Paris -- Restaurant Jean is No More

I have written several times about Restaurant Jean in Paris, one of our reliable favorites. I'm sorry to report that, after numerous personnel changes in recent years, and loss of its Michelin star,  Jean has closed.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Great Meals at Two Old Favorite Restaurants

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.

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.

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

Paris -- Restaurant H: An Excellent New Bistro

At the recommendation of one of my partners, we went with friends to H Restaurant, a new néo-bistro located in the fourth arrondissement, near the Bastille. H is named for its owner-chef, Hubert Duchenne, who was sous-chef at the renowned Akrame. H serves very sophisticated modern French cuisine in a simple but elegantly designed space, with an open kitchen and lots of room between tables (a rarity in this part of town).

The five-course menu is just 50 euros, a tremendous bargain for this quality of food. Just look at some images of the food. Unfortunately, I cannot recall what we ate, exactly, and most things are covered with mousses, sabayons or other sauces, so it is hard to tell in retrospect. Indeed, the only criticism that we had was that nearly all the dishes shared that characteristic: while they were all excellent, we would have preferred a dish or two that highlighted the perfectly cooked main element.

Five-course menu at Restaurant H

The menu at H varies with the season, and we are definitely planning to return in the autumn, before the restaurant becomes more widely discovered, to sample the chef's take on that season's products.

Restaurant H, 13 Rue Jean Beausire, Paris 4ème (Métro Bastille).

Bobby Jay

Paris -- A Perfect Lunch at Le Cinq

We're just ack from nearly five weeks in France, where I was so busy that I was unable to post to this blog. So I'll be catching up over the next few days.

We ate well throughout this period, at restaurants, at friends' and at home, with the aid of the wonderful produce, meat and fish available in the summer.

Our first noteworthy meal was lunch at Le Cinq. As was the case with our first experience there at Christmas, we had a truly sensational meal: great food beautifully presented, with elegant but not over-the-top service, in a gorgeous room at the George V. We brought a Japanese friend who had thought she didn't like French food; she is now a convert!

The four-course lunch is 145 euros (about $160), including service and tax. Not cheap but for the level of experience, it is a steal. After all, the 3-1/2 hours it takes to enjoy this feast is like dinner and a show, which would cost far more.

Our menu included pre-amuse bouches, amuse-bouches, appetizer, main, dessert, post-desserts (the best possible kouign ammann, far better than the very good ones we had in Brittany) and post-post-desserts (chocolates, madeleines, fruit candies, marshmellows).

I started out by thinking I would not take pictures, but some of the dishes cried out to be photographed. For example, this seasonal white asparagus appetizer:

and this amazing onion appetizer, where the onions are somehow liquefied on the interior creating what amounts to onion profiteroles without the pastry shell,

not to mention the grilled and glazed pigeon with truffles, turnips and olives,

and cherries barely cooked in their own juice, scented with kirsch and served in a pistachio ice cream crust.

I'm ready to head back any time.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- A Spectacular Lunch at Le Cinq

While Joan and I seldom frequent three-star restaurants in Paris, we recently joined friends for lunch at Le Cinq, in the Hotel George V. It was truly spectacular, and a screaming bargain (really!) at 145 euros (about $160), tax and service included, for the four-course prix fixe (you can have six if you choose both of the either/or offerings).

The "basic" four courses that I had were:

perfect scallops in a dazzling presentation . . .

Scallops

. . . caramelized onions, bursting with an amazing onion sauce shot into the middle of the pearl onions as well as the exterior sauce . . .

Caramelized onions with sauces inside and out

. . .  perfectly cooked venison with broccoli, rich wine sauce and a dollop of something creamy, and . . .

Noisette de chevreuil (venison)

. . . caramel dessert with perfect tuiles, candied fruit and shaved chocolate.

Caramel dessert

All were really terrific or better; the onion dish was an extraordinary experience.

The chocolate dessert that I didn't choose was pretty great, too.

Chocolate dessert

But the four courses are supplemented by amuse bouches, pre-amuse bouches, sorbet, pre-dessert and numerous post-desserts, all of which took us more than three hours to consume. Here are just a few:

Mussels with aioli and a tuile of unidentifed vegetable

A series of one-bite flavor bombs

Sorbet in a robe of milk skin

And all of this in a grand and beautiful room with impeccable service, formal but not snooty and perfectly anticipating one's every need (well, desire).

