L'Hédoniste -- Restaurant Review

14, rue Léopold Bellan. 75002 Paris. 

M° Sentier ou Chatelet/Les Halles

01 40 26 87 33.

Website: http://www.lhedoniste.com/

 

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 (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  4 - Star...............................................................€€.....................................................................2 - Bell

We have friends visiting from the U.S. and we wanted to eat close to the 1^st arrondissement where their apartment is located.  This restaurant came to mind. I’ve had several friends over the years who have made this their must go to place for good food. So, I went online and found that they have an email “booking” system. Note: not through “La fourchette” (online booking similar to “open-table” in U.S.),  but their own private online booking system.  I’ve not had good luck emailing reservations online, but thought I’d give it a try. Much to my pleasant surprise, within a few hours of my email, I got confirmation that we had our table for 6 reserved.

On the evening we went, It was quite warm and humid, but since it’s been raining the past couple of days I didn’t even consider asking for an outside table, oh well.  The indoor is quite charming, typical Parisian restaurant. The doors into the restaurant opened pretty widely to allow air circulation, this can be good, but can also be bad, as we later found out. Someone by the door was smoking some type of strong smelling cigarette or cigar. By law you cannot smoke inside the restaurants, but you can smoke outdoors. And, as typical of almost all small Parisian restaurants, I don’t believe it was air-conditioned.

They have a daily “suggested” menu of entrée, plats, and dessert. Only one of us got the suggested plat special.  Note: the prix-fixe formule is only available for lunch, dinner is à la carte.

There were 3-entrées, the special of the day which was “”gaspacho melon chorizo” (cold melon soup with chorizo), and the other two which were “ceviche de maquereau” (ceviche of mackerel), and the “croustillant saumon, melon jaune” (crispy salmon with young melons).

The “ceviche de macquereau” were filets of mackerel served in bed of citrus juice. I believe it was a combination of orange juice and lemon juice.  The fish was very good, and there was no doubt it was sitting atop a citrus base. The people who had it loved it.  I liked it, but I found it a bit too sour for my personal taste.

The “croustillant saumon” were served up like miniature tournedos of salmon. The covering, which I believe was partial salmon skin and phyllo dough, lost a little bit of its crispiness when it was served to us, but it was a beautiful dish, and quite tasty. The accompanying cubed sweet cucumbers gave the dish an overall nice balance. 

For the entrées: On person got the special. “suprème de volaille fermier, petits pois, ravide de chèvre” (farmed chicken with peas and chèvre cheese). Our friend who got this dish said the meat was cooked well, moist and succulent. Although the menu said it was accompanied with “petits” (small) peas, they actually looked like they were on steroids, but I was told they too were delicious.

One person ordered the “agneau figahelli, jus olive” (lamb with pasta and an olive sauce).  When the lamb came out, it was beautiful, but I immediately noticed it was cooked “bleue” (very rare). So, I asked my friend if he had ordered it that way, and he didn’t recall if he ordered it any special way. Typically, restaurants will always ask how you want your meat cooked.  Our friend does not speak French, so I don’t fault the restaurant; he could have asked and our friend probably didn’t realize he agreed to this recommended doneness. Note: French lean more to the very rare.  But turns out he likes it somewhat rare anyway. So, all was well.  Interestingly, along with the dish came miniature balls of melons. I found it to be like a little nice gem, sort of a nice surprise.

The remaining three of us got the “merlu” (hake fish).  I thought this fish was cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy and the meat was extremely moist. It sat on a bed of purple rice risotto, and a foamy/creamy parmesan sauce. I haven’t always been a big fan of foamy creams, but I’m starting to enjoy them. I find the thick butter creams too rich, so this was actually a nice accompaniment.  We all agreed this was a winner.

Onto desserts. The restaurant got busy, and they forgot to get our dessert orders, so one of us asked about it and they immediately came and got our order.  They had a cheese plate, and a special of the day which was a minestrone of grenadine and cherries.  We ordered the “abricot, amande verveine” (apricot, almond and verbena) and a “ganache chocolat noir, menthe” I asked the waiter what it was and specifically asked if it was a cake. He said there was a little cake. Turned out it was a very, very soft pudding with a foamy cream topping and no cake.

