plafield's Profile
I'm no longer recommending Le Cinq for lunch (review)
I'm glad that people are still enjoying great experiences at Le Cinq and I agree that people shouldn't write off a restaurant due a few bad reviews. I'm just sharing my experience and that it has been echoed by a number of people whose opinion I highly respect.
This was our third visit to Le Cinq and both the entrees and plats were seriously less enjoyable than our previous 2 visits. Of course it's quite possible that we hit them on a bad day, every restaurant has less than stellar days, and in hindsight I definitely wish we had spoken up about not caring for either choice of plats. I do think it's pretty gutsy to offer kidneys and red mullet as the only choices for main dishes. But even different mains wouldn't have made the entrees more interesting or flavorful.
As for the sheep's milk ice cream, I too, thoroughly enjoyed it, with the cucumber gellee (minus the olive tapanade.) I was grateful the olives weren't mixed in. In my opinion, olives are too strong a flavor to enhance as opposed to over power anything even remotely in the sweet category. I think of olives in dessert as a fad, an affectation. Similar to the sprinkling of dried candied olives over the lemon yogurt cake at Verjus. Just left me asking "Why?" But to each their own.
I have found the holy grail of pastry at Pouchkine
Just to clarify, the Napolean at Cafe Pouchkine is not a millefeuille. He does make an amazing millefeuille as well which my husband had when we returned a second time so I could have that Napolean again. ( and then we went back a third time and I had to have it again!) The Napolean is croissant dough layered with intensely vanilla cream, encased in crispy phyllo-like dough. The Millefeuille is layers of crisp, buttery, beautifully browned feuilletage with a vanilla pastry cream between (not the same cream as in the Napolean) and the top layer of the millefeulle is caramelized, almost like toffee. The whole thing is barely sweet and totally delicious but I still preferred the Napolean.
Bread-Who Loves Ya Baby ?
The vanilla croissant at Cafe Pouchkine is to die for. Not technically bread, but still amazing. Fantastic baguette from Granier du Pain in the 15th. Hot out of the oven every hour or so. Amazing.
I'm no longer recommending Le Cinq for lunch (review)
I do think it's a trend and I have heard from numerous sources that the special lunch menu has definitely deteriorated at Le Cinq. They've simply joined the ranks of the many other Michelin starred places that offer a "discount" lunch menu and offer sub-par choices to make up for the price break. They used to be one of the few that really offered quality for a decent price (although at 95E, it's certainly not cheap!) Wwe noticed that even the sweet trolly had many fewer things on it than when we were last there.
I think L Grande Cascade is a much better choice at this point. As is the internet deal of 100E for Guy Savoy. The ambiance there isn't palatial like Le Cinq, but you get to choose your courses off the regular menu and the service is very friendly, fun and professional.
Reflections on a week of Paris dining, May 2012. Long!
Le Regalade is our favorite as well and we were so happy to have yet another fabulous meal there Monday night. I'm back home today and also missing Paris. Thanks for the reminder!
I'm no longer recommending Le Cinq for lunch (review)
Like so many who vacation in Paris, we think long and hard about where to go for that special splurge where we'll get fantastic food, amazing ambiance, and friendly service. There are countless threads about where to go for the best "value" Michelin starred lunch and I've avidly read them all over and over. For many years, Le Cinq seemed to me, the ultimate place to get it all. We've also been to Guy Savoy, Rostang, and a few 1 stars over the years, but Le Cinq has always been better so we decided we'd go there again for our splurge meal this trip. What a mistake.
The amuses were all really grand, leading us to believe we were in for another great meal.
first amuse: smoked mackerel –parmesan crisp-radish butter sandwich
second amuse: crisp fried prawn heads- whole shrimp steeped in green tea, coconut milk and curry-velout of fresh peas w/ crème fresh. All excellent
Bread service: Simply divine brioche and those fantastic Bordier butters. Oh my!
But then came a downward trend:
Entrees: Oysters, horseradish/ginger tofu, asparagus in puff pastry with asparagus sauce. Sounds good right? Looked gorgeous but the whole dish was terribly bland. Not bad, but simply lacking in flavor. These oysters were so mild they were over powered by tofu. It's pretty hard to be over powered by tofu!
The other entree was foie gras ravioli in spring vegetable broth. There were 3 miniscule ravioli with barely the taste or texture of foie. The broth was flavorful but the "spring" vegetables were root veggies, not what I call spring veggies. I expected peas, asparagus etc.. Again, not bad but what a rip off.
Next things really sank low.
