Sous les Cerisiers

A new Parisian fusion restaurant recommended by my Tokyo friend

My friend Kyoko (actually, she is my counterpart in Tokyo) told me that a friend of hers opened a fusion restaurant in Paris. So before my trip to Japan (I leave next week), I thought I would try out the restaurant, meet Sakura (Kyoko's friend) and then report to Kyoko when I see her.

Sakura Franck is a lovely Japanese chef who is very proud of her Japanese tradition and interested in giving its products a French twist. The restaurant is beautifully designed--a long, light grey room with pink geometrical creations peeking out from the ceiling. The look is pristine and the atmosphere quite calm. The back room has two beautiful tables and every chair is dressed in a costume out of the Opera. It is quite surprising to see the chairs so elegantly dressed. The dishes in that room are also very elegant.

Sakura means cherry tree in Japanese and the French name of the restaurant means "Under the Cherry Trees". My first visit was at lunch where you may choose from three appetizers, three main courses and three desserts for a total of less than 20 euros. I started with a lovely and creamy mousse de tofu, sauce au wasabi. This was spectacular! The mousse was smooth and flavorful and the wasabi added the right amount of oomph. My main course was Supions Grillées--the fat bodies of squid simply grilled and served with a light provençale-type sauce. That was served with rice. To accompany my meal, I chose a glass of white Burgundy which was quite rich and contrasted with my food very well.

Sakura does serve tuna but she has written in her menu that the tuna she serves is not the endangered type. It is actually quite small and is very different from the red tuna that is such a controversial food item at this time.

At dinner, there are a number of menus ranging from 40 euros to about 70 euros. And there is an à la carte menu as well. A specialty is foie gras sushi. (I can't wait to go back and try that.) She also serves a variety of fish dishes creatively conceived and reflecting the two cultures. There is meat on the menu as well.

The restaurant has already had a lot of press in French and in Japanese journals, and in 5 short months, it is doing very well. I look forward to going back again soon.

Restaurant Senderens

Alain Senderens makes history by giving up his stars so as to make his art more affordable, only to be awarded with lots of new stars! See my latest review of his restaurant.

The last time I wrote about this restaurant was January 15, 2008. He is my all time favorite French chef, and I have been going to Alain Senderens' restaurants for over 30 years. I first met the great chef at his restaurant, L'Archestrate in the '70s. From there, he moved to the Place de la Madeleine, and opened the regal Lucas Carton. There I met the maître de fromage, Loic Morvan. Loic is now a good friend and also the restaurant's director. I am also friends with the chef and his wife, and know many of the wait staff and of course, the head sommelier and the maîtres d'hotel. It is funny to think of this restaurant as a little piece of home, as it is so chic and has such a long gastronomic history.

Senderens gave up his three stars several years ago. They say he wanted to work in sardines and not in truffles or foie gras. That is not entirely true as there are still luxury items on the menu, but the prices reflect a movement towards an affordable cuisine. As a result, more people can know what this chef is made of. No more 400 euro dinners, thank you. As a result, I come here for festive occasions and sometimes, just for a delicious lunch.

A couple of weeks ago, I went for a delicious lunch, and delicious it was. With my champagne, the amuse-bouche was a lovely consommé de langoustine topped with a watercress cream. After that, Loic treated me too one of the crunchy langoustines (crunchy with toasted almonds) that one dips in a special sauce. This was fabulous and next time I will order it as my appetizer.

I regret that I left my camera at home because my first dish was so beautifully presented (and so very delicious): Gnocchi d'Agria aux Truffes. And truffes there were!! 13 or more lamelles (paper-thin rounds) and truffle pieces sprinkled throughout the dish. On top was a beautiful lattice-work of crispy potato. So delicate. The sauce was lightly creamy and there were also i as a garnish. In a word, the essence of truffle for a very reasonable price. Senderens prides himself in his wine-pairings and with this dish I had a glass of Saint-Aubin "Sur Gamay" 1996 of the Domaine Louise Jadot. Not as buttery as a chardonnay and therefore contrasting well with the rich dish.

(The photos you see are actually from a dinner I had at this restaurant a year ago.)

