Le Pre Verre: A very creative bistrot in the Latin Quarter

I went to Le Pre Verre a few years ago but have heard that the cuisine has evolved into something more creative. So, when John and Onil told me that they would be spending a few days in Paris, I thought that this would be the place for us to try.

When we go to restaurants, we all choose something different so as to be able to taste as many of the restaurant's dishes as possible. The appetizers were all very tempting. Onil chose the most successful of them: grilled watermelon and stewed eggplant with braised shallots and pink curry,

a sensational dish. I ordered red pepper-raspberry gaspacho which was stunning and John had an excellent Marinated sardines with a layer of jellied vegetables. Each of these were light introductions to our lovely meal.

For the main courses, I chose the Fricassee of chicken with avocado served under a blanket of arugala salad.

John chose the succulent Swordfish coated in poppy seed and garnished with artichoke hearts and served with artichoke purée and tomato coulis,

and Onil chose the Calves Liver with a coffee vinaigrette and sweet potato.

We agreed that each dish was beautifully conceived and excellent on the palate.

The food is creative without being off the wall.

With our meal, I chose a very nice, moderately priced Crozes Hermitages from Domaine des Entrefaux.

The menu is a mere 30 euros for three courses. The à la carte menu comes to the same for just two courses, so it made sense to try three desserts. I had the Truffade de Chocolat Noir with a molasses ice cream and crème anglaise--very rich.

John chose a light dish of strawberries with parsley ice cream.

Onil's choice was a Clafoutis of raspberries and yellow peppers--very successful and interesting.

We didn't order coffee but there was a post-dessert: small chocolate pots de crème flavored with star anise.

Le Pre Verre is always bustling and always packed. One must reserve a few days in advance. Service is very pleasant and casual and the food is always delicious and creatively conceived. Lunch is half the price of dinner for a smaller menu.

The pleasure of dining at a three-star restaurant in France

I take a journey to the Aveyron, in the center of France, to dine at Bras--the wonderful restaurant of Michel and Sebastien Bras.

Many years ago, before I moved to France, I read an article in the New York Times about Michel Bras. At that time, he was considered a remarkable chef who cultivated gardens and picked his own flowers and herbs every morning to use in his creations. His restaurant, Michel Bras, was only open 6 months a year as it is in a very out of the way place and would not attract visitors during the cold winter months. Nevertheless, he received two Michelin stars quite quickly and then, remarkably, a third about 13 years ago. Over the past 15 years, his son, Sebastien, has joined him in the kitchen and now they are both recognized as the executive chefs.

Michel, the father, continues to pick his herbs and flowers and they are used in all his dishes, but in one signature dish especially: Le gargouillou, which is a salad which combines these herbs and flowers along with warm and cold vegetables.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

To get there involves plane ride to Rodez, and an hour's drive to Laguiole . I arrived just at lunch time and asked to see Michel, the father. (I had seen a documentary about the restaurant and wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed it. I had also come to the restaurant for a second time to make sure that I could once again sample his wonderful food.) The Auvergne people are known for their accueuil (warm welcome). No, Michel was not there, they said, but did I want to meet Sebastien? To my surprise, I was immediately ushered into the kitchen just as the staff was gearing up for lunch:

What an honor to meet this creative and kind man.

Before I chose my menu, I took the apéritif in the front room, where I could peruse the menus. With my Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut champagne was served a number of amuse-bouches. My favorite was the oeuf coque avec ses mouillettes aux épices. This herb-seasoned soft boiled egg came with wonderful toast rectangles that one dips in the egg. It was sensational. There was also a lovely tarte aux cèpes.

Everyone chose La Balade as the menu dégustation, as this menu consists of many of the chefs' most exemplary dishes.

I started with the afore-mentioned gargouillou which is a brilliant and delicious take on a vegetable salad. To start my menu, I chose a 1/2 bottle of Puligny Montrachet J.M. Boillot 2006, a truly excellent choice.

Next came the Turbot with eggplant and a sauce of sweet peppers and anchovies,

followed by La tranche de foie de canard poêlée served with cherries, fennel and seasoned with fresh thyme. And lastly (with my white wine), were Les cèbes de Lezignac, les truffes de Coprégnac en tarte: a vegetable tart with summer truffles and spring onions.

