Eating Our Way Through Paris...Again! Trip Report
Jun 18th, 2015, 04:59 AM
#21
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Rertaurant Hexagone: (85 Avenue Keibler, 16th)This is also a fairly new restaurant but with a very elegant feel, Michelin star quality food and service but not taking themselves too seriously. We felt totally pampered here and the food was gorgeous and delicious.
There is a choice of a 4 course menu, your choice of anything off the carte (125E), a 6 course chefs tasting (175E) or you can go a la carte. They also have a 3 course lunch for 49E.
We went for the 4 course menu and my husband asked them to do wine pairings for him. He gave them a budget of 75E the sommelier made wonderful, generous choices to match his food.
Here's what we ate:
Amuses: asparagus mousse on crisp melba toast, tomato gazpacho w/ herbed crème fresh.
Fantastic bread with amazngly delicious Breton butter. Entrees: tempura shrimp AND sea bass ceviche.
Fish course: sole in croute w/ morels, asparagus, w/ sauce vin juane AND lotte w/mushroom duxelle, white asparagus, lemon confit in shallot butter sauce.
Meat: Bressan pigeon with carrot confit, glace royal, smoked potato puree AND veal sweetbreads w/tarragon emulsion, sauce diable.
Dessert: pistachio financier AND strawberry vacherin Mignardises lemon glazed madelaines.
Everything was spot on. Gorgeous to look at, totally balanced flavors and textures, subtle yet distinct use of seasonings, herbs and spices. Desserts were barely sweet in the best way, letting the flavors of the pistachios and the strawberries in each respective dessert really shine.
Perfectly designed serving sizes for 4 courses so we felt totally satisfied but not grossly stuffed at the end of the meal. Service was exceptional, warm, professional, welcoming. and The bill for two 4 course menus, 3 glasses of superb wine and 1 bottle of water was 350E. Worth every penny and I’d definitely return.
There is a choice of a 4 course menu, your choice of anything off the carte (125E), a 6 course chefs tasting (175E) or you can go a la carte. They also have a 3 course lunch for 49E.
We went for the 4 course menu and my husband asked them to do wine pairings for him. He gave them a budget of 75E the sommelier made wonderful, generous choices to match his food.
Here's what we ate:
Amuses: asparagus mousse on crisp melba toast, tomato gazpacho w/ herbed crème fresh.
Fantastic bread with amazngly delicious Breton butter. Entrees: tempura shrimp AND sea bass ceviche.
Fish course: sole in croute w/ morels, asparagus, w/ sauce vin juane AND lotte w/mushroom duxelle, white asparagus, lemon confit in shallot butter sauce.
Meat: Bressan pigeon with carrot confit, glace royal, smoked potato puree AND veal sweetbreads w/tarragon emulsion, sauce diable.
Dessert: pistachio financier AND strawberry vacherin Mignardises lemon glazed madelaines.
Everything was spot on. Gorgeous to look at, totally balanced flavors and textures, subtle yet distinct use of seasonings, herbs and spices. Desserts were barely sweet in the best way, letting the flavors of the pistachios and the strawberries in each respective dessert really shine.
Perfectly designed serving sizes for 4 courses so we felt totally satisfied but not grossly stuffed at the end of the meal. Service was exceptional, warm, professional, welcoming. and The bill for two 4 course menus, 3 glasses of superb wine and 1 bottle of water was 350E. Worth every penny and I’d definitely return.
Jun 19th, 2015, 07:48 AM
#23
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DAY 4: Most of the day centered around a trip to Jacques Genin (133 Rue de Turenne, 75003) one of our favorite places in Paris. We met up with some friends for coffee and chat in the late morning and then headed to Genin around 12:30 to beat the rush. This place gets very crowded with a long wait for tables between 2:00-5:00.
We snagged a table and I was so very excited to hear that he had made the Paris Brest that day. The shop is always fully stocked with his amazing chocolates an caramels and he makes a small, rotating array of incredible pastries but you can't know when he'll have what. He always has his famous millfuelle (which we've had both the vanilla and the chocolate ad they are sublime) but I had regretted not trying the Paris Brest last time it was available so I immediately went for that. DH ordered the Carmalized vanilla choux puff.
What can I say. Just perfection. This Paris Brest was the best I’ve ever had and far surpassed the one from Patisserie des Reves that so many think is the best in Paris. And caramelized cream puff was also beyond delicious. We ordered coffees after the pastry and they came with 4 of his sublime chocolates and a house made marshmallow. What a treat!
We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking around the area, the upper Marais to Republique and then down toward Bastille and home. By 5:30 or so we were ready for a rest and then dinner at Tintilou.