I have had so many of Alain Senderens' main courses and today Loic suggested that I try the Cochon de Lait. The filet of pork rested atop a bed of leeks, sweet red peppers and savory peppercorns. There was a ravioli filled with the same mixture (rougail), and the dish was garnished with mango and leek. It was served with an Alsatian wine which was rather sweet and married beautifully with the dish.

For the predessert, I was served a lovely pannacotta of mango and vanilla. And for dessert, I couldn't resist the classic Mille Feuille à la Vanille. I am not a fan of creme patissière, but at this restaurant. the crème in the mille feuille is silky and delectable.

With coffee comes small chocolate tarts and cannelés bordelais. I do miss the crunchy tuiles that had big chunks of chocolate and almond in the dough, but hopefully those will come back in the future. With champagne, the meal came to about 125 euros which, for a beautiful meal from a three-star chef, is very reasonable indeed.

Grand Opening of the Carrefour Supermarket

A cocktail party to mark a neighborhood supermarket opening: a new concept in advertising with champagne and hors d'oeuvres!

Leave it to the French to throw a party. Our neighborhood supermarket shut down a couple of weeks ago to make way for a brand new Carrefour. And to inaugurate the affair, they had an invitation-only grand opening this evening. There were beautiful hors d'oeuvres of many types, but all were either fish or vegetable creations so as to be friendly to the Halal Arabs, Kosher Jews and Vegetarians in the neighborhood. The best part was the Nicholas Feuillate champagne!! After partaking, I wandered through the aisles and was pleased to notice the many brands of packaged goods, the deli cases, the caliber of the fresh foods, and Jacob's Cream Crackers which I have never seen in a French market. The prices were quite reasonable too and there was a nice selection of offerings from international cuisines. Can't wait to go tomorrow for some real shopping.

David's Visit

Three more Paris restaurants, one of which is a keeper

My brother David had business in Europe and made a short trip to Paris between meetings. Unfortunately, I could not control the weather because it was snowy and freezing everyday, but that did not stop us from dining at three disparate-level restaurants. The first is a favorite that was highly recommended by my dentist and the second were mediocre at best.

Le Bistrot de L'Alycastre was by far the best choice. I have already written about this place. The welcome is warm and the crowded restaurant is cosy. I started with simply grilled razor clams that were topped with a spicy tomato-lemon garnish and David had a carpaccio of bass that was quite delicious. Both of us had fish for our main courses. I had a dramatically presented flambée of St. Pierre subtly flavored with orange that was surprisingly delicious, and David had flaked cod served over roughly mashed potatoes with truffle oil. Both were superb. The wines by the glass were excellent as were the desserts: a fantastic dark chocolate soup (served at room temperature)garnished with whipped cream, and a lovely apricot-pistachio tart.

From there, it was downhill all the way. Our second dinner was at the much hyped highly successful Les Itineraires. I have been to this restaurant five times and have never really enjoyed my meal. You ask, why did I go back yet again? That is a good question. Everyone raves about it so much, I continue to want to give it a chance but after the recent fiasco, I will never go back. No need to write about the overly precious ultra creative dishes that we had from a quite unappealing list of choices (risotto of oysters and passion fruit??). Suffice it to say that this restaurant is wholeheartedly not recommended.

For our third dinner, we went to the Jacques Cagna La Rotisserie d'en Face. We started with delicious mache salads. I had a wonderfully-prepared grilled salmon topped with a variety of peppercorns that added zing, and David had roast chicken with mashed potatoes. The food was very good, but nothing that you could not make at home in 30 minutes. It seemed a shame to spend all that money on grandma's cuisine. Service was excellent and the atmosphere was relaxing. Next time I will be more adventuresome in my choices at this place. The desserts are wonderful.

