1st Arrondissement

28, rue du Mont-Thabor  (1)
Tel: 01-42-96-28-18

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

Another Regalade clone. Falls far short. Well located behind Rue de Rivoli near Concorde. Small room with downstairs cave. Rustic, but comfortable. Mixed tourists/French. Lacks ambiance.

Now modernized. Still attractive.

FOOD

Good, if not refined. Ambitious blackboard menu with some high points, plus daily additions.

SERVICE

Competent, but inelegant.

PRICE

Medium priced (36€) formula. For same price, other choices superior.

(1x) (2010)

17, rue des Lavandieres (1)
Tel:  01-45-08-53-08

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

From the outside, it could be any one of hundreds of similarly looking corner bars/cafes, with food as an afterthought. This is a real bistro, nearly all French on a Saturday afternoon. Fresh bistro dishes; welcoming, professional staff. Every seat taken. Every customer happy.

FOOD

Classic bistro food: Celery remoulade, razor clams in wine, pates and foie gras. For plats: beef, scallops, blood sausage, ballotine of chicken, lamb. For dessert, prunes with armanac, Tarte Tatin. Fresh. Good if not great. The overall experience probably better than the individual elements, but very authentic.

SERVICE

Friendly. Professional. Appropriate.

PRICE

A la carte starters 10 – 12€. Plats 20-25€. Plus wine.

(1x) (2012)

4, rue Sauval (1)
Tel: 01-40-26-06-06

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

The Yam’Tcha “boutique” now selling steamed Chinese buns (bao) from the former kitchen window and offering tea inside (but not buns). I’m skeptical that format will endure, but all involved in this exemplary restaurant deserve to succeed here and at their new space around the corner scheduled to debut in March, 2015. The buns – purchased cold and steamed at home – are terrific, four assorted varieties for 16€.

(1x) (2014)

10 rue Gomboust (1)
Tel:  01-76-21-77-60

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

Michel Rostang pioneered the concept of a Michelin-starred chef opening a second, more modest restaurant, what is now nearly universal. Along with his 2-Star restaurant he has four other restaurants in Paris. Café des Abattoirs is the fifth, in some collaboration with his two daughters (which also may define their relationship to the others).

The space is small, modern and tastefully decorated. Empty, it boasts charm. Full, as it was on a Sunday night, it looks good, suffuses energy and offers a compact, but generous and well-executed meat-centric menu as part of a three course formula meal.

This is surprisingly good food offered in a pleasant, low-key environment in a convenient part of the 1st behind the St. Honore.

FOOD

Meat. Beef, pork, lamb (with a grilled chicken for two). They select the entrees (red pepper soup, bacon-wrapped cheese). You choose the style of potato accompaniment and the dessert. Lamb shoulder prepared for three and carefully sliced served at the table on a platter. Very good sides. Large meal. Wonderful chocolate tart, plus other dessert choices.

SERVICE

Friendly. Casual. Bilingual.

PRICE

32, 38 or 45€, depending on meat chosen. Our wonderful lamb, 38€. Reasonable wine prices. Three people, 195 with wine, aperitif, coffee.

(1x) (2014)

5, rue des Prouvaires (1)
Tel: 01-42-36-21-82

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

Touristy Les Halles location. Touristy “old bistro” look. Surprise: good food, professionally served. Hearty menu, with some fish choices. In fact, few tourists, at least foreign ones.

Walked by unexpectedly, decided to return for lunch after 4 years. A good choice.

With tens more restaurant experiences under my belt (!) since my original write- up, a few different thoughts: Touristy look, because it is original and authentic, one of the original Les Halles restaurants, before Les Halles became a shopping mall.

Spacious, but not large, with closely spaced tables for 4 around 3 sides of a rectangle. Even when not full parties of 2 are seated next to other twos. Ignore or embrace your neighbors.

Hearty bistro food with many plats du jour. Immense portions. Wine, Bordeaux or Brouilly, poured into open bottles from casks, pay for what you drink. Not a Michelin caliber meal, but great fun.

FOOD

Not much finesse, but well executed, traditional bistro choices.

Twice as much as you can (or should) eat, but sharing probably not encouraged. Of course, no doggie bags. Salmon cru: four fillets make a portion. Terrine du Chef: 2 thick slices. Grilled lamb chops: 4, plus frites. Salmon with mustard sauce: enough for 2. Ditto chocolate mousse. All without finesse, and completely agreeable and appropriate.

