We recently returned to two of our favorite informal restaurants in Paris: Sardegna a Tavola and Chez René.
We have never found an excellent Italian restaurant in Paris, despite
many people telling us that they know a real one. The pasta is nearly
always overcooked and oversauced, and the French, despite their great
culinary heritage, just don't get Italian food. We are spoiled by New
York, I guess. Our solution is to go to Sardegna, a fantastic Sardinian
place in the 12th arrondissement, not far from the Gare de Lyon, which, while not Italian, satisfies the same cravings. This week we were four and shared a wonderful meal consisting of this amazing burrata, followed by two pastas and a tuna and artichoke dish from heaven. When the burrata arrived, I said it looked like it would be the best we had ever eaten. And it was.
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Burrata at Sardegna a Tavola |
Our other great meal was at Chez René. When I discovered the place last year, the waiter told me that they have the best
pot-au-feu in Paris, served on alternate Thursdays (
blanquette de veau is the star the other weeks), and I have been trying to get there on the right night ever since. We finally made it last night, and three of us ordered the rich, beefy
pot-au-feu, which is rated second in Paris by
Le Figaro (Drouant is rated Number One). It is delicious, huge, satisfying and a
screaming bargain at 17 euros. And I learned a trick from one of our dinner companions, whose family is from Normandy, which is to serve it with a little
crème fraîche in addition to the traditional mustard, coarse salt and
cornichons. I had no camera with me so swiped this little picture (sorry about the poor quality) from the Internet to give you an idea.
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Pot-au-feu at Chez René |
Even if you don't like
pot-au-feu (or, like J, can't eat beef), all of the classic cuisine at Chez René is excellent, the place is lovely, if in a bit of a time warp (in the same location on the Boulevard St-Germain since 1957), and the service just right.
In the suddenly cold and damp Parisian weather, these types of dinners warm the body as well as the soul.
Bobby Jay
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