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Cinq-Mars: Bistro Near the Orsay

Last night I had a very good meal at Cinq-Mars, a simple but stylish bistro in the seventh arrondissement, near the Musée d'Orsay. I never would have found this place, which gets one cocotte from Le Lebey des Bistrots and a mention in Pudlo, if I had not read Chris Kimball's most recent "Letter from Vermont" on line just before leaving for Paris. Kimball is the owner of America's Test Kitchen and publisher of Cook's Illustrated and many other cooking publications, and this is his and his wife's favorite place in Paris.

While Kimball is not a food critic, I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised. Cinq-Mars is an attractive restaurant with about 36 seats, most of which were filled, that are serviced by a pair of capable young servers, one male and one female, who do everything in the front.

The food is classic, but very well prepared with excellent ingredients the provenance of which is often noted on the menu. I had a classic but delicious oeuf mayonnaise, a specialty, and a truly superb veal chop. The veal was amazingly tender and sported a gorgeous and tasty deep crust. It was served with classic peas and carrots, with a few (too few) spring onions and a couple of (undercooked) slices of potato. The menu was loaded with fish and meat dishes that I would have liked to try: unfortunately, dining alone provides no sharing opportunities.

Oeufs mayonnaise at Cinq-Mars

Côte de veau at Cinq-Mars

Desserts are very classic: île flottante, mousse au chocolat, mont-blanc, etc. I was feeling a bit full for any of these, so I went with the sorbets, an excellent mara des bois strawberry and a really dense chocolate which, while very good, should not cause the folks at Berthillon to lose any sleep.

All in all, a lovely meal at a reasonable price (about 60 euros, including wine; there is a 21.5 euro two-course lunch menu). I look forward to returning with J.

Cinq-Mars, 51 rue de Verneuil, 75007 Paris (Métro Solférino or Rue du Bac).

Bobby Jay

Paris - Ambroisie: Simply Perfection

We recently went to Ambroisie, the three-Michelin starred restaurant in Paris' magnificent Place des Vosges, and had one of the best meals I can remember. Perfect food and elegant but friendly service in one of the restaurant's three lovely, intimate rooms.

The meal began with the most amusing amuse-bouche of all time: a perfect soft-boiled egg in its shell with a generous spoonful of caviar on the side. Not original, but a fantastic way to start the experience.

For starters, I had the signature feuillantines de langoustines aux graines de sésame, sauce curry, with just enough curry to give the dish character without changing its essentially French nature. Others had a tuna pastilla which also employed non-French elements -- North African in this case -- in a triumph of French cuisine.

Feullantines de langoustines with curry at Amboisie

Tuna pastilla at Ambroisie

My main was a perfectly roasted pigeon sauce Montmorency (cherries), while J and R shared volaille de Bresse rôtie au beurre d’estragon, pommes Darphin, the best chicken in the world roasted to juicy perfection.

For dessert, we had the boring-looking tarte fine sablée au cacao, glace à la vanille Bourbon, Amboisie's signature dessert, which our waiter insisted that we try. And despite how it looks, it is a triumph All of us gasped "air" after the first bite, for the sensation of the dessert is bitter chocolate air: light does not begin to describe the texture.

Chocolate tart at Ambroisie: deceptively unique

Fraises des bois (tiny wild strawberries)were on the menu, and J asked whether she could substitute them for the vanilla ice cream in the dessert. Request denied because our waiter said the vanilla ice cream was an absolutely essential part of the dish. However, he said he would bring J some fraises des bois. In the end, he brought each of us a plate of delicate fraises des bois with a fraise (not des bois) sorbet. A wonderful treat, and emblematic of the attentive and gracious service we received during the whole meal.

We rarely go to three-star restaurants, but we were celebrating our friends' finding an apartment in Paris so threw caution (and a lot of money) to the wind. But the meal was truly an unforgettable experience, a demonstration of French gastronomy at its best.

Ambroisie, 9, place des Vosges, Paris 4ème (Métro St-Paul).

