L’enfant Terrible de la Cuisine Française – Thursday, 18 June

About a year ago I read some glowing reviews of a new restaurant called “Le Soleil” on rue de Grenelle (gosh, I seem to be spending a lot of time on that street!). It was reported to be the in-town twin of a quite decent restaurant I enjoyed several years ago near the flea market on the northern outskirts of town. I looked for it at lunchtime today but at the address I was seeking, there was a restaurant called “153 Grenelle.” I took a glance at the menu posted outside, and it looked good, so even though there were only a couple parties inside I gave it a try!

About halfway through my lunch a somewhat wild looking guy and a genteel looking woman came walking through the long and narrow restaurant (it seats maybe 40 people). He was greeting us few diners and asking how our lunch was. This is rather unusual behavior for a patron, but he did look sort of crazy! He then disappeared in the back and the woman went behind the bar, so I figured he must be connected with the place somehow. Well, I apparently need to brush up on my “Great Chefs of France,” because I later learned that he is Jean-Jacques Jouteux, the owner/chef of this establishment, sometimes called the “Enfant Terrible” of French cuisine! He cooked at a restaurant in Montmarte, then moved to Monaco and then to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. The Parisian critics here have rejoiced over his return – “the great Jouteux is back” wrote the critic of Le Monde.

My lunch was great. I started with an asparagus “velouté” (a very velvety chicken stock -based pureed soup that has been pushed through a strainer to eliminate all lumps and strings while retaining some texture). It was served slightly warm (great idea!) with a drizzle of crème fraîche and mini baguette rolls.

Then I tried something I’ve never eaten before – seiche (cuttlefish). He served it grilled and lightly dressed with some olive oil, salt & pepper, and fine ribbons of basil. I was surprised when they brought me a fish fork and a steak knife for this course (normally they bring a fish knife, which is broad and dull since you’re not supposed to cut fish, you’re supposed to separate the flakes). They were right, of course, I needed a steak knife. Cuttlefish is the most dense fish (or meat, for that matter) that I’ve ever eaten. Its texture is a bit like that of squid or octopus, its cousins, but this “steak” was much thicker. It’s nice and sweet like scallops but really, unlike anything I’ve ever eaten before. Yum yum! It came with some perfectly blanched baby artichokes, including about an inch-and-a-half of the peeled stem, which provided a nice slightly acidic counterbalance to the dense and sweet fish. Here’s a photo of this strange sea creature.

I just ordered coffee (espresso) instead of desert, and it was served with a plate of complementary mini Madeleines and some very tasty “tuille” cookies. A refreshing glass of the house white wine complemented everything well.

The slate floors, the light grey walls, the lovely linens and tableware, the soft jazz playing on the sound system, and the impeccable unhurried service provided a welcome refuge from the somewhat dusty and loud street outside. It never ceases to astonish me how a small courtyard or the thick walls of a well-designed restaurant can instantly transport you to a different world.

I’ll be back! Check it out yourself if you’re in the neighborhood! www.153-grenelle.com