I must admit, Les Papilles made it on the list due to another Anthony Bourdain episode. I watched that show with hungry eyes, itching to jump on a plane to Paris. I had been to Paris before, but felt like this was my chance to do it my way. I must say, since this is one of my last posts for this trip, that Paris is all that and more. Not only the food, but thanks to David I was able to experience the amazing art scene as well. Parisians deserve to be snobby...I would be too if this was my hometown. Instead, I get to be snobby about skiing and hiking :)
Les Papilles is in the Latin Quarter. Its teeming with students, French hipsters, and tourists streaming south from Notre Dame, looking for the "West Bank" experience. The night of our reservation David and I found ourselves caught in a blitzkrieg snow storm, so we jumped from cafe to cafe, waiting for the fooding hour.
Once 7:30 hit, we ducked from doorway to doorway until we finally made it to our spot. The inside immediately reminded me of Antico Roscioli in Rome. Small narrow space, with a larger alcove in the back. One side of the narrow space devoted to wine/beer/bites, and kitchen somewhere in the back.
The menu is set each night. Three courses for 30 some odd Euros....STEAL! This place is also known for its wine, which lines the walls. One word of warning....pick your own bottle. I let the manager pick for us, and then I noticed as I walked the restaurant, almost every other table had the same bottle. I am not disputing the wine was not good, but definitely not great, plus it makes everyone feel special if they think something was picked just for them....just some words of advice:)
The course break-up was as follows:
1. Sweet Potato Soup with Chorizo, Croutons, Paprika, Quenelle of Cream & Crispy Parsley
2. Beef Roast with Carrot, Snap Peas, Wax Potato, Sun-Dried Tomato & Onion in a Red-Wine/Beef Stock
3. Chocolate Mousse with Caramel Foam
The beef roast was achingly good. Perfect morsels of fork tender beef, dripping with rich and balanced red wine juice, cut with sweet medallions of carrot and peas. Everything about this was perfect, in the most simple sense. There was nothing elevated about this...It came out in a huge crock and could easily have fed two, but due to its sheer goodness, not one piece of meat was left. Unfortunately, this meant I could not finish the mousse, but I made sure to scoop out all the caramel foam, which had the ubiquitous French inclusion of the right amount of salt!
Would I come back to Les Papilles....Yes. It is on par with Le Chateaubriand, as one of those places that would be on regular rotation if I were to move to Paris. Ah, how I miss it!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Taillevent
As I said before, I could not visit Paris and not make at least one reservation at an old standby. I did my homework, scoured the "foodie" boards, and finally settled on Taillevent, mere steps from the Arc de Triomphe.
It is super white tablecloth...jacket required kind of place. Also, because I made the reservation for Turkey Day, the place was filled with wealthy WASP-y Americans. Dave and I kind of had a kick talking about and guessing what everyone else's story was.
So on to the food/service/ambiance.
Food was gooood. There was a lot of restraint in each dish. What could have been excessive use of certain new techniques came out with a great counter-balance of French culinary tradition. I am going to apologize in advance for my woefully inadequate descriptions of the food. I somehow failed to grab a menu and therefore only have my hand notes to go off of. Suffice it to say, this is another Sheila "must go" recommendation.
Amuse: marrow with celery mousse
1. Scallop with grapefruit marmalade
2. White fish with eggplant puree
3. Passion fruit souffle
I must say my favorite, was the scallop dish, which was raw brilliance cut with the nuanced acid of the grapefruit marmalade. Also, although I am not a souffle person, this one was great with a passion fruit cream.
I think I also owe a bit on the service at this place. Awesome! It was not in the ass-kissing sort of fine dining school of thought, but just seriously tight. It was a smooth symphony, with everyone chiming in when necessary. Dave is not a fan of any of this, but I appreciate it given my own service background.
Also, although the ambiance is a bit stuffy, the place has definitely gone through a decor overhaul in the last few years. It is done up in a non-offensive melange of creams and browns with comfy banquettes...which I like! They also sit people side by side, which is great if you are with a special someone...or close friend!
