A Very Short Trip to Burgundy! - Saturday, 18 September

Au Bourguignon du Marais sits at 52, rue François Miron, 1/2 block from my apartment.  It always seems to be bustling, so I thought I’d try it for supper tonight.  They specialize in foodstuffs, preparations and wines from Burgundy.  There seemed to be a few open tables, but apparently they were reserved since the host pointed to the one table available and asked if it was OK.  “Oui, merci!” was my reply.

For an amuse bouche they brought some little toasted baguette slices with a dish of cool crème fraiche with dill to spread/dip.  Very refreshing, but not something I traditionally associate with Burgundy.

Mi cuit (half cooked) foie gras terrine was available as a starter, so of course I had to go for it!  Two decent slices, a nice fig/strawberry pressed conserve, a swirl of pomegranate balsamic, great crusty bread, and lightly dressed salad greens were terrific.

I kept smelling the Beef Bourguignon that adjacent tables had ordered, so I just had to try it for my main course!  It came in a cute little cocotte and tasted as good as it smelled!  The big chunks of beef were fall-apart, melt-in-your-mouth tender, just slightly more gamey than you’d get in the U.S.  There were some small potatoes, peas, carrots, and cèpes (mushrooms, like our creminis or porcinis but more dense and deeply flavored), all swimming in a very tasty beef demi-glace, but this was primarily a beef beef and more beef show.  I thought it needed a bit more zing, so I added a little of that crème fraîche sauce from the amuse bouche, and voila!, I made Stroganoff!  (OK, slightly far afield, but nice, and it saved me from taking a trip to Russia!)  If I hadn't had the foie gras first, I might have been able to eat all of the Bourguignon, but I just became too stuffed halfway through.  I should have asked for the leftovers to take home.

To go with it all, I ordered a glass of their Domaine Ragot Vieilles Vignes Givry.  It’s a nicely drinkable pinot noir - a bit of cherry, currant and dry straw on the nose and red fruits on the palate, slightly dry.

The only disappointment was that, after all my efforts in the afternoon (see my previous post), they didn’t ask to see my Passe Sanitaire!