When I first got the ganache chocolate and I took a bite I sort of liked it, because it was so light and I was a little full from the previous courses. However, the more I ate it, and becoming more objective, the more I disliked it.  The consistency was odd, almost like thick soup, and it had a little bitter after-taste, probably from the chocolate.  And, the foamy whip cream was way too light to be sitting atop a soupy chocolate. It was just too soupy. On top of all that was julienne mint, which actually was quite stringy and got caught between my teeth. It was also accompanied with a little side of jellied fruit, and a fried mint leaf, which I actually enjoyed.

The saving grace for the dessert was the apricot dessert. It was beautifully presented, albeit a very small portion, and it was actually quite delicious. Two types of apricots with an almond paste cream.  This was a hit.

Summary:  The restaurant does not have a large selection, which I prefer. For one it’s easier to make a decision and secondly you know they’re concentrating on making the fewer dishes well done, versus a lot of dishes mediocre.  Aside from the strange chocolate dessert, everything was excellent.  With 3-bottles of water, a glass of white wine and a bottle of Corsican red our bill came to almost 300€ for 6 people.  Would I go back, absolutely!

Auberge du XIIe siècle, Saché -- Restaurant Review

1 Rue Château

37190 Saché, France

Tél: 02 47 26 88 77 

Website: http://accueil.sache.free.fr/auberge.htm

 

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 (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  5- Star........................................................€€.....................................................................2 - Bell

A group of 5 of us went to Saché, France in the Loire Valley to go house hunting for a good friend of ours. The Loire valley is an extremely picturesque and beautiful area. It’s about a 2 ½ hour drive from Paris.

We arrived about 2 pm and were concerned that we would not find a place to eat lunch; however, we found the Auberge du XIIe siècle in the heart of town. In fact, it was the only restaurant we saw. The town of Saché is about 20 kilometers from “Tours” and the birthplace of  "Balzac" , drawing in tourists from all over the world.

It was surprisingly deceptive from the somewhat drab exterior, once we entered the restaurant it was actually quite warm, cozy and pretty. There’s a main dining room in the front, a court yard area in the middle for al fresco dining, and a dining room area by the back garden. 

It seemed very formal for a country style restaurant, but not uncomfortable; it was more elegant, from the decor to the beautiful Limoge porcelain plates, the tablecloths and the wonderfully large napkins. We got the menu, and for lunch there was a 58€ tasting menu and a 37€ tasting menu, we all opted for the 37€ tasting menu.

First course we had an amuse bouche, I was expecting a tiny little morsel of something, but instead it was a “quad of amuses bouches” where we had a bacon wrapped shrimp, a smooth scallop soup, a sorbet of carrot, and a poached tomato. It was an excellent, excellent combination of warm, cold, salty, sweet and a little sour.  It definitely hit all the senses in our tongue.

Much to our surprise a second amuse bouche came out. It was a foie gras mousse. It was topped with a little carmelization to give it that nice after bite sweetness. Excellent, excellent!  

Now onto our entrées: three of us got the “ravioles de foie gras, crème de choux-fleurs, parfum de truffes” (ravioli of foie gras, creamed cauliflower and a scent of truffles).  This dish sounds extremely rich, but it was not. The cauliflower gave it body without the heavy richness of pure cream.  And, the foie gras was perfectly cooked. And, the little slice of bacon gave it a nice crispy saltiness. This was an excellent well balanced entrée.

One friend got the “grosses crevettes sautées aux poireaux, pomme craquantes, jus au thym citron” (large shrimp sautéed with leeks, apples, juices of lemon thyme).  It was not only presented beautifully, but our friend said that it tasted delicious!

Now for our plats: two got the “filets de rouget au beurre d'olives, tomates confites” (red mullet fillets with butter olives, tomato confit).  The two who got this dish said it was delicious, nicely balanced and perfectly cooked and the sauce was extremely light.

Two got the “sandre rôti, fricassée de champignons et ralle au lard” (roast zander fish, fricassee of mushrooms and bacon ralle”.  One said it was a little weak, but good and the other thought it was delicious.

