They Just Can't Keep Me Away from "Accents" - Tuesday, 19 April

Yup, it’s still my favorite.  Accents Table Bourse, that is.  Five years ago I had my first meal here, and I’ve come back every trip because it is so warm and welcoming and unpretentious.  And the food is spectacular.  And the sommelier/host Étienne Billard is brilliant.  They have one Michelin star, but deserve more!  

Étienne poured me a glass of a lovely organic Parés Baltà Cava (a Spanish sparkling wine made near Barcelona) the moment I sat down.  It was creamy, fruity (pear, white peach), fresh, well-rounded with a touch of honey in the texture and color.  Terrific! 

They serve a 4-course prix fixe at lunchtime (5 courses with cheese - oui, merci!) and announce each course as it comes rather than handing you a menu.  Also available, wine pairings selected by Étienne which you must not miss - he is so brilliant at this!  Of course, that’s a lot of wine for lunchtime, but hey, you’re on vacation!

To kick things off, four amuse bouche:

A hemisphere crispy meringue shell filled with smooooth anchovy paste - sweet, salty, crispy, soft - they must have filled the shell just seconds before serving - wow!

A homemade striped rice cracker (I believe the black stripes were colored with squid ink) draped over lime gel.

A dab of spicy-condiment-on-a-spoon that tasted like fresh tomato puree, Espelette pepper, and a touch of vinegar.

A trompe l’oeil - it looked like a chocolate bar, but had a dusty white chocolate exterior and was filled with a mild fish mousse.  Very amusing indeed for my bouche!

Then the first course: samphire foam over a warm tapioca “risotto” containing peanuts, walnuts, Granny Smith apple, shallots, and herbs.  To polish it off, a small glass of slightly warm unstrained pear juice with a splash of whiskey.  

With the first course, a Mâcon Solutré-Pouilly Chardonnay from Burgundy.  It was white-fruity (apple), dry, some flint, energetic.  It really emphasized the herbal character of the dish.  I had some of my “welcome” Cava left in the glass, and tried it with the pear juice - it just exploded those flavors!

Then the fish course.  I thought Etienne said it was raie (a type of skate fish) but its texture was more like a tender swordfish.  In any case, it was draped with a leaf of braised red cabbage (its slight bitterness contrasted beautifully with the sweet fish), purées of carrot and squash (you had to dig under the carrot to find the squash) topped with a cumin shortbread, and “Japanese fries” (chopped monkfish liver molded into the shape of a fish, battered, and fried).  

With this, a gorgeous California rosé by Francis Ford Coppola, “Sophia.”  It was very pleasant, elegant and well balanced, dry but fruity.  It was an especially beautiful marriage with the carrot & squash purées! 

For the poultry course, a perfectly pink pigeon breast with a vegetable I couldn’t identify but similar to samphire, slightly astringent & grassy, topped with a thin slice of salty cured dried ham (similar to Prosciutto) and surrounded with a deeply intense dark poultry stock.   Also a fried pigeon heart (very sweet and tender and pure) topped with some mayo and a tomato paste accented with a bit of harissa.  I believe that the big leafy herb was Chinese Kale - it tasted a bit like watercress and was draped over a dab of dilled crème fraiche.

With the pigeon, an unusual intense, dry, tannic, organic, 100% Syrah Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Côtes du Rhône Sud.  It really emphasized the earthiness of the pigeon.

I would go to Accents Table Bourse just for the bread and butter!  They now make the slightly sour boule in-house, and crunching of its shatteringly crisp crust can be heard across the room.  And it’s still served with their amazing cherry-wood-smoked butter, this time molded into the shape of a cute teddy bear! 

My cheese course was a warmed Brie with ephemeral toasted brioche, apple compote, and honey. You might think all that sweetness doesn’t work, but it does!!!  

With the cheese, a 1985 Mas Amiel fortified wine similar to Port but not as heavy, and lower in alcohol.  The adjective “ebullient” came to mind, not what you normally think of in a Port!  Flavors of fig, walnut, caramel, rose, and chocolate.  Very suave!

Before dessert, a glass of slightly warm carrot-thyme-lemon-ginger tea - a perfect palate cleanser!  

Then this amazing sugarwork balloon filled with a sweet foam (not sure what it was), hazelnuts, pineapple, and a white chocolate tube filled with caramel mousse.  (The cracked-open version is in the second photo.)  Somehow, I don’t think I’m going to try to make this at home - ya, ya, I’m a wimp!

And with the dessert a little glass of the Hungarian late-harvest sweet wine Tokaj by Samuel Tinon, made from the Hárslevelű white grape - flavors of dried fruits (apricot, figs, etc.), brown sugar, hazelnuts, etc.  Absolutely delightful! 

Finally, a slice of lighter-than-air pistachio chiffon cake with rhubarb compote.  And a few more drops of that brilliant ’85 Mas Amiel!  And their fantastic espresso.

Accents Table Bourse, 24 rue Feydeau in the 2nd.  Tell them Mariellen from Minnesota sent you!  https://accents-restaurant.com/