Craftspeople and Artisans and Passages, Oh My! – Saturday 30 September

It’s amazing the craftspeople and artisans you find joyfully doing their work and creating beauty in the 200-year-old glass-roofed “Passages” in Paris. Just two stories from this morning….

About a year ago I read about the only umbrella repair guy in France, Thierry Millet. His tiny almost-50-year-old shop called PEP’S (where he also sells a vast variety of regular and folding umbrellas and canes) is in the ancient stone-paved Passage de l'Ancre in the 3rd arrondissement, about a mile from my apartment. I also read that he fabricates an Eiffel Tower umbrella of his own design, and I just had to see it for myself! So I shuffled over there this morning and was smitten! He doesn’t take credit cards, but I had just enough cash in my purse to buy one of his masterpieces (with enough left over for a coffee on the way home!). A charming 2-minute video about him was produced this summer – check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNsrU-t0lf0
And here are his website and Facebook page:
https://www.peps-paris.com/reparateur.html
https://www.facebook.com/maisonpeps/

On my way to PEP’S I walked through the Passage du Bourg l'Abbé for the first time. At its eastern end I found big slabs of rough-hewn tree trunks outside the atelier of the last cabinetmaker in central Paris, Ivan Lulli, who has worked in this shop in this location for 30 years. He studies a slab or chunk of wood to discern its characteristics and then designs a piece based on what the wood tells him. Sometimes he collaborates with architects on custom pieces and takes commissions from individuals. Golly, I wonder what it would cost to have him make something for me? Of course I’d have to factor in the shipping, and I really can’t think of something I “need,” but ….

A group called “les Petits Frenchies” did an article about Mr. Millet this spring.  Read it here (it's in French but you can easily run it through Google Translate):   https://fr.petitsfrenchies.com/ivan-lulli-dernier-ebeniste-du-centre-paris/

About 20 “Passages” remain in Paris (many have been destroyed). I’ve visited only five of them, and some fairly superficially. Some are rough-and-tumble like Passage de l’Ancre and some of them quite elegant and fabulous and haute-everything like Galerie Vivienne. Maybe I should organize a future trip around studying (and shopping! and dining!) them all, one or two a day. I’d better get to work on that plan!

Like the Olden Days – and the Kindness of Strangers – Friday, 29 September

So, after my euphoria-inducing French “lunch” at Alliance (perhaps I could just call it “déjeuner” but that wouldn’t really do it justice either!), I decided to take a little walk to my favorite church, Saint-Séverin, which was only a few blocks away in the heart of the Latin Quarter. The scale, the quiet, the beauty, the “sacred grove” created by the double ambulatory, the height, the Chagall windows, the peace amid the rampant noise and tourism of the quartier – it’s my favorite place to just sit and be still.

And then, since this was St. Michael’s Day (or Michaelmas, as they say in England), I had my heart set on getting a selfie in front of the huge fountain at Place Saint-Michel just down the street. Unfortunately, when I got there my phone decided to go into whacky mode, phantomly pushing its own buttons and wearing down the battery. Oh, well, you’ll just have to enjoy this photo I found online featuring the same perspective I was aiming for!

So with my phone on whacky mode I couldn’t get an Uber either. But there was a taxi queue at the intersection, so I went and stood over there, just like in the olden days. For 15 minutes. And there was an old guy in line before me who had been standing there even longer. Apparently early rush hour on a Friday isn’t the best time to catch a cab!

But, harkening back to even oldener (!) days, there was a bus shelter right there where the #85 stopped (a route that goes within a block of my apartment). And I had a ticket in my purse. And the bus that arrived 5 minutes later wasn’t already full, so I could get a seat! Yippee! However, the yippee factor muted a bit at every stop as more and more people got on. By the time it reached my stop the bus was packed, and I couldn’t use my patented rock-and-lurch method for getting up (it takes some room to get the inertia going!) and there wasn’t anything close to push against for the leverage I need. But a couple of sharp-eyed passengers (both women, of course!) saw my dilemma and helped me up and made sure the driver saw that a slow-poke was trying to get off. God bless these strangers and their kindness!