Bobby Jay

Paris - Restaurant Jean: Still a Favorite

Last week, J and I returned to one of our favorite Paris restaurants, Jean, with our friend R, who was visiting from New York. We had a really brilliant meal, well-conceived and nearly perfectly executed, definitely worthy of the restaurant's Michelin star.

We all had the four-course meal, a terrific buy at 85 euros for a meal of this quality.

R and I stuck with the menu as written, while J substituted asparagus for eggs and lamb for beef.

The first course was soft-boiled eggs with peas, morels, parsley purée, veal jus and an[cancoillotte] emulsion of cancoillotte, a runny cheese from Comté. It was sublime, with the tastes and textures of the components coming together in a smooth and complex mixture. J substituted green asparagus from the Luberon, steamed and then sauteed with crispy shrimp, shrimp-stuffed dumplings and "saveurs asiatiques," another great success.

Oeuf mollet, petits pois, fèves, morilles, purée de persil, jus de veau, émulsion cancoillotte

Asperges vertes du Luberon, gambas rouges croquantes, gyozas farcis de gambas aux saveurs asiatiques

Next was an Italian influenced presentation of red mullet stuffed with oil-cured black olives and arroche rouge (an herb we don't have), tiny potatoes sauteed in butter, a peppered artichoke "surprise," with an arugula pesto and grated grana padano.

Rouget barbet, farci olives noires confites et arroche rouge, pommes de terre poêlées au beurre, artichaut poivrade "surprise", pesto de roquette et grana padano

The meat course consisted of perfectly medium-rare (by French standards) slices of wagyu beef crusted with Espelette pepper, [tortello de paleron] of braised beef, turnips lacquered with orange and honey, fried pimentos and beef jus. J suffered along with baby lamb in three styles (chop, confit and leg), with a "taboulé" of vegetables and ratatouille jus.

Boeuf wagyu paleron à griller, en croûte de piment d'Espelette, tortello de paleron de boeuf braisé, navet laqué orange et miel, pimientos del Padron frits, jus de boeuf

Dessert was a spectacular array of chocolate creams and mousses, with a sugar cover and dots of fruit sauces. A beautiful dish, but another example of perfectly merged tastes and textures.

Chocolate mousses and cream with sugar cover and fruit sauces

I have recommended this place to a number of friends, and none have come away disappointed.

Jean, 8, rue St-Lazare, 75009 Paris.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Le Petit Célestin

Le Petit Célestin

 Last week I went to Le Petit Célestin, a tiny bistro on the Quai des Célestins, opposite the Île Saint-Louis, for a second visit, with my friends E and F. We had an excellent meal consisting of classic French cuisine, which is the focus at this unpretentious restaurant.

E started with oeufs en cocotte, F with langoustines mayonnaise épicé (crayfish with homemade spicy mayonnaise and I with remoulade de chair de tourteaux aux pommes vertes (crabmeat mayonnaise with diced apples.) The eggs were excellent, as were the langoustines, which were served with a small green salad. My crabmeat was good but not great: too mayonnaise-y for my taste.

For mains, we all took the day's special, aile de raie (skate wing). A huge portion of perfectly cooked skate, with classic butter and caper sauce, served over a bed of roughly mashed potatoes. The best rendition of skate that I have ever experienced. For dessert, we continued with the classics, an île flottante and a lemon meringue tart, both  fine examples of these ancient dishes, which are not so easy to find these day. Our third dessert was a chocolate cake that was good but sounded better than it turned out to be. 

Our new neighborhood, in the part of the Marais just north of the Seine (aka the "bas Marais"), has a number of small bistros, and we are slowly getting to know them. Just three minutes from our apartment, Le Petit Célestin is a keeper.

This place is small but popular. If you plan to go, make a reservation. Le Petit Célestin, 12 Quai des Célestins (Métro Sully-Morland).

Bobby Jay

Paris - Le Servan: An Excellent Bistro

I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to Paris bistros. I have been disappointed too many times by the "in" places "discovered" by The New York Times or Bon Appetit to trust them, and even some of my trusted French bloggers have from time to time let me down.

