Le Chateaubriand

BB's last dinner in Paris while I was around (thats a lie, we went to Breizh the day after) was at Le Chateaubriand. Currently #11 on the 2010 San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants and luckily for us, with a second seating that is on a first-come first-serve basis aka NO RESERVATIONS (come after 10pm!). Yes I saw the chef, Inaki Aizpitarte (I really do wonder about the origins of his name) although at first I thought the bartender was him (tall lanky french dudes with facial scruff...they all look alike). This was a 5-course for €45...no wonder reservations are hard to come by. And the 5-course was really a more-than-5-course since there were multiple amuse bouches and two desserts. I love amuse bouches, they're so fun!

We started with a plate of poppy seed gourgeres that I, unfortunately, found a little too eggy for my liking, kinda like flan sometimes is. 

The second dish was red caviar enveloped in a think slice of radish. I don't like red caviar and am dealthy allergic to sturgeon (black caviar incubator) so I passed. Apparently it was pretty good, smooth with a briny pop

It was followed by a third one - a poached prawn (shrimp? langoustine?) with a tiny cob of corn. First of all, I don't eat shrimp but I tried this one and it was SO GOOD. Secondly, where did you get the corn?! I've never seen fresh corn in Paris - its always vacuum packed and looks a sickly yellow color underneath the plastic. My first taste of corn this year (but not the last, thank you NYC!) The little green things? Wood sorrel (the name eluded me at dinner). Sour clover-shaped little leaves that I used to pick in the woods when mushroom hunting in Russia. And I digress...

And finally we get to the official first course - Gazpacho with frozen cucumber granita. I loved this. Not only was it visually interesting (red! green! TEXTURES!) but the contrast between the icy granita and the lukewarm liquid gazpacho was like little firecrackers going off in my mouth. Yea, you can envision that.

Next, a sardine feuillette served with fennel and passion fruit powder. Basically, a sardine wrapped in a pastry sheet (kinda looks like a cigar, no? And don't worry,it was filleted). I was afraid there'd be a lot of bones but am surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. Perhaps it was the passion fruit powder. I love passion fruit and the powder was genius and had this ridiculously intoxicating smell.

Is this where I now made a discovery? We ordered a second bottle of wine, one that BB and I had tried at L'Avant Comptoir. It tasted off but I'm always too shy and scared of sending stuff back, especially wine since I know so little (or...nothing at all!) It just tasted wrong and funny and acidic. So I asked the waiter to try it. He took it and came back with a new bottle because sure enough, that bottle was corked! It's true, once you try a corked wine, you KNOW something is way off. And now I know that I can detect it pretty easily. I was (and still am) quite impressed with myself (yes, being humble does not always seem to be a trait of mine).

Moving on to our third course - Pollock with black olive puree, beet greens, baby carrots and pickled garlic. This was by far my favorite dish of the night. I'm not a fan of olives (or olive bread...thanks for the chips JP ;)) but I love tapenade. And the carrots were fantastic. I stole someone's carrots off their plate later.

Fourth - beef with roasted aubergine, spring onions and shallot relish with ginger and lime. This beef was rare. So rare I only ate around the edges and left the middle for someone else to eat. With the meat, the aubergine (basically, chared eggplant) blends really well. By itself? I felt like i was eating charcoal or ashes.  

And now dessert! I almost forget what this was. The first dish had saffron strawberries with little meringues that tasted like cardboard. I'm not a fan of saffron in sweet dishes. 

The second one was a lait ribot (a fermented milk from Brittany which is somewhat similar to buttermilk) ice cream with stuff I don't remember except for it tasting vaguely minty...I liked the ice cream better than the strawberries.

 

Definitely a delicious and interesting meal, with great company so a night (and money) well spent. But I don't know if I'd go back again...too many places to try still and this wasn't so amazing that I'd risk another night of a mystery prix-fix menu.

L'Avant Comptoir

I've already written about my love for Le Comptoir de Relais. Now its time to give some of that love to the standing-room only wine and French hors d'oeuvres (not tapas) bar next door, L'Avant Comptoir. Literally, it translates to before Comptoir and it makes sense because people waiting for their tables would drink a glass of wine here. The hostess from next door would pop in every so often saying "deux pour Comptoir" seeking would-be diners. Once, those deux were nowhere to be found and BB and I seriously contemplated asking for their table since the next availability for dinner on a weeknight there (when there is a €50 prix-fixe) is somewhere around November (might be December by now for all I know).

