L'Accolade -- Restaurant Review

208 rue de la Croix Nivert
75015 Paris
Tel: 01 45 57 73 20
Closed Sundays
Metro: 12 (Convention), Bus line 62 (Convention-Lecoubre)

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+)

3.5 - Star......................................................€€......................................................... 2 - Bell

This restaurant is in our neighborhood. I recognized the area immediately and I thought, wait a minute, didn't this use to be the restaurant "Jadis"? and, it was.  Jadis was extremely popular in its heyday in the late 2000's, but starting losing favor because of the inconsistent food and the inconsistent service. So, we went in to see what the name change, the new Chef and new menu was all about.

We perused the menu. They had a standard menu which looks as if they serve it daily. And, they had a "menu of the day".  Note the "menu du jour" was an excellent, excellent deal.

Interestingly, none of us got the "Menu du jour" (menu of the day), we all went a la carte.

















ENTRÉES

Tartare de crevettes au mascarpone, avocats et tomates confites. (Shrimp tartare with mascarpone, avocados and confit of tomatoes). This was probably my favorite entrée of the day. The combination of the shrimp (brininess) with the soft smooth naturally sweet taste of the mascarpone and avocados served with tomatoes was such a wonderful combination of complimenting flavors. Overall an excellent start.

Petit pois, girolles et oeuf a 63º C. (Peas, mushrooms and egg 63º C). This was my next favorite entrée. Oftentimes "girolles" (mushrooms) can be extremely gritty from the sand. This is because there is a general belief that mushrooms should not be washed, but brushed, since flavor can be lost, and they absorb a lot of liquid. But these were very good, perfectly cooked and no sand and grit. And the peas were nice and firm, and the poached egg just added a wonderful delicious creaminess to the dish.

Raviolis de betteraves au chèvre frais et raves colores. (Beet ravioli with goat cheese and colorful leafs). This came in as our 3rd favorite. It was a very simple dish, nothing out of the ordinary, but a good dish none-the-less. However, I personally found the beet flavored cheese component too sweet.







PLATS 

Espadon, puree de carottes au gingembre, jus coco et curry. (Swordfish, carrot puree with ginger, coconut water and curry). The two who had this dish loved it. They thought the swordfish was cooked perfectly and the accompanying sweet puree'd carrots flavored with the ginger and coconut water added nice subtle flavors to enhance the dish. The only complaint the two had was that it may have been a little too salty.

Poitrine de cochon, puree maison sauce miel et coriandre.  (Pork belly, their special mash potatoes with honey and coriander sauce). I love pork belly, and this pork belly was delicious. Perfectly cooked with a crusty exterior and moist interior Note, there were bits of fat, but that's characteristic, but that's what pork belly is all about. The only complaint I have is a personal one, I do not like sweet anything. So, for me, although the mashed potatoes were delicious, I found them too sweet. But most would find the combination delicious.

Minute d’agneau, legumes verts, jus d'agneau. (Minute lamb, green vegetables, lamb jus). The person ordering this dish was a bit disappointed. He likes really rare meat. Unfortunately, the way the meat was cut into morsels, even though it may have been cooked for a minute, the residual heat made it more done than he would've liked. For me, who neither likes rare nor raw meats, I thought the lamb was perfectly cooked. I think it was a very good plat. In hindsight, although I loved the pork, I should've switched with him.


DESSERTS

Sable breton, creme citron, fraises. (Breton butter crust, lemon cream, with strawberries). I liked this dessert. I had a taste of it. Who doesn't like butter crust; nice and buttery almost like a butter cookies. The lemon cream was more like a soft pastry cream flavored with lemon. I liked that it wasn't too tart. And, the freshness of the strawberries was just a nice overall refreshing dessert.

Millefeuille vanille et caramel beurre salé.  (Leafs of puff pastry with vanilla and caramel salted butter). This was our favorite dessert of the day. WOW, delicious all around. Millefeuille as we know it is more commonly used to make "Napoleons". The flaky crust alone I could've eaten. And, the vanilla cream with the caramel just put this over the top. We loved this dessert.

As for the wines, we got one each of Brumont LA Gascogne D’Alain Brumont sauvignon blanc and a merlot. These are wines from the southwest of France.

Merlot. It was a good wine that's actually in the same family as that of the cabernet sauvignon. So the wine is not a strong wine, but because of the less tannins it had a fruitier taste.

Sauvignon.  Characteristic of sauvignon blancs, it can range from a zesty lime to a flowery peach flavor. I would say it was somewhat in the middle.








SUMMARY

I'm glad Chef Guillaume Delage came in and bought out the old "Jadis Restaurant" which for whatever reason was going downhill quickly.  He basically created a whole new menu. His philosophy is "cook today’s best products in yesterday’s style."  I give him credit on his flavorings. He went outside the "French-box" to add flavors not normally associated with French cuisine such as curry or coconut water. The service was EXCELLENT. Our waiter actually spent the time to go over the menu line-by-line. Because the lamb did not come out as our friend specifically requested it, rare, my overall rating would've been higher.  Would I go back, ABSOLUTELY, it's in walking distance of our apartment.

For 4-entrées, 4-plats, 3-desserts, 2-bottles of wine, and 3-coffees 204.40€, or just over 51€ a person.