However . . . I recently went with a former colleague to new but and well-publicized Le Servan, a totally simple but attractive, and now very chic, bistro in the 11éme arrondissement and had a really delightful meal, exactly what you want in this type of place. A small but well-conceived menu and a wine list to match. And reasonable prices, too. The place is run by two young sisters, one of whom is the companion of the chef of Septime, one of the really great bistros in Paris. While this probably helped to jump start the restaurant, it has its own identity and flair.

We shared an order of cockles in a light spicy bouillon that was a perfect pre-starter. Then I had a hot foie gras lacqué and my friend had perfectly cooked baby artichokes with lemon sauce. I continued with a marvelous duck breast, while A had a perfectly roasted chicken with cabbage. Our desserts, a blood orange tart and a Paris-Brest, were both excellent. The food is not gorgeous and not presented in an exciting way, so no photos. But so what? This is good food, at a reasonable price, and you should go. Just call in advance because it's usually full.

Le Servan, 32 rue Saint-Maur, Paris 11ème (Métro Voltaire, St-Amboise or Saint-Maur), 01 55 28 51 82.

Bobby Jay

Alain Passard, an Amazing Perfectionist

Recently Nadège, the most loyal follower of my blog, recommended that I watch some short cooking videos by Alain Passard. They are terrific, and more on them later.

Passard is the chef of the famed Arpège, in Paris, where the spectacular and spectacularly expensive food is mostly, but not exclusively, vegetarian. A number of years ago, J and I went to Arpège with our good friends H and O and had a wonderful meal, but . . . we really felt ripped off paying nearly 300 euros per person (it's more now, of course) for the meal and we also felt that the restaurant's staff made the experience about them, not us. Yet I have to admit that I can still remember the taste of his most famous creation, a dessert consisting of a tomato that is confited for the better part of a day.

I thought nothing more of this until I happened upon a bande dessiné (graphic, comic-like book), En Cuisine avec Alain Passard, written by a journalist who got to spend a lot of time with him.

Reading this book gave me a new respect for Chef Passard. He sources nearly all the vegetables he uses at one of two organic farms that he owns. One is more or less conventional, the other uses horse-drawn plows and ancient planting and harvesting techniques. He tries growing the produce at each farm and then chooses the one that give the best result for future production. And he is a workaholic, spending virtually all of his time at the restaurant, creating, sampling, creating, etc. He has decided not to expand like other chefs because he cannot imagine producing the level of cuisine that he produces at Arpège without personally supervising every step. The level of Chef Passard's attention to detail is pretty amazing.

Now I get it.

As to the videos, there are a large number accessible by searching "alain passard youtube"; the dozen or so that I have viewed so far (and I plan to see them all) are remarkable. The food is amazingly creative and beautiful. And the lessons are so well expressed that they seem doable by a mere mortal who knows how to cook. But the best part is the enthusiasm displayed by Chef Passard. The man is clearly excited by what he does, a point made clear in En Cusine, but in the videos the passion is infectious; I want to cook each thing that he illustrates, right then! Here's an example, in which Chef Passard shows how to make a roulade of autumn vegetables: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufQdIWM7PxM#t=15

There is one problem, which you may have suspected: the lessons are in French. The language used is not difficult, and the videos are so well illustrated that they are easily followed, but the fact remains that they are in French. Still, I encourage you to give them a try if you have even a little French and love to cook (or eat). Just looking at what he produces will be an inspiration.

Will I go back to Arpège knowing what I do now? I'm seriously thinking about it.

Bobby Jay

Paris – Happily Recruited

I am happy to report a great find in Paris: Sergent Recruiteur. Our recent meal at this charming restaurant in the middle of Île Saint-Louis, only about a glorious six-minute walk from our new apartment in the Marais, was one of the best we’ve had in recent memory.

There is no menu because the selection varies daily according to what is available from the farm that the restaurant owns in Normandy and the carefully selected group of fishermen and butchers that they use. All of the products are first rate, to say the least. Some are even better, for example the homemade butter from their own cows in Normandy and the spectacular bread made from heirloom wheat that they grow and mill themselves. It is this level of attention to detail that makes Sergent Recruteur so special.

