Trip report, mostly food, Basque country; Dordogne; Paris 10/06
Dec 22nd, 2006, 02:34 PM
#141
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This report is really making me rethink my next trip to France. I read your latest installments and then start asking myself if I should just stay in Paris the whole time. So much I still haven't done. So much I still haven't eaten.
Dec 23rd, 2006, 05:16 AM
#142
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Leely, I know the feeling. From tomorrow's New York times, here is an article about Paris that mentions L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, where I had dinner. I will try to finish the report (only one dinner remaining and it was a great one) soon.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/24...tml?ref=travel
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/24...tml?ref=travel
Dec 25th, 2006, 08:21 AM
#143
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So finally, I will wrap this very long and drawn out report, in time to begin packing for my trip to Rome in two weeks.
Four days earlier, I made reservations for my last dinner in Paris at Ze Kitchen Galerie, so shortly before my 8pm dinner reservation time, I set out from the Ile St. Louis for the short walk to Rue de Grands Augustins in the 6eme, close to the river.
Chef William Ledeuil has gotten heaps of praise for his innovative cuisine which is heavily influenced by his stints in SouthEast Asia. The room, which you can see on the website posted below, is sleekly contemporary with walls adorned with large modern canvases and an open kitchen which allows you to see Ledeuil and his team at work. At my request, I was seated at one of the leather banquettes along the back wall near the kitchen.
The restaurant was nearly filled when I arrived at 8pm; most of the diners were French but there was a sprinkling of tourists including one table with small children. It became packed with diners as the evening wore on.
If I have any complaint about the restaurant I would say that the service is not warm. My waiter was actually quite pleasant and took the time to answer a few questions (he spoke English, which I found to be the case in most of the places I dined at that week). But the waiter serving the couple next to me actually reprimanded the French man for lounging on the banquette! They do not coddle their patrons here.
Any minor complaint vanished when the food began arriving. I am the first one to shun a "fusion" restaurant, but here the innovation and borrowing of flavors was a smashing success. The food is light, intensely flavored, and based on the availability of seasonal ingredients. I only wish I had had more time in order to dine here again..and again. I began with thon rouge, which was slices of raw tuna served with a tuna tartar over mandolined slices of what I think were two different Asian radishes flavored with ginger and coriander (and citronelle??) and set beside pools of mango puree. It was heavenly.
Next: Lobster and mussels and a tiny white Paimpol beans dressed with a foamy broth scented with galangal and other Thai flavors...a really amazing dish which was not pretentious or overdone depite the complexity of the flavors and the foam.
Dessert was the weakest course. I chose, on the advice of the waiter, the Pomme Rotie, roasted apple embellished with pupmkin emulsion and cramel puree and servied beside a mound of coconut ice cream topped with toasted coconut. Very good but not heavenly.
With (only one) glass of Picpoul (6.40), the bill totaled 62.40.
If this restaurant were in any city in the US, it would be very, very difficult to book a table. I would put Ze Kitchen Galerie in the "mandatory" column for visitors to Paris who have an interest in interesting, and more important, absolutely scrumptious, cuisine. They are open for lunch as well, and I believe they offer a set menu for that meal.
www.zekitchengalerie.fr
Four days earlier, I made reservations for my last dinner in Paris at Ze Kitchen Galerie, so shortly before my 8pm dinner reservation time, I set out from the Ile St. Louis for the short walk to Rue de Grands Augustins in the 6eme, close to the river.
Chef William Ledeuil has gotten heaps of praise for his innovative cuisine which is heavily influenced by his stints in SouthEast Asia. The room, which you can see on the website posted below, is sleekly contemporary with walls adorned with large modern canvases and an open kitchen which allows you to see Ledeuil and his team at work. At my request, I was seated at one of the leather banquettes along the back wall near the kitchen.
The restaurant was nearly filled when I arrived at 8pm; most of the diners were French but there was a sprinkling of tourists including one table with small children. It became packed with diners as the evening wore on.
