Back in Paris: Abri, La Dame de Pic

My friend, Gaby, was planning to go out of town when she learned that her house sitter would not be coming. She contacted me in Provincetown and I offered to take over and care for her precious cat, Nera, since I would be back in Paris before Gaby left. Gaby usually likes to have someone live in the apartment while she is away and as I live downstairs, we decided that I would spend time daily with Nera and that would be fine for the two weeks of her absence.

Apparently, I did a good job and, and to thank me, Gaby invited me to a wonderful lunch at a tiny new restaurant called Abri. I'll start out by saying that I was extremely impressed and to my dismay, found that getting a dinner reservation there requires quite a lot of planning as it is a tiny pearl of a restaurant with about 9 tables.

The staff and chefs at Abri are Japanese and the food is French fusion. The menu is a surprise and there is no choice (although you do choose your main course). Before you are served they ask if you do not eat a particular food. With me it is always cilantro.

Different people in the restaurant are served different dishes. We started with a dish of squid rings, artichoke purée, and morel mushrooms which I love and which were in season. Next came gnocchi maison (home made) with a purée of white asparagus, grilled parmesan, and onion flowers.

We each chose a different main course so that we could taste each other's. There was lieu jaune (a delicate white fish) with a coconut milk emulsion, citronella and spring vegetables

and a juicy piece of roast lamb with broccoli rabe flowers and delicious rich potato purée.

We saw that they were serving both a dark chocolate and an apple dessert and requested one of each. They told us that that was not possible. I found that to be an annoying and senseless policy.

So we both got the apple dessert which I had requested. They called it a millefeuille de pomme à la glace vanille.

It was a wonderful end to a superb meal. Dinner is inexpensive and quite copious. I can't wait to go with a different special friend.

For my birthday, I always invite someone or some people to a great restaurant. I chose La Dame de Pic this time. Sophie Pic, the daughter of Jacques, fabled chef, was the first woman to get three stars for her Restaurant Pic in Valence. She continues to create her food there and also to run a cooking school. This year, she opened a nice place in central Paris and within months, was awarded one star.

The restaurant is quite large with different alcoves so you don't feel that you are part of a mass of people. They have a strange process of handing out perfumed papers and asking you which you like the best. One of the three aromas goes with one of the three menus suggested. Usually the aroma you choose as your favorite is also the menu you prefer. It almost worked that way for us, but I wanted to switch my first course and that was fine. Each of the three menus proposed is a five course dinner.

As our amuse-bouche, we had a lovely gaspacho de melon, mousse de chèvre frais, cafe Blue Mountain.

The name of my preferred menu was Agrumes Aromatiques (aromatic citrus fruits), and Gaby's was Terre Epicée (spiced land or soil). I chose my first course from Gaby's menu.

We started with Le Petit Pois which was served in a cold soup flavored with vanilla and bergamote (a citrus flavor).

I love fresh peas in season and this lovely cold soup was a marvel.

Next Gaby got the beautiful Oeuf Mollet (lightly baked egg) with tomatoes tricolors, chutney de tomate, café Blue Mountain, safran. Blue Mountain coffee seems to be a favorite condiment here.

I had the Rouget de Mediterranée, baies rose, citro kabosu (some type of lemon).

For our main courses: Gaby had the Pièce de Veau, lard de colonnata, safran, pissaladière avec une purée aromatisee . The veal is served with a bit of Italian ham, as well as a provençale tart of parsley and garlic.

I had La canette de la ferme de ciels, suprême fumé, navets, combava (an exotic vegetable).

We both loved our dishes and tasted each other's.

Desserts were Baba au Rhum (Gaby) (three tiny babas in a strawberry sauce) and Le Citron de Menton (a lovely lemon tart with Menton lemon). They were both delicious.

After dessert came the requisite mignardises of delicious tiny chocolate cakes and lemon tartelettes.

I really loved the food and enjoyed the service and the decor. I was puzzled by the introduction of the perfumed samples though. To me, it was a pretentious gimmick in the name of originality.