Plates: Red mullet with bone marrow, chorizo, zucchini, peppermint and almonds
Veal kidney with roasted onion, blueberry, gelee, tiny new potatoes au jus
Sadly, these were the only choices on the special lunch menu and neither of these are things that either myself or my husband would order if given any other choice. But we decided that if it's prepared at Le Cinq, it should be good. Nope. in retrospect we should have said we didn't care for either choice and hope that they'd rustle up something else for us but we are adventurous eaters and I really do love most organ meats so I expected to not entirely hate a dish prepared at Le Cinq. But truly, both of these dishes tasted funky. And the kidneys were really tough and chewy. We left half of the entrees on our plates and asked for more brioche.
Pre-dessert: sheeps milk ice cream with cucumber gelee and cumquat and olive tapanade! What's with olives in dessert? I'm sorry but this just did not work.
Desserts: wild strawberries in Fontainebleau cheese, strawberry milkshake, coconut lime sorbet on biscuit
Caramel, pear/ginger sorbet? Vanilla mousse parfait, biscuit and balsamic pears, pear mousse
Fortunately these were both absolutely delicious. And of course the dessert trolley was gorgeous.
This time, it did not feel like good value. Our bill w/ 2 glasses of wine and bottled water was 242E
I think they've now fallen into the category of one of the places that serves a very sub-par menu for the lunch special. I wish we had tried somewhere new as opposed to returning to Le Cinq. Oh well. Live and learn.
Where Paris' locals dine
We went to Dirigable Tuesday night with local friends and thoroughly enjoyed the food. As was said, it has that classic bistro feel and very good food but not necessarily worth crossing town for. For us it was perfect as a dinner on our last night as it was a short walk to our apartment (and not far for our friends either.)
It was a Tuesday night and while there were people dining it was far from full. For those who care about this sort of thing, we were the only ones there speaking English. The food, while delicious, was very slow to come out. Portions were just right for me but I think small for folks with real appetite.
Fortunately, they had foie gras on the menu for an entree so I got to indulge before leaving Paris. (La Regalade was out of the whole foie the night before!) LD's foie was a good sized portion, simply pan fried with a little carmelized, brown butter and served with a nice pile of well seasoned spinach. Very satisfying. Another really delicious entree was the pieds de porc. Yum.
I had steak tartare for my plat and it was delicious, very well seasoned, plenty of diced onion and good mustard. It came with lovely roasted potatoes and a nice green salad. My only complaint was that their bread was lousy. I a city (and neighborhood!) with so much great bread available, there really is no excuse for the tasteless, texture-less baguette served here.
For dessert we shared a tart tatin and rice pudding. I wasn't impressed by either but they were certainly more than passable. All in all the meal was really good and I'd go back if I lived in the neighborhood.
Another great dinner at the original La Regalade
WE have eaten here, sometimes twice, on every trip to Paris for the last 5 years. Last time, we tried LRSH instead and were disappointed so this time it was back to the original. We invited friends who are in Paris for the first time so we were really hoping it was still everything it had been and it did not disappoint. Yes, it was packed and yes it was a bit loud, but the service was great. Very friendly and helpful and the timing of the meal was also perfect. The only disappointment was that they were out of the whole foie gras for 2. But once I got over the disappointment (and it was big as I looked forward to that foie gras the whole trip and we leave tomorrow!) we had a fantastic meal.
I would say that it's well worth the trek to the original as opposed to visiting the one in the city center.
I have found the holy grail of pastry at Pouchkine
I know that what's considered the"best" is such a personal thing so I totally own that this is personal but I simply cannot imagine that anyone who is a connoisseur of fine pastries wouldn't agree that Cafe Pouchkine really has something beyond amazing. Not only are the pastries gorgeous to look at, the one's I've tried are sublime in taste and texture as well. I can say, without reservation, that the "Napoleon" is the single most delicious sweet I have ever eaten anywhere, including from my own kitchen, which is saying a lot.
I first tried it in the late afternoon on a very busy Friday of the holiday weekend. Cafe Pouchkine is located in a corner of Printemps so it was quite the madhouse but we did manage to snag a couple of seats at the elegant coffee bar. The pastries were amazing to look at and it was so difficult to choose but I went for the Napolean, a tower of filo type pastry encasing a rich intensely vanilla cream. OH MY! Even after sitting in the case since morning (I assume) the outside was shatteringly crisp, the inside was rich and creamy and intensely vanilla, not very sweet but just sweet enough. 1 perfectly ripe raspberry, blackberry and tiny strawberry on top added just the correct amount of fruit flavor. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. My husband had a "Mosquito" an intensely pistachio moist concoction that was also delicious but I was past caring as I devoured my Napoleon.