A simple and delicious piece of selle d'agneau rôtie sur l'os followed, garnished with beefsteak tomato, bok choy, basil, chanterelles and figs.

I accompanied this with my second 1/2 bottle of wine, this time a red: Gevrey Chambertin Charlopin Parizot, vieilles vignes, 2004.

Next came one of my favorite dishes, and one that is always welcome on a table in the Auvergne region of France: L'aligot. This is a mashed potato dish with so much tomme d'Auvergne (a sharp cheese), butter and cream that it becomes elastic and sticks to the spoon. It is comfort food to the nth degree:

My server suggested that I accompany my cheese course with some of my white wine. Many wine connoisseurs also prefer whites to red with cheese and in this case, it was an excellent recommendation as the white wine was flavorful enough to stand up to the cheeses.

For desserts, there were many: Le biscuit tiède a la pulpe de rhubarbe with a strawberry sorbet and the sweet wine, Banyuls. The tart was dusted with citrus fruit bits. This was a lovely dessert.

There was also a cherry sorbet with a financier (an almond cake) flavored with olive oil and spices.

And then there was the ice cream tasting:

Verbena mousse, almond milk ice cream, peach sorbet, juniper berry ice cream, chocolate-basil sorbet.

The sweet plain cake, Le fouasse was served in a dramatic and creative way. It was toasted and flavored with honey and wrapped around a stand:

Unlike the cuisine of Thierry Marx, which is ultra-modern, this might be termed as Cuisine Française Classique. That is not to say that it is full of heavy cream sauces. In general, however, if well done, it does mean delicious. And this meal was, for me, one of the most delicious and beautiful meals I ever had the pleasure to savor.

Molecular Cuisine à la Française

Birthday dinner at a new two-star restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel

A few weeks ago, I invited several friends to celebrate an important birthday with me. One of the first chefs I ever wrote about on this blog, M. Thierry Marx, had moved from Pauillac to wow the Parisians with his own rendition of molecular cuisine at the sparking new restaurant Sur Mesure at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Eric, Gaby, and Adriana accompanied me on this exciting journey to the cutting edge of French cooking.

M. Marx has spent a lot of time in Japan, and this is reflected in his art. His creations are beautifully presented jewels, artfully composed and delicious.

The restaurant itself is stunning and the service impeccable. The space is organized into little alcoves, with the result that each tables feels like it is in its own little quiet restaurant. This is a modified version of the Japanese kai-seki restaurant that provides private rooms for its customers. For this important evening, my friends let me be in charge and so I chose the Menu Degustation 9 Plats (nine dishes tasting menu) for all of us. We each had choices though: in several of the appetizers, the main course and one of the desserts.

There were the lovely Escargots/ravioles végétales/pulpe piperade/pain croustillant: an extemely creative snail dish.

These were little crunchy snail fritters dusted with toast and served with intensely- green raviolis made entirely of vegetables and accompanied with the line of bright red pepper pulp. Sensational!

A signature dish is the heavenly risotto and this evening they served the risotto de soja aux huîtres/truffe noir. This was a dish of a heavenly sauce that was crunchy but not with rice: with soybean sprouts! It was garnished with black truffles and is one of the best dishes any of us had ever had. So inventive, so sublime and so surprising.

For the fish course, there was a choice of Homard aux cerises/vieux Balsamique (which I chose, being the most adventuresome)

or Turbot de Bretagne, gross pièce/couteaux/dentelles d'encre

Couteaux means knife and this dish is a wonderful large piece of turbot (my favorite white fish) served with the couteaux (a long slim shellfish served in its shell) garnished with squid ink lace. This was a very sexy dish.

We all chose different main courses: Canard des immortels/oignons nouveaux/figues--that is, duck with figs and sautèed baby onions

Boeuf charbon/réglisse/laqué de petits pois/lard de Colonnata: beautifully grilled beef, a subtle licorice flavor, a layer of snow pea coulis, and fine Italian ham

Pluma caramélisée/pomme et ananas acidulés: Caramelized pork with tart apple and pineapple.