Open Two Years and Already Michelin-Starred – WOW! – Friday, 29 September

Chef Toshitaka Omiya and maître d'hôtel Shawn Joyeux met when they were both working at L’Agapé where Toshi was a chef and Shawn was the house manager. In 2015 they decided to strike out on their own, and opened Alliance in the 5th arrondissement, just across the Seine from the Île Saint-Louis. And, can you believe it, two years later they already have their first Michelin star! Toshi has worked with some of the best chefs in Paris since his arrival in 2001 – Patrick Pignol, Alain Passard, Eric Brieffard, Philippe Legendre and David Toutain.

I was able to get a lunch reservation for today, and WOWZER the beauty and purity and perfection of ingredients & technique & cooking knocked my socks off. Maitre d’ Shawn Joyeux also proved to be a brilliant wine advisor, steering me to just the right thing for each course.

I started with a Kir Royale, and rather than the usual Crème de Cassis I went with a peach liqueur. Shawn paired it with an Pol Roger Champagne extra brut, which provided a gorgeous balance between the sweet stone fruit flavor of the peach and the refreshing dryness and tiny-bubbliness of the very fine Champagne.

While I was sipping my apéritif they brought me three fun little nibbles – a rice cracker with a dollop of salmon mousse, a cheesy focaccia muffintop with fennel puree, and a crunchy pastry balloon (how did they make this?!?) with raspberry.


Then came a perfect, just barely poached oyster in a giant shell with lemon foam and crispy fried onions – briny and sweet and delicate.










They had just received their first white truffles of the season, and when I was seated Shawn brought over a 2-inch wide beauty sitting on some dry pasta in a covered glass display dish, informing me that a brand-new menu item was available – fettuccine with shaved truffles and truffle stock. He asked, "are you ready?" and then removed the dish's glass dome. I passed out for just a second, and when I recovered, I ordered the fettuccine with truffles for my first course! It was perfection.

The subtle earthy-funky-dark-heady character of especially white truffles must be paired with something simple like perfectly cooked pasta, or eggs, or polenta – no fancy stuff, just let the truffles shine. Chef Toshi did make a perfect truffle consommé to moisten the pasta, and just a little was served with the dish (the rest in a small pitcher to add if you wished or to slurp up by itself after you finished the pasta) – I slurped and bread-sponged to get every last drop! Euphoria!

Next, one of my very favorite things, langoustines! They taste like a cross between lobster and shrimp, but have (I think) a certain hard-to-describe untamed quality to them. Shawn told me that Toshi “respects the product” and poaches them very slowly from refrigerated to serving temperature – if cooked too quickly / at a too-high temperature, they tend to seize up and lose their pristine character. This wasn’t the first time during the meal that he used the phrase “respects the product.” It seems to be a characteristic of Japanese cooking, and especially French-Japanese cooking, and oh, boy, Toshi has it down pat! The languoustines were served with fennel two ways (braised crunchy-tender and seared to deep-almost-burnt as a garnish), and the dish was served with a light orange sauce and a cream foam. Shawn recommended a white Rhone with this dish – the Domaine des Hauts Châssis Crozes-Hermitage “L’Essentiel.” At first sip, its subtle exotic fruit and floral character was delightful. But when sipped with a bite of the langoustines and fennel, the previously-almost-undetectable anise character of the wine just exploded! Spectacular!

Then, a cheese course! The astonishing  variety in an elastic/earthy cow’s milk cheese, a creamy/funky/zingy sheep’s, and a dense/chalky/strong/crumbly/astringent goat’s from Fromagerie Laurent Dubois just a few blocks away on Boulevard Saint-Germain was remarkable.  With it, a Pinot Blanc “Apogée” from the biodynamic “Vignoble les 2 lunes” in Alsace expanded each cheese’s unique characteristics.

All the wines were served barely chilled, just under cellar temperature. 

I didn’t have room for dessert, but they did bring me a light-as-a-cloud vanilla mousse with salty ground black sesame, a financier, a tiny “chocolate pie,” and a sablé cookie rolled in sugar. With it, a perfectly roasted caramelly espresso. I was able to get all of them down!

What a way to while away an afternoon.