We opted for the six-course menu. After spectacular roasted tomato soup (their own tomatoes, of course) and crab salad amuse-bouches, we commenced with a little tomato salad (1), made with sweet and perfectly ripened heirloom tomatoes. Following this was a mélange of perhaps 20 vegetables (2), each separately prepared in a different way and all from their farm. Then an excellent filet of sole in a not authentically Japanese but delicious dashi (3), followed by a choice of meats (rabbit, pork or beef) (4). Three of us opted for the rabbit, a wonderfully tender braised saddle with the other parts grilled, and the fourth selected the pork chop, which was also excellent. Then cheeses (5): a choice of three classic cheeses – a perfect Cantal, a Camembert at its hour of perfection and an excellent St. Maure – or four chèvres from a single producer in Pays Basque. Either selection was a perfect plate, accompanied by toast or more of the homemade bread.

Filets of sole at Sergent Recruteur

Dessert was raspberries in various states (6): natural, in a sort of pastry cream, ice cream and sauce. The presentation looked a bit bloody but all was very intensely flavored and a nice way to finish.

Raspberry dessert at Sergent Recruteur

 Well, not quite finish. After the dessert I opted for coffee while J and our friend B opted for mint infusions. The restaurant's attention to detail continued, with an excellent mint tea concocted in this somewhat bizarre apparatus.

Mint tea at Sergent Recruteur

There are some Japanese hands in the kitchen at Sergent Recruiteur, and Japanese influences are present in many of the serving pieces, portion size and presentation. All for the best. The price tag of 100 euros is not cheap, but for this quality we all found it to be a great value.

We have been successfully recruited and plan to return often.

Sergent Recruteur, 41 rue Saint-Louis-en-l'Île, 75004 Paris (Métro Pont Marie). Tel 01 43 54 75 42. 

Bobby Jay

Paris - A Little Italian Restaurant's Detailed Rules

I was walking down a little street in the 4th arrondissement, near the Place de la Bastille, and came upon what looks like a cute Italian restaurant. Outside was this amazing sign, with the rules of the house.

The rules of Cucina Napoletana

Translation:

Dear customers and friends, welcome to Cucina Napoletana. Our main courses are prepared to order. We therefore advise that you start with mixed appetizers (actually one for two persons). If you are a big party, we suggest that you don't multiply the number of entrees. This way you will avoid a long wait . . . (we only have 3 burners) as well as the wrath of the chef!!! Our menu varies according to what's in the market .  . and the moods of the chef. The familial spirit of our trattoria leads us to group together parties with odd numbers (for example 3/5/7=3+3=6!) [I think they're saying that two parties of 3 will share a table for 6.] Nothing like it for getting to know your neighbors!

The specials of the day are listed inside and the whole team is at your disposition to help you choose, according to your taste and what's available. Thank you for respecting the time of your reservation, and if you are late . . . . . We are sorry not to be able to accept credit cards . . . .

I was puzzled by this "welcome," but met an American couple outside who said it's very good. Worth a try, I guess, although I have generally been disappointed by Italian food in Paris. I look forward to meeting the scary chef and will do my utmost to avoid getting him angry.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Various Restaurants

Strawberry dessert at Jean

Chocolate dessert at Jean

J and I were busy moving apartments in Paris this trip, so we did not try many new restaurants but instead went to old favorites, many in our now former neighborhood in the 8th arrondissement.

Our new discovery was Brasserie Lazare, which I wrote up last week.

Our best meal was at Jean, our perennial favorite, even though the asparagus starter was less than perfect due to a strange fallen asparagus soufflé with asparagus jus. The asparagus themselves were pretty spectacular, though. We followed with what might be the best lamb dish I have ever eaten, épaule d'agneau confite et fumé (shoulder meat cooked sous-vide, then grilled, then smoked for a perfect texture and subtle taste). Our friends had a pretty great cochon de lait fermier, also notable for its tenderness within and excellent crust without. We finished (almost) with the chocolate and strawberry desserts pictured above and (really) finished with cognac provided by the proprietor, Jean himself.

