Café les Deux Gares -- Restaurant Review

 

For contact, directions and to make reservations, click on this link https://hoteldeuxgares.com/en/cafe.html

Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor 

€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)

1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-80); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-90); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (90+)

3 - Star.......................................€....................................... 3 - Bell

I'm back. It feels so good to be back in Paris and be around familiar sights, smells and especially the cafe's and restaurant.

We wanted to catch up with a friend and she recommended this restaurant, since she was going to be in the area. It's actually right across the street from the Gare de l'Est, a major train station. This is where people go to get a meal before their train leaves, or after a long train ride to get some food, versus the fast food sold in the train station.

The interior was very welcoming. It's like old shoe and feels right. There were tell-tale signs that there are travelers there, since there were luggages butt up against the wall. Overall a very comfortable and cozy place.

Their menu must change daily because they had a blackboard and no printed menus.


ENTRÉE

Gesier with Broccoli.  

Gesier are the chicken or turkey gizzards. In this case I ordered the chicken hearts.  Normally, chicken hearts are pretty rubbery and chewy. Mine were definitely confit'd. The chicken hearts melted in your mouth.

What was surprising to me is that it was served with grated raw broccoli. Now for me that's great, but I have a lot of french friends who don't like raw vegetables unless it's in a salad. They see it as akin to eating grass.

I loved the dish, and thought it was a good start.

Echine de porc.

Loin of pork. The flavors of this dish were spot on. they even gave us a few surprises. What we thought were potatoes were actually yellow beets. There were thin slices of turnips and even radishes. The sauce was very, very tasty.

Now here's what I didn't like about the dish, the loin. The loin was very grizzly and fatty, difficult to eat. I would've selected a better choice of pork, like the pork belly or even the shoulder. 

Everything, but the star (pork) was a hit.

Mackerel.

JJ had the mackerel. I had a taste of it and thought it was very good. The skin was crispy and the flesh was moist. It sat atop of some eggplant, carrots, leeks and sliced radishes garnished with fresh dill. JJ was quite happy as being an ex-vegetarian he likes lots of veggies and this dish had plenty, something somewhat unusual in France as veggies are usually just a side note for color and frequently are just french fries!  The veggies were well prepared, crunchy and not soggy.  The fish was a bit bland but properly cooked and good.

NOTE:  We had no desserts 

SUMMARY

This is definitely not a destination restaurant. But it's a good place to go if you're catching a train and are a bit early and you want a meal. Or, after a long train ride you just want to unwind with a nice meal.

As far as a café goes, it's good, they're very efficient, the place is cozy. However, it can get a bit loud. 

We had no wines that day, I know shocking, but we all had other engagements that night and did not want to be inebriated. Our bill for 3-people, entrée, plat, a big San Pelligrino and 1 espresso came to €72.80 or €24.26 per person. It is a VERY good deal.

Would I come again, absolutely, if I'm waiting for a train and/or want a good warm meal with a glass of wine after a long train ride.