“And also…without forgetting…..” Great Places That May Be Overlooked.

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“And also…without forgetting…..”  Great Places That May Be Overlooked.
Each week, the gang at Figaroscope (Colette Monsat et al) come up with what used to be called a “Dossier” about restaurants in Paris that have summer terraces or have club sandwiches or some other unifying theme.  And often, after listing the ones that are the top choices, they have a category of “Et aussi” (“And also”) or “Sans oublier” (Don’t forget”). I daresay most of us look at the first few and then our attention wanes.  But after the top picks, there are still places that merit our attention. This spring, in the blogosphere and on traditional print sources, the new places that have gotten the most attention are Michel del Burgo’s Chez La Vieille Adrienne, l’Agrume and Bruno Doucet’s off-shoot of Le Regalade – the Regalade St Honore.  Then there are the next few – l’Agapé, Chez Grenouille and l’Aromatik. But I sing today of the next tier, which, I suspect, most folks have seen the names of, but passed over as too far down on the list of favorites tried. Let’s start with the Bistrot Volnay in the 2nd. Here we’ve got a place that has seen three chefs come in as many years and the cooking is very good, the location central and the pleasurability of a meal, superb.  I was impressed by the white asparagus caramelized with parmesan atop and the marinated microtomed mullet with chips of lemon rind and a really big kick of really hot black pepper aftertaste; the bar and veal kidneys with a sauce of sweet sauteed onions and sliced raw mushrooms and nicely crisped macaroni; the rice pudding with a fine caramel sauce and the strawberries with Chantilly. And then there’s the La Grande Ourse in the 14th, another place that I ate at just a year before, where I had had a fine meal, but again, the chef had changed so I tried it again. Again much was to be liked: the tartare of salmon and the croustillant of snails and mushrooms; some very nice beef, cooked to perfection, daurade, equally well-sourced and prepared and a saddle of lamb which was spring lamb, tasty and tender, not over-the-hill mutton which they’re still passing off as lamb; concluding with a trio of sorbets shared by three of us. And finally, in an area bursting with babies, bobos and bunnies, there’s Le Chalbens, in the 20th, which I learned had taken over the old Vin Chai Moi space.  Here I was impressed by the interesting-sounding stuff on the ardoise but limited myself to some excellent green asparagus with rocket salad and parmesan; the last scallops of the season with a classic puree and the best corals I’ve ever had; and a banana flambee, not a la Foster but in its skin – delicious and perfectly cooked. Sometime afterwards a friend of mine, who is a loyal reader of my stuff, emailed to ask if I’d ever been to Le Chalbens and if so what I thought of it.  I replied that I surely had but wondered why she hadn’t seen it nor the references to it elsewhere.  Probably because it’s not among the top three generating the buzz this spring. This is really a shame because it’s places like the Bistrot Volnay, La Grande Ourse and Le Chalbens that are the heart and soul of Parisian cooking.  For a fine meal, ranked in my top 15, look no farther. Their coordinates are: Bistro Volnay 8, Rue Volney in the 2nd (Metro: Opera) T: 01.42.61.06.65 Closed weekends Menus = menus at 24, 32 et 38 € La Grande Ourse 9 rue Georges-Sache (14th) Metro Mouton-Duvernet T: 01.40.44.67.85 Closed Sundays and Mondays Lunch formula = 18, menus 29 & 37, a la carte 35-50 E. Le Chalbens 33, rue de la Chine in the 20th (Metro: Pelleport) T: 01 40 33 48 01 Closed Sundays and Mondays 2 courses for 27 (I think), 3 for 30 €.   ©by John Talbott 2010 If you’re coming to France (or for that matter anywhere) you can reserve your hotel here. To rent a car, Bonjour Paris recommends Auto Europe.
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