We snagged a table and I was so very excited to hear that he had made the Paris Brest that day. The shop is always fully stocked with his amazing chocolates an caramels and he makes a small, rotating array of incredible pastries but you can't know when he'll have what. He always has his famous millfuelle (which we've had both the vanilla and the chocolate ad they are sublime) but I had regretted not trying the Paris Brest last time it was available so I immediately went for that. DH ordered the Carmalized vanilla choux puff.
What can I say. Just perfection. This Paris Brest was the best I’ve ever had and far surpassed the one from Patisserie des Reves that so many think is the best in Paris. And caramelized cream puff was also beyond delicious. We ordered coffees after the pastry and they came with 4 of his sublime chocolates and a house made marshmallow. What a treat!
We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking around the area, the upper Marais to Republique and then down toward Bastille and home. By 5:30 or so we were ready for a rest and then dinner at Tintilou.
Jun 19th, 2015, 08:25 AM
#25
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My thought when I saw the title was 'oh goody'. Now I am sad that although Bistro Belhara and Hexagone were on the list for our trip in March there just wasn't enough time to get there. Ah well we will eventually get back to Paris. Can't wait for the rest of the report. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Jun 20th, 2015, 09:16 AM
#26
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Tintilou (37 Rue de Montreuil 11th) Very funky little bistro de quartier. Excellent food with friendly, if a bit haphazard, service. We were the only non-French speakers in the place.
This was a great for a Saturday night when many of the best restaurants are closed, especially if it’s in your quartier (which it was for us.)
They have a38E menu with 2 choices for each course or you can order from the carte or do the 48E chef’s surprise 4 course menu. We opted for the 3 course menu. They forgot to bring us the amuse, which we saw other tables receive so I can’t tell you what it was. The menu descriptions weren’t particularly accurate to the food but it was all quite tasty.
Entrees were vegetable ravioli w/pti pois puree AND eggs cocotte which the menu said “espuma de poivron rouge” but instaed of red pepper sauce were instead in a parmesan cream sauce. Both delicious.
Plates were stewed lamb shoulder with asparagus, fresh peas, jus served with excellent mashed potatoes AND merlu (hake) over beef confit, diced mixed veggies with baby spelt. Both plates were comforting if a little wintery for May but delicious. Everything needed just a bit of salt to hit optimum flavor but they were happy to provide the salt grinder.
Desserts were both terrific, again not particularly matching the descriptions. A “Tartelette inverse, fruits rouge” turned out to be a kind of deconstructed vacherin: a dish of strawberries and blueberries in juice with lemon sorbet topped with a lovely, crisp meringue, barely sweet and perfect. The other dessert was chocolate ganache with passion fruit custard served with an excellent madeleine. Rich and satisfying.
With 2 glasses of very nice Cote de Rhone and a bottle of water the bill was $92E. A very fine value. I wouldn’t trot across town to eat here but if it’s convenient for you to get to, it’s definitely a great Saturday night choice.
This was a great for a Saturday night when many of the best restaurants are closed, especially if it’s in your quartier (which it was for us.)
They have a38E menu with 2 choices for each course or you can order from the carte or do the 48E chef’s surprise 4 course menu. We opted for the 3 course menu. They forgot to bring us the amuse, which we saw other tables receive so I can’t tell you what it was. The menu descriptions weren’t particularly accurate to the food but it was all quite tasty.
Entrees were vegetable ravioli w/pti pois puree AND eggs cocotte which the menu said “espuma de poivron rouge” but instaed of red pepper sauce were instead in a parmesan cream sauce. Both delicious.
Plates were stewed lamb shoulder with asparagus, fresh peas, jus served with excellent mashed potatoes AND merlu (hake) over beef confit, diced mixed veggies with baby spelt. Both plates were comforting if a little wintery for May but delicious. Everything needed just a bit of salt to hit optimum flavor but they were happy to provide the salt grinder.
Desserts were both terrific, again not particularly matching the descriptions. A “Tartelette inverse, fruits rouge” turned out to be a kind of deconstructed vacherin: a dish of strawberries and blueberries in juice with lemon sorbet topped with a lovely, crisp meringue, barely sweet and perfect. The other dessert was chocolate ganache with passion fruit custard served with an excellent madeleine. Rich and satisfying.
With 2 glasses of very nice Cote de Rhone and a bottle of water the bill was $92E. A very fine value. I wouldn’t trot across town to eat here but if it’s convenient for you to get to, it’s definitely a great Saturday night choice.
