Le Gorille Blanc, 4th arrondissement

[Fuffy]

Yesterday evening (a Monday) when we hadn't booked and Cafe des Musees had tables only in the cellar, we had a lovely meal at the newish Gorille Blanc. Best ever and subtly flavoured melon soup; good kidneys with mushroom sauce (blah linguini); excellent inky squid (seiches) risotto with basil oil; and a very nice plate of vegetables made up especially for our vegetarian Good bread. .Cleverly updated traditional food may not sound exciting but it certainly pleased us. We wished we had known about it when English friends found Glou too peculiar. Our guest loved the stone walled, beamed room (there is a plaque where, in another incarnation, Simenon used to dine). A few sidewalk tables in a quiet impasse very near the Place des Voges. Two first courses, three mains and a bottle of wine 88 euros.Weekday lunch 16 euros for two courses.
Gorille Blanc, 4, impasse Guemenee, 75004 Tel [phone]. Metro Bastille.Closed Sundays.

[John Talbott]

I am happy to hear this since my last meal there - before the new management/chef/etc in November 2011 - was so bad that I thought Nancy's feng shui curse might persist and I'd better stay away.

Many thanks. It maybe proves that culinary feng shui may be eradicated.

[Fuffy]

Do hope you dare go back and tell us what you think.

[John Talbott]

Le Gorille Blanc in the 4th: New address, new chef, new look.
5.4 Le Gorille Blanc, 4, impasse Guemenee in the 4th, 01.42.72.03.45, closed Sundays, moved from the 7th over to this (old) Les Cotelettes space with a new look and new chef; it's gotten mixed reviews with Toinard finding his pork chop too dry but Fuffy's review on Chowhound in September came to me when I needed to find a place near my old friend's cabinet in the Marais.
The specials looked great today but the whole carte was equally impressive.
The grilled mackerel with shredded beets and raifort was fine; I'm not sure the beets added anything and I couldn't taste the horseradish, but it was an interesting combo. Then we both had the civet de biche with cepes and while I found the biche too dry, game are forever running, right? so they never develop fat, but the cepes saved the preparation. Finally, after much deliberation we split a croustade ariegeoise with prunes and apples; it's a light pastry specialty of the Couserans region and was the high point of the meal.
With a bottle of Madiran, no bottled water and two coffees, the bill was 92 E.
Go? I'd like to hear more positive feedback before I take Colette. But it's way better than it was in November 2005 when I rated the former chef a 3/10.

[Fuffy]

Thanks John Talbott.Thanks for sacrificing yourself. I must shamefacedly admit that we went back one evening and chose dishes that weren't the day's special - an indifferent pasta dish and risotto with squid ink that seemed rewarmed.
When we get back to Paris, we'll probably give it another try (choosing specials may be safer) as it is near our place, but now consider it unreliable at best.