These dishes were all gorgeous to view and to eat.

Such a stellar meal begged to be accompanied with stellar wines. Before we left for the restaurant, I served a Bollinger Grand Année 2002 champagne, so we were well "apéritifed" when we arrived. And then, with most of our meal, we had a wonderful Puligny Montrachet, Louis Carillon 2009. For the meat courses, each of us had a different glass of red: Priorat GV5 2007 from Spain for the duck, a wonderful Burgundy Volnay Boillot 2009 with the beef, and a delicious Languedoc Domaine de Montcalmès 2008 with the pork.

Desserts seemed to come without end. First there was a traditionally modern Japanese bento:

with a variety of chocolate tarts, fruit and cream tarts, and ylang ylang (an exotic flower) ice cream....and....

Fraise/litchi (strawberry and litchi with a beautiful interesting tuile with rosemary)

Miroir cassis

Abricot juste poché/crème Madame

These were three different fruit desserts that we had chosen at the start of the meal.

And then there were the little ice cream cones...

For Happy Birthday:

And chocolates....

And the four of us....

None of us will ever forget this beautiful evening. For once (after El Bulli) I found a sampling of molecular cuisine that speaks to me. Not only dramatic in presentation but beautiful and delicious in execution. I had had another excellent molecular meal at the first Thierry Marx, and am glad to see that he is keeping up with such a fine display of his ultra-modern art.

L'Affriolé and Le Comptoir: Two Little Jewels in Paris

Two well known and wonderful Parisian Bistrots where you can get an excellent meal without spending too much

I can always count on my dentist to steer me in the right direction. Affriolé,
on a quiet street in the 7ème arrondissement is a wonderful little bistrot where you can get a delicious meal for about 35 euros (not including beverages). Not only that, but the staff is just lovely and the setting warm and cozy albeit modern.

I met my friend Claude there, and we embarked on a gastronomic journey that ended in total delight. Claude had a beautiful ballotine de rattes et saumon fumé which looked like round, pink tart. (Rattes are small potatoes.) I started with another beautiful dish: Gaspacho de Tomates et Pastèque et un verre de jambon nappé de chantilly. I was presented with two small glasses: one with the heavenly and fresh gaspacho with watermelon, and a second glass with cubes of ham topped with a light serving of whipped cream. A very interesting and successful combination.

For our main courses, I chose grilled daurade (which is a white fish) served with sautéed cèpes. I love sautéed mushrooms of any type and this was the high season for the cèpes. Claude chose the Foie de veau sauté aux carottes et aux betteraves. (Betteraves are beets.) This was another presentation of two glasses--one with beautifully prepared cubes of calves' liver

and the other with the orange and red vegetables.

In the vegetable glass there were also red and green grapes.

We each chose a glass of wine to go with our meal and both of our main courses were delicious.

As this was lunch, we decided against dessert. I could not help but be a bit disappointed. However, I know that I will return and will definitely try one of the many of the desserts offered.

Le Comptoir du Relais is in the 6ème arrondissement at the bustling Place d'Odéon. One must reserve six months in advance for the excellent prix fixe dinner (they save many tables for the hotel guests next door) and have gone on the fly for lunch where the restaurant serves a long list of brasserie items, specializing in meats from the southern provinces of France. Both choices are great. I have already written about the more formal dinner.

At lunch, it is good to get there late because between 11:30-1:30, the place is mobbed and there won't be a table. This time I went after 3 and sat right down at a table in a very crowded restaurant. The menu is comprised of appetizers, salads (ranging from a very expensive lobster salad to a smoked chicken or a vegetable salad), sandwiches (croque monsieur au saumon, for example), and hot dishes. The desserts are superb.

I steered away from the rich patés and beef cheek or pig's feet dishes, and also of the creamy brandade de morue (mixture of mashed potatoes, cream and cod), or the grilled chicken with mashed potatoes, and went straight to the fish.

