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Steak Frites, Relais de Venise and "secret" sauce

mogsob

By mogsob
in France: Dining

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BackwardsHat

BackwardsHat

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I ate at a restaurant in Paris once... I cannot even remember the Arrondisment, but it was recommended as an "excellent" steak frites place...  Can someone help me locate it?

It would be helpful to me (and I suspect others) if you could give some geographical/landmark references, for instance, where did you go afterwards, what metro stop? as well as any other memories - think it's still open because it was founded a million years ago, famous for some other dish, was next to another place you recall, etc?

I love questions like this, but so far no IBM punch card has fallen into view.

OK, no luck so far remembering where it was... But I'm pretty sure I found out about it from a guidebook, like Frommer's or something... I am searching for those 2 guidebooks... Anyway, here are two pictures... One is of the dish, the other is of me preparing to eat the dish (you can see the restaurant and bar in the background)...

Any help figuring out what place this is will be much appreciated!

steak.jpg

Second Picture - Me and my Steak

Edited by BackwardsHat (log)

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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John Talbott

John Talbott

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Wow, I'm dying of envy and it's another 4 hours til lunch.

I would eat at the corner bistro (still there!) once a week... (But in hindsight, it's not that great, but nostalgic)...
Oakglen and backward: Isn't that great though. I still recall my first steak/frites and sliced tomato and petitpois and haricots verts and Vache qui rit as well as my numbered duck at the Tour d'Argent. And I too am sure some of the former were not as great as their nostaligic memories are.

I still draw a blank on where. What year was it? Maybe can see from the guidebooks what were the best steak/frites places that year.

John Talbott

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Ptipois

Ptipois

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I ate at a restaurant in Paris once... I cannot even remember the Arrondisment, but it was recommended as an "excellent" steak frites place...  Can someone help me locate it?

Here's what I remember:

1) The steak frites was "for 2 people" and was served on a sort of iron skillet with the fries all around and under the steak

2) The steak was large slices, and pretty fatty

3) The fries were closer to steak cut (thick) fries than your typical french frites

4) The place had brick walls and was sort of a hole in the wall...

5) I believe there was a bar directly to the left when you walked in...

I have a picture of the steak I believe, I'll have to see if I can dig it up and post it if no one can identify the restaurant based on my above descriptions...

Yes, your description sounds very much like Pop'hot (<--- pun), a steak-frites joint in the 6e. I don't know if it exists anymore.

It was (is) on rue Grégoire-de-Tours, near rue de Seine-rue de Buci. And yes,

- steak-frites was for 2 people,

- it was actually côte de bœuf or a large, thick entrecôte, so kind of fatty,

- fries were thick-cut,

- there was brick walls, heavy wooden tables, and the place was truly a hole in the wall,

- there was a wooden bar directly to the left as you walked in.

Lucky you to have known that place!

(Edit: I've seen your pictures. It really looks like Pop'hot. But it could also be another place near Saint-Sulpice.)

Edited by Ptipois (log)
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BackwardsHat

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Wow, I'm dying of envy and it's another 4 hours til lunch.

I still draw a blank on where.  What year was it?  Maybe can see from the guidebooks what were the best steak/frites places that year.

To answer your question, I was there in April of 2006. Just over 1 year ago...

Don't know what year the guidebook was from, I am going to do my best to locate it today...

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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John Talbott

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There's a book called (in French) something like "one plate, one restaurant" but of course I lent it and what I have is Rubin's 2000 English go at it subtitled "what you want to eat, where, dish by dish," in which he lists under Fries:

A la biche au Bois

Le Bistrot du Louvre

Au Cochon d'Or

Chez Geoges

La Girondine

Le Petit Gavroche

Le Petit Yvan

Ring a bell?

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BackwardsHat

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There's a book called (in French) something like "one plate, one restaurant" but of course I lent it and what I have is Rubin's 2000 English go at it subtitled "what you want to eat, where, dish by dish,"  in which he lists under Fries:

A la biche au Bois

Le Bistrot du Louvre

Au Cochon d'Or

Chez Geoges

La Girondine

Le Petit Gavroche

Le Petit Yvan

Ring a bell?

No, none of those ring a bell and I looked up all of them and the ones that had pictures were not it... Hmmm, I have a new mission in life now! I will find that damn guidebook and hopefully track down the restaurant...