So all in all, this was a win, albeit an expensive win....save this one for a special occasion or holiday, but make sure to give it a go.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Breizh Cafe
Ah, crepes. I have a love/hate relationship with crepes, specifically, if they suck I am not happy, but oh if they are good...I am in heaven!
Breizh Cafe is about as close to a traditional Brittany crepe as you can get. It is in a great neighborhood in the Marais, quite close to the Picasso Museum (still closed...le sigh). Word of warning, however, it is a sardine can of a place. It is built for svelte Europeans, not us supersized Americans, but Dave and I managed.
We ordered a carafe of local, organic Cider, that was just the right amount of musty bouquet and sweet-tart taste. We also went with crepes from the "local" board. My crepe with bacon was unmemorable, but Dave's with local scallops was divine. Think sour, buckwheat crepe, nicely crisped, with sweet succulent scallops and a white cream/wine sauce.
Of course, after such a high we were worried dessert may not live up to our new expectations, but this was blown away by a crepe finished with salty caramel and crispy sugar. So simple, yet somehow exactly what we needed. Its as if Breizh has a gustatory telepathy...they are the best kind of food pushers.
Breizh was not a fancy spot, or one you would linger at, but you could tell this was a locals place (aside from the other foreign food fanatics) and rightfully so.
Breizh Cafe is about as close to a traditional Brittany crepe as you can get. It is in a great neighborhood in the Marais, quite close to the Picasso Museum (still closed...le sigh). Word of warning, however, it is a sardine can of a place. It is built for svelte Europeans, not us supersized Americans, but Dave and I managed.
We ordered a carafe of local, organic Cider, that was just the right amount of musty bouquet and sweet-tart taste. We also went with crepes from the "local" board. My crepe with bacon was unmemorable, but Dave's with local scallops was divine. Think sour, buckwheat crepe, nicely crisped, with sweet succulent scallops and a white cream/wine sauce.
Of course, after such a high we were worried dessert may not live up to our new expectations, but this was blown away by a crepe finished with salty caramel and crispy sugar. So simple, yet somehow exactly what we needed. Its as if Breizh has a gustatory telepathy...they are the best kind of food pushers.
Breizh was not a fancy spot, or one you would linger at, but you could tell this was a locals place (aside from the other foreign food fanatics) and rightfully so.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Le Chateaubriand
Ok everyone...
First, I am sorry for the delay in my posting the second part of my trip. Life, including a new part-time gig, trip to Portland (yes, to eat...will post), and general holiday stuff got in the way. I am not trying to elicit a ton of sympathy, but suffice it to say I was stuck in a lot of adverse weather with the accompanying ruined shoes, etc..
Second, I just want to prepare you guys for what turned out to be some amazing eating. Paris is really all that! I would also like to shamelessly plug the guys at Le Fooding in France for really taking a stand against Michelin and all things elitist in the world of dining. They are promoting the guy, who may not have a white table cloth and ten different styles of silverware, but will knock your socks off with their food and small production wine list. This is not to say that I did not force David into another experience at high-brow, Taillevent where he had to actually borrow a jacket from the sweet hostess (please try and picture a french-style jacket on my broad shouldered bf:). But overall, we stuck with the up and comers or generally accepted around the block kind of spots...so once again, without further ado:
Le Chateaubriand is kind of out of the way for the typical tourist. Our hotel happened to be in the Bastille...making this place only 30 minutes by foot (I didn't ride the metro unless the walk was 1.5 hours plus). I originally thought I could sneak in at lunch, but quickly realized it was closed, when I walked through the front door, right into staff meeting. Luckily, I looked serious about scoring a spot and the manager asked if I was ok sitting at the bar in a far corner single seat...which of course was fine with me.
So at around 7ish, after a glass of wine and shower at my hotel, I set off to walk over and up Avenue Parmentier. I arrived a bit late and was seated at my single seat bar throne. I was presented with the 50 Euro 5 course menu and set to requesting a never ending stream of wines paired to each course (including a few more at the end as I basically closed the place down with a sweet gourmand from Stockholm).
