Hidden Kitchen Paris
In early September my wife and I were in Paris with two other couples & had some excellent meals at L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, Pierre Gagnierre, & Bistro duSommelier, but the one we are still talking about is Paris' Hidden Kitchen restaurant.
I stumbled upon a mention of Hidden Kitchen somewhere on the net and after looking at their website, decided to see if we could get a reservation. I sent an e-mail and the response was positive. We were in!
True to form, the day before our dinner I received an email with directions. Not knowing what to expect was part of the intrigue of the whole experience. We were greeted by Brandon and Laura, the young American couple who prepare and serve everything. After 30 minutes or so of meeting the other diners there that evening and enjoying an appertif, we sat to one of the most relaxing and enjoyable 10-course meals you could hope to find in Paris. This was our last night in Paris and it was a welcome change to be eating restaurant quality cuisine (albeit more American in style than French) in a Parisian apartment dining room.
We could be as loud as we wanted to, laugh without getting looks from the Parisians at the next table, & 3 hours seemed to fly by. On this evening, only one diner was French, while the rest were American, either visitors or Americans working in Paris. Everyone had a great evening.
At 60 euros this is a great value, and even better we went to Lavin, one of the best wine shops in the city, and picked up some great bottles of Bandol, white Chateauneuf du Pape, & Cote Rotie, at a fraction of the price we would have paid in a Michelin starred restaurant and no corkage charge from HK.
If you are going to be in Paris for 4 days or longer and want a unique, fun, experience, I highly suggest trying to get a place at Hidden Kitchen. If you live in Paris, you should definitely go and experience these young American chefs and their untraditional approach.
I would love to hear from anyone else who has been to HK.
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We ate at Hidden Kitchen last night, a repeat for us, and thought some might like an undate.
Braden and Laura have moved to a larger apartment just west of Jardin du Palais. They now set for 16 on Saturdays and Sundays and the occasional Friday. Last night's crowd was mostly American, but there were also some folks from Iran and Argentina. Two were Cordon Bleu students and two have a healthy food blog based in Seattle. The crowd was lively and fun.
The food was extremely good , well prepared and presented. And, i can't say enough good about the wine pairings.
They request an 80E donation per person.
We were fortunate to get in as they are booked solid thru October.
We walked back to our apt comfortably full, but not ill or even "stuffed" as we have been after dinner at several expensive Paris flag ship restaurants.
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Wasn't able to get in when we were in Paris, they were just getting into their space but he's my son so I've gotten to enjoy many many fabulous Hidden Kitchen menus when he's at home. :-) They both exude creativity and adventure in the culinary space - and they make it seem so easy to put together (I watch in awe and with pride).
We have friends that just went recently and it was the highlight of their trip (in the food department).
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re: Hoc
Very small restos often close for quite a while during summer months (Le Timbre as an example).
The HK page says (English version only though):
<<Laura and I will be back in the states for July, August and September to secure visas that will make us full fledged French taxpayers. We are now taking reservations for when we return; the 10th, 11th, and 12th of October.>>
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re: Hoc
Most of Paris is closed up in Aug but as mentioned many take the summer off altogether. They tried to do events last summer but because their vendors were shut down, made it tough on them to serve fresh. They couldn't find a way to get their ingredients/supplies - so it's vacation for them as well.
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Our HK experience was last night. All worked out very nicely.
Nice apartment!
Good folks!
Fabulous food!
Fantastic wine choices!
Great conversation!
A great night!
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re: Fuffy
The food is French with a Spanish influence. Although we had ten courses and ten wines, we didn't feel "stuffed" or "smashed" when we walked away. The small amounts added up to "just right." Look at their web page and you'll see a fair description of what we enjoyed. I believe all the folks (couples and singles) were US or Canadian on the night we were there. However, everyone was well travelled. A very nice mix, I thought. We, at 63 and 61 "sore-thumbed" as the oldest. The woman next to me had run in the Paris Marathon; she had to be in her early twenties. The rest spanned the difference. Everyone at the table had an exciting professional life and personal interests. I would recommend "Hidden Kitchen" without reservation to people who enjoy really good food and being with interesting people.
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re: hychka
onionpolenta
Apr 21, 2008 05:27 AM
I'm so jealous! We had a last minute booking for May 1 but then they cancelled due to a weekend engagement in the South of France. Oh well!
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re: Theresa
Having said that, whilst it is "all in", when we were there, we were shocked at the amount of money people were leaving as a tip on top of the €70. The food was lovely, but €70 is a lot of cash. I know that people from the USA leave huge tips, but to us, this was crazy. Surely, when it is a "private" party like this, with the two business owners being the only staff, then tips shouldn't be an issue - tips are supposed to be for employees of a place which pays crap wages.
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I'm looking forward to my dinner at Hidden Kitchen this coming Friday. Just FYI, the price has recently gone up to 70 euro, and they have added Friday night to their schedule (my impression was they only did Sundays initially). I'll report back.
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We were just there this past Friday. Wonderful, inventive, memorable....we will remember this meal slightly more vividly than the excellent and also memorable meal at Le Comptoir. Kudos to Braden and Laura for doing such a fab job. We hope that they find this (bold by anyone's book) venture fulfilling to their dreams for a very long time. Definitely try writing to HKMenus before your next trip to Paris. The people at our dinner were all so fascinating to talk with as well.
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re: jimhsu
I have emailed them ,very interested.. I see form the other posts however that they were awhile ago.. Was it a full table? I wouldnt want to do this without it being so.. My 20 yr old and my husband and I will be traveling.. and looking for some other conversation..
anyone else done this???
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re: butterbutt
I was studying in Paris for four months (last September-December) and had the most amazing time, arguably of my entire stay. I am a 20 yr old student and decided to go by myself, which I was albeit slightly nervous about. However, the table was completely full with the most interesting array of people (all Americans spanning from my age through their sixites, singles, friends, and married couples as well). Laura and Braden were incredibly sweet and humble, and I was absolutely blown away by the food he was able to produce from his small apartment kitchen. If you are a foodie, or just looking for some great conversation and a wonderful experience, this is a must!
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