Datil, a resto that opened in 2023 and got its first Michelin star in 2024 (that's
fast!), just rocketed to my top 5 list. You may jump ahead to my report on lunch, but do not fail to read this fascinating interview article by the Michelin inspectors:
https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/travel/datil-paris-the-restaurant-of-the-future-is-here
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| The view from my table |
Datil is unique on several fronts: they have a team of five co-chefs (rather than a chef + sous chefs), all with stunning credentials, all women; they have a rotating shift system so nobody has to be in the kitchen for extreme lengths of time; they are closed weekends; they are a vanguard of sustainable gastronomy, working seasonally and locally; they have a clear ethos of mutual respect; they know their producers personally; plants are central to the menu, but they work closely with their suppliers to support animal welfare; they are committed to zero waste. Almost enough reason to go, but oh, the food and drink!
My meal started with a glass of their house Champagne, Bonnet-Ponson Cuvée Perpétuelle. 40% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, 30% Chardonnay. Fine bubbles, tastes of sweet apple, yellow fruit, a bit of yeast.
an amazing deeply flavored warm broth of roasted red cabbage that had a slight acidic edge like balsamic vinegar, making it intense and rich enough to make you think you were drinking a well-crafted beef broth;
mushroom custard topped with roasted cauliflower and a cooled version of the cabbage broth;
and a cabbage fritter sitting on top of a drop of slightly sour blueberry gel (wowzer!). How did I fail to get a photo of it?!?
There was just enough acidity in the Champagne to balance the bit of grease in the fritter – stunning!
Next: scallops tartare, scallop roe, and a kumquat, topped with raw carrot shavings and a drizzle of dashi demi-glace; pickled carrot strings on a bed of roasted carrot and chickpea purée; a little bun made with chickpea and rice flour and sprinkled with some seaweed dust which gave it a lovely zing! “Charming” is the word that comes to mind for this course! And, of course, "deeeeelicious!"
With it, Habibi Cherri 100% Gewürztraminer by Anaïs Fanti. Pure and vibrant, with a sense of pineapple and parsley, beautiful viscosity and fabulous legs! The wine became caramelly and almondy with this set of dishes. The winemaker inherited the vineyard from her grandmother; it’s organic - no chemicals have every been used there.
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| As delivered to the table |
Next, my truffle supplement (I couldn’t resist!): a custardy hazelnut cake with poached pears and celery purée & oil, topped with a foam of roasted wine (I think that’s what my server said!) and then showered with a generous mound of truffle shavings!
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| After I dug into it |
Euphoria, here I come!
With it, Joan Rubió’s Deix 2022 – a Spanish white Crianza wine from the Xarel-lo grape (from Catalonia, primarily used in the making of Cava) by one of the leading female vintners of Europe. Again, a natural and biodynamic wine from vineyards that have never (or at least never in decades) seen chemicals. It is aged in casks, then tanks, then bottles. It has a lovely fresh, slightly citrusy taste with hints of walnut and leek. I believe that my server told me that the grapes aren’t pressed at all, contributing to its freshness. If the truffles made me euphoric, the wine boosted it up a notch!
Then, Belgian endive prepared three ways: roasted and then charred on the grill, blanched, and raw. It sat on a bed of graham-tasting cookie crumbs with apple disks and a smoked endive sauce. A side salad of apple, cabbage, endive, and some sweet-lemony-fatty shredded chicken confit. Yum!
With this course, La Paonnerie Estate’s “Les Pentes” white Rhone by Marie Carroget, the 5th generation winemaker from this estate, again completely organic. Beautifully rounded, I got a sense of apricot, pear and hazelnut with a bit of earth, which complemented the bitter notes in the endive; it turned a little minerally with the course. My server/sommelière told me that she was excited about attending a big conference in Nantes this weekend that Ms. Carroget has organized for female winemakers and their fans – more power to them!
For dessert, a lemon givré (lemon sorbet served in a frozen hollowed-out lemon rind – I love how French gastronomy has a different term for sorbet when it’s served in the rind!). The sauce poured around it was lemon “milk” with Jerusalem artichoke for texture and sweetness. As a little surprise, in the shell underneath the sorbet were some chocolate nibs, some grains (farro?) and lemon pulp (the little individual capsules or juice sacks). On the side, a coronet with a gentle Chantilly.
With dessert, Domaine de Rancy “Le Temps D’un Oubli” (“The Time of Oblivion” or “The Time of Forgetting”). What a perfect name for this marvelous very viscous late harvest wine, high in alcohol with dark caramel custard on the nose and on the palate. The youngest daughter recently stepped up to lead this multi-generation family estate. Hmmm...daughters stepping up seems to be a trend!
So, yup, you gotta try it - for the food, for the wine, for the ethics, for the ethos! Just go! Restaurant Datil, 13 rue des Gravilliers in the 3rd arrondissement. https://www.datil-restaurant.fr/en-us One Michelin star.
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| Your contented correspondent after lunch! |
Next: scallops tartare, scallop roe, and a kumquat, topped with raw carrot shavings and a drizzle of dashi demi-glace; pickled carrot strings on a bed of roasted carrot and chickpea purée; a little bun made with chickpea and rice flour and sprinkled with some seaweed dust which gave it a lovely zing! “Charming” is the word that comes to mind for this course! And, of course, "deeeeelicious!"
With it, Habibi Cherri 100% Gewürztraminer by Anaïs Fanti. Pure and vibrant, with a sense of pineapple and parsley, beautiful viscosity and fabulous legs! The wine became caramelly and almondy with this set of dishes. The winemaker inherited the vineyard from her grandmother; it’s organic - no chemicals have every been used there.
With it, Joan Rubió’s Deix 2022 – a Spanish white Crianza wine from the Xarel-lo grape (from Catalonia, primarily used in the making of Cava) by one of the leading female vintners of Europe. Again, a natural and biodynamic wine from vineyards that have never (or at least never in decades) seen chemicals. It is aged in casks, then tanks, then bottles. It has a lovely fresh, slightly citrusy taste with hints of walnut and leek. I believe that my server told me that the grapes aren’t pressed at all, contributing to its freshness. If the truffles made me euphoric, the wine boosted it up a notch! 
Then, Belgian endive prepared three ways: roasted and then charred on the grill, blanched, and raw. It sat on a bed of graham-tasting cookie crumbs with apple disks and a smoked endive sauce. A side salad of apple, cabbage, endive, and some sweet-lemony-fatty shredded chicken confit. Yum! 
With this course, La Paonnerie Estate’s “Les Pentes” white Rhone by Marie Carroget, the 5th generation winemaker from this estate, again completely organic. Beautifully rounded, I got a sense of apricot, pear and hazelnut with a bit of earth, which complemented the bitter notes in the endive; it turned a little minerally with the course. My server/sommelière told me that she was excited about attending a big conference in Nantes this weekend that Ms. Carroget has organized for female winemakers and their fans – more power to them! 
With dessert, Domaine de Rancy “Le Temps D’un Oubli” (“The Time of Oblivion” or “The Time of Forgetting”). What a perfect name for this marvelous very viscous late harvest wine, high in alcohol with dark caramel custard on the nose and on the palate. The youngest daughter recently stepped up to lead this multi-generation family estate. Hmmm...daughters stepping up seems to be a trend!
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