Then, bonus, a photo with Chef Toshi! He was very sweet and gracious. And a genius!

https://www.restaurant-alliance.fr/

Tucked Away on a Tiny Street... – Thursday, 28 September

So, after leaving Savarin la Table, I decided to explore the ‘hood a bit. Lo and behold, one block over was the huge Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde, hidden away on a tiny street between rue Saint-Dominique and rue de Grenelle. A framed informational brochure was posted on the fence outside – the photos were enticing – I wanted to go inside but there were several men in black suits standing next to funeral cars near the entrance. I didn’t want to crash a funeral, so I hung out in the adjacent sweet little Square Samuel-Rousseau for a while and then went to have an Orangina at the corner café, but it was apparently a very long funeral, so I’ll have to go back some other day!

the rear of the Basilica

Square Samuel-Rousseau

Construction began on the Basilica in 1846, and its Aristide Cavaillé-Coll organ, built in 1859, has been played by some of the greats, including César Franck, Gabriel Pierné, Charles Tournemire and Jean Langlais. (Don’t you just love Wikipedia?) I must see if they have any organ recitals while I’m here!

The fifth century Clotilde was the wife of Clovis I, the first king of what would become France. She was instrumental in her husband’s conversion to Catholicism, and is credited with spreading Christianity to the Western world.

I Can Practice Moderation when I Get Home! - Thursday, 28 September

Today I planned to have a modest 3-course lunch at Savarin la Table, a hot new resto in the “Embassy” area of the 7th arrondissement (near the Musée Rodin), and it just so happened that their full 6-course menu was available at lunchtime, so hey, why not? I didn’t have any dinner reservations, and I had all afternoon to walk it off. Besides, I can practice moderation when I get home! Don’t’cha just love my rationalizations?

It might not look all that appetizing (lentils have a way of looking like, well, you decide for yourself…) but it was!  Lightly poached chunks of rich salmon, a zingy whipped butter enhanced with salt and lemon, chunky Puy lentil soup, herbs, and a crispy pastry baton.

Next, gorgeous and fabulous thin slices of raw Bonito tuna, rolls of zucchini ribbon, black olives (inside the zucchini rolls), intense lemon zest crème, diced apple and cucumbers, herb-infused olive oil with fresh very-finely-chopped herbs. WOW! I cleaned up every drop of the juices and sauces with the terrific baguette.

It’s hard to see the beauty of the next dish from the photo, but its intense dark and roasty flavors were a delightful contrast from the previous course. One large ravioli was stuffed with ground roasted lamb, topped with several sections of broiled young octopus, served with braised fennel stem and a dark rich brown poultry sauce, and topped with julienned raw zucchini. Excellent for a temperate fall day, but I would love to have it again in the middle of the winter!

Then more fish – broiled Bar (sea bass) with herbed mashed potatoes, aioli, and crushed fresh raspberries in olive oil – what a combo! – the acidic zing of the berries and heat of the aioli beautifully enhanced the meaty bass. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never had raspberries with fish before, but it works and I must add it to my repertoire!

Then a dish that I didn’t quite understand (and that I was frankly a bit too stuffed to completely enjoy) – a slice of a pork roll stuffed with ground chicken and spinach, served with salsify, pearl onions, shiitakes, and shrimp, and topped with a veal stock. It tasted like there were sweetbreads or some other organ meat in the stuffing too – maybe chopped chicken liver? Good, but I could eat only half of it.

Finally, a Savarin-shaped cake (baked in a small special ring mold like a Savarin but not the same texture and flavor) drizzled with a simple syrup (rather than soaked with the traditional rum syrup). Cooked apple chunks in a caramel sauce were in the center of the ring under a heap of lime whipped cream into which a few transparent caramel shards were embedded. My only two complaints were that the cake was served cold (instead of room temperature) and I was too stuffed to fully enjoy it (my bad!).

You’ll be glad to know that I didn’t have multiple wines with my meal – just one kir vin blanc (white wine with a splash of crème de cassis). It was sufficient for lunchtime!

the view from my window seat

I got a sweet little table by the window where I could enjoy watching all of the activity on the street and look inside cars and trucks as they were going by and pity the poor people who walked by, looked at the menu posted outside, and got turned away since they didn’t have a reservation! The are 18 seats in the ground floor dining room and a circular staircase going up to another dining area (which I didn’t explore). I just love these tiny outposts of haute cuisine – how do they do it?

Chef Mehdi Kebboul stopped by my table a couple times to ask how I was enjoying my lunch. His sister was the hostess/waitress (and had taken my reservation by phone a couple days ago) – she was clearly very proud of him and of the resto. Fabulous food, gracious service, a pleasant environment – what’s not to love?

