by Ken B » Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:20 am
This from an email I sent to a friend some years back but recent Internet searches (my sister was in Paris not long ago) found these venues still extant. We stayed in the 5 th so most of these places are in or easily accessible from there. You should note the addresses, there is another Jardin des Pates somewhere further out in Paris - an unrelated restaurant. I should also add if there is one place I would do almostanything to get into it is L'Astrance but it's a hard ticket to get...
Le Jardin des Pates 4, rue Lacepede in the 5th. This
was probably our favorite meal in Paris, though far
from the most extravagant. We probably liked it
because it reminded us of a place we might go to on a weeknight here It is a small restaurant that serves very simple
fare, with vegetables and herbs grown in their own
garden (we were there in the spring, I'm not sure what
they do during the colder months). For plat's they
serve only fresh pastas, made in house, with a special
sauce matched to each pasta. I had a chestnut flour
pasta with creamy duck sauce and Kristen had rye flour
pasta with fresh zuccini from the garden, lardons and
gruyere. In addition to dessert, we finished our meal
with an interesting thyme flavored liquor/digestif
called Farigoule, which I recommend.
A friend recommended Au Bon Saint-Pourcain 10 bis, rue Servandoni in the 5th, in
a litle more out of the way corner. It's a small
family run bistro style place. There's maybe 8 tables
in the whole place, so you'll need a reservation even
on a weeknight. No one there really speaks much
English (though both the waitress & chef speak some),
nor is anything translated on the menu. But for
traditional simple French in a really charming place,
this was our favorite. We had excellent escargot
there, and I had the tete de veau, which is basically
the boiled head of a calf, Kristen had a nice beef and
olive stew, and we finished with the best creme brulee
of my life. We also got a nice bottle of burgundy
which I think was from the region where the family
that runs the place is from, Irancy, which I've never
seen in the states,
We needed a break from all the butter, cheese and
steak, so decided to have Moroccan one night, at Au
P'tit Cahou 39, boulevard Saint Marcel on the border
between the 5th and the 13th. I had a nice tagine of
chicken, bananas and cinnamon, Kristen had an amazing
7 vegetable couscous. Up the street at 34 boulevard
Saint Marcel in the 5th is Au Co Co de Mer, a
Seychelles restaurant that has a room with sand on the
floor made out to look like the beach in the
Seychelles. We did not eat there, but poked our head
in as we walked past, it looked quite nice, and got
some very nice write ups in guides we trust.
Our first meal in Paris was at a small traditional
brasserie in the 6th called Fernand, 13 rue Guisarde.
Another smallish (but not as small as Au Bon
Saint-Porcain) place, that feels like being
transported back in time. It's a really nice palce in
a neighborhood full of more mediocre touristy places.
If you're at or by the Pompidou, there is a nice cafe
in the Marais called Les Philosophes, and a sister
cafe up the street called Au Petit Fer A Cheval, both
owned by the same guy, who runs a number of places in
the Marais. They're both cute, a good place to get a
cup of coffee to warm up, or a light meal (we had
lunch at Philosophes and a couple of coffees at
Cheval). They're a couple of doors apart: 28 & 30 rue
Vielle du Temple. Across the street from Cheval is a
nice small wine bar (and bookshop) called La Belle
Hortense. You could spend a great afternoon lounging
around any or all three.
The neighborhood wine bar by the opera house I told
you about is Le Baron Bouge, in the 12th on 1 rue
Theophile-Roussel. Crowded and loud and packed with
locals, with loads of great wines by the glass, many
of which would be difficult to get here. I also had a
good charcuterie plate there with a really great duck
terrine andouillette.
The Wine Market
1200 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY