Quoi de neuf à Paris? Recommended Restaurants and Food Events

10 September 2019 by Margaret Kemp    4389  
Quoi de neuf à Paris? Recommended Restaurants and Food Events
Margaret Kemp
By Margaret Kemp
“Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.” –Mark Twain RECH (since 1925) Alain Ducasse and Jacques Maximin, a friendship of thirty years. So, at the invitation of Monsieur Ducasse, chef Maximin will helm Rech, one of the finest fish restaurants in town. “The market dictates what we’ll put on the menu,” explain Maximin and Executive chef Hiroyuki Kanazawa. From the tiny, first floor, open kitchen they’re sending out fish, seafood and huge silver platters of coquillages and crustacés from the Atlantic and Mediterranean – and rest assured everything’s super sustainably harvested. Created by Adrien Rech in 1925, the address became what the French call an “institution”– the only place to eat fish and seafood while greeting like-minded friends. Three signature dishes saw them coming back: La raie aux câpres, Le Camembert, and the Giant Éclair, still on the menu today. Eat on the terrace, the ground floor bar/brasserie or climb the stairs to the bright white space, “inspired by a bistro I discovered in Santa Monica”, admits Monsieur Ducasse. The walls are punctuated with “Banc d’Anchois” extraordinary art work, by Brittany based painter Jean-Pierre Guilleron, using the Japanese technique “gyotaku”. Drink Champagne Brut Alain Ducasse, “Clos Capelune” Château Saint Maur, Côtes de Provence, 2018 and/or “Cuvée Columelle” Domaine Richeaume I.G.P Méditerranée 2014 chosen by “Mr Wine” Gérard Margeon and presented with panache by directeur du salle Frederic Vandenelsken. MOF chef Maximin recommends the first scallops (Saint Jacques) beginning October and Tempura de langoustine and courgette flowers “en papillote”. “Nothing compares to the flavors and intense emotion that escapes when the paper is cut open”, he says, tapping his nose. “And, nobody leaves until they’ve tasted the Eclair XL!” 62 avenue des Ternes, 17th Tel: +33 (0)1 45 72 24 47 Metro: Ternes Valet Parking. Lunch formula €36-€44 + wine. A La Carte about €80 + wine. Closed Sunday-Monday – Gone Fishing! Le Sergent Recruteur Historically speaking, Le Sergeant Recruter used to get young Parisians drunk here in the bar, then sign them up for the Napoleonic army! So, with souvenirs of his “service militaire,” chef Alain Pegouret recently acquired the Sergent Recruter restaurant set in the beating heart of the Île Saint Louis, no passport required. “I’m like an artist with a blank canvas,” admitted the Cannes born, former chef at Laurent, the iconic restaurant on avenue Gabriel in the 8th. “After 18 years I feel the time’s right for a change,” he reflects. Five years ago Pegouret discovered this ‘hood and Sergent Recruter restaurant, where the imposing medieval man in armor stands guard in the window, during a dinner with friends. “This area forms a culinary bridge between the right and left bank, rich in architecture and history – I feel at home here.” To the right, there’s the bar, perfect for a chat, aperitifs, and a few amuses such as Pegouret’s spin on crispy prawns with basil; seared n’ spicy baby cuttlefish; and a flute of champagne (Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve for €19). Then try the sweet onions, confit and caramelized, topped with caviar. Veal sweetbreads browned, sprinkled with basil, paired with New Zealand spinach and chanterelle mushroom salad, drizzled with artichoke poivrade sauce. Whole lobster’s roasted in a butter crust, with stuffed zucchini, green beans, peach and almonds infused with ginger and lemon grass. Desserts include the intriguing ginger infused chocolate, cacao & lime sorbet, under a veil of gold leaf. We drank, by the glass, Petit Chablis 2016 (€12) and Saint Joseph 2017 (€15) Domaine du Montrellet. The space has original white painted beams, subtle mixes of contemporary art punctuate the long mirrored room – the open kitchen is run with military precision. 41, rue Saint-Louis en L’Île, 4th, Metro: Sully Morland/Pont Marie Tel: +33 (0)1 43 54 75 42 Closed on Sunday & Monday Anona Anona’s owner, the environmentally sensitive chef Thibaut Spiwack, is worried. “My concern is: what can we do to improve what we didn’t do yesterday for the planet?” Following five months of work, Anona opened (the name refers to a tropical sugar apple), replacing El Picador cantina, with the mission statement “100% ecological products.” That’s induction hobs with green electricity, materials sourced in the Ile-de-France region. Add draft beers, microfiltered water, house made breads and juices, waste food used for compost, water saving machines etc. “I grew up in Gif-sur-Yvette (a suburb southwest of Paris) in the middle of lush vegetable gardens and, subsequently, traveling through 40 countries, I witnessed nature deteriorating before my eyes which made me aware of the dangers our planet is facing.” Here’s a location to soothe the palate and your simmering anxieties about the planet’s impending doom at the same time.  “The future,” insists Spiwack, “is in our hands. We must respect not only our bodies but our agricultural lands. Sustainable development is essential in your kitchen and mine – n’est ce pas?” Discovery menu €75 (with wine pairings + €45) Tasting Menu €95 with wine pairings +60€ A La Carte about €39 + dessert trolley €8. Need to know : Anona’s next door to the Théatre Herbertot. From October 3rd, 12 Angry Men (In French of course)– a powerful production. 80 boulevard de Batignolles, 17th Metro: Rome Tel: +33 (0)1 84 79 01 15 Closed Sunday & Monday Bistrot Valois A stone’s throw from Richelieu’s Palais Royal — and the courtyard that showcases Daniel Buren’s black and white columns — Laurent…
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Lead photo credit : Rech. Photo credit: Pierre Monetta

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By Margaret Kemp

Born in Hampton, Middlesex, UK, Margaret Kemp is a lifestyle journalist, based between London, Paris and the world. Intensive cookery courses at The Cordon Bleu, London, a wedding gift from a very astute ex-husband, gave her the base that would take her travelling (leaving the astute one behind) in search of rare food and wine experiences, such as the vineyards of Thailand, 'gator hunting in South Florida, learning to make eye-watering spicy food in Kerala;pasta making in a tiny Tuscany trattoria. She has contributed to The Guardian, The Financial Times Weekend and FT. How To Spend It.com, The Spectator, Condé Nast Traveller, Food & Travel, and Luxos Magazine. She also advises as consultant to luxury hotels and restaurants. Over the years, Kemp has amassed a faithful following on BonjourParis. If she were a dish she'd be Alain Passard's Millefeuille “Caprice d'Enfant”, as a painting: Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe !

Comments

  • Vigneronne Bio
    2020-01-22 11:05:36
    Vigneronne Bio
    Can I recomand a beautiful wine that I tasted few month ago in a beautiful restaurant in Paris. I think it was a Pic-Saint-Loup.

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