Frenchie - Saturday, 14 November

One of the hottest new restaurants in town (it opened this spring) is just down the block, at the north end of the rue Montorgueil district. It’s called “Frenchie” – kind of an odd name here, but it was the nickname of the young (French) chef/owner, Gregory Marchand, when he worked at Gramercy Tavern in NYC and with Jamie Oliver in London (“hey Frenchie, sauté these onions,” “hey Frenchie, fillet this fish,” you get the idea). The only reservation I could get was for 10:30 tonight! It's a tiny spot (24 seats), stone and brick walls, timbered ceiling, casual feel, the street is a bit shabby – but, hey, start small and humble, and then let the world push you to greater heights!

Chef Marchand offers only two “menus” (you can choose two courses (first and main) or three (first, main and dessert)). Two choices are available for each course, and the menu changes daily. His kitchen is TINY, so offering two choices per course makes a lot of sense! I’m guessing that he plans for two “seatings” per evening – 8:00 and 10:30. It is also open for lunch.

For my first course I chose the filet of warm house-smoked brook trout on a bed of puréed celeriac with pickled chanterelle mushrooms and pickled onions. The trout was sweet and tender and just smoky enough – it just melted in your mouth. I believe that the purée contained both celeriac and potatoes – it was perfectly silky and creamy and slightly earthy in flavor. The tiny chanterelles had been pickled with a little sugar, I think, and a strip of them, with their thick and slightly sweet pickle sauce, was spooned onto the plate running parallel to the fish. Six beautiful rings of sharp crunchy pickled onions (inner rings, about 1 inch in diameter, a lovely light red color – I’m guessing that they were made from red-skinned onions) ran parallel to the top of the fish. Aromatic thyme was scattered on top of the fish. It was just fabulous – beautiful presentation, aroma, textures, taste and balance. A couple slices of what was, I believe, Eric Kayser's baguette "Monge" (after all, Kayser's bakery is just a block away) served as perfect edible sponges for making sure I got every drop of goodness on my plate!

For my main course I chose the porkbelly with green “Puy” lentils, red cabbage bouillon and raw cauliflower. Slices of the crispy-crusted, beautifully tender porkbelly were simply arranged on top of a bed of perfectly cooked lentils (not too mushy, but tender and fully cooked, no extraneous flavors). Some very tiny flowerettes of tender and sweet raw cauliflower (how do they grow it like this?!?) were sprinkled over the dish. The waiter placed the bowl in front of me and then said “wait…” while he went to retrieve a little pitcher of the amazing red cabbage bouillon to pour over and around the dish. Actually, I think the bouillon was a “gastrique” (generally made with caramelized sugar, vinegar, some kind of juice, and then reduced reduced reduced) wherein the liquid was a reduction of the strained water that came from cooking some red cabbage. In any case it was wonderful! The acidic tang of the bouillon against the sweetness of the pork and lentils was magical. Great French chefs seem to have a knack for these kinds of combos – not overly complicated or too many elements, but beautifully balanced and whimsical and fun to eat and they “work.” Chef Marchand is well on his way.

For dessert I chose “pots au chocolat” with “marrons glacé” and caramelized Clementine slices. “Pots au chocolat” are little ceramic ramekins or bowls in which a dense fudgy usually bittersweet chocolate custard has been baked. “Marrons glacé” are chestnuts that have been candied in a sugar syrup – a real treat on their own, and often served with ice cream and/or fruit desserts. Chef Marchaud topped his pots au chocolate with a quenelle of crème fraîche and then arranged some thin strips of Clementine zest on top. Tiny pieces of crystallized something-or-another (seeds? nuts?) were sprinkled on the plate. Yum yum! A great cup of dark but not bitter espresso finished off the meal in style!

The list of wines offered by the glass/carafe was written with white grease pencil on a huge mirror – very clever, but impossible to read from my table. But that didn’t stop me from ordering a lovely Côtes du Rhône that went well with everything! (Wines by the bottle were on a printed list.)

The place has a friendly, casual feel. The one waiter wore jeans, a white shirt, a long white waiter’s apron, and tennis shoes. He took care of everything in the front of the house from a quarter-circular bar in the corner next to the kitchen, and was attentive without being hovering. Chef Marchand was, I believe, working alone in his tiny kitchen (except for someone washing the pots/pans/dishes). A pass-through window gave me occasional glimpses of him at the stove or oven or bench, and since I was almost the last person to leave this evening I was able to chat with him for a minute and take his picture. The clock over the pass-through was stuck (I think intentionally) at 10:09 - something about that made me feel un-rushed and calm! Light in the dining room came from several sources, but the coolest were some big spherical transparent lightbulbs with giant horizontal elements, simply suspended from the ceiling with black rods. (Click on the photo to the left, or any other photo in this blog, to see a larger image.)

My fellow diners appeared to be mostly French. The exception was a table of six 20-something American girls. Americans almost always stick out in restaurants – we tend to be very loud – and these girls were LOUD! In a tiny restaurant with hard surfaces everywhere this can be a bit unpleasant. When they left, a lovely calm descended over the room! One other table contained four French guys. Before departing each of them went to shake the waiter’s hand and to offer congratulations and thanks to chef Marchand (I heard “excellent” and “continuer”) – this kind of personal connection is a hallmark of customer/provider interactions, at least in small establishments, in France.

The pricetag for a great meal and a wonderful evening’s entertainment? Only 43€, about $63.00. This restaurant is regarded as one of the “best value” places in town, and I can see why! Go there soon! www.frenchie-restaurant.com