If I have any complaint about the restaurant I would say that the service is not warm. My waiter was actually quite pleasant and took the time to answer a few questions (he spoke English, which I found to be the case in most of the places I dined at that week). But the waiter serving the couple next to me actually reprimanded the French man for lounging on the banquette! They do not coddle their patrons here.
Any minor complaint vanished when the food began arriving. I am the first one to shun a "fusion" restaurant, but here the innovation and borrowing of flavors was a smashing success. The food is light, intensely flavored, and based on the availability of seasonal ingredients. I only wish I had had more time in order to dine here again..and again. I began with thon rouge, which was slices of raw tuna served with a tuna tartar over mandolined slices of what I think were two different Asian radishes flavored with ginger and coriander (and citronelle??) and set beside pools of mango puree. It was heavenly.
Next: Lobster and mussels and a tiny white Paimpol beans dressed with a foamy broth scented with galangal and other Thai flavors...a really amazing dish which was not pretentious or overdone depite the complexity of the flavors and the foam.
Dessert was the weakest course. I chose, on the advice of the waiter, the Pomme Rotie, roasted apple embellished with pupmkin emulsion and cramel puree and servied beside a mound of coconut ice cream topped with toasted coconut. Very good but not heavenly.
With (only one) glass of Picpoul (6.40), the bill totaled 62.40.
If this restaurant were in any city in the US, it would be very, very difficult to book a table. I would put Ze Kitchen Galerie in the "mandatory" column for visitors to Paris who have an interest in interesting, and more important, absolutely scrumptious, cuisine. They are open for lunch as well, and I believe they offer a set menu for that meal.
www.zekitchengalerie.fr
Dec 27th, 2006, 09:17 AM
#144
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Here is an update on the unfortunate incident with our rental car:
EuropCar billed us $1200. USD for a wrecked clutch in Domme. As I mentioned above, we attempted to dispute this and were turned down. The person who was driving the car at the time of the incident graciously insisted on assuming full responsibility and has paid the charges. Several lessons were learned here, to be applied when renting, and when signing for, a rental car (discussed above) so we are chalking the whole thing up to experience and are thankful that we all (with the exception of the Renault Scenic) remain unscathed and uninjured.
The next day, a Friday, I checked out of the Hotel Deux Iles. My double room was 170 Euro per night (less expensive single rooms are available but I decided to remain in the room I had shared with my friend earlier) which represents a decent value considering the central and quiet location of the hotel on the Ile St. Louis, and the helpfulness of the English-speaking staff. I should mention, if I did not already, that the hotel offers Internet service through a computer in the downstairs sitting room; they sell access cards for this. Because I had not used the card I had purchsed earlier in the week, they kindly refunded the charge.
After checkout, I took a radio taxi from the hotel to CDG; this cost 42 Euro and was painless and simple.
Unfortunately, I had to leave behind at the airport my long-sought Violet mustard from Brive because the TSA persons deemed it a paste, or some such thing. I put up a half-hearted dispute with the TSA agent and the supervisor, to no avail. I was a bit annoyed, as I had phoned AirFrance the night before and had been told that I could certainly take mustard in my carry on bags. This, unfortunately, turned out not to be true. Let me say here that TSA enforcement is haphazard. Again, we learn from experience. And happily I have even found violet mustard here in the US, so my larder is stocked.
And here ends my long and drawn out report..thanks for reading!
Coming next....On the pajata trail in Rome.
EuropCar billed us $1200. USD for a wrecked clutch in Domme. As I mentioned above, we attempted to dispute this and were turned down. The person who was driving the car at the time of the incident graciously insisted on assuming full responsibility and has paid the charges. Several lessons were learned here, to be applied when renting, and when signing for, a rental car (discussed above) so we are chalking the whole thing up to experience and are thankful that we all (with the exception of the Renault Scenic) remain unscathed and uninjured.
The next day, a Friday, I checked out of the Hotel Deux Iles. My double room was 170 Euro per night (less expensive single rooms are available but I decided to remain in the room I had shared with my friend earlier) which represents a decent value considering the central and quiet location of the hotel on the Ile St. Louis, and the helpfulness of the English-speaking staff. I should mention, if I did not already, that the hotel offers Internet service through a computer in the downstairs sitting room; they sell access cards for this. Because I had not used the card I had purchsed earlier in the week, they kindly refunded the charge.