Inside, a zinc bar (very Parisian) fits maybe 5-6 people at most and has a basket of freshly baked (warmed?) mini baguettes, pain d'epi and rolls, as well as Bordier butter (oh how I adore you), cornichons and pickled pearl onions, Guerande fleur de sel and piment d'espelette. All communal, all help yourself to as much as you want, and yes, we helped ourselves to many, many cornichons.

Both wines I had were great. I started with a Lapierre Morgon from that was absolutely delicious (I found it at Crush in NYC and am making JP buy bottles!). I wanted a beaujolais next but Eric (I assume he was the manager? he basically ran the show, seemed to know everyone and was quite funny and helpful) said no and poured me a glass of Villemade Cheverny which had also quite good. Frankly, I barely know anything about wine so I'll listen to the guy pouring it and take his advice. For me, the $4 white zinfandel from Trader Joe's is also delicious.

Moving on. BB and I got the ham croquettes which were fried to order (as they should be!) and they were filled with liquified cheese and tiny pieces of ham that melted on your tongue. 

And then we got the pate en boite which was essentially a tin of pate with a layer of fat on top. Notice the knife.
 

The pate was ok. But I kept slathering the Bordier butter on my bread. And, being charcuterie fiends, we couldn't say no and got both chorizo and jambon. Essentially, a delicious meat fest. Can't wait to go back.

Update: have gone back. delicious again. will go back. again.

Sugar rush - Part II

Apologies, apologies. I meant to post some before I went on my two-and-a-half-week-French-mandated-long-August vacation to NYC, Miami and Las Vegas (last two courtesy of my wonderfully AWESOME bf, JP, for our 3 year anniversary :)) but more on those later. I may have a flurry of posts in the near futures so bear with me. But lets start chronologically somewhere at the middle / end of July...

You may remember a while ago I went to a ton of bakeries in the Marais (if not, click on the link). This time, it was a ton of bakeries in the Saint-Germain-ish area (6th and 7th). Another macaron virgin - BB. Naturally, I wanted to lead her to Pierre Herme. Alas, it was closed. As was Gerard Mulot so off we went towards Sadaharu Aoki. The fun was only just beginning (I think my friends underestimated how much of an obsessed-with-food-establishments person I am). This guy makes serious French pastries with a Japanese twist

But we (almost) resisted. Et voila, 3 macarons for each of us (4 ppl = 12 macarons)

Pretty, isn't it? I went for the matcha, hojicha (roasted green tea) and sesame flavors. Suprisingly, we only doubled flavors once - the matcha. My favorite were the cassis, early grey, hojicha (roasted goodness!), matcha and sesame flavors (notice how I like all the ones I got? hehe). The yuzu disappointed and tasted merely of lemon rind. I think Mr. Aoki is more successful with the offbeat flavors. The chocolate was very one dimensional and not even in the same league as Pierre Herme's chocolate one. Overall, these macarons are solid but a little too sweet and unfortunately, they were somewhat stale. I'd recommend going with the more exotic flavors if you try them. But even with those, he is incomparable to the master (yes, Pierre Herme I am obsessed with you) and I kinda forgot I didn't really like his pastries that much. And yes, I brought a cutting board (you didn't think we just found that in the park, did you?) and a knife. But SM had a serrated knife - he one upped me.

And then we ate this green thing. Usually, I'm not one for eclairs but this matcha eclair was bursting with green tea flavor, which I can rarely resist.

While working our way towards Hugo Victor I couldn't not take everyone by Poilane for a taste of the best rustic apple tart in all of Paris. As my friend put it, it's like an awesome apple croissant with chunks of soft, baked apples and a dough slightly heavier (weighed down by the apple liquid I think) than a plain croissant. I can easily finish one by myself. This one we thankfully cut into quarters and proceeded to get out next sugar fix.

At Hugo Victor I opted for the apricot tarte tatin-like thing that I read about on Dorie Greenspan's blog the night before. Apologies, not the prettiest picture but I couldn't wait to dig in:

The top was apricot gelee and some liquid caramel running down the center with a base that tasted like a cardamom-infused hazelnut sponge cake to me (according to Dorie its a dacquoise and the cardamom may or may not have been galangal). I love cardamon but not in baked goods. Throw it in a stew or into my favorite chunky apple cranberry sauce (thanksgiving!) and it lends a warmth. In baked goods I just find it to taste stale and overpowering. Was totally jealous of these delicious strawberry verrines that both BB and SM got!

