Halfway Through Paris Trip - Reviews to date & advice for upcoming

[mrsmustard]

We have reached the halfway point of our holiday in Paris. Wanted to provide a report thus far and get advice for the final part of our travels. Thanks to all on this board for providing such insightful advice. Our trip has definitely benefited from your experience.

Chez la Vielle – We had an early dinner our first night in town. The langoustine in a saffron and coconut milk was memorable and helped to stave off the jet lag. Seasonings were aggressive but not overwhelming. I don’t know that I would necessarily need a return visit but this was a pleasant way to start the trip.

Frenchie – This restaurant has received a lot of hype both domestically and internationally. All in all, I would say it is much deserved and a great value. I started with the salad of beets, raspberries & lard and the Husband had smoked mackerel. We continued with braised pork belly and perfectly cooked cod. The flavors were comforting and provided a little surprise. Service was perfunctory but pleasant.

Le Cinq – A grand meal in a grand setting. We opted for the slightly higher priced lunch menu and it did not disappoint. Service was as expected – absolutely perfect. We were originally seated in the corner and, when the staff saw a member of our party with her back to the dining room look around pensively, they immediately recommended a new table where she would have a better view. Even with the higher price, the meal was a tremendous value if only for the foie gras course. We have often complained that, in the States, the price paid for foie gras often results in a very small tasting. Not so here. I could have stopped after the wonderful pairing of foie gras (huge portion) and strawberries (and probably should have). The rest of the meal was a blur as I was still drunk with foie gras. Highly recommended.

Bar Hemingway – Not a restaurant but a wonderful place to wile away the evening.

Chez Michel – A return trip that had me worried due to the recent posts. Our meal reminded us why we chose to come back. The bread & butter alone make it worth the trek. The crab gelée was light and tasty, followed by the Saint-Pierre in a light mushroom cream sauce. And the Paris Brest, which had been the subject of many dreams in the last 18 months, did not disappoint.

Michel Rostang– The absolute perfect setting for our 10th anniversary. I was a bit worried at the beginning that it might have been too stuffy. The staff immediately eased that concern. The absolute professionalism and the playfulness of the service has not been surpassed. But, oh, the food. Our server wisely recommended the consommé – a perfect starter with mussels, asparagus and a seafood gelée. Something light was necessary upon seeing my next course, the pike quenelle in the (very rich) lobster sauce. There was nothing deconstructed or particularly new about the sauce. It was just the most wonderful lobster-y goodness, enriched with cream and cognac. About halfway through my quenelle, I was offered more lobster sauce. Happy anniversary to me and a new must go-to restaurant for our next Paris trip. Truly the highlight of the trip to date.

Le Severo – Our second time to Le Severo as well. A night of beef (and French fries). Started with the steak tartare (ground fresh, not hand-chopped) and the boudin noir. Next the côte de bœuf for two. Perfectly cooked – charred black outside, bleu inside – and seasoned with grey salt. The fries, however, stole the show again. The crème caramel was light & refreshing after the heavy meal.

Le Chateaubriand – It was our friends’ last night and we thought this would be a fun place to try: low risk (45 euro menu) to high reward (innovative cuisine). I was not expecting the 11th greatest restaurant in the world but I was hoping for something new and interesting. I have to say that I just don’t get it. We started with goose barnacles that are brand new to me. I am extremely glad to have tried them but will not be hunting them down in the near future. We were lucky as the waiter explained how to eat the strange looking food by twisting the “claw” to expose the meat. The table next to us were simply given the plate with no explanation. Imagine our surprise when the (obviously adventurous) gentleman decided to pop a whole barnacle into his mouth. Next up were the gougères – nice but not great. Then, frozen shaved foie gras with rhubarb and radish. More promise with this dish. The best dish of the night was the barbu with petit pois. Nicely crisped skin and perfectly cooked fish. (The table next to us, apparently on a doomed visit, received what looked to be undercooked fish with no crispy skin in evidence. The wife was not looking happy at the husband’s choice for the restaurant). The final savory dish was the chef’s take on choucroute garni with lightly dressed raw cabbage and a crispy ‘terrine’ of braised pork. On first bite, I was ready to proclaim this dish a hit. On third or fourth bite, I tasted something that was a bit off. On closer inspection, it seemed the chef had decided this particular ‘deconstruction’ needed a few pieces of extremely fishy tasting fish. Why, I cannot say, but it ruined the other flavors for me. Dessert was an afterthought that included pop rocks. I want to say it was just an off-night but the technique was missing and the flavors just didn’t do it for my palate.