There is always a just-cooked thick tuna steak and that is a great choice, but this time I saw a new item on the menu: sashimi de thon rouge , pois gourmands et sesame, mousse de wasabi

At first glance, I thought that the waiter had mixed up my order and served me someone's dessert, but upon closer look, I saw that the glistening red tuna was standing on its side and hugging the vegetable stuffing, making it look like a cake under its foam topping.

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As you can see, I took a photograph of the dish I was presented and what I found inside. It was light, savory and just perfect with the right balance of wasabi, sesame and soy to marry beautifully with the fresh tuna.

I was glad that I had planned for dessert. I love their panna cotta, which is creamy and always napped with a wonderful compote of fruit. The baba au rhum is spectacular as is their chocolate tart. This time, however, I chose le petit pot au chocolat napped with a crème anglaise. Very rich and perfect for any tried-and-true chocoholic like myself.

With an excellent glass of wine (there is a very long and extensive wine list) and coffee, such a meal comes to 35 euros. You can spend a lot more or a lot less. Next door is a tapas bar that is always full, and there is also a window for phenomenal crèpes to go. That is going to be another stop in my eating itinerary.

Kyo Ya: Seasonal Kaiseki Cuisine in Lower Manhattan

My cousins, Jenny and Hilly, accompanied me to Kyo ya--recently reviewed in the New York Times. We sat at the counter from where we could see what the chef, Sono Chikara, was doing and ask him questions. Known for his seasonal omakase, we decided that for our first time, we would order a la carte. At the end of a memorable meal, we also promised each other to return for the omakase the next time I am in NY.

After placing our order, the wait person suggested his favorite sake to us. It was excellent. It was a Chrysanthemum Mist Junmai and we enjoyed it very much. We also were shown the obligatory dish of various small sake cups from which we made our individual choices.






Oshizushi or pressed sushi is a specialty here and we chose the best one: mackerel. They were saving the mackerel for omakase clients and so served us soy marinated Canadian salmon with various toppings It was not only beautiful but delightful to eat.




We shared everything we ordered and chose 10 different items, mostly from the appetizers with one main course and a rice dish. I had never had many of the things we ordered and was pleasantly surprised by everything. Shiokara is cured seasonal seafood to be eating with sake. The Yuba and Uni Yoshino Style was unusual. I love yuba (a particular presentation of tofu) but was a bit disappointed with the consistency of what they served that evening. Maybe it is the Yoshino Style that I didn't like.

We had a cold duck salad, but most of our dishes were either fish or vegetables. Everything was exciting to look at and delicious to eat. We had a crab dish with vegetables with which we were presented with a hot grill. It was our job to grill each of the components and then dip the cooked food into an accompanying sauce. This is takenoko (Bamboo) season and we also that vegetable grilled. It was served over small stones and brought back memories of Japan in the spring. Sweet Potato Tempura is something I first had in Tokyo. It is more flavorful than the lowly white potato and the tempura enhanced the flavor even more.






So many restaurants make black cod with miso glaze but I had heard that the preparation at Kyo ya was like no other. The cod is marinated in Tsubu Miso and then broiled. It is a very savory and light dish.




I am partial to the movie, Green Tea and Rice that was made in the '40's by the great Japanese director, Ozu. In it, a couple that has drifted apart reconcile one night while they enjoy a dish they each remember from childhood. When I saw that dish on the menu, I convinced my friends to order that as our rice dish. Such an interesting and unusual presentation. This dish comes straight out of grandma's collection of recipes, and is especially enjoyed by young children. At Kyo ya, they combine red snapper and rice in a bowl. It is our job to pour hot green tea over the rice and fish, and zoop it up with a ladle-like spoon.This Chazuke was an excellent end to a spectacular meal. Please note that Hilary Peltz was a great help with the photography.

Two Great Osteria in LA

I report on two upscale Italian restaurants--each with its own excellent reputation: Angelini Osteria and Osteria Mozza. Of the two, Mozza is more famous and it's more difficult to get a reservation there. I preferred Angelini far and away...


When I am in LA, I stay with my friends, Joel and Rusty. To show my appreciation we choose a great restaurant for me to take them to. This year it was Osteria Angelini: a small, unassuming restaurant with reputation for spectacular food.

