Le Bar à Huitres

My brother David surprised me with a morning call saying he was coming to Paris on business with a colleague. We decided meet for dinner and left it to me to find a fish restaurant near his hotel. I chose Le Bar à Huitres where I always buy oysters when I have guests.

When we hopped out of the cab in front of the restaurant, David's friend, Jon, could not hide his enthusiasm. He decided then and there that I had chosen the best restaurant for us. I reserved judgment until we actually ate the meal.

The restaurant has its own menu of Plateau de Fruits de Mer--assorted oysters and seafood on a dramatically presented platter, but I decided that we should choose for ourselves. The two men deferred to me, and I told the waiter that I would be ordering for the table. For our starter, we had three sorts of oysters: the flat belons which are redolent of the sea, the succulent speciales, which are my favorite as they are the most meaty, and the delicate fine de claires which have a green hue from the seaweed that grows among them. We also ordered a portion of wonderful pink prawns.

After that, we chose our main course and each came with its choice of garnish. Jon and I shared that magnificent fish, turbot which was simply grilled. With that we had sautéed potatoes and piperade--a Basque assortment of peppers of various colors enhanced with a bit of Espelette hot pepper. With David's wonderful lotte à la provençale came lovely French haricots verts.

Since fish is relatively light, we felt like sharing some of the tempting offerings on the dessert menu. For the table, we ordered a melting chocolate cake with dark chocolate ice cream and a wonderful sablé (buttery pastry) with fresh raspberries, whipped cream and spun sugar.

After the dinner, I could agree with Jon and say that I had chosen a great place.

Bigarrade

A spectacular gastronomic discovery of a new two-star restaurant.

My friend, Carol, came to visit me for five days from Boston. Although we have been friends since the age of 3-4, we crossed several hiatuses of not being in touch during our lives and this time, had not seen each other for 20 years. So it was a great reunion.

I had heard of a new restaurant, Bigarrade, that had received two Michelin stars in just two years. Of course, I wanted to go there and called as soon as I read about it. I had to ask them when they had free tables as there are only 20 seats in this jewel-box of a space. Luckily, one of the available dates fell when Carol was here.

The restaurant is very attractive and the staff casual and friendly. The tables are nicely spaced and one can view the activities in the kitchen, as it is in the same room. There is no menu but they do ask if there are things that you don't eat. Of course, I had called ahead about the cilantro issue.

One's only choice is between the 45 euro and the 65 euro menu--a bargain for a restaurant of this caliber. We chose the smaller menu for our lunch. I started the meal with a coupe de champagne from a small producer: Fleury Blanc de Blanc 2004. After a fresh fried anchovy amuse-bouche, we were served our first course. It knocked our socks off--simply a fried softshell crab. The French do not know about this species of shellfish and the man at the table next to us had never seen one. It was crunchy and delectable: to be eaten with your fingers.

After that came a parade of fish and seafood dishes prepared in very creative and delicious ways: squid with porcini mushrooms, green tomato and onion flowers; a succulent piece of rouget with black radish, red onion and seaweed; cabillaud (cod) with bacon attached to its topside, red Japanese shizo leaf and lime-infused oil. This was garnished with grilled spinach and salmon eggs.

With our meal, we opted for wines by the glass so that we both could choose. I had a lovely Anjou and later, a glass of Riesling which had a deep golden hue. Carol chose a Chenin Blanc.

After all the fish courses came a lovely plate of cheese: conté, fromage de chèvre with an orange confit and cumin seeds. This was wonderful.

Then came a trilogy of excellent desserts. Outstanding was the lemon cream with cauliflower. The cauliflower has a very mild taste and just adds some crunchiness to the dish. There was a small cup of pear juice with a peanut and mint in the cup; fabulous hazelnut ice cream garnished with tiny bits of sweet beet, raisins, caramelized hazelnut, and orange zests. Finally, they brought the ganache au chocolat with a small brownie garnished with a fresh raspberry and fromage blanc. I am not a fan of ultra-creative strange desserts but all of these played up the individual flavors of each part of the dish and were thoroughly enjoyable.

The restaurant is in a small space in the 17th arrondissement near metro Brochant. That is to say, it is not in the center of town. But like most Michelin 2-star restaurants, it is definitely worth the trip.

Le Bistrot du Paul Bert

A spectacular French meal with an old friend at one of my favorite neighborhood haunts.

On the day of the big strike, my old friend, Randy, and his wife Marilyn ventured to my neighborhood for a dinner date we had been planning for weeks. I had not seen Randy since 1969 but we picked up where we left off and spent a wonderful evening together. Randy asked me to choose a typically French bistrot for us. I knew that it would have to be within walking distance because there was no public transportation in Paris that night, but it was no problem to choose the marvelous Bistrot du Paul Bert which is just 20 minutes from my house.