SERVICE

Professional. Without charm.

As advertised above. Practiced. Not unfriendly, but not warm either.

PRICE

Not cheap, but reasonable for what it is. A la carte.

With water, coffee, 1⁄2 Bordeaux, 126€, all a la carte.

(2x) (2011 – 2014)

1, rue Bailleul (1)
Tel:  01-42-60-15-78

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

What remains from the legacy of the late Adrienne who owned and presided over this now-tired and cramped space in the 1st Arr. is not worth wasting a precious slot. Charmless (Michelle called it grim), in large part because of the six tables in the downstairs barroom. Only one was occupied on a Monday lunch, in addition to ours. The single waitress went through the motions, assisted by the chef when she was tending to the equally empty upstairs room.

Small blackboard menu. Actually, tasty fresh food, but the package wasn’t enough.

Published rumor that in addition to opening in New York, Daniel Rose from Spring is taking over this restaurant (also called Chez Adrienne) as of April.  It is more or less across the street from Spring.  “For Rent” sign in window and no evidence of construction.

Then it was closed, with rumors flying it would be purchased and redone by Daniel Rose, originally of Spring across the street (and now of New York’s hottest luxury spot in Tribeca, Coucou).

The space was shut up in October and sold out in April. And not only from the hype.

Still tiny. Now 16 or so stools in the unreserved ground floor barroom; 5 tables for 2 and 3 tables for 4 on the charmless first floor (in daylight at least).

Not so in the unreserved bar, though casual in the extreme.

FOOD

Four a la carte choices in each category. We tried mache salad with lardons and salmon tartare, followed by roast veal from a casserole with onion sauce, snap peas and carrots. All quite good, as was the molten chocolate cake with crème anglaise.

Very limited menu. About 15 items, half starters, 3-4 plats, 2 sides, plus 1 unlisted dessert. White asparagus, wonderful bouillon with noodles and poached egg, an old Chez Adrienne recipe, plus a shared divided half chicken with mushrooms. Cheese and simple lemon tart for dessert.

Terrific food, simply served.

SERVICE

Distracted.

Friendly, but inept. Sort of in character with the tone of the restaurant.

PRICE

A la carte. 82€ for lunch for two with one glass of wine, coffee and water.

Very low, and very much worth it.

For a city once known for its “classic” restaurants, meaning long established and rarely changing, Paris has become a whirlwind of change.

Review the chronology of what was Chez Adrienne, now Chez La Vieille. For some years, the buzz was the derelict Adrienne would be reopened by the hot American French chef Daniel Rose, whose primary restaurant Spring was across the street. And it was, but now Spring is closed and Daniel Rose is in New York, with his chef-wife opening a place of her own within the last few weeks. (Try to fit this into a published guidebook with a 1-2 year publishing deadline!)

As currently operating, Chez La Vieille is a better kitchen than it is a restaurant, meaning the food is very good.

Restaurants need energy to animate them, especially for tables of 2. Larger tables can bring some of their own energy with them (one good reason to eat out with friends). Staffs can help.

At Chez La Vieille the staff is perfectly adequate (but not professional), but bring no sense of fun or personality to the serving job. So the energy in the upstairs dining room (5 tables for 2, 2 tables for 4 or 6) dies even when the room is full, as it became halfway through our recent dinner. The downstairs bar room has plenty of energy when full, but not much comfort.

But the food from the very limited menu produced from a miniscule kitchen is excellent: beet salad in a lovely pink sauce, a fresh, homemade slab of duck terrine with novel accompaniments, roast chicken with mashed potatoes and a rich, steaming hot beef Bourguignon; a wonderful chocolate tart to share for dessert.

A mixed group of guests who enjoyed their food, but who had no trouble hearing. 129€ for 2, with a 42€ Morgan.

(3X) (2014-2018)

20, rue St-Roch (1)
Tel: 01-42-60-17-42

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

This small family-owned restaurant has operated for almost fifty years in an ancient building built into the side of the St. Roche Church just off Rue St. Honoré. “Modest” hardly defines it. Modest in size (20 seats, including two tables in the beamed room which also serves as the kitchen), modest in staff (one chef, one waiter and a dishwasher), modest in ambition and menu. If you arrive with commensurately modest expectations, it can be quite pleasant, as it was for us. If seated in one of the two kitchen tables, a near-private demonstration of French cooking in action.

