Sot L'y Laisse is a tender cut of chicken that the stupid throw out. This is what the phrase literally means and what the chef named his restaurant. The little bit of tender chicken is hidden in the wing. I remember the wife of a 3-star French chef explaining this to me as I asked her what it meant when I saw it on their menu.
Three months ago, Eiji Doihara (who worked at Paul Bocuse in Tokyo) opened his own restaurant on a quiet street in the 11th arrondissement. There was a buzz about it right away.
I went there for dinner with my friend, Eric, and we were able to sample a number of excellent dishes on the menu. Of course, I ordered the sot l'y laisse which were prepared in a cream sauce with wild mushrooms. Eric when for the ventreche (stomach) of albacore tuna, cooked rare and served with pesto.
I saw that there was Cote de veau de lait on the menu and I asked Eric if he would order that with me. Alas, he is not a big meat eater. I was very happy when the server told me that they could prepare the dish for one. It was fabulous: a thick chop of milk-fed veal served with gratin dauphinois, a potato dish slowly baked with cream until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown. This was a lovely dish. Eric had a lovely cabillaud dish with vegetables flavored with orange. Also on the menu was duck breast, a turbot dish and a tempting crépinette de pied de porc au foie gras et lentilles.
With our meal we were able to order glasses of wine and I chose two Burgundies: a white Macon for the first course and a red from the South of France for the veal. We felt sated after we ate the two courses, but decided to share a dessert as so many of them were appealing to us. We opted for a light compote de poires (actually a gelée of pears) with a coffee mousse. It sounds odd but it was very delicious.
The restaurant serves a reasonable three course lunch priced at 26 euros, and the menu changes with the season.
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