Here is what it looked like:
1. Amuse Bouche: Fish Ceviche & Bread-crumbed Frog Leg & Celery Soup (me=ow!)
1.5 Encornet, persil, trompettes, pommes de terre
2. Dorade royale de Sanit Jean, courges, oignons, graines
3. Boeuf, pickles, buerre noisette
4. Glace de Sarrasin, pamplemousse
5. Poires, betteraves, mahaleb (too inebriated to spell so unsure about this last ingredient)
Now, my fondest memory of the night is all the amazing wine, company, energy, and plain awesome food. This place has that magic about it...A sexy-wild, madman in the kitchen, Iñaki Aizpitarte and equally charming waitstaff. Cool clientele, including a young french couple that spotted me in the Marais a few days later at a coffee shop, who were headed to Trio in Malmo! And...a space that echos all this energy!
I could go on about the food, but I think it best that I believe no matter what your food preferences are, you will absolutely love your meal at Le Chateaubriand. You will also fall in love with the space, the people and Paris in general. Watch out LC...If I move to Paris, I may need to be looking for some permanent employment!
First, I am sorry for the delay in my posting the second part of my trip. Life, including a new part-time gig, trip to Portland (yes, to eat...will post), and general holiday stuff got in the way. I am not trying to elicit a ton of sympathy, but suffice it to say I was stuck in a lot of adverse weather with the accompanying ruined shoes, etc..
Second, I just want to prepare you guys for what turned out to be some amazing eating. Paris is really all that! I would also like to shamelessly plug the guys at Le Fooding in France for really taking a stand against Michelin and all things elitist in the world of dining. They are promoting the guy, who may not have a white table cloth and ten different styles of silverware, but will knock your socks off with their food and small production wine list. This is not to say that I did not force David into another experience at high-brow, Taillevent where he had to actually borrow a jacket from the sweet hostess (please try and picture a french-style jacket on my broad shouldered bf:). But overall, we stuck with the up and comers or generally accepted around the block kind of spots...so once again, without further ado:
Le Chateaubriand is kind of out of the way for the typical tourist. Our hotel happened to be in the Bastille...making this place only 30 minutes by foot (I didn't ride the metro unless the walk was 1.5 hours plus). I originally thought I could sneak in at lunch, but quickly realized it was closed, when I walked through the front door, right into staff meeting. Luckily, I looked serious about scoring a spot and the manager asked if I was ok sitting at the bar in a far corner single seat...which of course was fine with me.
So at around 7ish, after a glass of wine and shower at my hotel, I set off to walk over and up Avenue Parmentier. I arrived a bit late and was seated at my single seat bar throne. I was presented with the 50 Euro 5 course menu and set to requesting a never ending stream of wines paired to each course (including a few more at the end as I basically closed the place down with a sweet gourmand from Stockholm).
Here is what it looked like:
1. Amuse Bouche: Fish Ceviche & Bread-crumbed Frog Leg & Celery Soup (me=ow!)
1.5 Encornet, persil, trompettes, pommes de terre
2. Dorade royale de Sanit Jean, courges, oignons, graines
3. Boeuf, pickles, buerre noisette
4. Glace de Sarrasin, pamplemousse
5. Poires, betteraves, mahaleb (too inebriated to spell so unsure about this last ingredient)
Now, my fondest memory of the night is all the amazing wine, company, energy, and plain awesome food. This place has that magic about it...A sexy-wild, madman in the kitchen, Iñaki Aizpitarte and equally charming waitstaff. Cool clientele, including a young french couple that spotted me in the Marais a few days later at a coffee shop, who were headed to Trio in Malmo! And...a space that echos all this energy!
I could go on about the food, but I think it best that I believe no matter what your food preferences are, you will absolutely love your meal at Le Chateaubriand. You will also fall in love with the space, the people and Paris in general. Watch out LC...If I move to Paris, I may need to be looking for some permanent employment!
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