To be different, I ordered the “côtes de porcelet au caramel d'oranges, légumes glacés à la coriandre” (side of of young pork with caramel oranges, glazed vegetables with coriander).  I have to say, this is one of the best pork dishes I have ever had. It was perfectly roasted. How they got the skin so bubbly crispy is beyond me. It’s as if they took the skin off, deep fried until crispy tender, and reattached it.  The orange sauce was a great accompaniment. And, with the carrots were little nice surprises of roasted whole garlic that I spread on bread and it was delicious. Everything about this dish was perfect.

 

We saw a cheese plate cart roaming around, and I felt compelled to order some (the devil made me).  There were so many choices that everyone suggested that I just ask for the cheese from the region.  Their regional specialty is “chèvre”. I’m actually not that fond of chèvre but got a few and also some I like such as comté.  All-in-all it was a great selection of cheeses.

Onto our desserts:  Not on the menu, some of us got the  “brioche poêle with strawberries and frommage blanc”, the people who got this dish said it was delicious, there was a crunchiness, a little sweet and a little sour from the strawberries, and surprisingly light.

One person got the “biscuit anisette, mousse de mangue, infusion de litchis” (biscuit hazelnut mousse, mango, lychee infusion).  Our friend who had this dish said he really enjoyed it.  The fruit combination with the mouse was just a great ending to a fabulous meal.

I got the “petites crêpes, beurre de pralin, sorbet chocolat” (pancakes, praline butter, chocolate sorbet).  I’m not a big fan of crêpes, because all too often they are too sweet and one dimensional.  Well this made me a believer. This has got to be one of the best dessert crêpes I have ever had. It was nice and smooth, not too sweet, and not too creamy, and the crunchiness of the pralines gave it a whole new dimension. Plus the garnish of julienne mint made it quite refreshing. I definitely want some more of this.

And, then when we thought all was said and done, our wait person came out with café gourmandise. Typically, this is served as a dessert choice, a sort of “tasting plate” of various sweets with coffee. I had no idea it was going to be a complimentary ending to our already fabulous desserts.  Had I known, I probably wouldn’t have ordered dessert, or maybe not!  It was a combo of a blueberry sweet biscuit, a jellied sugar candy, a light crème brulée with a hint of nutmeg, and a fruit sorbet.

After all this food you would’ve thought that we couldn’t move, but surprisingly because the food was not overly filled with butters and creams, and the portions were just right, we all commented that we were full, but didn’t feel full, if that makes any sense.

Summary: We often joke if you want really good food without spending an arm and a leg, get out of Paris.  And, this restaurant is one fabulous reason to venture out of Paris. The ambiance, the service, the beautiful Limoges porcelain, the food, everything was just about perfect. I would go back in a heart beat. Thank God, it’s too far for me to get there every day, otherwise I would camp out in their lawn and eat all day every day.  The food is excellent, the Chef de Cuisine is Thierry Jimenez, a protégé of Alain Ducasse. We had an opportunity to meet him. He’s very unassuming and so friendly and amicable.  I would’ve kissed his ring, if he had one.  So, if you are in Tours or that area, this restaurant is NOT to be missed. Go hungry.  

Chef de cuisine extraordinaire, Thierry Jimenez

 For 5 of us with 1-bottle of wine and three glasses of wine and 4-coffees the bill came to 250€ or 50€ each

Note: Auberge du XIIe siècle is also an INN.

Moissonnier -- Restaurant Review

28 r. des Fossés-St-Bernard

75005 Paris 

Tél: 01 43 29 87 65

  Tuesday -- Saturday 12 pm to 10 pm (lunch/dinner)

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 (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

4 - Star........................................................€€€.....................................................................2 - Bell

Friends have been recommending this restaurant for months, we were finally able to go last night.  The restaurant is easily accessible via public transportation.  It is located not far from the Pantheon and almost across the street from the “Institute du Monde Arabe” (Arab world institute). From the outside, it’s not anything special, but inside it is very warm and cozy.  It is owned and run by Philippe and Valérie Mayet.  This is a "Lyonnaise" style restaurant, and for those familiar with French food, Lyon is considered the French capital of gastronomy, and the birthplace of Paul Bocuse. We found Mme Mayet utterly charming and welcoming.

We were four. We started with apéros, 3-coupes du champagne and one "pastis", as we perused the menu.  The menu is pretty varied, and from what I could tell very traditionally French. 

NOTE: there is no prix-fixe menu, everything is à la carte.