There was also a grapefruit tart floating around but I didn't take a picture. We were already feeling the sugar coma set in but no, we had to press on! On to La Patisserie des Reves. Dreams? Pastry shop of dreams? YES exactly. Pastries are displayed under glass domes and after perusing you order at the counter and they bring you a pastry from the back.

 

They all looked amazing, but I was there for one thing and one thing only...

...the Paris-Brest.

Has nothing to do with boobies (hah, boobies, I make myself laugh); the pastry is circular and named after an old bike race that went from Paris to Brest (or the other way around?) since it looked like a bike wheel (supposedly). And supposedly the best Paris-Brest in the city according to various sources including Le Figaro.

This is like putting liquid sugar in your mouth times ten (not as hot I assume!). We cut it up into the little ball sections. Choux pastry with praline creme and liquid chocolate praline on the inside, this was enough sugar to last me a long long time - never have I tasted anything this sweet. The delicate choux easily gave way and a bite revealed a liquid praline, caramel-like center. Delicious? Yes. But I wouldn't get it again, its too much! Thankfully there were ppl to share it with. The tarte de fruits noirs, on the other hand, was an interesting spin on the tarte de fruits rouges you see more commonly.

It had good flavor and a good textured crust but I was so done after that ball of liquid sugar. 

And who do I spot while walking back from our pastry hopping? Ms. Dorie Greenspan herself sitting at Au Chai de l'Abbaye (where I had a few weeks ago witnessed a little old man courting a well put together old lady in the cutest way...I think he got her number!) proofing (or so I think) her new book which she kindly held up to show us! I think SC was more excited than me since she is a pastry chef...I had to be coaxed into saying hello to her, which I did, under the pretense that SC would be doing the talking after that, and she did.

One more for the road before you head off to read SM's entry of pastry bliss:

 

Le Relais de l'Entrecote aka unlimited steak frites

This place serves one thing, and one thing only - thinly sliced ribeye. And it was the best steak I've had in Paris to date. Now I know why people line up and wait for this. Thankfully, I arrived 15 minutes before 8pm and got us a table for 3 because the line was a good 15 people deep five minutes later.

Everyone starts with a salad dressed in a mustard-y vinaigrette topped with walnuts. Nothing super amazing, but pretty solid.

Afterwards is where the real damage is being done. Unlimited thinly-sliced tender ribeye bathed in a buttery herb sauce and served with thin, crispy fries. You finish your steak, they come around with more. And with more fries. Essentially an all you can eat meat and potatoes (and butter) feast for €25.

I ordered my steak a point (this can range anywhere from medium-rare to medium) and it came a little more red than I like it to be normally (the waitress said that a point plus would be too well done). But the sauce, which I couldn't get enough of, made up for it. I had two portions of steak but refused the second portion of fries (I don't think the waitress understood why). I'm a goldfish, I eat everything in front of me so it's better for me to not get the extra frites.

Before we came, I figured we're get one dessert to share. No, we each got our own.

BB - the Vacherin de Relais, or praline and vanilla ice cream, sandwiched with meringues and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Me - the Vacherin d'Ete, or raspberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream, sandwiched with meringues and topped with whipped cream and raspberry coulis

SM - Tartelettes de Fraises.  

The picture says it all, or, as he put it "comparatively inadequate". Well said my friend. While our vacherins were towers of sugar and crunch and smoothness and cold, the tartelettes  (maybe they give 2 because they're not very good?) were a pate sucree crust with sugared strawberries that had released some of their juices. Weak sauce.

Overall, a fun, happy and (overly)satisfying meal. And another food baby. No wonder I keep gaining weight.

Barlotti = heavy overpriced italian

I work a stone's throw away from Marche Sainte Honore (the center of which is actually occupied by my company's building), lunch and sometimes dinner (or takeout dinner) is often had in one of the restaurants lining the square. This time dinner was at Barlotti, an over-priced italian restaurant (thinly sliced artichoke heart under head of parmesan shavings) was €20. Absurd. But it was a going-away dinner and the interior is actually kinda cool with an atrium that is 3 stories tall. I guess you go for the atmosphere, not the food because my risotto with goat cheese, parma ham and sage was a blob of cheese essentially:

Can you even SEE the rice?! No discernible sage taste but definitely a log or two of chevre dumped in there, along with parma ham cooked to resemble bacon. And I swear they had to have put some cream in there or something, no way could just chevre do this to a dish. Needless to say, this is something I couldn't finish.  I think I'll stick to the risottos I make - no extra cream added since if you make it right, the starch in the rice should be enough for that creamy gooey texture (although a little bit of parmesan doesn't hurt!)