Jun 20th, 2015, 09:59 AM
#27
plafield, just found this and have enjoyed reading about the food [as well as the rest of your trip of course] almost as much as you must have enjoyed eating it!
leaving the apartment on move side, would you recommend this as an area to stay in? I like moving around to get to know different parts of the city, especially for longer stays, and this is an area that we haven't stayed in so far.
leaving the apartment on move side, would you recommend this as an area to stay in? I like moving around to get to know different parts of the city, especially for longer stays, and this is an area that we haven't stayed in so far.
Jun 20th, 2015, 10:36 AM
#29
I really like Papillon on rue de Bagnolet in the outer reaches of Paris (although it is right next door to the famous Mama Shelter and the Flèche d'Or music venue). It has a superb all inclusive menu that includes the apéritif, the starter, the main dish, the wine, the dessert plus coffee or tea for only 33.90€. I frankly do not know of any other menu in Paris that includes six different things for that price.
http://www.cafelepapillon.com/fr/menus-carte/
http://www.cafelepapillon.com/fr/menus-carte/
Jun 21st, 2015, 01:38 PM
#32
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I am behind on reading but pleased to see chouquettes!! We love them and were bummed it took us so long to discover them!
Boston Blondie - we have always used Paris Perfect. I also hear great things about Guest Apartment Services and Haven in Paris and we may rent from one of these services next trip.
Boston Blondie - we have always used Paris Perfect. I also hear great things about Guest Apartment Services and Haven in Paris and we may rent from one of these services next trip.
Jun 22nd, 2015, 05:48 AM
#33
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DAY 5: The day started with a trip to Pain du Sucre (14 Rue Rambuteau, 75003) a place I had been wanting to try for a while. It was about a 20 minute walk from our apartment so we were thrilled to get there and find that the patisserie serves coffee and has a few tables right outside. They have 2 separate tiny store fronts next door to each other, a boulangerie with fantastic looking viennoiseries and the other a patisserie with gorgeous fancy pastries. Of course we had to try something from each!
From the boulangerie, we had an excellent croissant, a spectacular pain au raisin, and from the patisserie, the very best tart au citron I've had in Paris. The lemon tart was the perfect balance of tart and sweet, the crust crisp, light and buttery. And the pain au raisin was filled with an eggy cream and so delicious. I had never been a particular fan of this pastry but this morning I was converted!
We sat and enjoyed our pastries and coffee while people watching on R Rambuteau and then decided to walk to Place de Voges near by.
Sunday in Le Marias is quite the scene and making our way through the hordes of tourists was a fun challenge but when we finally reached the park there was barely a place to sit it was so mobbed with people. A great place for people watching but not particularly relaxing so after a while we moved on and decided to jump the metro to head to a different part of town.
As usual, we spent most of the day just walking in various neighborhoods of Paris. At one point, we stopped at a cafe (I don't remember the name) and had a salad, a lovely melty camambert, and delicious baguette for lunch and eventually headed to Le Madelaine for the late afternoon organ concert.
What a treat this was (other than the torturous straight backed little wooden chairs!)To hear Bach reverberating inside that amazing church! The acoustics were just amazing and the setting so overwhelmingly beautiful. It was just an incredible opportunity. About half way through the concert they passed a basket for free will donations but there was no pressure to pay anything if you didn't want to donate. But we were happy to give something for this wonderful experience of such great music in this amazing setting!
After the concert, we spent some time just sitting on the majestic steps of Le Madelaine, soaking up the sun as it headed down and the view of Concorde and Invalide in the distance. Then we headed home for a rest before meeting up with a friend for dinner at Restaurant Amarante.
From the boulangerie, we had an excellent croissant, a spectacular pain au raisin, and from the patisserie, the very best tart au citron I've had in Paris. The lemon tart was the perfect balance of tart and sweet, the crust crisp, light and buttery. And the pain au raisin was filled with an eggy cream and so delicious. I had never been a particular fan of this pastry but this morning I was converted!
We sat and enjoyed our pastries and coffee while people watching on R Rambuteau and then decided to walk to Place de Voges near by.
Sunday in Le Marias is quite the scene and making our way through the hordes of tourists was a fun challenge but when we finally reached the park there was barely a place to sit it was so mobbed with people. A great place for people watching but not particularly relaxing so after a while we moved on and decided to jump the metro to head to a different part of town.
As usual, we spent most of the day just walking in various neighborhoods of Paris. At one point, we stopped at a cafe (I don't remember the name) and had a salad, a lovely melty camambert, and delicious baguette for lunch and eventually headed to Le Madelaine for the late afternoon organ concert.