FOOD

Limited menu, with two entrée plats du jour and two plats (main courses). Stick to these. Our poached egg in cream of mushroom soup was fresh and rich. Equally so (at least the fresh part) minced salmon tartare with oil, citrus and herbs. Our breast of roasted pintade (guinea hen) was first rate, good to look at and flavorfully sauced, served with creamy scalloped potatoes. At another meal, scallops and blanquette of chicken. Limited, but adequate desserts and wines.

SERVICE

The chef’s young nephew, plus the chef himself. Informal in the extreme and totally in keeping with the spirit of the evening.

PRICE

Modest a la carte. Three courses 45€, plus wine.

(2x) (2013-2014)

17, rue du Beaujolais (1)
Tel: 01-42-96-56-27

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

One does not have to experience a Michelin 3-star restaurant to understand French cuisine, what it was or what it is today. In most ways, the handful of Paris 3-stars are costly anachronisms, characterized by a range of ingredients and flavors, impossible to consume largesse and choreographed service hardly equaled in refinement and repeated excellence of execution in other aspects of modern life. But neither does one need a private plane to experience travel.  A 3-star experience is equally special, a onetime indulgence which is more or less affordable – at lunch at least.

The modest Introduction to this Diary says “no 3-stars” (except Astrance – see 16th Arr.). That is being put aside to avail ourselves of 3-star lunchtime specials (if you can call $150/person with wine a “special”).

Technically, Le Grand Vefour is now – perhaps momentarily – a Michelin 2-star. It changes nothing. The décor is original 18th Century, in a part of the Palace Royale. The setting is exquisite and unrivaled. The greeting is friendly, considering how august the history and the meal (and bill) to follow.

FOOD

Like all 3-star food, it is conceived, executed and designed to perfection. I might prefer one establishment’s style over another’s (traditional vs. modern, etc.), but what unites them is perfection.
The 96€ lunch offers three entrée choices (foie gras, marinated bass), three main courses (boned baby duckling, cod, lotte), cheese and one dessert. Every plate is designed, every execution exacting. The meal offered on the menu represents about 2/3 of the food and 1⁄2 of the courses. Complimentary beginnings, pre and post desserts, chocolates, bite sized pastry assortments, etc., abound.

SERVICE

Very formal. Very choreographed. Very proper. Surprisingly friendly and, of course, bilingual. It doesn’t happen by chance.

PRICE

96€ lunch, plus drinks. No food supplements. Wines from a suitably broad, deep and costly list are part of the draw. (There are also some less expensive wines on the list. There should be no embarrassment in asking. That is what sommeliers do, and at Le Grand Vefour they do it well and without condescension. Of course, “less expensive” means under 100€.)
Count on 300€ for two, plus.

(1x) (2013)

106, rue St.-Honoré (1)
Tel: 01-42-21-92-40

New Address:  (Across the street. Better, still not equal to original.)

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

It is widely accepted that La Regalade in the 14th launched a sea change in Paris restaurants, classically trained chefs moving from high end hotel kitchens and reinventing themselves in a stripped down formula format: three courses, limited choice, high end food for a price. That chef – Yves Camdeborde – moved to the always sold out (and over-hyped) Comptoir in the 6th, with a hotel to go along with it. La Regalade was sold, but continued to succeed and to spawn a host of similar establishments. Now Regalade has expanded to a second location in the 1st, steps from the Louvre. Not atmospheric. Very good food.

A revisit to new space, almost directly across the street from the 2011 satellite launch. Same format, now 39€, lunch and dinner. Pate, plus three high-end, sophisticated courses. Almost raw tuna, black rice risotto with deep fried croutons and garlic slivers with shrimp; cod over beans and flavorful foam; lean pork belly with sautéed shredded cabbage; Grand Marnier soufflé and a dish described as 3 tastes of chocolate; one scoop chocolate mousse, one scoop chocolate ice cream, one scoop chocolate ganache.

Well prepared, carefully served, sophisticated dishes for a remarkable price.

If there is a downside, the Saint Honore spinoff has moved away from the original in the 14th in its first space. The move across the street has added more tables, but more space and comfort too, maybe allowing for a larger kitchen. Ownership has changed too, more recently. None of the tight space and very high energy of the original in the 14th which made the food even more of a bargain surprise, but even better food.

