10 days review-disgustingly long

[capeanne]

We have returned and it was quite the eating and drinking extravaganza. Here it is in all its caloric glory.
Day 1: I was alone and staying in the 7th. Dinner reserved at Fontaine de Mars on rue St Dominique . White asparagus with mousseline for a terrific and flavorful starter. Plat of chicken in cream sauce with morels and potato gratin ( divine) . 2 glasses of St Joseph blanc and 2 glasses of a red Burgundy. 84 euros and it was wonderful They treated a woman dining alone very very well. Robust atmosphere as usual and a great start to the vacation. Everything was delicious.

Day 2: Alone again and reserved at Le Clarisse on rue Surcouf . A lovely brown and white toned intimate dining room and fish is the specialty of the menu. Amuse of sautéed squash and tomato in pesto. Starter of crab with diced vegetables in a sauce with a touch of caviar. Plat of sole meunier served with sautéed potatoes. 3 gl white burgundy 67 Euros and I was 2 for 2 on the deliciousness and hospitality scale. Sad that on a Sunday nite that is often difficult to book there were only 4 other diners in this lovely place from 830- 10pm! It deserves more love
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Day 3 Husband arrived in am and we decided to search for a light lunch. With Pudlo in hand we discovered Tan Dinh on rue Verneuil . You would walk right by this tiny place which is not at all attractive from the outside but a very lovely little room on the inside. We shared ravioli with smoked goose and shrimp rolls to start and then shared the duck satay for 2 . A bottle of nice Sancerre and 119 euros later we were quite satisfied but not too full and we strolled the rest of the afternoon away.
For dinner we had reserved at L Auberge Bressane . I had been disappointed twice in the past that we were unable to reserve them for lunch or dinner so I was very much looking forward to the evening. We started with a half bottle of Chablis ( 18 euros) and Husband had dandelion salad with egg and bacon, I had the pork terrine and both were excellent starters. We then had the chicken with cream sauce and morels and were awfully disappointed . The chicken was drowning in sauce (it was literally overflowing the plate) and the frites served with the chicken were limp and cold. We had the chocolate soufflé for dessert and it arrived obviously burned with the edges black and shriveled. The interior was dry as a bone. We added a 2001 Volnay and the food portion of the bill was about 100 euros. The service was chaotic and rushed with no time at all between courses. I know it has received very favorable reviews on this Board of late so perhaps we hit a bad night ( Monday?)

Day 4: Another stroll thru Pudlo and the 6th for lunch and came upon Yagaraj on rue Dauphine . Never had Indian in Paris before but glad that we found this modest from the outside but quite nice on the inside tiny spot. We shared Pakora that was light and airy and then pork vindaloo ( packed great heat) and curried chicken . A nice bottle of Sancerre and with water service and naan at 84 euros we were very pleased ( the entre and plat were 19 euros pp) and very good quality food. We were the only diners in the restaurant from 12:30pm to 2pm.
We had a guest coming from Auxerre for dinner and chose L’Arome in the 8th a new favorite after a visit last December and it exceeded our expectations. Amuse was a giant and perfect tempura shrimp which I recall as the amuse from our previous visit so perhaps this is a signature thing (and worthy of signature status) Starters were 2 vegetable tarts that were raw delicately sliced vegetables in a lovely pastry and 1 ravioli with cheese. We were thrilled. Mains were 2 St Pierre and 1 Iberico that was roasted and served on bulgar in pesto. I could live happily for the rest of my life on that bulgar and pesto . There was a Mersualt involved and a drink before and after with lovely sweets for the table. The service is impeccable and I just love this place.

Other lunches included: Chez Rene on Blvd St Germaine- a very traditional small elegant space and we shared beef bourguignon for 2 with a nice bottle of Hermitage. Le Cigale Recamier for shared terrine of foie, and delicious cheese soufflés complimented by a Faivley Givry Blanc. A delicious terrace lunch at Fontaine du Mars on May Day and we had olive oil poached spring vegetables and 2 duck preparations with a bottle of St Joseph. All good choices, reasonable in price and recommended.

We also hit a Moroccan place in the 16th for lunch and I think its just me but I just don’t get it…my chicken tangine was to me a deconstructed , grossly underseasoned chicken soup. I did enjoy observing a lovely woman (obviously a regular) with her caretaker and little dog. The dog had a place of honor beneath her table complete with a plate full of lamb…which he clearly enjoyed.

Thomeiux on rue Saint Dominique was an extraordinary lunch. I have read here that it was recently taken over by the Costes group and if so they deserve applause as we really loved this Sunday lunch. I started with a game bird terrine (magnificent) and then enjoyed duck confit with a wonderful preparation of potatoes somewhere between sautéed and hashed with parsley involved . The service was top notch and I am a sucker for the old school setting . Highly recommended and we will return in a heartbeat

One okay dinner at Chez Vong again on May Day ( we were prepared for everything to be closed but in fact many restos in the 7th were open) We got a last minute reservation and the setting is quite elaborate with a series of highly decorated rooms bursting with plants and oriental design. The service was extremely solicitous ( don’t try to refill your own wine as I think they take it as a personal affront and sign of failure ) We shared spring rolls that we were instructed to wrap in lettuce and mint leaves and they were wonderful. We then ordered piquant chicken (identified as very spicy but not delivered as such) and Szechuan duck. They were fine but not terribly memorable. A bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc and it was a perfectly fine evening.