At 8:30, the restaurant was filled with happy eaters. The atmosphere is very jovial and the service upbeat and fun. We eagerly checked out the chalkboard menu and ordered.

I started with the Feuilletée d'escargots "petits gris" aux champignons des bois and Marilyn and Randy chose the beefsteak tomato salad with red onions, red basil and Sicilian salt. Everyone was pleased with the appetizers.

For the main courses, Marilyn chose the Barbue de Guilvenec au beurre blanc et petits poireaux. (Guilvenec is on the coast of Brittany.) This is a firm white fish with a butter sauce, garnished with roasted leeks. I tried to say the same thing with my New York-style French accent, but the waitress heard me say the pavée de veau. When I thought about it, I thought that that dish sounded good, so I went for it. It was a wonderful thick slice of veal with a creamy sauce full of chanterelles, garnished with the inimitable French purée (unbeatable mashed potatoes as thick and silky as whipped cream). Randy ordered the most authentic French meal that one can in Paris: le steak-frites which this time was the excellent cut of beef known as entrecôte.

Desserts continued along the same excellent vein with the soufflé au chocolat being the stand-out: crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside and very very chocolatey. Marilyn and I were conservative in our choice of the pêches pochées au cerdon (a sparkling red wine).

The three-course menu at Bistrot du Paul Bert is a mere 32 euros but the wines are another story. The list, albeit extensive and excellent, tends towards the expensive wines. Randy asked me to choose and I found a reasonably priced Marsannay "En Montchevenoy" Charlopin Parizot 2007 from the Burgundy region.

What an excellent dinner and what a lovely evening we all spent together. We promised not to wait so long before the next time we get together!

Rome: four days in the eternal city

A review of some of the best restaurants in and around Rome.

I spent four glorious days in Rome, and thanks to my culinary critic friend, had four excellent meals. My friends, Maureen and Franco, took me to some of the best and one night, Maureen made a wonderful meal for us.

The first evening, we went to Il Pagliaccio which has two Michelin stars. Although everything was delicious, it was a little too creative for me. For example, I chose a gnocchi dish that was presented in such a way as to mask the real taste of the gnocchi. They were stuffed with sea urchin and were crispy rather than the soft succulent gnocchi I know and love. For my main course, I had guinea hen which came as a cylindrical construction filled with corn, tamarillo and earl grey-flavored grapefruit. Franco ordered a truly wonderful wine for our meal: Le Vigne de Zamo, Il Re Fosco 2008 and that was marvelous. My dessert was fine: two "cigarettes" filled with warm melted chocolate garnishing a poached pear with lemon thyme.

Maureen and I had a girls' night out the second night on the Gianiculum Hill at Antico Arco. I had been to this creative trattoria before, and couldn't wait to return. It was wonderful. Everything was well-prepared and recognizable. I started with spaghetti coated in a spicy cacio (cheese) sauce that was absolutely delicious. The restaurant serves small portions of what your companion orders so that you can taste everything. Maureen's Fettucine al Farro (a grain) with porcini mushrooms and grated sausage was also excellent.

For my main course, I ordered a gallinella (a firm white fish) with asparagus in a light cream sauce. It was a winner.

Throwing caution to the winds, I ordered dessert: a very rich and wonderful tortino al cioccolato with rum ice cream. This was a warm chocolate cake with a soft interior and one of my favorite sweets. I love this restaurant and will happily return.

The next night, Maureen decided to make us a simple dinner at home: trofie al pesto and a wonderful insalata alla Caprese. Two beautiful and delicious dishes. Trofie are braided short pasta from the region around Parma. The dish includes potatoes and green beans. I first learned about it from an American vegetarian cookbook! The insalata was simply gorgeous.

On my last day, we took a drive to Fiumicino (that is the town where the airport sits). It is also a village on the Mediterranean with a lovely port. The main draw for us is the wonderful Ristorante Pascucci al Porticciolo.--a spectacular seafood restaurant. We all ordered the superb tasting menu.

After the stuzzichino (amuse-bouche) of raw marinated mackerel, we had the first course: crudo di mare: a panoply of raw fish including scampi, caviar, rouget and a tartare of swordfish. This was an elegant and tasty dish.

Next came the signature calamari fritti al composta di arancia e cipolla: fried calamari to dip in an onion-orange garnish. The calamari were tender and not at all greasy and the sauce introduced a tangy and sweet flavor to the dish. Wonderful!

