The New Hot Quarters The 12th

17 December 2006 by John Talbott    447  
The twelfth arrondissement is one of those areas referred to in the Wall Street Journal article as one of the “hot new quarters,” not that it wasn’t always an interesting area.  But it has certainly undergone a renaissance recently. What I recall from my early visits to Paris was the impressive “Places,” really circles, of the Bastille and Nation as well as the expanse of the Bois de Vincennes, just adjacent to the 12th.  Back then, the entrepots of Bercy were kind of scary looking relics of a long-lost time; now, while just a few survived, it’s a great place to stroll, have a glass of wine or go to a film; but sadly none of the restos and resto chains comes close to being a destination. Again, I recall the 12th early on as the place you went to get the train south from the Gare de Lyon and Le Train Bleu used to be not only a spectacular venue but serve great food.  Nowadays, I’d recommend going across the street to an almost equally old place – Entre Les Vignes – that has recently been resuscitated but luckily its old panache and great classic cuisine have been preserved. There are a couple of strolls I am partial to.  The planted elevated promenade along the Viaduct on Avenue Daumesnil, where Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke strolled in “Before Sunset,” is neat and the walk back on the along the street by all the artisanal shops equally interesting.  If you saw the movie, there’s the implication that the Viaduct walk leads into a below the surface ex-train track path, but in fact you’ve got to do some searching and map-reading to see/find the transition; but it’s well worth it.  You’ll be almost alone and despite Paris’s existence 20 feet over your head, you’ll be almost in another world. As for museums, there’s not much.  For a while, when the wonderful old American Center and Library moved from the 7th to Bercy into a stunning Frank Gehry building, I thought things were picking up.  But they had a tendency to feature what I call (probably incorrectly, stereotypically and unpolitically correct) Whitney Biennial/LA art, e.g., strips of felt on the wall and piles of slate on the floor.  Well, they went bankrupt, despite my most generous contribution, and now it’s the reborn Maison du Cinema/Cinemateque, a sort of homage to Henri Langlois, bless him.  I’ve only been once to an exhibition there but it’s a pretty good use of the space. OK, but to the food.  One of the first really hot new places in the 12th was Au Trou Gascon where Alain Detournier, of Carré des Feuillants fame, first brought his brand of South-western cooking years ago.  If memory serves me right, it was another South-western place l’Oulette that attracted our attention and custom next.  And, ironically, one of the newest additions to the 12th is La Pibale – Club 308 that is so far Southwest it bumps into Basque cuisine. But I’m getting ahead of myself, because in the century between the Train Bleu and La Pibale, several interesting and classic places established themselves in the 12th, notably A la Biche Au Bois, that had a fantastic 120 franc menu with game on it in season, Le Quincy, that had a cote de boeuf, the patron, Bobosse himself, served, that was to die for and l’Ebauchoir, that features a rice pudding my wife Colette to this day insists I schlep back from the darkest 12th once a year.   There were also a couple of places – Le Square Trousseau and le Duc de Richelieu I had brief flings with, as well as Les Grandes Marches (under the unused steps of the Opera Bastille) that is good for a Flo-type bite to eat before the opera.  And just a few months ago, a Swedish guy from Uzes (Peter Nilsson) revived La Gazzetta, doing largely Italianate dishes which the local critics love with two exceptions. As usual here are my favorities : l’Ebauchoir 43-45 rue de Citeaux, 12th (Metro: Faidherbe Chaligny) T: 01.43.42.49.31 Closed Sunday, Monday lunch Menu at lunch 13.50 and 23 €, a la carte 35 €. Entre Les Vignes 27 ter, bd Diderot, 12th (Metro:Gare de Lyon) T:01.43.43.62.84 Closed Weekends Menu 19 €, a la carte 30 €. La Pibale/Club 308 308, rue de Charenton (Metro: Charenton) T: 01.44.75.01.55 Closed Saturday noon and Sunday and Monday nights Menus 22 (Lunch), 30 and 40 €, a la carte 45 €. Les Grandes Marches 6, pl de la Bastille (Metro: Bastille) T: 01.43.42.90.32 Open everyday Menus: 24.50 (lunch), 34.50 €, a la carte 50-60 €.   ©2006 John A. Talbott
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By John Talbott