Other dinners were at our favorite family style Thai place, Thabthim; Crom'exquis, the upscale bistro in our old 'hood; Metropolitain, a well reviewed bistro (three cocottes from Petit Lebey) that was extremely disappointing; Mollard, still a treat for the magnificent turn of the (20th) century mosaics where we had a really fine seafood meal; Rôtisserie du Beaujolais, part of our favorite dining experience in Paris due in large measure to the walk across Île Saint-Louis and the views of Notre Dame; Clos des Gourmets, which is also fun to get to because of the amazing views of the Eiffel tower; and Tico, on rue Jean-Mermoz, which we had enjoyed in the past and where we had a major disappointment. I also ate three times at Le Temps des Cerises, a crowded but lovely bistro a short block from our new apartment, once with J, once with Andy G, a friend and colleague from my firm, and once with an old friend who has been coming to Paris since the early '50s.

Some nice lunches, too: Chez Omar, the ancient classic Moroccan place near the Marché des Enfants Rouges: Kunitoraya, the fabulous udon specialist, which has relocated around the corner to a nicer place; Vin des Pyrénées, a little bistro near our new apartment; and la Mascotte, an excellent fruits de mer place in Montmartre, with some new French friends.

We will return to some of our old haunts; others are probably not worth the trip assuming, as I do, that we will find good ones in our new neighborhood. But the memories will be with us forever.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Brasserie Lazare

No, not pasta. Sauteed calamari at Brasserie Lazare

Eric Frechon, who among other things runs the spectacular three-Michelin star Restaurant Bristol, opened a classic brasserie in the Gare Saint-Lazare in 2013, which quickly became the Guide Pudlo's Brasserie de l'Année. J and I have tried to go several times, but unlike real station brasseries, this one is always booked. We finally went last night and it was a treat.

The food is almost aggressively classic. For example, Friday night's special is brandade de morue gratinée (cod and potato mash au gratin), popular throughout France (and Spain) but not something I like enough for a main course or that J likes at all. Other nightly specials are quenelles de brochet sauce nantua; saucisse de Toulouse, purée de pomme de terre; fricasée de volaille au vin jaune . . . well, you get the idea. Sounds old school, but I bet these warhorses, which are not easy to find, are very well prepared indeed.

I had an extraordinary plate of calamari, cut into noodles and sauteed with garlic, slices of a pepperoni-like sausage and Espelette pepper, followed by an excellent steak tartare (classic but with modifications, such as fairly large slices of parmesan scattered throughout). J had a good, but not memorable, salad of French green beans, artichoke hearts and hazelnuts with hazelnut vinaigrette, followed by a fine French adaptation of vitello tonnato (still, not as good as the sublime version at Saint Ambroeus in New York). We shared a boule of ice cream, salted caramel and two boules of sorbet, one bitter chocolate and the other "exotique," an extraordinary confection with a pineapple base, lots of ginger and a blend of other spices, including cardamom, one of my favorites.

Service is station-brasserie-like, i.e., fast by French standards. It is not easy to spend more than and hour and a half, and that's how they book, so this is not a place to linger over a long, leisurely dinner.

In sum, if you are nostalgic for the cuisine that got Julia cooking, or just want a good French meal, head for the Brasserie Lazare.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Old Favorite: Jean

The other night, J and I went to our favorite Paris restaurant, Jean, located at 8 rue St-Lazare, in the 9th arrondissement (Métro Notre Dame de Lorette). I have already written about this restaurant several times (see posts of December 28, 2010, December 24, 2011 and March 12, 2012), and had not intended to do so again, but our meal was so excellent that I can't help myself.

We took the four-course 75-euro menu, and this time also added the complementary wine service for 25 euros.

After some excellent amuse-bouches, the meal started with a foie gras that was poached, then grilled under a salamander and served with a bouillon of root vegetables that is perfumed with undetectable amounts of mint and chocolate: superb.

Foie gras in bouillon at Jean

The appetizer was followed by a crispy sea bass served atop vegetables with a light chicken broth. (Sounds like too many broths? It's not.)

Sea bass atop vegetable and chicken broth at Jean

For the meat course, suckling pork chops, with truffle sauce, served with an arrangement of interesting and beautifully prepared vegetables: mushrooms, squash (that's not an egg yolk), a chestnut and a couple of items I can no longer identify. Tender and perfectly balanced.