A short bus ride from West Hollywood, Angelini's doors open to a festive and very spare restaurant with tables crammed in every which way. The wait staff is very Italian and very friendly. I was taken with the spectacle surrounding the fish baked in a salt crust. I had never seen a more beautifully conceived presentation, and I decided that we would have to have that.

Although we are not big eaters, we love to eat good food. We decided to share three dishes: Mussels and Clams alla Tarantina (with spicy tomato sauce and garlic); Hommade Spaghetti Chitarra alla Norcina with Black Truffles, Sausage, Parmigiano Reggiano; Whole Branzino Roasted in Sea Salt with Aromatic Herbs.






Everything was superb: flavorful and lovingly prepared and, of course, delicious. The chitarra are difficult to make. Apparently, they are rolled out and forced through what looks like guitar strings. As a result they have square sides rather than the round tubes that normal spaghetti has. Their sauce was spectacular. The fish was also an excellent dish. The salt crush ensures the natural juiciness of the flesh.

I love Italian red wines and despite the fact that there were two fish on our menu, we chose the Barbara d'Alba 2008 Vigna Martina, Elio Grasso.

Ready for the dessert course, we also shared and decided to get the two desserts that looked most appealing: Apple Tart all a Milanese with Vanilla Gelato; Crostata di Cioccolato with Coffee Cream and Hazelnut Gelato.






For me, this was a perfect meal. Sharing enabled us to taste a number of dishes and at the end, we were not too full.

Osteria Mozza was a grave disappointment. I love Pizzeria Mozza next door and have only heard raves about the food at the osteria. They have a pasta tasting and we should have chosen that. The pastas we did order were excellent: Veal Agnolotti, burro e salvia; Squid Ink Chitarra Freddi with Dungeness crab, sea urchin and jalapeño. But the main courses were awful: Ugly to look at and rather fatty. My friend ordered roast duck and I chose the guinea hen. We each love the meats we chose until we looked at what was served to us!






The sommelier proposed our wines to us, and I also didn't like her choices but wasn't in the mood to complain. Until we arrived at the desserts (the famous warm Bombolini with Huckleberry Marmelatta and Lemon Marscapone with gelato al vanilla), I was quite dissatisfied. I think I'll stick with Pizzeria Mozza.

Food Trucks in Paris

Report on the latest Americanization of French customs: Food Trucks in Paris!

After reading an article and viewing a video from the New York Times about the new food truck phenomenon in Paris: http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/06/03/dining/100000001572386/a-food-truck-takes-paris-.html, I had to go to try one out for myself. Cantine California is run by a French man who has lived in the states and recently moved to Paris from LA. He brought is know-how with tacos and hamburgers with him and in one month, parked at two different outdoor markets, he has his enthusiastic clientele.




I had been surfing the weather channel for days and was lucky that Wednesday was relatively fair. The truck is at the Marché St Honoré on Wednesdays and Saturdays and that particular market is convenient for me. I arrived at about 12:30pm and there was a long line of patient and cheerful hungry patrons. Some French people are hesitant to brave messy food where the possibility of tables and knives and forks is dubious. They checked out the situation and opted for the various cafes that border the market. Although there were French people on the line, I heard a lot of American and British accents.

Since it was my first visit, I chose the Cali-Burger: cheddar cheese, avocado, crisp bacon, caramelized onions and red onions with the special sauce (ketchup mixed with mayonnaise) and frites. I had read that the bun was specially chosen from an Arab bakery in the 18th arrondissement: part brioche, part hamburger bun. The meat is faux-filet (an excellent cut) that they grind daily.

The wait to order was 1/2 hour and the wait to get the food was about 15 minutes. I was lucky to get one of the tall table-stools (there are three at this stand) and so I happily consumed my burger like a person.



It's a messy deal but it is delicious. Every ingredient is of the highest quality and each component is delicious in itself and excellent as a combination. I would give the fries a B- though. They were just not at all crispy. P.S. I ate the whole burger.

The Cantine California is at the Marché St. Honoré on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and at the Marché Raspail on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No markets are open on Monday but I heard the owner say that the truck was there. I'm looking forward to returning with friends for the soft taco.