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Chez Les Anges Restaurant – Paris

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

54, Boulevard de LaTour-Maubourg, Paris 7.
Tel. 01 47 05 89 86.
Opening Hours: Mon – Fri 12pm – 2:30pm & 7:30pm – 10:30pm
Sat – Sun: closed
Cuisine: French
Capacity: 80
Dress code: Smart casual
Metro: La Tour Maubourg
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

Chez Les Anges, overlooking the Esplanade des Invalides, has been through a change of name and several different owners before Jacques and Catherine Lacipiere of Au Bon Accueil restored it both in the culinary department as well as refreshing the decor with light colored spotlights splashing the walls and adding highly refined seating.
Game is featured in season and the menu reflects the other seasons bounties during the balance of the year. They have compiled a fine wine list with Burgundies especially accentuated.

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Les Petites Sorcières Bistrot de Ghislaine Arabian – Paris

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008

12, rue Liancourt
75014 Paris 14th.
Tel. 01 43 21 9 68.
Métro: Denfert-Rochereau
Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate
Menu: Lunch: 20€ for 2 courses 25€ for 3

In Les Petites Sorcières Bistrot (The Little Witches) seating is quite cramped; the set menu is not intriguingly imaginative, although it changes daily and some days may be more adventures than others and there is always the à la carte menu; the wine list is limited; and the time the plate takes to arrive from kitchen to table has been too long on some occasions; albeit in all fairness to a new restaurant and these small niggles aside, it is a comfortable little place with very reasonably priced set menus from Ghislaine Arabian who is coming from the famed Ledoyen.
She may also have a witch’s sixth-sense as Samantha did in “Bewitched” and realizes that intense three-star cuisine is not what is in vogue—and more to the point—affordable these days, and has come-around to concentrate on accommodating the local customers in this pleasant neighborhood bistro concocting gratifying cuisine with produce acquired from her reliable sources.

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La Maison du Chocolat – Paris

Monday, November 17th, 2008

La Maison du Chocolat is based in Paris, and its chocolates are consistantly recognized as some of the best in the world. Most chocolates are dipped rather than molded, producing a very thin chocolate cover that melts perfectly with the filling in the mouth. The most popular filling at La Maison du Chocolat is the ganache (a mix of dairy cream and chocolate), here it is elevated to a rare perfection of taste and texture. Ganaches are subtly flavored with the use of scented ingredients (almond, cinnamon, ginger, lemon, coffee, fennel…) that blend perfectly well with the taste of the chocolate. The chocolate base used is from the famous French producer Valrhona. As often, quality has its price about US$60 per pound.

The pastries offered at La Maison are also exceptionally well made, on a par with those made in the best patisseries in Paris. All have of course a powerful chocolate taste. Try for example the Bacchus (layers of chocolate cake and chocolate ganache), or the Andalousie (chocolate cake, with lemon zest cream and truffle mousse). For U.S. residents La Maison du Chocolat has a store at 30 Rockefeller Center (tel. 212 265-9404) as well as stores in Paris, London and Tokyo.

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Le Bistrot Paul Bert – Paris

Monday, November 17th, 2008

18, rue Paul Bert, Paris 11th
Tel. 01 43 72 24 01
Opening Hours: Tuesday-Saturday
Closed: August
Credit Cards: MC, Visa
prix fixe: lunch 16€-32€, dinner 32€
Prices: Moderate

Le Bistrot Paul Bert hidden on a small street that branches off another small street is a true Parisian bistro usually noisy although fun and vivacious. The congenial owner Bertrand Auboyneau moves around the dining room engaging his customers in conversation.
The entrecôte frites was as expected, an excellent example of the bistro classic, the steak that was ordered rare, proved to be bit al dente although the meaty flavors jumped right out at you.  The same management operates L’Ecailler du Bistrot another bistro serving all manner of fish dishes at inexpensive prices directly adjacent to Paul Bert.

If you order the 32 € prix fixe dinner menu it gives you a choice to choose almost every dish listed on the menu with only the most expensive items bearing a surcharge. It should be mentioned that Paul Bert has a well-chosen wine list to compliment the menu.

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Le Clou – Paris

Sunday, November 16th, 2008


132, rue Cardinet – Paris 75017
Tel : 01 42 27 36 78
Fax : 01 42 27 89 96
Subway : Malesherbes – Villiers
Opening Hours :
Lunch : Tuesday-Friday
Dinner : Monday-Saturday
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

For traditional bistro fare, try Christian Leclou’s 50-seat Le Clou in the 17th Arrondissement. The three-course menu is on offer at 32 euros and is really a bargain considering the quality of the ingredients and the deft hands that are cooking.  Specializing in seasonal dishes from the Poitou-Charentes region in central-west France, a blood sausage or home-made foie gras is usually on hand and may be sampled on most days.

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L’Ami Jean and a Tribute to Restaurant Roger Lamazère – Paris

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

L’Ami Jean
27 rue Malar 75007 Paris.
Tel : +33 1 47 05 86 89
Opening Hours: from Tuesday to Saturday
Credit Cards: Visa, MC
Prices: Moderate