Why I Return to France Again and Again – New Chef, Same Sommelier, Still Fabulous “Accents” – Tuesday, 26 September

Last spring I reported on a fabulous new resto in the 2nd arrondissement called “Accents.” http://mariellen-musing.blogspot.fr/2017/04/im-shouting-winner-for-accents-best.html I just had to go there again!

After I made the reservation I learned that Chef Jean-Christophe Rizet had left. Oh, no! What to do? Well, research the new guy was the obvious answer! Chef Romain Mahi had impressive credentials both experientially and educationally, and it appeared that he had worked with Chef Rizet before, so hey, why not give it another try?

Not only did the food blow me away last spring, but the wine pairings and the information related by the sommelier Etienne Billard were unparalleled. So when I arrived I was happy to discover that he was still there! He remembered me and gave me a warm welcome and even seated me at the same table as last spring. OK, OK, I’m sure they keep good notes about their guests, but still the recognition was genuine. And the experience was as fabulous as the last time!

(By the way, you can click on any photo in my blog to see a larger version of it.)

I started with a glass of Champagne René Geoffroy “Rosé de Saignée” (which literally means “bleed the tank” he told me) – 100% Pinot noir, macerated with the skins for 60 hours (!) before being bled off and strained and fermented. It was lively and fruity and fairly dry – a charming way to start the evening. The amuse bouche was a little pastry bowl with cauliflower cream, a thin slice of a floret and some lemon jel. Amusing indeed!

For the first course, a soft-boiled egg that had been soaked in beet juice, served with some amazing crispy airy pieces of sweet beet meringue (holy moley!), some thin slices of Cèpes (the quintessential French mushroom in prime season right now) and some barely-dressed salad greens. Warming, earthy, sweet – wow! With it, a Chenin Blanc by Domaine Fournier Longchamps from the south (stony) side of the Loire – elegant and dry with ”energy” (Billard’s description, and quite apt!) and a little chalky earthiness.

Next, marinated mackerel (rich, sweet and slightly oily – love it!) with a slice of golden beet, quinoa & green apple salad, fines herbes (parsley, chives and tarragon), lemon zest gelée and a couple dabs of béchamel. With it, a beautifully rounded Alsacien Pinot Blanc by Domain Robert Mann – dry yet flowery with a slight hint of vanilla and slightly heavier viscosity.

Next, deeelicious toothsome poached monkfish on a bed of black rice (sweet, earthy, cooked in some mild fish stock?) with dashi sauce and some steamed beet greens. Brilliant flavors and contrasts. Wow again! With it, an intensely aromatic and rich yet still dry Chardonnay with a tiny hint of leather and oak by winemaker Chloé Bayon of Manoir du Capucin in Fuissé – the flavors of the food exploded with each sip of this wine.

Then, the meat course – pigeon pie! Dark, fabulously rich pigeon with some onion confit, a small silky liver, pastry crust, carrot-ginger purée and veal stock demi-glace. With it Sommelier Billard said, “I want you to try two red wines from the same producer, Domaine de Lauzières in Provence. One (“Sine Nomine”) is 80% Petit Verdot and 20% Syrah, and the other (“Persephone”) is 80% Syrah and 20% Grenache Noir. Tell me what you think.” The first one I sipped, the Persephone, was marvelous and red-fruity with a hint of violet and spices – terrific on its own, but it didn’t do a lot to enhance the dish. The Sine Nomine, however was much dryer, peppery and spicy, and cut through the richness of the dish while enhancing it brilliantly.

Rustic crusty-outside-but-spongy-inside Miche (sourdough bread) and smoked butter (that was a first, and I loved it!) were served with the meal.

They offered cheese before the dessert course(s), so I just had to go for it. And I’m so glad that I did! Shavings of Comté strewn over grilled brioche with smoked honey (a-a-a-mazing) and some chilled poached pears – yum! And to top it off, the more fruity character of the other red – the Persephone – paired with it beautifully. Bonus!

My first dessert course was white chocolate mousse with strawberry meringue cubes, raspberries, fig, green tea crumble and – get this – raspberry/wasabi sorbet (intensely fruity and fairly hot peppery – hooo boy – mind blown!). The not-too-sweet fruitiness of a Banyuls Thérèse Reig (fortified red wine) by Domaine de la Rectorie (on the Mediterranean right next to Spain) paired with this dessert beautifully.