FOOD

Widely reviewed and widely praised. Many diverse, appealing choices within each category. Three courses preceded by signature terrine set on the table. A long and diverse wine list. Menu heavy on luxury ingredients (scallops, foie gras, cepes, Grand Marnier soufflé, figs, etc.)

SERVICE

Casual in the extreme. Three girls who mean to be helpful, but clearly not in training for careers in the restaurant business.

PRICE

33€, a remarkable bargain. A short blackboard of supplements reasonably priced – i.e., duck for two an 8€/p supplement.

(2x) (2011-2017)

6 rue Bailleul (1)
Tel: 01-45-96-05-72

AMBIANCE/DÉCOR

Every reader of every English language Paris food blog knows about Spring and its Chicago-born chef, Daniel Rose. Talk about hype. It is over the top. Spring closed its 16 seat restaurant two years ago. Finally, it has reopened, with a no reservation tapas-type menu downstairs (reserved for a private party when we were there). The impossible reservation crush and praise from loyal bloggers is unrelenting. I must have missed something. A nice space dominated by a completely open kitchen. In contrast to the ballet of a practiced brigade, three or four cooks wandering in the space.

Seven weeks later, the cooks still have not established a rhythm. Better to hide the kitchen until they have.

As users of this Diary may have experienced personally, and as warned in its Introduction, it is intended as neither definitive nor universal. My observations reflect what works and doesn’t for me.
What I wrote on the basis of two visits to Spring in 2011 stand. That it is now a new and different restaurant, and a very good one, doesn’t reflect reconsideration on my part, but evolution on theirs. So let’s start again.

Six cooks plus Chicago-born chef Daniel Rose at the pass, calling orders and reviewing plates. A dishwasher; young and helpful sommelier; outgoing, professional manager recruited from the Ducasse organization, plus three other servers/coat checkers/hosts/hostesses.  This is now a professional organization turning out very good food to a full house at every meal. 45 seats upstairs and down. No longer a separate menu for the downstairs, which lacks a view to the theater of the open kitchen that dominates the small upstairs room. What a change! Spring is now worthy of the hype which surrounded – and wildly exaggerated – its opening phase.

FOOD

Four courses (one more than the traditional 33€- 38€ formula of so many others); 64€, plus wines on the high end. Good, but not exceptional food (mullet and duck consommé, “bacon and eggs” with mushrooms, squab). Good food, not great food. No menu. No choice. No listing of what you are eating.

Getting better.

Chef’s menu only.  Five courses.  At our dinner, either pigeon breast (guinea hen) with lobster, or saddle of lamb with neck of lamb, with or without wine pairings.

Ambitions multi-course menu. Truffle bouillon with roasted vegetables and truffle slices.  Scallop and oyster combination, with a second course of two fried oysters in oyster cream.  Filet of sole over sautéed cabbage leaves.  Beautiful saddle of lamb with second serving of slow cooked caramelized lamb’s neck, served with puree of celery root.  Cheese or dessert.  Cheese: eight slices of wonderful selection.  Dessert: in five courses, including fruit and light chocolate tart.  Unusual.  Well-prepared.  Not all works of art to look at, but they are working on that too.

SERVICE

Casual; almost uncoordinated.

Now more attentive and professional.
Better staffed. A dedicated team of young waiters work and try hard, and seem to be succeeding.

Polite. Attentive. Informed. Still less polished, but in keeping with the tone of the restaurant, which straddles formal in terms of ambition, no choice chef’s menu and prices, while casual in terms of its obscure alley location and room-dominating open kitchen.

PRICE

Insupportably high fixed price. Twenty alternatives in this Diary, including the new La Regalade Saint-Honore literally around the corner, serve better food (but one fewer course), at barely more than half the price. I don’t get it.

38€ lunch still on the high end for two courses and dessert plus extras (See Frederic Simonin in the 8th.)

Very expensive. Menu 78€ with expensive wine list (although the sommelier happy to recommend less costly choices. Just ask). So prices on a par with vastly more traditional, more formal competitors. Take your choice. You will no longer be disappointed at Spring.
(Now 84€)

(3x) (2011-2013)

Daniel Rose, the now-elevated chef/owner of Spring (plus two other spin-offs in Paris) has announced Spring will close in 2017. I sense business was strong, but Rose has more or less moved to New York where he is a chef and part owner of Le Coucou, a very hot and ultra expensive Tribeca French restaurant.