L’Ami Jean, in the Seventh Arrondissement happens to be the best place in the city now to sample South-West and Basque cooking, which some time ago was taken over by Stéphane Jego, a chef who in the past worked at a favorite of mine, the Parisian bistro, La Regalade.
I still have fond memories of going to the restaurant Roger Lamazère, which disappeared in 2000, it  was at the time the best choice for South-West cooking. I especially went there to eat Ortolans, during a very short season of two-weeks in October. Of course, today in France it is illegal to sell them but not to eat them, so if you know some farmers that are netting these birds you can still have them although they cannot be sold in restaurants.
The procedure to eat them is to view the little birds that were roasted whole with their heads and legs still attached on a platter in front of you, and as they were wild, field birds (buntings) they were kept in a dark place and fed grains to fatten them up and not cleaned, you ate them whole with a large napkin draped over your head in an attempt to savor and capture the delicate perfume of the little birds, and a snifter of Armagnac close-at-hand. You popped the whole bird into your mouth and slowly chewed it bones and all with frequent doses of Armagnac during the procedure that took a good five minutes to complete. It is one of the rare gastronomic experiences that one can have, and agreed it is not for everyone; it is indeed an amazing experience.
Another specialty of Lamazère was the whole black truffle eaten au naturale as well as the entire goose liver (foie gras frais). These delicacies were not inexpensive at the time although, compared to prices that you would pay today it is almost unbelievable how inexpensive they really were.
Also the Cassoulet was memorable as it had been enriched with a piece of confit de canard, in addition to the Toulouse sausage and pork loin. It was put to melt in the pan where the cassoulet completed its cooking. The incomparable creaminess of the beans was as much the result of a slow simmer, and the presence of goose fat and garlic formed a delicious crust. Roger Lamazère and his staff were so kind and helpful in giving us incredible service and wonderful friendship. Roger Lamazère was “A One of a Kind” restaurant!

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Brasserie Flo – Paris

Friday, October 24th, 2008

7 cour des Petites-Ecuries, 10e
10th Arrondissement (Gare Du Nord/Gare De L’est)
Tel.    01-47-70-13-59
Website: www.flobrasserie.com
Opening Hours: Daily noon-3pm and 7pm-1am
Credit Cards:  All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

Brasserie Flo has acquired the patina that only time can bring and has a charm that is unique—none of the other brasseries—although lovely in their own way, have gained the look of aging gracefully as is the case with Flo.
This is a difficult place to find and sometimes I have trouble, although on other occasions, especially if the taxi driver has been there before, it has been easy.

They specialize in typical brasserie fare, Alsatian choucroute garni (special sauerkraut with pork, bacon, ham, sausages for two). It is a wonderful brasserie that has been around for years and I always enjoy dining there. On one occasion years ago I went to Flo with Peter Langan, of Langan’s Brasserie London in tow, it was one of his favorites and on this occasion we found Flo easily, however the remainder of the evening was not so easy, as the usual Langan’s drunken shenanigans came into play, although fairly harmless, it was none-the-less annoying.

This brasserie is among the must-see brasseries in Paris along with La Coupole and Bofinger.

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La Coupole – Paris

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

La Coupole – Art Deco splendor beautiful pillars and ceiling
102, Boulevard du Montparnasse
75014 Paris
+33 (0)1 43 20 14 20
www.flobrasseries.com/coupoleparis
Opening Hours: 8am until 2am
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

I really enjoy brasseries, the life and the bustle, although only authentic ones in France. La Coupole is one of my favorites in Paris (now belongs to the Flo Group) where I have spent a good deal of time over the years dining late into the evening.

Oysters, plateau de fruits de mer, lamb curry with quince, and sole meunière are some of the all time favorite dishes here.

Open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. the atmosphere is relaxed and very Parisian. Guests can have a simple sandwich on the terrace or a grand repas with white tablecloth in the restaurant, the three styles (restaurant, brasserie, and terrace cafe) have existed here side by side since 1927.
La Coupole has become the quintessential brasserie in Montparnasse frequented in times past by authors Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Henry Miller.

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Chez Castel – Paris

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008


15, rue Princesse
75006 Paris
Tél. : 01 40 51 52 80
Private Club – Members and their Guests only!

Opened in the 1960’s by Jean Castel in Saint-Germain des Prés, Chez Castel has welcomed almost every famous luminary in the world who passed through the red door and were quickly escorted to their waiting tables.
I remember spending some time in the disco downstairs in the late sixties when visiting Paris, the dance floor is about the right size and it is a fun room; in more recent times the bar and small dining room on the ground floor were more interesting to me. Chez Castel has always been a chic destination on the Parisian club scene and is now owned by Phillippe Fatien.
Once inside the unmarked red facade there is a check-in window at the right and a small dining room and bar on the left. The disco with a small dance floor is downstairs and upstairs is the formal dining room. The club screens and selects entry at the door; it is doubtful that without knowing a member who happens to be in the club when you arrive, or has left your name at the door, that you will be able to gain entry.

The amazing thing is, Castel is the only club that I know of that has been able to bridge the generation gap. They are able to pack the younger generation in the basement disco, and at the same time the more sophisticated crowd dine in the gourmet dining room upstairs, and the rest of the crowd that are  somewhere in between, frequent the ground floor bar and small adjacent dining room.
There are over a thousand members and membership cost per year is in the range of 600 euros for which a discount on consumables is given.

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Vin & Marée Suffren Restaurant – Paris

Sunday, August 10th, 2008

71 Avenue de Suffren, Paris, 7500
Tel. +33 (1) 47 83 27 12
Fax: +33 (0)1 46 06 62 35
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday, Lunch: Noon-2:30pm
Dinner: 7:30pm– 11pm
Credit Cards: All major
Website: http://www.vin-et-maree.com
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

Vin & Marée Suffren restaurant in Paris is the smallest, in terms of seating, of this restaurant group and located in the fashionable 7th arrondissement. The interior décor is kept extremely simple in beige and rusty tones with tables draped in white tablecloths. The menu’s accent is on fresh fish that is yanked from the sea off the coast of Brittany and Normandy just a few hours before it arrives on your plate, usually in small lots from independent fishermen. The preparation of the delicate fish is kept uncomplicated and most of the wine list leans toward whites as would be expected.

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