Next, peaches roasted en papillote with thyme, served with hay ice cream & foam and a disk of Japanese sponge cake. With it, a profoundly elegant and balanced white Port by producer Quinta Seara D`Ordens that was slightly herbaceous & earthy, fruity, but not as sweet as you might expect. I thought it tasted like a heavy Hermès silk scarf feels. This whole combo was heaven on earth.

Finally, a slice of chiffon cake with a hint of lime, served with some pastry cream enhanced with black sesame. I was so amused by the fact that the slice of cake was almost in the shape of Minnesota that I pulled up a map on my phone to show Billard where I lived and the uncanny resemblance to my cake. He was amused. Or pretended to be anyway!

Accents is on a tiny street, rue Feydeau, just off the north-west corner of the Bourse. Take the Metro or a bus or an Uber or use your shoe leather. Just go! And tell them I sent you! I need all the brownie points with the best chefs in the world that I can get!  https://accents-restaurant.com/

My ‘Hood – Tuesday, 26 September

Hey, look at who’s at the end of my street! I choose to take this as a positive sign!

Oh my goodness, texting while walking seems to have taken over the town! Surprisingly, I haven’t seen any collisions yet with distracted walkers, but I have had to “yield” to some of these kids. My message to them: “Don’t text and walk or I might have to hit you with my cane!”

The building that the apartment I’m renting is in houses mostly doctors’ offices. It is next door to a big sports center https://www.evous.fr/Centre-sportif-Jean-Dame,1117300.html. There are a few cafes and bars on the street, and one hotel, but overall it’s pretty quiet. My windows face an inner courtyard, so really about the only noise comes from the slight rumble of trains running in the Metro deep underground. I think I’d prefer just a teeny bit more of the lively street sounds typical in this neighborhood!

The apartment is in the 2nd arrondissement, just on the north side of the "Les Halles" area of the 1st arrondissement. For centuries (really - since the late 12th century) this was the central market where farmers, fishermen and producers brought their meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, grains, poultry, mushrooms, eggs, dairy, honey, nuts, herbs, spices, preserves - you name it - to sell to restaurants, shops and individuals. Émile Zola wrote a novel featuring the market and its merchants called Le Ventre de Paris (The Belly of Paris). In the 1850s enormous glass and iron buildings were erected to house the daily markets; they were all torn down in 1971 when the wholesale market was moved to the distant suburb of Rungis.

But during the time it operated as a market area, scores of food-related cafes and shops opened to support the suppliers, customers, bakers, chefs, etc. who shopped the markets. Many of these still operate in this area, making it a cook, baker and foodie haven! You can find anything you need (and many things that you had no idea you needed until you saw them!) in the shops that specialize in kitchen equipment, porcelain, baking supplies, spices, silverware, pots & pans, candymaking supplies, chocolate, etc. And there are plenty of bars and cafés in which to rest your weary legs and have a drink & a bite to eat!

My street, rue Léopold Bellan, intersects with one of the great Paris food streets, rue Montorgueil, which is three blocks of bakery next to wine shop, next to vegetable stand, next to fish/seafood market, next to pizza joint, next to butcher, next to florist, next to cheesemonger, next to dry cleaner, next to olive oil purveyor, next to deli, next to foie gras & preserved food vendor, next to tea supplier, next to chocolatier, next to café, next to supermarket, with some hardware stores and tobacconists and locksmiths and pharmacies and toy/novelty shops thrown in for good measure – all up and down both sides of the street – if you can’t picture it, you should just come here and see for yourself!

Confiture artisanale
du Morvan from Burgundy,
found at the
cheesemonger - wow!

My afternoon "coffee break!"

I stayed in the ‘hood today, stocking up the larder (including the best strawberry jam I’ve ever had – one of life’s not-so-small pleasures!) and buying a few essentials and watching the world go by from café chairs when I needed a break. This is an amazingly diverse area – teenagers, business people, moms & nannies with strollers, little kids with big dogs, big guys with little dogs, skateboarders, bicyclers, beggars, tourists, street entertainers, the elderly, the handicapped, the fit, the hip & fashionable, the shabby & not-so-chic, teachers leading long lines of schoolkids, artists, hawkers, flâneurs – you really can sit in one place and watch the world go by. So I do!