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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Ptipois

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No, none of those ring a bell and I looked up all of them and the ones that had pictures were not it... Hmmm, I have a new mission in life now!  I will find that damn guidebook and hopefully track down the restaurant...

Hey, what's the use of Pti bothering? I think I found your place, several posts above. :wink:

Chez Ptipois
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BackwardsHat

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No, none of those ring a bell and I looked up all of them and the ones that had pictures were not it... Hmmm, I have a new mission in life now!  I will find that damn guidebook and hopefully track down the restaurant...

Hey, what's the use of Pti bothering? I think I found your place, several posts above. :wink:

I would have to see a picture of the interior... I only found a picture of the exterior of Pop'hot, and I didn't recognize it, BUT, to be honest, I went to this restaurant at night, so I don't really remember the exterior... The place I went seemed a bit bigger though, but who knows... I remember the street was sort of twisty and a decent walk from the closest metro... Let me keep searching for more pictures of Pop'hot....

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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Ptipois

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I would have to see a picture of the interior... I only found a picture of the exterior of Pop'hot, and I didn't recognize it, BUT, to be honest, I went to this restaurant at night, so I don't really remember the exterior...  The place I went seemed a bit bigger though, but who knows... I remember the street was sort of twisty and a decent walk from the closest metro...  Let me keep searching for more pictures of Pop'hot....

Rue Grégoire-de-Tours is not twisty. That must have been another place.

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John Talbott

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I remember the street was sort of twisty and a decent walk from the closest metro...

See with each suggestion, you recall one more small detail. So, how far on the twisty street was it and what sort of places were around it; shops, other restos, residences, etc? We'll get there about the time you find your guidebook.

Twisty street is a great clue, I agree with Ptit as always, Grégoire-de-Tours is as straight as a ruler.

Where were you staying? How far on the Metro was it?

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BackwardsHat

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I remember the street was sort of twisty and a decent walk from the closest metro...

See with each suggestion, you recall one more small detail. So, how far on the twisty street was it and what sort of places were around it; shops, other restos, residences, etc? We'll get there about the time you find your guidebook.

Twisty street is a great clue, I agree with Ptit as always, Grégoire-de-Tours is as straight as a ruler.

Where were you staying? How far on the Metro was it?

I always stay in the 16th, either at my friend's flat, or one of two hotels I like there... All 3 are near Place Victor Hugo...

Unfortunately, I cannot remember what metro the steak place was at... Or how far away on the metro... I want to say it was a decent ride though... so probably at least 1/3 to 1/2 way across Paris... Man, my memory is really bad... I used to be able to remember the slightest detail, like the waiter's name! :)

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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Le Gavroche, rue Saint-Marc? The frites look just like theirs. So does the tablecloth.

That sounds familiar... But the pictures on google maps does not look like this place...

This place was pretty small, with tables sort of "here and there", not the typical "row of 2 person" tables you find in paris bistros...

I remembered a few additional details:

1) There was a dessert tray at the end

2) The wine list was written on a chalkboard... I believe the waiter picked up the chalkboard and showed it to us at our table

3) There was a small "back room" of tables for dining, so the restaurant was sort of partitioned...

4) The street where the restaurant was actually on might not have been twisty, but the walk from the metro to the restaurant was definitely lots of curves and turns... It was definitely in the middle of a residential neighborhood... I remember when I was walking there thinking "Where the heck am I and why am I making this trek for a restaurant that a guidebook recommended?"

I cannot find the guidebook... I will have to look through my boxes of storage for it next weekend... Man, this is maddening... And now I'm concerned that I am hyping this place up too much... I mean, it was good (you can see by the picture) but it's not like it was "the greatest ever"... I just really liked it... :)

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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OK, here's the last picture I found... You can see to the left of the picture the divider to the other "room"... Rustic wood looking beams...

I remembered a few more things:

1) The chairs were similar to the rustic beams... Almost like solid wood benches...

2) They made their own wine!!!! You can almost see the label in the picture below... If someone is a good photo analyst, they should be able to zoom in or something... Anyway, hopefully the fact that they make their own wine will give it away... I'm about ready to drive all over Paris to find this place :)

steak2.jpg

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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Here is a picture of the wine label, I took this crop from the original high-res photo, not the resized jpegs I uploaded... It "looks" like the name of the wine is:

"Thomas Gavroche"

wine.jpg

EDIT: I think I may have found it!!!