 

Entrées:  Two of us got the “Terrine de queue de boeuf maison” (beef tail terrine); it was very good. There were chunks of carrots, shredded pieces of beef tail and the amount of aspic used was just right, considering many times terrines use way too much aspic. It was also served with a little side of greens and haricots verts (green beans).

One of us got the evening special not on the menu, “Terrine de lapin” (rabbit terrine).  It was pretty much the same as the beef tail terrine, but made with rabbit and the pieces of meat were much chunkier; it too was very good.

Our fourth person ordered the “Oeufs en muerette” (eggs poached in red wine). This is a pretty traditional French country dish. When I first saw the dish I thought for sure it was going to be too glutinous and too rich. I had a taste of it and the sauce was excellent. The wine they used wasn’t too rich or acidic nor bitter and they did not over do it with the roux. Although the picture does not do the dish justice, overall it was executed very well.  

Onto our plats:  I ordered one of their two signature dishes, the “Quenelle de brochet soufflée” (poached pike fish soufflée).  The dish came out bubbling hot.  The first thing I said to our wait-person, c’est énorme (it’s huge), but she explained that it’s a soufflé, it looks large, but it’s really light.  What I found odd was they gave me a fish knife for a soufflé?  Maybe it was for the symbolism.  The cream sauce that accompanied this dish was to die for; however, it was extremely rich. The soufflée itself was very light and although I would’ve liked chunks of pike in the soufflé, it would’ve probably made the dish too heavy. I was not able to finish it, not so much because of the volume, but because of the richness.

A friend ordered their second signature dish, “Poulet aux morilles et vin jaune” (Chicken with morels and yellow wine). He liked the dish a lot. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the morels were delicious.  It was also accompanied by egg noodles.  I tasted the sauce, and once again, it was to die for.  As with my dish, the cream sauce was extremely rich.

 
The next dish was the “Rognon de veau entier à la graine de moutarde” (veal kidneys in whole mustard seed).  You can sometimes overcook kidneys and it can be extremely rubbery and hard; however, this dish was cooked perfectly. It was delicious, and once again, it was accompanied with a very, very rich creamy mustard sauce.We commented although good, it could've used more, or stronger, mustard in the sauce.

And, lastly one friend ordered the “Boeuf Miroton” (boiled beef cooked with onions, bacon and vinegar). I had a taste of it, and I liked it. It was the one dish that did not have a heavy rich cream sauce. It was more akin to beef bourguignon. It was also served with a side of creamy scalloped potatoes, which I was told was excellent.

On to desserts:  I had the “dessert du jour” which was a strawberry tart. I do not know why I ordered dessert, at this point I was so full, but I sacrificed so I could report on the desserts. It was a very simple, nice strawberry tart that was encased in a very soft "dripping" glaze. It did have a little tartness to its taste. Unfortunately, because I was already so full, I wasn’t able to finish the dish.

The one dessert that looked like a monster dessert was the “Meringues glacées, sauce chocolat chaude” (meringue with ice cream and hot chocolate sauce). First thing I thought of when I saw this dessert, are we in the U.S.? it was enormous, definitely an American portion. I tasted it, it was delicious.  It was basically vanilla ice cream "sandwiched-in" with two baked meringues, smothered in warm chocolate sauce. Now how bad can that be? Bad for the waistline, but it was delicious, albeit extremely rich!

The next dessert was a “Entremets citron, coulis de framboises” (soft lemon pudding with raspberry coulis topped with sliced strawberries).  Our friend who ordered this liked it, because for one it was “citrusy” and a little on the tart side, which he loves.

Lastly, one friend got the classic crème brulée.  Very typically French, very good.

Summary:  From now on, when I think of traditional classic French cooking, Moissonnier would definitely come to mind. It is a very “Lyonnaise” style restaurant. From the classic terrines to the rich buttery creamy sauces and the rich desserts.  Although I thought the food was very good, personally I found it very, very rich and heavy, it's probably from my being lactose intolerant, thank god for medication, and not having been brought up with rich creams and butter.  And, as such was not able to finish most of the dishes. So, if you like traditional French cuisine, are not lactose intolerant, and are a big eater, I highly recommend this restaurant.

