Imports to the Paris Food Scene from - YIKES - the U.S.! Tuesday, 16 April

American-style food trucks seem to be catching on in Paris (for better or for worse!) - mostly gourmet burgers and fries but also tacos, salads, sandwiches, etc.  I haven't sought one out yet, but will report if I encounter one.  The somewhat strange thing is that the first time I heard of food trucks was back in 2001 when I was studying with Patricia Wells in Provence.  There pizza trucks were fairly prevalent in the small villages on market days.  So did the idea jump over the ocean from Provence to the US before showing up in Paris?  Hmmm.....

Another recent innovation is the lobster roll.  Restaurant Spring has been selling them "take out" on an occasional basis for a couple of years.  But just recently a tiny resto (about 20 seats) called Lobster Bar opened in my 'hood, owned/run by a guy who doesn't have resto experience but who lived on the east coast of the US for a while and became totally enamored with these simple and elegant sandwiches.  He knew that the coastal waters of France produced excellent lobsters (albeit a bit different in flavor and texture than Atlantic ones) so he thought hey, I can do this!

He should have thought a little longer.  Apparently Lobster Bar was so swamped during its first few days of operation that it had hours-long lines and at least once actually ran out of lobster.  They didn't let those standing in line know that supplies were running low, and they really only have lobster rolls on the menu, so the waiting diners got quite surly.

I decided to wander over to the place today...if there was a long line, I could easily head elsewhere.  It's on rue Coquilliere, just a couple blocks west of E.Dehillerin (for those of you who know the area and my favorite cookware shop!).  Well, there was no line and someone had just departed a table for two, so I nabbed it (or should I say clawed it?!?). The smallish bread roll was sweet - I think it was brioche.  It was lightly spread with tarragon mayonnaise and then filled with nice chunks of slightly cool lobster, barely dressed with a little mayo.  I think the lobster had been steamed and chilled - its flavor profile was somewhat flat, leading me to believe that it hadn't been poached in a court bouillon or with herbs.  The fries were a bit overcooked yet slightly soggy, so I think that they had been sitting a while after frying.  There were three wedges of really tiny Romaine dressed with a vinaigrette containing a large amount of whole grain mustard - very tasty, and a wonderful contrast to the lobster roll.  With my coffee they served a complimentary small cube (about 3/4") of homemade brownie, perfectly just underdone and deeeeelicious!

The owner stopped to talk to me, ask me where I was from, how I heard about his resto, if I enjoyed the food, if I had lobster roll frequently in the US, etc.  He was clearly stung by the bad press after he opened and seems to be working hard to correct things.  He still has a way to go, but it's worth checking out if you're in the 'hood.  My lunch (lobster roll, fries, salad, beer, coffee with tiny brownie) was 34 euro, so it's not cheap.  But interesting and new. Wonder if it will catch on, minus the startup bumps in the road.