2 Extraordinary dinners that make me smile just to think about them. Itineraires on rue Pontoise. We had reserved for 830 pm and were seated in this charming little room promptly. But then waited for quite a bit of time for someone to approach. I observed that 4 of the most (really) attractive men (30’s and 40”s) arrived at the same time and seemed to garner the unanimous attention of the (all) female wait staff. It took the staff a few minutes to notice that they were 2 married (or at least committed) couples and the staff quickly got back to business. It was worth the wait for the amusement. Anyhow this was an excellent choice. My starter was white asparagus in hollandaise (fabulous) and Husb had Morels with coddled eggs and herbs and he still speaks of that dish. For mains I had the chicken with pureed vegetables and he had Salmon with pasta and cream and fresh peas which he pronounced A++. Desserts were chocolate pie and I swooned over my cheesecake with truffles. Bottle of Nuit St Georges Arnoux (2006) + 2 glass of Chablis to begin and 163 Euros of pure pleasure. A must do and will always be on our list.

Petit Pontoise on rue Pontoise was a return trip for us (maybe #3 or 4) and this bistrot is dear to us and did not disappoint. It was one of the most memorable meals. We started with 2 glasses of white and I again had white asparagus with sel and mustard and for a main had the veal T bone in a rich brown sauce with pommes puree. I am still dreaming about that sauce. Husb had raviolis with cream that I tasted and loved and the rack of lamb that he claimed perfect. For dessert grilled pineapple with sorbet. A bottle of Roger Ledoux 1st cru and 161 Euros later we were totally satisfied and knowing that we will always make time for a return visit.

And now the clunkers. I have heard that it is possible to eat badly in Paris but had not really had that experience (aside from a couple of expected New Years Eve debacles),but we got our taste on 2 dinners.
Le Terrines rue Cherch Midi . Apparently a new restaurant that specializes in …well terrines…and the moral of the story is stick to the theme .The space is rustic design and has the ubiquitous tables with wooden tops and much wrought iron on the sides and a bar across the bottom. I generally find them to be uncomfortable but on this occasion we were seated at right angle to each other and I got the side seat thus my legs were flat up against the wrought iron and it was exceedingly uncomfortable. The place was packed so there really weren’t any alternatives. I started with jambon carved from the huge leg displayed in the center of the room. Well I may have been the first carving of the night as my plate was full of dry thick rubbery sinewy tough slices. I love the buttery texture and nutty taste of this treat but none of that was to be had…Husb had the terrine of herring which smelled just awful but he said good if you like that sort of thing. We shared the cote de bouef for 2 and it was extremely fatty yet not at all flavorful and the fingerlings served as a side were hard as a rock. 220 euros for food and my mistake for not sticking to the theme as terrines served around us did indeed look good and the pork chop served at the next table looked fabulous.
And drum roll for the final night which was magic for location and ambiance and vile for food ( Souphie I should have listened to you) Apicius is the most impressive of settings with the grounds and the mansion and the impressive art collection. But the food ! The amuse gave false hope. A slate serving plate ladened with the following in miniature: take on grilled ham and cheese, crudo with tomato gougere, parmesean and mushroom crisp..all excellent . Next a coddled egg with mushroom served in egg shell Also very well done and flavorful. My starter was poached vegetables” of the moment” and that moment had long passed. I got a bowl with a ball of steamed spinach at the bottom ringed by limp snap peas and withered haricot verts, 2 tiny tomatoes, one shave of parmesean and not much else ( no asparagus which was clearly in season) and it was about 40 euros. Anyhow it was all limp and very over steamed and sad . We shared the duck en croute for 2 and it was imho an abomination. Tough thick pastry covering thick parcels of duck in a thick overly sweetened brown sauce. Just awful. We ordered sorbet to share just to cleanse the palate ….but it was not to be as they arrived nearly melted and weren’t refreshing at all We seriously overpaid for a bottle of Volnay and the 550+ euro dinner was memorable as in it will remain a bad memory…but the setting !!! We brightened our last night with an after dinner drink at George V....

Anyhow our meals were generally of good value, we drank very well (and often) and almost always paid more for the wine than the food , we walked til our socks were falling off, had many little café stops for coffee . We never lost our taste for or excitement about a meal even though we are not use to eating 2 real meals a day and think the timing (lunch at 1-2pm and dinner at 8:30-9pm) helped as did the walking .We enjoyed shopping for cheese bread and wine on rue Cler and just generally can’t wait to go back Hope this is helpful and pardon any typos .

[hychka]

Great report!

You are so good to go to all the trouble of recording your trip for us "voyeurs," who wish we were there even if we were just down the street at a place you passed by. It's fun to hear about what folks actually did and whether or not they enjoyed it as anticipated or as "billed" by others.

We just got home from a 9 day visit to Paris and at lunch read thru the day to day plan I mapped out before we left. We laughed so hard at the assumptions vrs the reality of each day's life. Some much better and some not so good.

Again, thanks for writing.

[souphie]

Sorry about your bad experience at l'Auberge Bressanne. While food there is never light and has its ups and downs (like any place, actually), I never experienced such a disaster and I consider myself a regular.

[free jazz]

Cheers for that. In fact, your mention of "Le Petit Pontoise" jumped off the page. I knew our timing for "Itineraries" was off, and when we arrived, they were preparing for the evening. Plan B turned out to be a marvelous lunch a few doors down at your highly recommended bistro, "Le Petit Pontoise." We took photos of everything. The artichoke salad included a melt-in-your-mouth cheese. Duck with dark orange confit over mashed potatoes with green beans was amazing. The Monkfish came out a little rubbery, but overall, it was most enjoyable. The amazing "Tiramisu" made us contemplate whether the French simply do it better. And watching a couple of French men enjoy a hearty five-course meal (baked Camembert, kidneys a l'ancienne, etc) made us realize your interest in return trips. (til then, we hadn't seen actual French people eat much of anything!) Thanks again.