tag: paris restaurant

One of the things I miss most about LA is the wide array of ethnic restaurants available. From Korean to Persian to Ethiopian to Chilean, it’s easy to find solid, authentic, and often cheap eats from all over the world there.

Don’t get me wrong, Paris does have quite a few restaurants specializing in cuisines from other lands, but often (notably as is the case with sushi), it’s mediocre and overpriced. That’s why I love Happy Nouilles so much.

Located near Arts et Métiers, Happy Nouilles is a solid Chinese restaurant that specializes in noodle soups with hand-pulled noodles.  I always go for the “Zati,” which has minced pork in a spicy miso broth. It’s one of the spicier things I’ve tried in Paris, with a heat that seems mild at first slurp but slowly builds up until you’re panting by the end of the bowl. This time around I tried it with filaments de ble instead of the hand-pulled lamen. The knife-cut noodles, similar to Korean kal guk soo, were thick and chewy and will be my new go-to.

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Posted in: dining out, paris | Tags: 75003, asian, cheap eats, cheap paris restaurant, chinese, ethnic restaurants, food, happy noodles, happy nouilles, noodle soups, noodles, paris, paris restaurant, restaurants, travel | 2 COMMENTS

Les Cocottes is one of those restaurants I’ve been hearing about for ages. Two years ago, when I visited Paris for the first time, a friend of mine in LA who had spent part of his honeymoon here insisted that I try one of Christian Constant’s restaurants, as he had had his favorite meal of his entire trip at Le Violon d’Ingres.

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to visit this place, but what better way to visit than with resident expert, Carin? I think she goes to Les Cocottes as often as I go to Frenchie bar à vins, which is kind of saying a lot.

Ravioles de langoustines, mousseline d’artichauts

I started with the langoustine ravioli, which has been lauded far and wide in the Paris blog scene as the entrèe to get, and not without cause. The shellfish was as tender and sweet as any I’ve had,  matched perfectly with the rich artichoke mousseline. And hiding the unattractively-colored mousseline under a blanket of creamy foam? Clever trick, that.

All of the dishes here — even the desserts — come in cast-iron Staub cocottes and pans, hence the name. It’s a cute concept, even though lots of these dishes were clearly not actually cooked in the cocottes in which they are served.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 75007, christian constant, food, gaufre, langoustine ravioli, les cocottes, les cocottes paris, paris restaurant, pigeon a l'ail, restaurant, soupe d'asperges, travel, wine | 12 COMMENTS

Sing it with me: impeccably-sourced products, natural wine, chill ambiance, warm service…

Vivant is another contender in the list of modern bistros with spin-off wine bars in Paris (see: Frenchie, Verjus, Septime), and they’re doing it right. I went with lunch on a rare sunny day with A, who can eat with the best of them.

Risotto / encre de seiche

Gnocchi / ragout de canard

Both of our entrées were, surprisingly, Italian-themed and, less surprisingly, amazing. I dream about that gnocchi. Cloud-like pillows in a rich duck sauce, it blew the gnocchi I had at Le 6 Paul Bert the night before out of the water.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 75010, bistro, food, lunch, paris, paris restaurant, pierre jancou, restaurant, travel, vivant, vivant paris, vivant table | 10 COMMENTS

One day I found myself in Oberkampf, eating an engaging, entertaining lunch, sans DSLR. So what is a digitally inclined girl to do? Instagram it, of course.

Restaurant Pierre Sang takes no reservations — in fact, it has no phone — so get there early if you want a seat in the small space. If you can manage it, sit at the bar that faces into the open kitchen, where the chefs work right in front of you.

The menu of two, three, or four courses, is no-choice. They don’t even tell you what you’re eating until you’ve finished the plate. B and I had fun trying to guess what kind of grain was in the risotto-like curry above (answer: barley) and what kind of root vegetables were draped so colorfully over the sausage (answer: heirloom turnips and radishes).

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Posted in: dining out, paris | Tags: 75011, food, hipster restaurant, instagram, no choice menu, oberkampf, paris, paris restaurant, pierre sang boyer, pierre sang in oberkampf, prix fixe, restaurant, restaurant pierre sang, seasonal cooking, travel | 1 COMMENT

I met up with awesome Jackie at Le 6 Paul Bert on a freezing evening during a week when I felt like I was dining out every night. It might have been because I’ve been at restaurants so much lately, but this place didn’t really wow me. Don’t get me wrong — everything was fresh and well-made and beautifully plated, but nothing made me want to get out of my seat and applaud. Still, Le 6 Paul Bert is a solid adresse and I wouldn’t hesitate to go there again, and at €38 for three dishes and a dessert, it’s not too hard on the credit card either.

Tartare de bar, mayonnaise d’huitres et herbes amères

Coteaux XL juste saisis, eau de laitue de mer, daikon

Noix de veau, carottes blanches, persil et moelle

Longe de cochon, endive rôtie et poire

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: 6 paul bert, 75011, bistro, food, le 6 paul bert, paris, paris restaurant, paris wine bar, restaurant, travel, wine bar | 2 COMMENTS

James Henry, previously of Au Passage, has opened a new testosterone-and-punk-rock-fueled restaurant and bar in that corner of the 11th that’s been seeing a lot of action lately.

Prosecco sur Lie Casa Coste Piane, tartare de veau, good books

Get your hipster boners ready, friends. Unsulfured, natural wines. Homemade bread. House-churned butter. Homemade charcuterie. Mozzarella minute. Offal and raw stuff all over the place.

Homemade bread and butter

This was M’s favorite. He had opinions.

Four amuse-bouche

Clockwise from top left: coeur de canard; grilled octopus; cochon de lait broth with roast sea urchin, foie gras, and cabbage; charcuterie maison

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: bar, bones, bones paris, bones paris restaurant, james henry, natural wine, paris, paris bar, paris restaurant, paris wine bar, restaurant, rockstar chef, unsulfured wine, wine bar | 4 COMMENTS

Dear Frenchie bar à vins,

I didn’t believe the hype, and I apologize. I’d eaten at the restaurant and enjoyed it, but I never had the “ah-ha, this is genius food” moment there. I get it now.

If you’re coming to Paris, do yourself a favor and make sure you get yourself here one, if not two, if not several nights.

I can’t tell you what to order, since everything is seasonal — there are new dishes all the time. I’ve had the entire menu at this point, and I can honestly say that everything is at least good, and some of the dishes (the ricotta and butternut squash tortelli, for example) are just explode-your-brains divine.

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Posted in: dining out, paris, Uncategorized | Tags: food, frenchie, frenchie bar a vins, paris, paris restaurant, paris wine bar, travel | 20 COMMENTS