What a treat this was (other than the torturous straight backed little wooden chairs!)To hear Bach reverberating inside that amazing church! The acoustics were just amazing and the setting so overwhelmingly beautiful. It was just an incredible opportunity. About half way through the concert they passed a basket for free will donations but there was no pressure to pay anything if you didn't want to donate. But we were happy to give something for this wonderful experience of such great music in this amazing setting!
After the concert, we spent some time just sitting on the majestic steps of Le Madelaine, soaking up the sun as it headed down and the view of Concorde and Invalide in the distance. Then we headed home for a rest before meeting up with a friend for dinner at Restaurant Amarante.
Jun 22nd, 2015, 05:58 AM
#34
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Restaurant Amarante (4, rue Biscornet Paris 75012)This is the restaurant owned and cheffed by Christophe Phillippe who had previously owned Christophe, a place in the Latin Quarter where we had eaten many years ago and loved. When I read he was opening a new place, I knew we had to go.
Amarante is a tiny place with maybe 16 covers, no special décor but friendly and comfortable. Here we found impeccably sourced, top quality food simply and perfectly prepared with not a bell or whistle anywhere in sight. 3 of us dined and had entrees of veal tongue with house mayo, escargot in garlic parsley butter, and a rich and simple pate de foie gras. All just excellent.
For plats, 2 had the duck and I had the sole, a gorgeous piece of fish, simply fried in butter, un-boned with the skin alone on the plate. Truly the most delicious piece of fish I have ever eaten. This truly didn't need any accompaniments at all although there was a big bowl of chickpea fries for us all to share and these were deliciously light and crispy.
The duck was a breast and thigh, tender and richly flavored with crisp skin served with a simple duck jus. This is not fancy food but it’s great food. This is not the place if you’re looking for pretty presentation or special sides and/or sauces but if you want simple comfort food of the best quality and perfect preparation, you’ll find it here.
For dessert we had intensely dark chocolate mousse, a very tart bruleed lemon custard, and roasted caramelized pineapple. All simply delicious. With 2 glasses of wine and 2 bottles of water the bill was 154E for 3. I’d go again for sure.
Amarante is a tiny place with maybe 16 covers, no special décor but friendly and comfortable. Here we found impeccably sourced, top quality food simply and perfectly prepared with not a bell or whistle anywhere in sight. 3 of us dined and had entrees of veal tongue with house mayo, escargot in garlic parsley butter, and a rich and simple pate de foie gras. All just excellent.
For plats, 2 had the duck and I had the sole, a gorgeous piece of fish, simply fried in butter, un-boned with the skin alone on the plate. Truly the most delicious piece of fish I have ever eaten. This truly didn't need any accompaniments at all although there was a big bowl of chickpea fries for us all to share and these were deliciously light and crispy.
The duck was a breast and thigh, tender and richly flavored with crisp skin served with a simple duck jus. This is not fancy food but it’s great food. This is not the place if you’re looking for pretty presentation or special sides and/or sauces but if you want simple comfort food of the best quality and perfect preparation, you’ll find it here.
For dessert we had intensely dark chocolate mousse, a very tart bruleed lemon custard, and roasted caramelized pineapple. All simply delicious. With 2 glasses of wine and 2 bottles of water the bill was 154E for 3. I’d go again for sure.
Jun 23rd, 2015, 12:04 PM
#36
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DAY 6: We started the day with a walk back to Pain Du Sucre where we bought pastry and brought it back to the apartment to have with our own coffee. We had another pain au raisin, a butter croissant, a cheese and chive biscuit and the best chocolate eclair I've had in Paris, and that's saying something. From someone who has eaten A LOT of pastry all around Paris, if you are looking for the very best chocolate eclair and/or tart au citron, Pain du Sucre is the place.
Stuffed with pastry it was time to set off on our daily adventures. It was yet another perfect, partly sunny, 70 degree day. We headed to the Pont Alexander III bridge where we enjoyed the fabulous view of the Eiffel tower and on the way, we came upon a big celebration of some sort happening on the green in front of Invalide. It was for Whit Monday and there was singing and drumming and lots of shouting. Very lively.
After enjoying our walk across the bridge we decided to go to the Grand Palais to see the Valequez show. There was a very long line but there as a fabulous clarinet player providing music during the wait. The Valesquez show was great but we were disappointed that it wasn't in the part of the building that allowed us to see the actual interior of the Palace.
Next it was time for our afternoon snack. We headed to Julien, where I hoped to have one of my favorite millfuelles, but sadly, we found them closed for Whit Monday. We bought a ham and cheese croissant and a pistachio eclair from Gosselin, right up the street from Julien on R St Honore. We took our treats to the new park next to Les Halles and the croissant was delicious, filled with bachamel and good ham, topped with melted cheese, but the eclair was just awful and after one bite each, we tossed it. Oh well. Better to save our appetite for dinner.
