Since I would be heading back to
the American Church in Paris for their 5:00 concert, I decided to grab lunch in
the 7th arrondissement and revisit rue Cler and other favorite haunts in the quartier in the afternoon. I dug
into my lists and online sources and apps, and settled on Les Fables de la
Fontaine, on rue Saint-Dominique near the Eiffel Tower. And oh boy, am I glad I
did!
It’s a lovely place, decorated in
ivories and tans, with an exposed stone wall and big windows to the adjacent
courtyard. They have about 30 seats in the main room, about a dozen in a second
room, and about a dozen outside.
I know that it’s almost cliché, but I love to start with
a Kir Royale. This one was beautiful to look at and perfectly balanced – just
the right amount of Crème de Cassis enhanced a fine Champagne. I stretched it through
my first and second courses – it actually enhanced everything quite nicely.
My first course of seared foie gras was spectacular. The
fig jam with rhubarb was just astringent enough to contrast with the rich foie
(although I wish the jam would have been room temperature rather than chilled), the toasted puffed rice was
nice and crunchy, the smoky whipped cream with crispy pancetta was a brilliant addition,
the pickled leek provided a slightly acidic, almost digestif-type quality, and just
a few micro tarragon leaves (very flavorful for their size!) gave a nice punch.
My main course seabass was perfectly roasted and had a
fabulously crisp and tasty skin. The fennel four ways (mashed, braised stalks, thinly-sliced raw, and foam) was clever – it provided sweet, astringent and
crunchy/herbal notes as well as four lovely textures. Some broccoli rabe and a thin slice of turnip added color, flavor and crunch.
The balls of poached pear with chestnut cake, vanilla
cream, caramel, pear sorbet, a thin slice of dried pear, and candied walnuts
were GLORIOUS! Sometimes it seems like pears are a bit too subtle for the
American palate, but done up like this – wow – I would think that anyone would
be blown away!
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| Cute coffee service with a crystallized sugar swizzle stick! |
Let’s hear some applause for all of the reviewers who led me
to this place. Now it’s your turn to go! For more info: http://parisbymouth.com/les-fables-de-la-fontaine/
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| Check out the exposed stone wall in the background |
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| The view from my seat |
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| The restroom floor, walls and fixtures were black, and one wall had this wild black, grey and pearl tile! |
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