With apéros mentioned above, 2-pichets of red wine, and 1-pichet of white wine our total bill came to about 240€ or 60€ per person.

La Tute 2 -- Restaurant Review

7 Rue Rossini

75009 Paris 

Tél: 01 40 15 65 65

Website:  http://www.latute.com/ 

Monday -- Saturday 12 pm to 12 am (lunch/dinner)

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 (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  2.5 - Star........................................................€€......................................................................2 - Bell

 It was our monthly outing with our good friend to explore a new restaurant that’s only been open for a week. The original "La Tute" restaurant was in the 2eme arrondissement, but closed and moved to the 9eme arrondissement as a result of a dispute with the landlord. From the outside it looks like it was newly painted with its bright red lipstick paint and great location. It is across the street from the "Drouot", a public auction house.

This is a "Pyrenees" style restaurant.  As you enter there are two seatings available, up front closer to the windows with much more natural lighting and much more open, or in the back which was OK, but not as open, so a little claustrophobic. There are also tables downstairs, which were not in use. On reflection, I wish we had sat up front. Before entering there is a large blackboard in front listing what’s available. We then got another two smaller blackboards with the handwritten menu, one for the entrées and another our plat.

Entrées: Our friend got the “calamars à l'encre” (squid cooked in its ink). It was thick and rich. I tasted it and it immediately brought me back to my childhood. We have a Filipino dish called "adobong pusit", it actually tasted very similar to that, it even had a little vinegar. The ink sauce is much richer and thicker than the "adobong pusit" that I'm familiar with, since it was cooked down, but there’s no denying the ink flavor. I liked this dish.

I had the “coeurs de canard à la plancha” (duck hearts). It was pre-cut in a fan shape to later facilitate slicing and eating. It was very, very lightly pan fried medium-rare, so as not to be too rubbery. It was very simple and with a sprinkling of  "espelette" a French red chili pepper; it was a good first start.

And, our other companion got the “boquerones--anchois marinés” (marinated anchovy filets). It actually tasted more like pickled mackerel than it did anchovies. It wasn’t anything special, but in itself, it was good.

Plats: I originally wanted the poitrine de cochon (pork belly), but they were out, so I ordered the “chorizzo de Navarre poché au vin rouge potates à l'écrasée” (chorizo sausage poached in red wine with mashed potatoes). I truly regret that I ordered this dish. First of all the chorizos were poached in this glutinous mess. All I tasted was cornstarch and onions with a hint of wine. And, there was so much of it to make it seem almost like, let’s make the dish look larger than it is by adding more of that glutinous mess. Thank god it was atop a cutting board, so I was able to take the 3-chorizos and place it on the board to cut it thereby, avoiding as much of the gooey mess as possible. The chorizos themselves weren’t bad, but they weren’t good either. The saving grace was the mashed potatoes!

Onto the other plat, which was “tripes à la bigourdanne” (stewed tripe). I tasted this dish and I actually liked it. It was accompanied by some herbs and a bottle of armagnac to pour into the tripe. The tripe was prepped really well and cooked to as tender as you can get it. And, surprisingly, it was not oily, which tripe can sometimes be.

Our companion had the “lomo of pork and veggies brochette with a side of fries”, not on the menu, but a special. I tasted it, it was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The side of fries looked really good, we all commented that the texture, crispness etc. was great, but it was EXTREMELY salty.  Methinks someone has a heavy hand with the salt in the kitchen.

Afterwards, feeling quite full, we shared a “pruneaux à l'armagnac”. Sometimes simple is really good, and this is what that dish was. All it was were prunes soaked in an armagnac. I’m not a prune fan, but the two liked it. All I can say was wow, that armagnac was strong.





Summary: I was really put off by my plat and it has tainted my desire to want to return. The rest of the food itself was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. Service was excellent. The plating was very simple, but some of the plating was a bit strange, like 3-pieces of chopped bell pepper placed in one corner of the board, or espelette sprinkled outside weirdly around the food.

With a bottle of Domaine les esquirots sauvignon and one café afterwards, the bill came to 117€ for the 3 of us.

Tour of "Le Marais"

Please join my best friend Steve and I on a walking tour of the "Le Marais"

Randy Diaz & Steve Kocheran Tour Le Marais of Paris - May 2012 from Archie Ibardolasa on Vimeo.