After the snack, we decided to revisit St. Eustache church, one of my favorites in Paris and then, we walked back to our apartment to take a rest for before dinner at Pirouette.
Stuffed with pastry it was time to set off on our daily adventures. It was yet another perfect, partly sunny, 70 degree day. We headed to the Pont Alexander III bridge where we enjoyed the fabulous view of the Eiffel tower and on the way, we came upon a big celebration of some sort happening on the green in front of Invalide. It was for Whit Monday and there was singing and drumming and lots of shouting. Very lively.
After enjoying our walk across the bridge we decided to go to the Grand Palais to see the Valequez show. There was a very long line but there as a fabulous clarinet player providing music during the wait. The Valesquez show was great but we were disappointed that it wasn't in the part of the building that allowed us to see the actual interior of the Palace.
Next it was time for our afternoon snack. We headed to Julien, where I hoped to have one of my favorite millfuelles, but sadly, we found them closed for Whit Monday. We bought a ham and cheese croissant and a pistachio eclair from Gosselin, right up the street from Julien on R St Honore. We took our treats to the new park next to Les Halles and the croissant was delicious, filled with bachamel and good ham, topped with melted cheese, but the eclair was just awful and after one bite each, we tossed it. Oh well. Better to save our appetite for dinner.
After the snack, we decided to revisit St. Eustache church, one of my favorites in Paris and then, we walked back to our apartment to take a rest for before dinner at Pirouette.
Jun 24th, 2015, 07:13 AM
#37
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Pirouette (5 Rue Mondétour, 75001) This is a little spot in the middle of the crazy mess next to the Les Halles project. Very pretty, well thought out food in a casual atmosphere with a chalkboard menu in French and English, definitely well discovered by tourists looking for good modern French cooking.
We did the 3 course menu for 42E with some upcharges. First there was a nice little amuse of fried pork skin (think pork rinds!) topped with herbed cream cheese that was quite yummy. Entrees were squid with pine nut pesto, pomelo, red cabbage that was ok but didn’t wow and a rabbit terrine with horseradish cream, turnip, grilled endive (+2E) which was very tasty.
Plats were both seriously spectacular. Dandieu volaille and foie gras with barley and corn was totally worth the 4E upcharge and one of the most delicious things I ate on this trip. The veal cheeks with smoked anchovies, artichoke hearts and poivrade was also delectable.
Desserts were a fairly simple ris au lait with a drizzle of caramel and some candied nuts that was just fine but better was a white chocolate and cardamom tart with a cilantro brulee served with intense strawberry glace and some fresh berries. With 2 glasses of wine and a bottle of water the bill was 114E.
The plats made this meal worth the trip but while they were extremely delicious and all the dishes were beautifully presented, the entrees and desserts lacked any real wow factor and somehow the whole experience was missing some essence of heart that makes a meal in its totality great for me. But do try it for yourself as the quality of the food was a real value for the price.
We did the 3 course menu for 42E with some upcharges. First there was a nice little amuse of fried pork skin (think pork rinds!) topped with herbed cream cheese that was quite yummy. Entrees were squid with pine nut pesto, pomelo, red cabbage that was ok but didn’t wow and a rabbit terrine with horseradish cream, turnip, grilled endive (+2E) which was very tasty.
Plats were both seriously spectacular. Dandieu volaille and foie gras with barley and corn was totally worth the 4E upcharge and one of the most delicious things I ate on this trip. The veal cheeks with smoked anchovies, artichoke hearts and poivrade was also delectable.
Desserts were a fairly simple ris au lait with a drizzle of caramel and some candied nuts that was just fine but better was a white chocolate and cardamom tart with a cilantro brulee served with intense strawberry glace and some fresh berries. With 2 glasses of wine and a bottle of water the bill was 114E.
The plats made this meal worth the trip but while they were extremely delicious and all the dishes were beautifully presented, the entrees and desserts lacked any real wow factor and somehow the whole experience was missing some essence of heart that makes a meal in its totality great for me. But do try it for yourself as the quality of the food was a real value for the price.
Jun 24th, 2015, 08:40 AM
#38
<i>a fairly simple ris au lait with a drizzle of caramel</i>
I did a double take reading that, thinking for an instant that you had veal sweetbreads with caramel sauce instead of <b>riz</b> au lait.
I did a double take reading that, thinking for an instant that you had veal sweetbreads with caramel sauce instead of <b>riz</b> au lait.