*****

Le Gavroche - A Titration of Pure Paris

Info: 19, rue St-Marc, Paris 75002; Tel: 1.42.96.89.70

Dinner: approx. $20; Metro: Richelieu-Drouot, Rue Montmarte, Bourse

This place is timeless--hasn't changed in the ten years I've been going there religiously for the best steak & frites in Paris. Major points for the house wine bottled there and the hoppin' Parisian bistro atmosphere of talk and empassioned food worship. Beware, this is PURE France...no English spoken unless you count grunts

Just need to find a picture of the place...

Edited by BackwardsHat (log)

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Ptipois

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Le Gavroche, rue Saint-Marc? The frites look just like theirs. So does the tablecloth.

Very impressive Pti :smile:

Thanks Felice, but how could I forget the BEST frites in Paris?

It is actually the house wine, a chénas (not a Thomas).

"Le Petit Gavroche" is a different restaurant in the Marais.

BTW this thread is getting cinematographic with references to Blade Runner for the zoom-in photo research and Ringu for, um, the face on the picture :laugh:

Edited by Ptipois (log)
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Yes, kudos to petit pois on mentioning Le Gavroche... That damn picture on google maps of Le Gavroche must be a generic picture or one of a different Gavroche restaurant... It really threw me off... I thought that was it when I read his post because it sounded so familiar... Anyway, last night after eating at mortons (I had to get the closest thing here in DC to that good steak frites picture I posted earlier) I was motivated and found that additional photo of my dinner companion... Glad you guys like the zoom-in and blurring :)

To get the mouths watering some more, here is a pic of my meal from last night:

mort_steak_frites.jpg

So, I am 95% sure that La Gavroche is the restaurant... But I guess I won't know for sure until I go there in October... If anyone is in Paris between now and then and goes to La Gavroche on Rue St Marc, please take a picture of the exterior as well as the interior for me so I can confirm...

Edited by BackwardsHat (log)

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The picture from google maps that I believe is NOT actually a picture of Le Gavroche is found at this link:

http://www.hol.cityvox.fr/restaurants_pari...3313/ProfilLieu

I found this other picture of the exterior and this looks EXACTLY like what I remember, except it was dark outside so I can't be 100% sure:

gavroche.jpg

What do you guys think?

Edited by BackwardsHat (log)

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Ptipois

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So, I am 95% sure that La Gavroche is the restaurant... But I guess I won't know for sure until I go there in October... If anyone is in Paris between now and then and goes to La Gavroche on Rue St Marc, please take a picture of the exterior as well as the interior for me so I can confirm...

That place IS Le Gavroche, Backwardshat. You can be 100% sure. It simply never happens that a bottle of house wine that bears the name of the restaurant on the label is found at another restaurant. I know the place, I can tell you.

The label even says "mis en bouteille au Gavroche"; I think the search stops here.

(Oh, and I liked the zooming but not the blurring. Hence the "Ringu" reference.)

Edited by Ptipois (log)
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John Talbott

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Thanks Felice, but how could I forget the BEST frites in Paris?

Dare we start a subversive thread on the fact that there are no more frites like there were in the good old days, anywhere? I think not.
Glad you guys like the zoom-in and blurring
Not me, I thot it was a copy of Leo Fourneau (aka Thierry Wolton's) book's cover, or the Departures Magazine pix of Francois Simon. I was afraid to ask about the diagnosis.

John Talbott

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BackwardsHat

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So, I am 95% sure that La Gavroche is the restaurant... But I guess I won't know for sure until I go there in October... If anyone is in Paris between now and then and goes to La Gavroche on Rue St Marc, please take a picture of the exterior as well as the interior for me so I can confirm...

That place IS Le Gavroche, Backwardshat. You can be 100% sure. It simply never happens that a bottle of house wine that bears the name of the restaurant on the label is found at another restaurant. I know the place, I can tell you.

The label even says "mis en bouteille au Gavroche"; I think the search stops here.

(Oh, and I liked the zooming but not the blurring. Hence the "Ringu" reference.)

Yes!!! Thank you for the confirmation... I can now rest easy knowing that it is Le Gavroche... I am so happy and can't wait to go back in the Fall... If any of you are in Paris in late October/Early November and would like to have a steak frites, we should definitely meet up and have a group dinner. There's nothing quite like eating at a restaurant with fellow egulleters who appreciate the same things :cool:

"Compared to me... you're as helpless as a worm fighting an eagle"

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