Review: Le Philou 7/15/11
we met friends who live in paris and they suggested le philou - i was thrilled because it was on my list and now i would get to go ...and at someone else's suggestion. we had an 8:30 reservation and by the time we were all seated (5) outside, there were easily 10 people waiting for tables. Sadly, no photos today (I was a little embarrased with my friends to be taking photos! I can get away with it when it's just myself and hubby). easy menu - about 6 choices in each category and 2 choices for dinner...2 courses or 3. I think the 3 courses were 30eu. we had 2 carafes of red - each recommended by the owner. don't remember the 1st - which was meant for the entrees but it was a lighter red. the 2nd was a cahours and we really all enjoyed that one.
entrees: i had the clafouti with mushrooms and jambon...really a cooked custard in a large ramiken - with a little salad on the side. husband had a nice sized arugula salad with shaved parm.
plats: i had the beef cheese (joues de bœuf) - different than i've had it before. it was a single large piece (one large cow!) extremely fork tender with great flavor sitting on top of long cooked endive and chard but with an almost clear jus. i've always had it with a dark long simmered sauce. hubby had the roasted lamb with small roasted potatoes and mushroom pieces...i tasted it and it had good flavor and wasn't overcooked. my friend had the breste chicken which i also tasted...man...chicken in paris is so so so much better than in the states. tastes like real chicken .
dessert was shared...a lime citron tarte with a side of a lime sorbet. it wasn't overly sweet. good. not memorable.
all in all..popular...great location and we strolled back up the canal to our apartment about 15 min. ...the canal just lined with people out sitting, talking eating and drinking. a good solid choice. not earth shattering but executed everything pretty well and it was a fun atmosphere.