Next was an beautiful pasta dish: Maltagliati di grano Saraceno alla paranzella con vongole zucchine e bottarga (see photo). This is a postage stamp-shaped grain pasta with clams, zucchini and a pressed fish egg concoction that was shaved on the plate. Maureen suggested we mix in the bottarga to get the full flavor of the sea. This was an interesting and savory dish.

The main course was Arrosto di mazzancelle con finocchi al limone polvare di zenzera et liquirizia: huge roasted scampi in the shell with fennel, pulverized lemon, ginger and anise (licorice). Such an elegant and flavorful dish. There were four large scampi garnished in a very creative and pleasing way.

We all chose the Fichi rossi caramellati in forno al rosmarino, sorbetti di fichi e marsala de Batoli for our final course. This is roasted caramelized red figs with rosemary, fig sorbet and Marsala wine. Franco thought that the dish would have been better with a sweet wine and I must agree. However, it was very good even with the spicy Marsala.

After such a big meal, we took a short walk along the port and then slowly made it back to Rome.

Arpège

A truly memorable experience at a three-star restaurant which has been a temple of creative cuisine for many years.

For restaurants in France, the Guide Michelin is my bible. Every restaurant in it is one that the inspectors (who always dine in cognito) have approved. In other words, they refrain from listing a place that is not acceptable. The coveted stars ensure a restaurant's future and the Bib Gourmands are also tried and true indicators of places to seek out.

About a month before visiting Paris from Tokyo, my friend, Noriko contacts me so that we can make a plan to go to a grand restaurant--meaning one with stars and/or a great reputation. We have been to many together but today's experience was particularly memorable. It sparkled in the way I want a restaurant of this caliber to sparkle.

Alain Passard was the main chef for Alain Senderens for many years in the latter's restaurant L'Archestrate. Senderens had three stars for many many years and finally decided to move to bigger quarters. When this happened, Passard took over L'Archestrate, had it totally redesigned and opened it as Arpège. He was immediately rewarded stars, and 10-15 years ago, received his third.

Passard is an extremely creative and innovative chef and has developed a passion for vegetables. For our lunch at Arpège today, we chose the vegetable tasting that is representative of his art. Also on that menu is a choice of either fish (today's choice was poached lotte) or fowl (pigeon today). Noriko and I both chose the lotte but, in fact, when the restaurant began its parade of gâteries (treats) we were able to taste the pigeon as well.

The vegetable menu was fresh, original and delicious. During the meal, I remarked to Noriko that this really was a one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience. I never would have thought that vegetables could be so lovingly prepared and that new combinations of them could be so remarkable and so tasty.

With our aperitif came a bit of beet that had been roasted in a salt crust and served with a caviar of blackberries. The sweetness of the beet and the berries contrasted exquisitely with the salt. A simple mesclun salad came with a bit of sweet praline sauce and slivers of parmesan and that too made for a superb combination of salt, sweet and savory.

There was a wonderful green tomato gazpacho that had a scoop of celeri-rave/mustard ice cream: splendid. Light vegetable ravioli were each stuffed with something different and equally textured and wonderful. There was a gratin of red onions that was enhanced with lemon zest and black peppercorns. The onions became caramelized and so added a bit of sweetness whereas the pepper corns added savoriness and the lemon tartness.

Passard's signature vegetable dish was a medley of fresh vegetables (baby carrots, white asparagus, tiny grape tomatoes, cabbage, turnip, etc. etc.) each of which had been cooked separately and upon which was strewn semolina. The semolina added a bit of depth and consistency to what would have otherwise been a more pedestrian plate of vegetables. This dish was truly spectacular.

Passard has so much respect for vegetables and with his creative hand, transforms them so that they are definitely the stars of the show.

As time went on, we were regaled with other vegetable dishes that were not on our menu but were equally lovely. It seemed that we had gone to heaven!

For the main courses, we had both the lotte, which came in a light vin jaune cream sauce with smoked potatoes and crunchy fresh cabbage and the pigeon which was roasted in herbs and served with a smoked eggplant caviar. Although we didn't order both dishes, the staff wanted us to taste them both. And they were sublime.

We chose wisely when it came to the cheese cart as we were already quite full and had our dessert to anticipate. I had a three-year-old conté and a chèvre and tried something wonderful called the Tommette de Lorraine. The delicious bread also came with an irresistible butter that definitely held its own.

I don't know how to describe the three wonders that were our desserts. First was the tarte aux pommes "Bouquet" de roses with a caramel sauce made of salt butter. The "roses" that comprised the tart were basically apple ribbons that had been made into the shape of roses. The picture explains it better than I do. I thought that our meal was over, but then, one of the servers came out with a table to prepare our next dessert: the tomate confite aux 12 saveurs servie avec une glace mélisse.. This is a candied tomato in a very flavorful sauce served with a sublime herbal ice cream. The tomato is actually a ball of diced pieces of vegetables and tomato covered with the candied tomato skin.

