Two Fabulous Classics in Paris: Its good to go back!

I had only one day in Paris passing through from my Pays Basque culinary tour on the way to Istanbul and my upcoming Turkish culinary/cultural tour. The weather on October 14 was gorgeous, late summer warm and blue sky. What to do with one day to choose from this great cities bounteous options... three things, take two good long walks, have a good lunch and later in the day, drink the best chocolate imaginable.

Long walk number one was along the Canal St. Martin, that charmingly winding canal with numerous locks and arched foot bridges in the 11th near Place de Republique. Lunch as at one of my favorite convivial classic Paris restaurants, the Auberge Pyrenees-Cevennes, 106 rue de la Folie Mericourt. This place is a gem. The chef owner and his wife (Francoise) are a very good pair indeed. The cuisine is Lyonnais with some SW France influences (a piperade for an appetizer for example). The very good value 30.50 Euro menu offers numerous delicious starters including classics like salade frisee with lardons and a poached egg, or a salad gourmande with a hefty slab of foie gras, or, poached warm herring. The mains include a massive cassoulet, sausages from Lyon, a beautiful grilled salmon filet with a sorrel sauce and on and on. The desserts are like a who's who of grand-mere's best... profiteroles, excellent tarte tatin, Ile Flottant, sorbets, and more. Portions are generous to say the least.

The cliente is a very faithful group of Parisian gourmands and food loving locals, plus the lucky tourist who occasionally finds this gem. Francoise and her staff keep the place filled with laughter and pay very good attention to their clients. Put this one on your list of must visits. It is authentic, real, and of a dying breed in Paris where sushi shops now seem to outnumber real bistros.

At the end of the afternoon, checking out the Haute Marais, the increasingly hip area north of the Marais propoer and south of Republique, I stopped in at the stunning shop and salon of master chocolatier Jacques Genin. Enjoyed the most delicious cup(s) of chocolate chaud served in a pretty while porcelain pitcher. Lovely texture, rich dark chocolate, absolutely stunning and a steal of sorts at 6.5 Euros. 133 rue de Turenne.

Excellent new Paris bistro

A foodie friend in Paris confirmed recent buzz about Septime, a new and already beloved bistro in the 11th, 80 rue de Charonne. Septime is in an interesting, gentrifying corner of the 11th, where lower rents attract talented chefs and creative shops. Bertrand Grébaut is the chef at Septime. You may remember his cooking at L'Agapé. Septime is located in a nicely renovated, loft-like setting and there is a small garden area for good-weather outdoor meals. The style is cuisine du marché and menus change frequently. Lunch menus in the low and mid twenty euro range, dinner runs more a la carte.

I plan to enjoy Septime personally when I am back in Paris in October!

Read my article on Le Saotico

Bonjour Paris, the excellent bi-weekly Paris online publication, recently published my article on the new Paris Bistro named Le Saotico. I've written about Chef Hughes Gournay and Anne Surcouf's new market-fresh-cuisine bistro in this blog, but the article is well worth a read.

http://www.bonjourparis.com/story/le-saotico-fresh-flexible-delicious/

My Le Saotico article on Bonjour Paris

Check out my article "Le Saotico: Fresh, Flexible, Delicious" on Bonjour Paris. I have written on this blog about this terrific bistro/bar/brasserie with market fresh cuisine already but the article is fun to read. Remember, this is a great bistro for breakfast and also for travelers with gluten or other food allergy issues.

Enjoy,

Sally Peabody

www.bonjourparis.com/story/le-saotico-fresh-flexible-delicious/

Le Saotico: New top choice for market fresh French cooking

I was very happy to receive a note from Anne Surcouff telling me that she and her talented chef husband, Hughes Gournay, are back on the Paris dining scene after a hiatus of a couple of years. I used to frequent their intimate Le Reminet in the Latin Quarter and referred lots of clients there as well. The food was always delicious, market-fresh, a little inventive and very fairly priced. Le Reminet is still in business under different owners, but, now this culinary couple has purchased a duplex space at 96 rue de Richelieu (near the Opera Comique and Bourse... not that far from the Louvre and Palais Royal) and they are serving Mondays through Fridays 8-8. The unusual hours are due to this location in a very lively business quarter, but, one that is a bit quieter at night. So dinner is still being worked out but there is already a devoted lunch clientele. I plan to stop for lunch when I am in Paris in late October and will report... with photos! But I know I can recommend this chef and his lovely spouse who creates a warm, sophisticated atmosphere for a good meal, still at a fair price. Check Le Saotico out. The restaurant name by the way is the name for the succulent tiny grey shrimp found off the Normandy coast. That bodes well.