Camaraderie

Frenchies are not all awful and unwilling to help (despite what you may have heard and what I may even have said or written). Sure there are those that couldn't care less about customer service but there are those who in fact sometimes they go out of their way to help you...

10:55pm stuck at work on a Sunday night where you've been since 10am with no end in sight and having had no time to eat dinner. Restaurants in Paris are notorious for being closed Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays, Mondays and/or Tuesdays). We are lucky that there are restaurants by work that are open for dinner. But of course, it's late and they will close around 11pm, 11:15pm if you're lucky. On Marche Saint Honore, two restaurants said they couldn't help us, one because their kitchen closed and they only had antipasti left and the other because they didn't have emballage or take-out containers. The third, which I have written about previously (albeit unfavorably due to their awful burgers but I have started warming up to them since I discovered they have pretty good salads) couldn't help us with the food. But he did know the guy who manages the restaurant three doors away and led us there. This one had food but no emballage. What to do? 

As long as the manager at this restaurant was willing to give us food (why wouldn't he? It's a €60 sale!), the other guy was more than willing to bring take-out containers from his restaurant! It was the cutest thing watching him scurry off in search of containers for our food. We actually didn't end up needing them as the manager gave us the food straight on plates wrapped in foil, with real cutlery and steak knives. Why? He saw our work badges and said how a lot of the bosses come to eat there and sometimes get food to go (on regular plates) and since they always return the dishware to him, he trusts us too. AWWWWW! This was probably some of the the best customer service I'd had in Paris. And the food wasn't too bad either. 

I liked my salade de chevre chaud so much that I went back the next night and sat down to have another salad (I guess all the lardons don't hurt!). Oh, the restaurant was Le Zinc on Marche Saint Honore.

Warsaw in under 48 hours

Another last minute trip. At least this time, I was told the morning of the day before for next evening's flight, rather than a 10 hour notice. Where to this time? To Poland, Warsaw to be specific. Never been there and now I have the equivalent of $20 in zloty. Anyone going to Poland anytime soon?

Upon arriving, dinner was a sausage across from the hotel at a rowdy bar which is connected to a restaurant called U Kucharzy (its has a bib-gourmande recommendation from Michelin which is all I have to go on when I'm in Europe - no NYT reviews here).
 

We were supposed to eat there but then stuff happened and after they set this table for us for 10 people

We ended up leaving without ordering (I heard something about someone going back there to eat but the kitchen was closed so he just wanted some cake that they sell and they gave it to him for free because they felt bad...that's nice isn't it?)

I spent 90% of the day in the office from 8:30am to 10:30pm, going outside only for lunch and doing a 5 minute walk around the old town before being beaten by the heat and heading back into the air-conditioned office.

Weird sweet carrot salad and odd-tasting fries but the chicken breast was moist and spiced well (although I don't know what was up with the mayo on top which I gingerly wiped away with the side of my knife).

And then since it was so hot, I decided to have an ice cream break. It was somewhat awkward as I was exiting the building to get my ice cream my managing director was coming up the elevator and bumped into me, asking me where I was off too...to get ice cream? I didn't want him thinking I wasn't doing work (I was!)...but I wanted ice cream! And here it is.

So fricking tall. Its like icy frozen yogurt; wasn't very good but that doesn't mean I didn't eat it all. At least for dinner I got to have some Polish food, which is actually really similar to Russian food. The highlight? MEAT PLATTER (err...as you can tell I had lighting issues...)

I love cold and hot smoked meats and this totally hit the spot. My venison with chanterelle cream sauce (mmm, like I said before, me gusta chanterelles), potatoes and beets was MEH (again, lighting issues)

I ate the potatoes and the mushrooms and left the venison (too tough and gamey...maybe I don't like venison?) and most of the beets (they were a weird texture and I'm usually a beet FIEND). But darn that meat platter was good. Can't wait to get some kabanosy when I get back to mama's house...

And a history lesson for you - this is a big building that I could see from the office I was sitting in. What is it? Well apparently Stalin offered Warsaw either a metro system or a big building. They picked the building and now its some culture palace or something. I would've gone with the metro system...