After checkout, I took a radio taxi from the hotel to CDG; this cost 42 Euro and was painless and simple.
Unfortunately, I had to leave behind at the airport my long-sought Violet mustard from Brive because the TSA persons deemed it a paste, or some such thing. I put up a half-hearted dispute with the TSA agent and the supervisor, to no avail. I was a bit annoyed, as I had phoned AirFrance the night before and had been told that I could certainly take mustard in my carry on bags. This, unfortunately, turned out not to be true. Let me say here that TSA enforcement is haphazard. Again, we learn from experience. And happily I have even found violet mustard here in the US, so my larder is stocked.
And here ends my long and drawn out report..thanks for reading!
Coming next....On the pajata trail in Rome.
Dec 27th, 2006, 01:21 PM
#145
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Here is the violet mustard I found in the US to replace the one that was so cruelly torn from me at the airport; they also sell a similar product at the L'Olivier stores here in the US:
http://www.zingermans.com/Product.pa...ductID=P%2DVIO
http://www.zingermans.com/Product.pa...ductID=P%2DVIO
Jan 28th, 2007, 03:40 AM
#147
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Here is a great new piece from the New York Times about Stephane Jego and Chez L'Ami Jean, where we enjoyed the wonderful dinner described above:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/ma...mp;oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/ma...mp;oref=slogin
Apr 22nd, 2007, 03:30 PM
#148
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Thank you, thank you for this report!! I was so delighted we have book a stay in Paris for October staying in the 6th, but now I know our week will not be long enough to eat in your suggestions. I guess we will need to stay longer. Thanks also for the shopping ideas! Deijrolle we see me for sure. Thanks also for including the websites.
Jun 19th, 2007, 10:34 AM
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I notice that you mention Le Petit Pamphlet in this revived post. This restaurant has changed names, cuisine and owners since you dined there. It is now called Le Carré des Vosges and has the same phone number. It is no longer serving Southwestern food and the style is somewhat more upscale than previously.
Having made a phone reservation without being told about the changes, we were surprised to say the least to arrive at a totally different restaurant at the same address. The food however was quite good.
Having made a phone reservation without being told about the changes, we were surprised to say the least to arrive at a totally different restaurant at the same address. The food however was quite good.
Sep 16th, 2007, 08:43 PM
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I was remiss a couple of days ago in not thanking you for this GREAT trip report. It was especially meaningful because we spent a week at Les Rosiers back in 2002 (I reviewed it at SlowTrav), and because we're returning to the area to spend a week in La Roque-Gageac in October. I'm especially looking forward to lunch at the walnut mill near Martel. Thanks again!
Nov 1st, 2007, 09:50 AM
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Here is an addendum to the Dordogne food section. I drove through the region a few months ago en route to the Albi area from Cognac. We were set on having lunch at Le Barreil but, although we arrived at 1:50, the proprietress would not seat us. She admonished us for not calling to reserve..something I failed to do in this case and I could have kicked myself.
Happily, lunch was salvaged!
We ducked into Le Table du Terroir further along the same road just in the nick of time. I recommend this place for excellent regional food in a flowery, ruffly room with a fireplace; the nearby hamlet of La Chapelle Aubereil is a real gem and we would have spent some time there had it not been pouring rain and had we not been bound for points further south. La Table du Terroir makes an excellent lunch stop for anyone touring Lascaux or visiting Montignac.
http://www.tableduterroir.com/restaurant.htm
Happily, lunch was salvaged!
We ducked into Le Table du Terroir further along the same road just in the nick of time. I recommend this place for excellent regional food in a flowery, ruffly room with a fireplace; the nearby hamlet of La Chapelle Aubereil is a real gem and we would have spent some time there had it not been pouring rain and had we not been bound for points further south. La Table du Terroir makes an excellent lunch stop for anyone touring Lascaux or visiting Montignac.
http://www.tableduterroir.com/restaurant.htm