A Good French Meal in the Latin Quarter

Sometimes the Latin Quarter seems like a tough place to find a good classic (affordable) French bistro meal. Counter-intuitive indeed, but there are lots of good Vietnamese, Moroccan, Japanese, Chinese and other ethnic options in this charmingly historic, student-dense quarter. Check out Lilane, 8 rue Gracieuse for a good bistro meal. Think confit de canard, chocolate tart, rich mashed potatoes, langoustine-stuffed ravioli, homemade Foie Gras. Menus at 16 and 20 E at lunch, 32 E in the evening.

This is just off Place Monge, home to a good small market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and, is just down the street from the amazing Maison des Trois Thés where you can sample one of a hundred plus premier oolong, Pu Ehr, yellow or white teas in a beautifully designed tea salon and shop. And you are near the Arennes du Lutece, the Mosquee de Paris, and the ever-lively rue Mouffetard market street too.

L'Avant Comptoir

Yves Camdeborde has had a smash hit with le Comptoir in the heart of St. Germain des Prés. It is tough to get a table, easier at lunch than dinner. For the past few years spontaneous consolation could be found just around the corner from Le Comptoir at the Creperie du Comptoir where delicious crepes, innovative and classic, could be purchased day and night. Last fall, Camdeborde and co. renovated the tiny creperie into a clever small-plate serving 'comptoir' with delicious mini-portions of hearty southwestern French food and some tapas-y things. There are still crepes too... still tiny, still delicious, and a great idea for a light dinner or snack while waiting for a table at Le Comptoir. Carrefour de l'Odeon, Paris 6.

A Good Lunch in Paris!

A good lunch in Paris that won't break the bank? Eminently possible. Head to Mon Vieil Ami on the lovely Ile St. Louis for their daily plat du jour. The tab is an unbeatable 13 euros for their perfect winter-weather-warming fricassee de legumes & blanquette de veau, which is only served on Thursdays. Other plats du jour for the same price include Pot a Feu, seafood risotto, and Parmentier with wild boar. This is a wonderful venue for dinner too. Lots of good veggies and delicious Alsatian influenced meat and fish dishes.

Mon Viel Ami. 69 rue Saint Louis en I'lle, 4th arr. ( on the Ile St. Louis)
Metro: Pont Marie Open Wed. to Sunday- 12-2PM for lunch, 6:30-11PM for dinner Tel. 01 40 46 01 35 http://www.mon-vieil-ami.com

Paris Bistro Favorites Old and New from my October trip

During my Paris Off the Beaten Path tour in mid-October, we ate in three marvelous very 'true' Paris bistros. The new to me 'find' thanks to Alex Lobrano's "Hungry for Paris" was the delightful Hier et Aujourd Hui on rue de Sassure in the 17th out beyond Batignolles and the rue de Levis market street. This is one of those super little 'true' Paris bistros that makes you want to pick up, pack up and move to that quarter. A husband and wife team of chef and server offer delicious bistro classics (with intriguing contemporary touches), well chosen, fairly priced wines and friendly ambience in this sweet, off the beaten track bistro. My braised saddle of rabbit with a deeply flavored wine sauce and savory notes of preserved apricot was worth the longish walk! Lunch formules run 26 E for three courses with several choices for entree, plat and dessert. The chef also sells his Foie Gras and Pain d'Epices to take home. Take some home!

During our Canal St. Martin/Belleville day, we enjoyed a robust lunch at the very true Auberge Pyrennees Cevennes, 106 rue de la Folie Mericourt, in the 11th. Take a look at the attached video. This is not a dining spot to nibble a salad. The Lyonnaise style menu includes hearty and exceedingly well-made classics like Cassoulet, Saucisson Chaud et Pommes à la Creme, Pied du Cochon, steaks, confit de canard and such. There is a delicious salmon with sorrel sauce for fainter appetities. Add splendid profiteroles, Ile Flottante that just about floats out of its dish, and a perfect Tarte Tatin, some hearty red wine.... and you will be deeply content. Lunch formule (including the enormous Cassoulet in a copper braising pan as a main course choice) runs 28 Euro.

Bistro Paul Bert on the rue Paul Bert in the 12th also upheld its high standards for French bistro classics with excellent duck, roasted rack of suckling pig and a completely decadent Molleux aux Chocolat and a superb cheese board. Happily yet another of my favorite central Paris bistros, La Ferrandaise on rue de Vaugirad just off the Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th remained superb as well with its good value 32 E dinner formule and nice choice of wines by the glass... good for a single diner. Dinner at La Ferrandaise was escargot on a bed of new potatoes from the Ile de Ré, braised confit of lamb, and, delectable roasted mirabelle plums in a cocotte accompanied by caramel-salé icecream. Their new seasonal menu has just been posted. Check their website.

Happy bistro-ing in Paris! Let me know about your favorites.