Amici Miei

Excellent Italian restaurant just around (my) corner

It is quite amazing that I had not been to this restaurant before, as it is literally two minutes from my house and has been recommended by friends. Pizza, Pasta, Salads, Mains are all beautifully prepared and delicious. In fact, I have been twice in two weeks and am going back for dinner. The overall cuisine harkens from Sardinia with its characteristic flavorful red sauces. The pizzas remind me of the thin cracker-crusted pizzas of Rome and come with a variety of delicious toppings. I had an authentic Sardinian dish: tiny balls of semolina tossed in a seafood tomato sauce with succulent langoustines and plump sauteed mushrooms. The service is efficient and friendly. To top it off, prices are quite reasonable. This is going to be a hangout of mine from now on.

Portugal!!

A short getaway to Portugal (Lisbon and Madeira) where the food can be very good; restaurants in both destinations including regional specialties

I had a lovely week in Lisbon and Madeira. I actually went to Madeira to meet my mother who escaped to the island to get away from a New York winter. Madeira is a Portuguese island on the same latitude as Morocco and has a temperate climate all year round. However, although warm, this season was very strange and we had more rain and clouds than usual. Lisbon, usually warm, was sunny but cold. It is a charming city with beautiful castles and museums. I also visited Sintra, which is a couple of hours outside of Lisbon. Sintra is a stunner of a village and has a magnificent ancient castle with different colored stone walls.

In Lisbon, I was very disappointed with the food I had. I went to one of the only Michelin Guide one-star restaurants in town; (Eleven) and found the meal to be stilted and over-priced. One thing to beware of is the fact that anything that they put on the table is charged to your bill (including bread and the amuse-bouches that are complimentary in every other restaurant I have ever been to). When I ordered one glass of champagne, I welcomed the unsolicited refill that in Paris would have been offered. Bad news for me at the end of the meal, when I was charged for two and not one glass of champagne.

At Eleven, I started with a beautiful lobster salad garnished with mango. However, it was much too salty and therefore inedible. The main course was a very good sea bass covered with wild mushrooms and served with an herb pudding.

Belem is a small town right near Lisbon and they have the famous pasteis à la Belem. The fun part is to go to the bakery where they are sold. It is very picturesque and there are many different attractive cakes for sale. The pasteis are small tarts filled with flan that you garnish with a vanilla powdered sugar and cinnamon.

I stayed at an ultra-luxury hotel (The Lapa Palace) where I got a promotion of three nights' stay for the price of two nights. At the hotel restaurant, I did have a lovely Portuguese rosé sparkling wine called Murganheira Rosé Bruto. Although my meal was simple, it was quite good. I had a interesting codfish concoction garnished with spiced pears, followed by a beautiful Atlantic Seafood Stew full of shellfish. The coffee soufflé was excellent but too much after such a copious meal.

My third dinner in Lisbon was at a restaurant recommended by the Guide Michelin for authentic inexpensive food. Ordering the local specialty of Bacalahou a Lagareiro, I was very disappointed. It is salt cod that they forgot to wash, garnished with potatoes and onions. The fish was so salty that I could hardly eat the dish. It was covered with cilantro even though I warned against that. When I pointed it out to the waiter, he smiled and just spooned off most of the cilantro to the side of the plate!! What elegant service!

My best meal was a lunch I took at the seashore (Guincho Beach) at a restaurant called Meste Zé. I had grilled turbot, ordering precisely the number of grams I wanted. Otherwise they would have made a kilo for me and charged me over 50 euros. I admired all the lobsters and jumbo shrimp that passed me by on waiters' trays being carried to other diners. Everyone was having a good time and the food was just fine.

The town of Funchal in Madeira is tourist-oriented and has outstanding restaurants hotels.The gardens are spectacular even in the beginning of January. My mother, her assistant and friend, Marian, and I went to a French place, an Italian place, and two some Portuguese restaurants and had excellent meals. At the Cliff Bay Hotel, we dined in the restaurant: Il Gallo d'Oro. (The fancy restaurants in Madeira do not charge for amuse-bouches or bread, I am happy to say.) After some lovely amuse-bouches, I started with a Savarin of Fresh Crab garnished with smoked salmon. The dish was delicate and full of crab. My main course was turbot stuffed with fresh jumbo scallops, a sauce of Sevruga caviar and a large piece of juicy lobster tail. It was elegant, beautifully presented and just wonderful. We didn't order dessert but they did bring out the pre-dessert which was a lovely chocolate cake with chocolate leaves. This is a restaurant I would definitely go back to.

