Paris - The search is on for the best cassoulet
 

Yes, this is the goal for the next month - to find the best cassoulet in Paris. Yes, it's heavy, I know. So I'll just try it for lunch, and eat only half or less. And I'm determined to only walk to the restaurant and back - no metros or taxis. (With this extremely annoying greve/strike in place for who knows how long - ca marche!)

So tell me your favorite places and I'll conduct a scientific experiment. Then based on my tasting experiment, I'll create a recipe based on the best of the best.

I'm in Paris for one more month - so I can get the real live French ingredients - and love cassoulet almost as much as fois gras - so this is my kind of experiment for sure.

So let's start a list

Au Trou Gascon - can't wait to try that one........ what else?

If you have a favorite cassoulet you have tried in Paris, please list the name and the street if possible. And if you have a minute more, please describe what about that version of cassoulet you like best..

This will be tres fun.

Thank you so much - and yes, I'll share the recipe with you for sure.

MC

This will be fun to follow. I wish you good hunting.

My wife and I are very happy that you posted this question. We had cassoulet in Carcassonne and loved it. We have been searching for a good place in Paris and I find your post. I am hoping you will receive many answers. I wonder if kerouac will respond to this. I see him on almost every post. He's a walking encyclopedia:)

Like how many cassoulets are planning on trying - you must have been in Paris for a LONG time to use up very many of your remaining lunches on that menu item - as you can tell, its not on my cuisine "hit list". Now salad with goat chees - that's a lunch item I could spend some time hunting for the best one.

Baracane on rue de Tournelle in the Marais.
Auberge Pyrénées-Cévennes, rue de la Folie Mericourt in the 11th.

I've eaten cassoulet all over the place in the SW of France, and have developed some very definite preferences. Surprisingly, I like the simplest cassoulets best. I don't like any hint of tomato flavor in it, I don't like it with strong-smelling lamb sausage, I like a nice crust on top, and I like the beans to be very soft. Those two places meet my criteria (yours may be different).

Is Baracane the former name of Bistrot de L'Oulette?

If so, they had the best cassoulet I've ever had. I say had, because my last visit (in January) was really disappointing. And I'd been there four times....

The first time I tried cassoulet was at Chez Camile, on Rue des Francs Bourgeois in the 3rd. That was wonderful, too (in 2001).

Thank you all for your answers so far. I'm here in Paris through November 15th studying french so that leaves me with at least 32 lunches. Now I have places to try for the next three days grace a StCirq. Yum yum!

http://www.l-oulette.com/baracane_en.php It is now called Bistrot de L'Oulette. It was formerly Baracane

Pavot, are you saying that on your last trip to L'Oulette/Baracane, the cassoulet was bad? Last time I ate there was a couple of years ago.

Yup. I was heartbroken. I like to think it was just an off night. I've always loved that place. But on that fateful evening last January, the starters were bland, the cassoulet was dull, and my dessert was disappointing.

And that really nice man who has always worked the room (as waiter, greeter, sommelier, and all-around bon vivant) was absent.

Hmmmpph.

(Thank goodness for Le Florimond.)

Ack, sorry to hear that. Maybe new management? Or just a bad night. Sounds like it was a trifecta disappointment.

Thomieux was supposed to be good. It wasn't to us, but I have had that disputed by others. We had a good one at La Coupole. The best one was at Auberge du Jarente which I am told is closed. And the bistro on the corner of Ste. Dominique and rue de l'Exposition had a very nice one--cannot get the name, but someone will know which I mean.

The last cassoulet I had at Thoumieux was a big disappointment.

I seem to recall having a good one also at someplace called, maybe, Le Relais du Sudouest? Ring any bells with anyone?

I've had the cassoulet at Au Trou Gascon. I was there for dinner and the Bill of Fare was as follows: Jambon de Bayonne as a starter, cassoulet as the main course, a cheese course followed. A bottle of Fronsac to wash down the cassoulet. And finally, creme brulee for dessert.

I found the cassoulet to be very good albeit prepared with a lighter touch i.e: not the classic, heavy meal one might expect.

Be advised that the wine list while impressive is short on relative bargains. As I recall the Fronsac cost about $45, back in October 2006.

All in all, an excellent meal but not cheap; dinner for 2 was $180 euros including Armagnac as a digestif

St Cirq - was it on Blvd Montparnasse near Sevres intersection? If so I strolled past it yesterday and added it to my list - that is now growing - thanks to all here.

Thought you might want a follow up on the great cassoulet search.

Today I want to Au Trou Gascon. I was giddy with anticipation. It seemed as if the stars were aligning for me to find "the one." Let's put it this way, the wine was better than the cassoulet. The cassoulet cost 32 euros (the wine cost 25 euros.)

Everything else about the restaurant was great, especially the adorable family sitting next to me from Martinique. But the cassoulet didn't make the cut.

The best thing about it was a piece of sausage that had a good flavor, but everthing else about the dish was just OK.

I can say that at least it was not laden with bacon fat.

Seriously, I had to add salt twice (who can want an unsalted bean). And so, the search continues.

If anyone in Paris comes across a good cassoulet, please let me know, and I'll check it out.

The waiters are VERY curious about my documenting each cassoulet.

Three cassoulets down.

Yours in the great search,
MC

Love the research, cant wait to read more!

I read french, so I went browsing some french resto websites, targetting cassoulet, to see what locals say,

Here are some they liked:

La Girondine 48 blvd Arago 13th M Glaciere http://www.lagirondine.fr

Au Metro 66 r. Raymond Losserand 14th M Pernety
http://www.aumetro.fr

Chez Gladines 30 r. des Cinq Diamants 13th M place D'Italie

Allard 41 r. Saint-Andre des Arts 6th (reviews bit mixed)

Au Refuge du Passe 32 r. Fer a Moulin 5th M Censier Daubenton

Violon d'Ingres, for sure, a one star, so reservations required.

Thank you all very much - I'll check them out.

Yours
MC