Mariellen's (a)Musings: Wowie Zowie Dinner at "Ze"

In brief: "Zoom to 'Ze' for zum zippy zuppin'!" Or: "Ze Kitchen Galerie at 4, rue des Grands-Augustins in Paris' Sixth Arrondissement serves memorable, perfectly crafted and delicious dishes and menus that are imaginative and modern but firmly based in classical French tradition and technique." http://www.zekitchengalerie.fr/

(Don't worry, Dale and Mimi, it wasn't a l'Ambrosie experience, but it was very very good!)

The building itself is rather unprepossessing - it's almost hard to find the restaurant's name (snob appeal?!?) - it's just a few yards from the intersection with the quai right next to the Seine. And it's right next door to Guy Savoy's "Les Bouquinistes."

The interior is also fairly humble. Nice clean lines, picture windows to the outside (and to the kitchen!), simple and modern tableware, spotlights rather than chandeliers. Usually seven cooks were visible in the kitchen. A couple were women, a couple were Asian. Chef William Ledeuil could be seen from time to time, checking and approving plates before they went out. The restuarant was first awarded its one Michelin star in 2008.

A welcoming dish of olives, with my Kir Royale (Champagne and Creme de Cassis - robust flavor, almost a sense of raspberry, fairly sweet, really nice!) and my favorite mineral water, Badoit, in a fancy bottle! The restaurant seats about 60, and it was full by 8:15.

"Ze Menu" pages 1 and 2 (you should be able to click on the pictures to get a closeup view). I ordered the tasting menu and - this was a first for me - the waiter asked me if I liked everything; I said "yes" and he took away my menu, explaining that the chef would select my courses for me. It's almost as if I was in his home! (Well, almost.) I guess if you're a vegetarian or can't eat shellfish or whatever, you can let them know and they'll bring you only the things you can eat. Pretty cool. Of course, being an omnivore, I said "bring it on!" (or something like that). First I got a basket of fabulous perfectly crispy baguette slices. Then five courses plus two desserts. Read on!

My first course: slightly preserved sardines on a bed of soft sweet cooked eggplant with thin slices of pickled ginger, papaya coulis, a nice crunchy and zippy red pepper ring, a grilled crouton, herbs and herb flowers. It was a wonderfully sweet and slightly astringent combination, herby, toothsome and almost whimsical.

My second course: fabulously aromatic and intense warm pea soup with chorizo, bacon, crispy hazelnuts, peas, a perfectly poached egg (it oozed into the soup when I cut it) and salty sauteed tiny chanterelles. The aroma just blew me away when the bowl was set in front of me. Brilliant contrasts, earthy, just fatty enough, a slightly astringent note in some of the herbs (possibly tarragon). WOW!

My third course: pasta "candele" (two green long hollow pasta tubes) with intense pistou sauce (parsley, tarragon, chive, mint, basil), parmesan cream, ribbons of zucchini and a blanched-then-slightly-grilled artichoke (the grilling brought out some really nice sweet flavors). Fabulously herby and intense flavors yet wonderfully gentle and easy-to-digest. And I could eat that parmesan cream all day!

My fourth course: holy mackerel! A lightly poached mackerel filet, beautifully oily but not intensely fishy, with black sesame, cauliflower, poached baby fennel, okra (I think) and kumquats, rounded out with a balancing fish stock and lime reduction. Slightly peppery and deeeeelicious, it left a (long) lingering sense of herbaceousness even though there weren't a ton of herbs on the dish.

My fifth course: a cube of seared Wagyu beef (it's in the lower center of this photo) with broccoli rabe, white asparagus, a beef and potato fritter, a couple dollops of warm pea puree, all on a pool of perfect veal stock reduction. Now I "get" this beef - it's very restrained, almost herby, almost as mild as veal but wonderfully fatty and satisfying.

My dessert #1: move over, strawberry-rhubarb pie! This was so brilliant and delicious and refreshing. A scoop of not-too-sweet and fabulously silky strawberry sorbet (there must have been a little liqueur in it) on a bed of sweet rhubarb compote, surrounded by fresh strawberries swimming in strawberry coulis, sprinkled with gingersnap crumbles and topped with a crunchy tuile cookie. Took my breath away!

My dessert #2: white chocolate ice cream in a pool of THICK reduced raspberry coulis, topped with meringue wafers and sprinkled with some cookie crumbles. Very good but almost anti-climactic after dessert #1!

A nice cup of espresso with a couple chocolate-hazelnut candies from chocolatier Jean-Paul Hevin finished the meal. And oh, yes, I had a very nice glass of Bordeaux (Pessac-Leognan) with the meal. All I can add is "Happy Birthday to me!" It is such a blessing to be able to return regularly to a city that I know so well and enjoy so much. The older I get, the harder it is to get around, but it's absolutely worth it!

Here's a shot from the other end of rue des Grands Augustins, where it intersects with rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts (a fun and lively street in the Latin Quarter, where my parents and I stayed at Hotel Eugenie decades ago) - the restaurant would be just a little bit beyond the curve in the road. This street is only about three blocks long.