46, Avenue de la Bourdonnais (7)
Tel: 01-45-55-59-59
AMBIANCE/DÉCOR
A new (May, 2017) restaurant in the 7th; handsome, modern, small, spacious. A specialist in charcuterie, but with a broader menu. If our one lunch so far is indicative, this will become a regular stop.
FOOD
To call this restaurant and integrated pate takeout shop (“boutique”) a charcuterie specialist may shortchange the chef’s specialty. These are pates of such delicacy, beauty, variety and finesse that they elevate the craft. In addition, Michelle’s entrée of shrimp in a tempura-style batter, so light it resembled a single sheet of filo. This was followed by roast cod and a vegetable accompaniment. 28€ for two courses!
I ordered a la carte, large servings each of two recommended pates, one en croute, served with a delicate green salad. With wine, water and coffee, 70€ for two. And according to the menu, much more where that came from.
SERVICE
Two waiters covered the room. At lunch, all well-dressed businessmen, no women. Efficient, but without the finesse of the room or the execution of the menu.
PRICE
Formula lunch: two courses 28€; three courses 35€. Plus a la carte. At dinner, 62€ with three wines, 80€. Or a la carte.
As promised, we returned on our next trip for dinner. Every seat filled by middle-aged French (from the upper middle class residential neighborhood?)
Marinated salmon served elegantly, with unusual accompaniments. Lobster pate, both top notch. Lotte (monkfish) over lentils, quenelle de brochet. Both impeccable.
Modern, clean space lacks warm touches, but food and genuinely caring service more than compensate. A very carefully thought out and well executed meal at a fair price.
A la carte with 49€ wine, 164€ for 2.
The Food Diary writeups on Arnaud Nicolas have been based on lunches, and they have been positive, if restrained. Last night’s dinner removes all of the restraints. For our food taste and pocketbook, this is one of the best meals in Paris, beginning with gracious, friendly service and a menu so brimming with dishes you want to try that it is hard to narrow it down to a single meal.
But there are contradictions: every table full and every table French, but it still looks like a modern American restaurant. Up front, a take-out “boutique” offering an endless menu of pates and terrines, what they call their delicatessen. In the back, high top tables for cocktails off to the side, a comfortable, openly bright brick walled modern, but largely unadorned dining room. They must get tourists other than us because there is an English version menu, but not last night.
The room is perfectly nice and perfectly comfortable, but there is nothing traditionally French about it (which is increasingly true all over Paris). So it’s French, but not traditional.
Nor does it prepare you for the variety, sophistication or luxury ingredients of the dishes on offer.
We chose gravlax with beet juice, sliced thick with brioche wedges and a plate of 3 delicatessen offerings: pork rillettes, poultry pate en croute and pork and chicken pate. Arnaud Nicolas has been honored by the French Government as the greatest pate chef in France. It shows. His pates make others look like liverwurst.
What followed was turbot with trumpet mushrooms and a stunning lobster souffle with an accompanying dish of girolles with a lobster cream sauce for dipping. Full of chunky lobster morels, it was best in class.
Dessert was a beautiful pear tarte and a deconstructed chocolate “Snickers”. Fairly priced wines and wines by the glass for 9€, all served with smiles by people proud of what they were serving. A bargain at 203€.
(3X) (2017-2022)