Next door to this hotel is the famous Reid's Palace. It is one of the most elegant and renowned hotels in the world. We were treated to a tour of the hotel and a visit of the Presidential Suite named after one of its inhabitants: Winston Churchill. There is also a George Bernard Shaw Presidential Suite. I could live for a few weeks in the bathroom alone, decorated with the beautiful hand-painted blue and white tiles that are so omnipresent in Portugal. We had lunch at the Poolside Restaurant and ordered the reasonably priced buffet that had a large choice of cold and hot appetizers and main courses, and beautiful desserts. They served my favorite Portuguese bread (Bolo do Kako) which is a round doughy loaf. Next door is their main restaurant, The Villa Cipriani. This restaurant was the best of the entire vacation. The pasta choices and preparations were all spectacular as were the main courses and desserts. And unlike so many restaurants of its kind in Europe and in NY, the atmosphere is very quiet, allowing for animated conversation. For a restaurant of this caliber, the prices are quite reasonable.We paid 60 euros per person for a full meals and a few glasses of wine and drinks.

The two specialties of Madeira are the Grilled Espada served with Grilled Banana, and the Espetadà Regional, which is a skewer of juicy prime beef grilled and served on a stand. You push off one piece of beef at a time. We had the beef dish at Los Combatentes in the center of Funchal, and the fish at a restaurant called O Regional. The prices were quite low in these places and service was extremely friendly.

One morning we went to a very animated market. We saw the usual vegetables, fruits, and flowers, but in the basement are all the fish displays. I love fish, but these looked really monstrous and I took a photo of the ugliest of all. Sitting on the ice, they looked pretty scary, but I am sure they are part of a wonderful regional dish.

I thoroughly enjoyed this trip and hope my mother chooses Madeira next winter!

Chic AND delicious!!

If you have a sweet tooth, this destination in central Paris should not be missed! It is a well kept secret that Pain de Sucre is one of the best boulangerie-patisseries in Paris.

I am really surprised that I am just now writing about this superb boulangerie-patisserie. It is a "Must Try" destination--and I mean right away! The two wonderful patissiers (Didier Mathray and Nathalie Robert) who opened this jewelbox of a shop about three or four years ago, (Pain de Sucre, 14 rue Rambuteau in the 3rd arrondissement) used to create the desserts at my favorite haute luxury restaurant: Pierre Gagnaire. I always looked forward to the end of the meal at Gagnaire, so as to taste these chefs' newest additions to the menu (mainly exotic chocolate soufflés were my choice but there was also a splendid dégustation of desserts). Now these geniuses of the sweet course are dazzling tout Paris with their wonderful concoctions that are not only inventive and chic but also delicious. I looked at a tarte today that looked like a classic chocolate tarte but in fact, was filled with lime custard and topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate. At Pain de Sucre, I am always curious to taste everything, and even I will dare to be inventive in my dessert choices. I have tried every different gateau that they create (changing the "collection" every season).

My favorite is Etat de Choc which is chocolate: several thin layers of smooth, dark, crunchy and lovely. They have a baba au rhum which comes with its own vial of rum syrup. The chefs also do marvelous things with herbs. I know that Romarin (rosemary) is my favorite little cake in this family. They also make verrines--little glasses layered with all sorts of lovely flavors and textures. They do use cilantro and I just stay away from those. These geniuses dare to contrast a variety flavors and herbs and the results are always stunning.

Not only are the cakes and I wonderful but all the breads are out of this world, including the buttery breakfast bread, pain de Venise. The baguettes and the pain aux cereales are also knockouts. For me, the test of a truly excellent bakery is in the baguette and these artists do not disappoint. For lunch there are a variety of rustic folded rolls filled with delicious combinations of delights such as sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, cheeses, lardons and the like.

They have also done amazing things with guimauve (which Americans turn into marshmallow) and even make different flavored guimauve lollipops coated in that dark chocolate. Please see my beautiful photos of their stellar creations and run don't walk to rue Rambuteau where you can choose among these wonderful and delicious works of art.