Suckling pork chops at Jean

Finally, dessert, a "moelleux" of chocolate served with an excellent lime sorbet and almond milk "spaghetti." This was only okay. The chocolate cake was not a "moelleux," which should be molten, and the "spaghetti," made with agar-agar, was an unsuccessful and gratuitous venture into molecular cuisine. We found out from out server that the pastry chef was a new member of the team, which explained the significant decline in this area since our last visit.

"Moelleux" au chocolat at Jean

The wine service was not a throwaway. We had a very nice Chassagne Montrachet, a good Medoc from a vineyard related to Haut-Brion and a Corsican Muscat (which pleased me but not J). A great deal at 25 euros per person, equivalent to sharing a 50-euro bottle of wine but much better quality than you would get for that price and infinitely more interesting.

Overall, the dinner was excellent, the rapport qualité-prix fantastic as always and the ambiance relaxed but charming. A very good time was had by us.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Agapé - Well-Deserved Michelin Star

We went with friends to Agapé and found it to be worthy of its Michelin star and plate from Pudlo. The food at this 17ème arrondissement establishment is sophisticated, the service is gracious and competent and the ambiance and couvert add support to the excellent overall experience.

The 90-euro menu was really splendid. It is a surprise, selected that day by the chef based on what's good at the market, but graciously eliminating any foods that you are allergic to or just don't like. We all found it to be a very well constructed meal, with appropriately sized portions and just the right trajectory. The amuse-bouche was a perfect velouté of vitelotte potatoes. Then followed another soup, asparagus this time; crispy sautéed eel with shredded cabbage, roasted turbot with a pea sauce; home-smoked veal loin from the renowned Desnoyers butcher over braised lettuce and risotto; a cheese plate featuring four-year-old comté - who knew comté could be so great? - and reblochon; and an elaborate mini chocolate tart. Everything was memorable (except, for me, the turbot, but I just don't like this fish). Even the bread was superb.

Agapé's vitelotte soup amuse-bouche

Agapé'a tubot with pea sauce

Agapé's smoked veal loin on braised lettuce over risotto

This is not a place to go every day. With wine, Agapé will set you back about 150 euros per person, but it is well worth the price for a special treat. Agapé, 51 rue Jouffroy-d'Abbans, Paris 17ème (Métro Wagram).

Bobby Jay

Paris - Gastro Bistro Le Cotte Roti

Frog's legs at Le Cotte Roti

The other night, J and I took a friend to Sardegna a Tavola, an excellent Sardinian restaurant in Paris' 12ème arrondissement. Or so we thought. When we arrived the table for three was sandwiched into a highly trafficked spot that guaranteed us an annoying experience. The lady taking care of us was rude about it, so we decided to leave, saying we'd just go to the excellent Le Cotte Roti next door. Before leaving, though, we decided to talk to the owner, who we know from past experience understands the hospitality business.

He said he was sorry but couldn't help us; instead, he talked to the people at Le Cotte Roti and secured us a table there (not so easy as it was full) and sent us each a glass of wine. So yes, we will return to Sardegna: a good save.

The "beauty part," as they say, was that our meal at Le Cotte Roti was superb. They have a wonderful 39-euro menu, with creative takes on the classics. I started with frogs' legs (a 5-euro supplement) -- perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. J started with a pea soup with creamy burrata, an interesting change from the classic cream or crème fraîche. Our friend's starter was home-made gravlax and (also homemade) Scandinavian pickles: she was happy.

Gravlax at Le Cotte Roti

Pea soup at Le Cotte Roti

I followed with the restaurant's signature dish, seven-hour lamb. Served with a densely earthy mushroom lasagna with many, many thin layers, this was the best version of this classic that I have ever had. Our guest agreed. J had an Iberico pork steak, which was excellent and lovely to look at. Desserts, which we shared, were very good, but not as memorable as the rest of the meal.

Le Cotte Roti 7-hour lamb with mushroom lasagna

Le Cotte Roti Iberico pork steak

Le Cotte Roti, 1 rue de Cotte, Paris 12ème (Métro Gare de Lyon or Ledru-Rollin).

Bobby Jay