives and then served up sautéed squash blossoms stuffed with a daurade royale that was a cousin of quenelles, atop chopped red radishes and bathed in a double chicken broth. Then tender duck breast with fava beans, tomato and 1/2 an artichoke heart; delicious. Finally a double dessert; cherries with a whipped cream and crumble/granola type topping and raspberries with a fluffy buttermilk/melon sauce; most inventive both.

Our bill with two wines, four coffees and no bottled water was 190 E, fully paid for.

Edited July 4, 2008 by John Talbott (log)

[John Talbott]

L’Accolade, which I tried in November 2006 is holding up quite well. While I’m not sure our meals today were solid 7’s, some things were great: in particular the amuse bouche mushroom soup, bass tartare, veal onglet, pear with crumble and crunchy bananas. Somewhat less successful were the starter of seafood nems with a spicy Asian sauce, scallops with potatoes and over-toasted calamari with an odd sauce but a super risotto. Our bill for three was 137 € with 1 ½ bottles of Chinon and 3 coffees.