Before our coffee, the server asked if we wanted to taste le millefeuille--an offer we could not refuse. This was layers of flakey pastry and in between the layers were plums and blackberries--no heavy crème patissière (the part of the millefeuille that I particularly don't like).

Noriko and I spent 3 1/2 memorable hours at our table tasting dish after dish of edible jewels. It truly was a luncheon I will never forget.

Le Bib Gourmand

A review of Le Troquet--a Basque restaurant in Paris that has the coveted Bib Gourmand in the Guide Michelin.

What exactly is Le Bib Gourmand? It is a notation much like the Michelin star that identifies a bistrot of outstanding quality where you will get a terrific meal at a reasonable price. I always look out for the little smiley Michelin man's head that is that symbol. I am rarely disappointed.

Eric took me to Le Troquet (a Bib Gourmand restaurant) in the 15th arrondissement to belatedly celebrate my birthday. Arriving on one of the first days after les grandes vacances (summer vacation), we were surprised to find a full and bustling restaurant at the early hour of 8:30. I thought to myself that many people had found the secret of this little hole in the wall and I was even more excited to check out the menu.

Le Troquet has a menu dégustation for 40 euros and a three course meal for 32 euros. Le menu dégustation consists of six small dishes representative of the chef's talents: 2 appetizers, a fish dish, a meat dish, cheese and dessert--all chosen from the à la carte menu. Everyone at the table must agree to choose this formula.

We decided to go for three courses and ordered many of the same things. First was a luscious dish of marinated salmon with red cabbage and fresh pistachios garnished with crème fraîche. Following this wonderful beginning, we each ordered a poached fish with sauce vierge--a sauce of capers and diced vegetables. Eric's dorade royale came with a purée of celeri rave (celery root) and my filet de bar was delicious without an accompaniment.

To end our wonderful meal, we each chose the panna cotta with a marmelade de pêches et d'abricots. This was a sensational ending to a perfect meal.

Many of the restaurant's offerings reflect the Basque roots of the chef. Charcuterie is well-represented as are regional aperitifs and wines and the delicious gateau Basque. What seems to be missing are the Basque peppers which you will find on every menu in the south.

We happily munched on our bit of Basque cake as we enjoyed our coffee at the end of the meal.

Once again, the Guide Michelin came through.

La cuisine est mon violon d'Ingres

A visit to a Parisian classic, Le Violon d'Ingres, that has evolved over the years and proves itself again and again.

The story has it that the painter, Ingres was enthralled with the violin. So when French people talk about their hobby or passion, they say that it is their violin d'Ingres. Such a lovely way to characterize a rather mondaine concept. My passion is definitely cooking, food and restaurants and the chef, Christian Constant was thinking the same thing when he opened his restaurant, Le Violon d'Ingres on the rue St. Dominique.

I decided to take two friends who had just arrived from Japan to lunch at this lovely restaurant. Their luggage in the cloak room, we sat and ate and talked. Le Violon offers a 30-euro 3-course lunch during the week but if you don't like the choices, you will find many on the à la carte menu.

After our celebratory Taittinger coupes de champagne, we studied the menu and decided to go for the à la carte main course offerings and dessert if we had room.

Toshio chose the grilled Acquitaine beef that was garnished with a wonderful macaroni and cheese (gratin de macaronis). Yuko chose the grilled selle d'agneau with provençale vegetables and I had a wonderful open raviolo that was filled with Breton lobster, girolles and fevettes (chanterelles and fresh lima beans). Every dish was a winner.

With my dish, I wisely chose a glass of Chablis, but as my friends were completely jet-lagged, they decided to stick with their glass of champagne.

Desserts were wonderful but after a copious main course, we chose from the more light offerings. I had a pêche melba of pêches de vigne (do we have them in the US?) They are purpley-red peaches. This melba was served with a lovely violet ice cream. Toshio had some home made raspberry sorbet.

The service in this fine restaurant was excellent and our server was very helpful with my friends' luggage as well as making sure that they got into their taxi headed for their next next stop (La Gare du Nord for the train to Brussels).

Constant is an historic contemporary chef. Those he has trained have gone off to start a young chef revolution in Paris and he himself has two one-star restaurants and two excellent bistrots on the rue St. Dominique.
He has devoted his life to changing the face of French cuisine into a continually evolving phenomenon with an attention to fresh ingredients and low-cost preparations.