Bringing "Accents" Back Into My Life - Wednesday, 22 September

Back in April 2017, I learned about a recently-opened resto called Accents Table Bourse from an article by the critic Emmanuel Rubin of Figaroscope.  He raved.  I just had to check it out.  It quickly became my favorite resto pretty much anywhere even though it has changed chefs once.  Ayumi Sugiyama was originally the pastry and sous chef, now she is Chef de Cuisine.  They received their first Michelin Star in 2019.

The sommelier, Étienne Billard, has been there since they opened.  He also serves as the host along with providing detailed info about the courses and the wine pairings.  After a couple of visits we were on a first-name basis and he always seems genuinely excited to see me when I return every six months.  Especially tonight after a 2-year absence!  I always order the wine pairings with my multi-course meal because Étienne is such a genius at it.

No sooner had I sat down than Étienne brought me a glass of sparkling wine, Domaine Dugois Cremant.  It’s made with the Champagne method, but since it’s from the Jura in far east-central France, it can’t be called Champagne.  It is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Sauvignon.  It had an invigorating sharpness to it and was dry but with some lovely fruit notes – I got the sense of white fruit kernels, something slightly woody (grapevine?), faint tarragon and almost a hint of sea air on the nose.  Deeelightful.  And Étienne topped off my glass a couple times! 

With the four amuse-bouche they served a “Green Bloody Mary.”  A cube of frozen basil purée, garlic, celeriac and something else I didn’t catch was placed into a tulip glass and what I believe was a yellow tomato water vodka was poured over it.  Yikes!

• Bonito (a fish in the tuna family) meringue - crispy, sweet, absolutely ephemeral
• Roasted beet with the tiniest cockles I have ever seen – deeply sweet and fresh/salty at the same time yet elegant, the cocktail made the salt absolutely explode in flavor.
• A square of cantaloupe topped with nigella seeds (black caraway) and sardines – again that amazing sweet-salty combo but a little less subtle this time, and the warmth and sting of the salty sardine on my upper lip was amazing.
• A little square of thickly sliced black bread with honeydew – caramelly and fresh.

With my first first course, a 2019 Manuel Olivier Aligoté Vieilles Vignes Bourgogne (white Burgundy).  This was sharp and crisp with good minerality and slight acidity.  Nice sense of white peach and some gentle floral (maybe gladioli?).   

• A slightly warm, light, seafood broth with tapioca and some nut (hazelnut?) that was chopped about the same size as the tapioca, covered with a cloud of the lightest foam imaginable, and having a sweet herbal essence. 
• A more substantial foam, tasting of shrimp and mild white fish, topped with an unbelievably thin rye crouton – how does she do it???  A couple tablespoons of cucumber water and a splash of Vermouth freshened everything up.  And that Aligoté cuts through or enhances it all.  Genius. 

With the second first course, another wine from Dugois in the Jura, this one 100% chardonnay, Arbois Auréoline.  It’s fresh, with the essence of tart nectarines, almond, white roses and a hint of tarragon, slightly sweet and a bit heavier viscosity.  

• Ribbons of raw cuttlefish (in the squid family) with fish eggs (salmon?), little black seeds and slightly chilled beautifully sweet chicken stock.  Again, earthy, fresh, sweet, salty, a hint of the sea.
• White pudding (pork, pork liver, breadcrumb or grains) topped with burnt eggplant and a white beer foam.  The herb looked like a basil leaf but was much sharper in flavor with a bit of astringency – sort of a cross between tarragon and watercress.  The almond notes of the wine really came out with the white pudding.
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  I swoon over their bread & butter.  It’s almost worth a trip just to eat it.  The rustic bread has a thick, extremely crisp crust (be careful so you don’t cut your gums on it!) and a tender interior and fabulous naturally-leavened flavor.  I swear they could hear me across the room crunching on it!  The butter is smoked over cherry wood – mind-blowing, I kid you not.

Then with the fish course a 2015 Chateau Valrose Bordeaux, across the river from Saint-Emilion.  Mushroom, honey, woody, slightly sweet, a bit of rosemary – more earthy in general.  And wonderful!   

• The “scales” on the lightly grilled red mullet were, I believe, Panko crumbs.  Crunchy and surprising and very clever.  Some intense seafood demi glace.
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  A mushroom with liver and garlic wrapped in a baby spinach leaf under a cloud of shredded dried salsify, and a telline clam with anchovies.  What a combo!  

For the last wine Étienne likes to play “guess what it is!”  I’m no good at the game, but it’s fun.  I thought this wine had caramelly notes, an undercurrent of acacia honey, a sense of blackberry, a certain zing and an herb/flower that I couldn’t quite figure out.  Étienne gave an appreciative nod and suggested violet for the mystery herb.  Aha!  It was a 2018 Côtes du Rhône Syrah from Domaine de Boisseyt.

• The slice of duck (mallard) breast was as pure and sweet and comforting as any I’ve ever tasted.  Not gamey at all, although there seemed to be some organ meat in the sauce.  

• The gizzards were a bit more earthy, and the thin rounds of ultra crunchy skin that formed the “sandwich” were a bit salty/peppery.  
• The Jerusalem artichoke was firm and just astringent enough.  

• An oyster leaf (a kind of cress) was topped with some fromage frais, crumbs of grilled sausage and dill.  The wine magically married it all together. 

Their plates are heavy handmade crockery, stones (yup, rocks!), slate, etc.  While waiting for my desserts I picked up one of the plates to look at the bottom and immediately dropped it on the table, making quite a loud crash.  A gentleman across the room turned to look at me, clutching his chest in jest as if I’d given him a heart attack.  Good times.  The universal language of laughter!

Before my desserts I had the cheese offering – thin ribbons of Comté over a spoon of slightly sweet miso, with freshly ground pepper.  What a great combo!  I still had some of the Dugois Arbois Auréoline in a glass; it married perfectly with this.  

Then, as a palate cleanser, a small glass of deep pink sparkling water with red shiso and pomegranate.  Brilliant, and so refreshing!  

With the desserts a 2018 Mas Cristine sweet Muscat – beautifully fruity and late-harvest sweet.  

• Coconut foam with a little yogurt, some verbena oil, and a curl of caramelly white chocolate
• An ice cream cone with pumpkin ice cream (don’t worry, just the gourd, no pumpkin spice!) and coffee cream

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  A genius bubble of blown molten sugar, filled with a couple slices of fresh peach, some crumble, a white sake foam, and some blueberry compote.  It was as much fun to eat as it was tasty!

• A slice of chef Ayumi’s lighter-than-air pistachio chiffon cake with cool fig sauce.

Then espresso.  What a night!  I had large quantities of food and wine, but they were consumed over a 4-hour period so I didn’t feel stuffed or sick.  I couldn’t eat like this every day, but hey, is once every 6 months too much to ask?!?

Accents Table Bourse, 24 rue Feydeau in the 2nd arrondissment, just across the street from the Bourse.   https://accents-restaurant.com/