Les Fines Gueules – A perfect place for a Sunday lunch. Started with the chilled velouté of petits pois. I would return just for that. Then, the steak tartare made with pesto. The steak is hand-chopped and the texture is perfect. The pesto was much better than expected but I am still a traditionalist and would have the standard flavors nine times out of 10. Maybe the pesto on the 10th. The tarte tatin with crème double was a great finish.

In between these meals, we have stayed at home with great charcuterie (Gilles Verot), fromage (Marie-Ann Cantin) and pâtisserie after pâtisserie. We have tried both L’As du Falafel and Chez Hanna (L’As du Falafel won our unscientific survey) and galettes and crêpes at the President Wilson market.

Our next stops currently include:
Gerard Besson
Le Petit Vendome
L’Agrume
Le Quincy
Ze Kitchen Galerie
Les Papilles
Passage 53

So… what should we drop? What should we add? What are we missing? We like everything from fine-dining to street food and anything in-between.

Thank you in advance for your any further assistance!

[Quimbombo]

What a great review, mrs. m.

Happy as punch to hear about Le Cinq.

We'll be going there beginning of July.

[hychka]

Sounds like you've done well so far. Please write again with a report on the balance of your trip as we ALL love to hear what happened.

[PhilD]

Le Chateaubriand is definitely not for everyone, and given the restaurants you loved it doesn't surprise me that it didn't excite you.

It is worth reflecting on what 11th place on the worlds best restaurant list means. It is a chefs and professionals list and thus favours the avant-garde, chefs who experiment and those that push the boundaries. As with most professions chefs respect other chefs who push the boundaries rather than deliver the same classics.

Unfortunately being on the leading edge means you sometimes fall off, and at €45 it makes it even more precarious. I like it because it is dangerous dining and can take me out of my comfort zone (like Mugaritz or El Bulli does), but for many others it can be too extreme.

[souphie]

Come on, you're right, but there's also a consistency issue with Inaki. He's not always on.

[John Talbott]

I'm with Soup on this one (and indeed wrote an article about the La Famille bunch last week); but I wouldn't call them violent mood swings, it's more like the girl with the curl......etc - when good, very good, when bad, awful. But that said, every time he or the gang opens a new place, I go.

[Parigi]

"it's more like the girl with the curl......etc - when good, very good, when bad, awful"

But I want a restauarnt more like Mae West than the girl with the curl: "when I'm good I'm very very good, and when I'm bad I'm better"...

[PhilD]

Don't disagree, but isn't that a risk of being on the leading edge? There is a risk of a poor concept, and sometimes a risk in execution because it is a novel technique, and also there is a risk that dishes are too out there to be appreciated (I am not certain which one of those I would fit the semi raw kidney at El Bulli into!)

[mrsmustard]

We knew going in that it would be a risk but, at €45, a risk worth taking. We enjoy being challenged and trying new flavors as much as we love enjoying the more traditional techniques. I was happy to pay that price for the potential. It's just that it didn't live up to the hype (not unexpected) and, I have to say, the flavors were lacking. At Gagnaire on our last trip, we found a lovely surprise of an artichoke & licorice ice cream hidden in a dish which completely played off the other flavors. Discovering a "surprise" of extremely strong fish in the charcroute was off-putting, to say the least, and made me question the palate of the chef. I sincerely hope it was an off-night but, having tried it once, I did not see enough that made me want to try it again.

Oh, well. Our other lunches & dinners have been at or above expectations so a one-off is not too bad.

[souphie]

What I'm saying is, risks add up: the stylistic one and the cook having violent mood swings. You might argue that they're related, but isn't that a stretch.

[Parigi]

Great report.

"the cook having violent mood swings"

Cher soup, you probably mean the French sense of "violent"; I would respectfully have used the word vehement instead. Saying that the cook has violent mood swings conjures up dishes and knives flying in the kitchen. :-)

[souphie]

Well, that wouldn't be unusual. But either way, it's a euphemism. What I really meant was something I'm sure the moderators wouldn't allow.

[fishskis]

Thanks for the report. I completely agree about Le Chateaubriand; I had the exact same reaction on my only visit there. I can't add much here that has not been said already. Whatever list ranks this restaurant as 11th in the world is highly questionable to me. Of course restaurants have off nights, but the mediocrity and sub-par food and ingredients I experienced at Le Chateaubriand were not balanced out by any sign of brilliance or "daring", qualities which I did not see in evidence at all.

[souphie]

Thanks for reporting. Sounds like you're having a great time. I think your programme is fine. I would probably add a crepe at a stand in Montparnasse and lunch at Ledoyen. And a visit to Jacques Génin.

[Nancy S.]

I would add Pain du Sucre, which is a great stop if you're going to the Pompiedou. We often buy pastries then stroll to Place des Vosges to enjoy.