I Would Cross the Ocean.... - Saturday, 6 October

I would cross the ocean for a meal like this, for dishes of this elegance.  And I do.

Accents Table Bourse is one of my very favorite restos.  It’s located just steps from the Bourse in the 2nd arrondissement, and I’ve been absolutely charmed by their food and wine.  They opened in early 2017, and my first meal there was in April:  https://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2017/04/im-shouting-winner-for-accents-best.html  Then I was back in September:  https://mariellen-musing.blogspot.com/2017/09/why-i-return-to-france-again-and-again.html  I also had lunch there this March, but I haven’t yet loaded any stories from that trip to my blog, so you’ll just have to wait!

The brilliant sommelier and host, Etienne Billard, always has a warm greeting for me, and he always seats me at the same table as I had my first visit, right next to the kitchen window where I can observe the preparations if I wish!

A couple of months ago I read on their Facebook page that they were starting to serve a larger menu at lunchtime on Saturdays, so I thought I’d give it a try.  It was marvelous, but I missed the even larger menu with astonishing wine pairings by Mr. Billard that they serve in the evenings.  Next trip, back to an evening reservation!

My 3 courses plus Champagne, wine, cheese, coffee and house-filtered sparkling water came to 87 euros (about $102).  A spectacular deal.

First up, a complimentary amuse buche:  sheep’s milk cheese with carrot puree, slices of roasted carrots, chunks of cocoa nibs, and herbs

Their deeply smoked butter is worth the price of admission itself! With great crunchy warm sourdough (the loudest crunch of any bread I’ve had this trip!) it was tempting to eat and eat and eat.  If I hadn’t known what was coming, moderation would have gone out the window.

My first course:  smoked chèvre ice cream, grated foie gras, barely cooked cauliflower (perhaps steamed), with ash (I assume from smoking the cheese) scattered on the plate, and a spun-sugar bubble (it’s barely visible on the left side of the plate).  Wow!  Flavors in cold and room temperature elements are sometimes hard to detect (or subtle at best), and these would have been, but that spun sugar bubble brought it all together.

My Louis Roederer & Philippe Starck Champagne was wonderful with the first courses - fresh, with tiny bubbles, and flavors of white stone fruit and a bit of pineapple, lemon zest, and almond - very pleasant!  And Mr. Billard was wanting to finish off the bottle, so I got more than one glass!

For my main:  canette (duckling) breast cooked pink with salsify two ways (creamed and crisps), purple carrots, and rich & lightly salted veal demi glace. So so so subtle, refined, perfectly balanced and charmingly flavorful (if there is such a thing!).  No need to hit me over the head with a dozen intense flavors – I’ll go for perfectly executed subtlety any day!

A terrific 2011 Côtes du Rhône from Domaine de Fontbonau paired beautifully with then canette –  earthy, flinty, hints of black raspberry and honey – but with a subtlety matching that of the dish.  It was also amazing with the bread and smoked butter!

Camberbet with a little yuzu-miso dressing, which added both a sweetness and a bit of zing to the cheese, and some lightly dressed greens (the red leaf was nice and peppery!).  Very fun.  When I sipped my Côtes du Rhône with it, the cheese tasted sweeter and vapors developed significantly, touching my whole mouth and palate.  I had a bit of Champagne left, and with it the herbal character of the cheese was stronger.  Magic!

For dessert, white chocolate ganache, coconut cream, yogurt sorbet, passionfruit syrup, hazelnuts, meringue sticks, green tea crumble, and blueberries – each tickled a different sense, it was complex, yet it all came together in a harmonious whole.  Who wouldda thunk?

Then for a last bite, their wonderful green tea sponge cake (the most tender cake I can remember having) with zingy nectarine compote.

Finally, coffee in their cute hand-made cups!

But only 6 patrons total dined while I was here. Why? Lunchtime? Saturday? Very business location steps from the Bourse?

When I was sorting through my receipts later, I discovered this notice telling me that I could have purchased some of their components to take home:

• Beurre fumé  125 g / 3.5 €  [BRILLIANT stuff]
• Chiffon cake  19 €
• Foie Gras des Landes Mi-Cuit et son chutney  350 g / 45 €

Darn!  I would at least have bought the butter, and since they’re closed Sunday and Monday I don’t even have the chance to swing by to buy some to take home on Tuesday.  Next trip I’m booking a table early in my stay so that I can take these gems back to the apartment with me to enjoy the rest of my stay.