This morning we returned to Cafe Pouchkine and I had another Napoleon. If possible, it was even better. The pastry was even crispier, especially on he bottom and I was back in pastry heaven. This time, being morning, hubby opted for the vanilla croissant. Unbelievable. The most delicious croissant ever, anywhere.
We leave Paris the day after tomorrow but I'm planning to return to Pouchkine tomorrow. I know I should try something else but I'm not sure I can resist yet one more Napoleon. This truly is the holy grail of pastry for me and once discovered, how can I resist? I'll be dreaming of this longingly once I return home.
Axuria Review
Indeed! Plastic wedge is genius. The table at Axuria was terribly wobbly and the "fix" by the waiter did little to stabilize it at all. I would have paid someone for a plastic wedge at that point! I've definitely got yo up my game in the purse supplies category!
Axuria Review
54 avenue Felix Faure, 01-45-04-57-59 in the 15th
Lovely place, very comfortable chairs, tables fairly close together but not quite elbow to elbow. Has a very French, neighborhood feel. Warm welcome and immediately a small plate with a few slices of fine charcuterie and good olives appeared along with the menus. Next came a lovely amuse of veloute of spring vegetables (tasted like mostly fresh peas) which was tasty but needed salt to really bring out the flavor. The formula is one entrée and one plate chosen off the regular carte for 26E, a real value.
For entrees we had foie gras de canard mi-cuit, smooth and very delicious, served with red fruits jelly, bitter greens and toasted baguette. Flavorful, rich and satisfying. The other entrée was fish tartare (fresh and smoked salmon and haddock) fresh as can be tasting of the sea. Subtle and delicious. Mains were bar en croute (bass) served with creamy mashed potatoes (some very nice fine julienne of veggies inside the crispy filo pastry with the fish) and filet of beef with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. Everything was cooked perfectly but slightly under-seasoned.
For dessert we had profiteroles, filled to order with good vanilla ice cream, topped table-side with rich, very hot, chocolate sauce and a generous dollop of good whipped cream. Also a salted caramel moelleux with hazelnut ice cream and tuille. Both desserts were sinful and totally delicious.
The coffee was decent and served with quite passable madelaines and nice little chocolates.
This is a lovely restaurant with good honest food. I wouldn’t cross town for it but if you live in the area or are staying close to the 8 metro line, it’s a fantastic neighborhood spot and a fine value. 2 entrees, plates, and desserts with one glass of wine, one bottle of water and 2 coffees 83.80E
Where Paris' locals dine
Yes, Mangeur, I understood what to expect from these recs. We had a lovely dinner that was just as you say last night at Axuria. Honest, good food, not eye popping but great value in a comfortable setting. Not worth crossing town for but as we're living in the neighborhood, it was perfect and we thought a very good value. I'll write it up under it's own heading when I have a bit of time. I'm expecting the same from Le Dirigeable.
Verjus Review
I so wanted to like this place and I did but...
The food was very tasty but it was NOT a good value. At 55E for 4 courses (and 70E for 6) plus an extra 14E for a none too generous cheese course, I wanted more food, and few more bells and whistles for sure. The wine pairings (at 30E) were well chosen and right size pours, but the serving sizes of the food courses were pretty small. I think many would leave the table still hungry, especially choosing the 4 course without cheese as we did.
Amuse was a roasted new potato with poppyseeds, burnt bread, and creme fresh. A very tasty bite.
First course: Burrata mozzarella in green gazpacho with white bean hummus, garlic crouton and a drizzle of hot chili-sesame oil. This was amazingly good, complex and definitely awakened the palate in a very exciting way.
Second course: Hake with braised fennel, roasted artichoke,and beetroot, with one clam, saffron sauce and pine nuts. Again quite tasty, interesting flavors and textures, pretty small portion.
Third course: Milk fed veal from the Pyrenees with grilled asparagus, heirloom radishes (sliced paper thin!) and a tomato based paste like sauce (sorry forgot the details here.) This was a very simple dish, everything cooked to perfection and high quality, but other than the radishes, which were truly special (and I wanted twice as many) the dish lacked any kind of pizazz and the portion was truly meager.
We skipped the cheese and had a choice of 2 desserts. We skipped the lemon yoghurt cake with candied olives (I really don't get the new craze of olives as part of dessert) and had a quite delicious deconstructed peanut butter and jelly sandwich: house made graham cracker, peanut butter mousse, chocolate ganache, steamed grapes. Very rich and delicious.
We skipped coffee and they bought 2 tiny almond cookies with the bill. Again, delicious but at this price point I expected a bit more for mignardises.
This is a restaurant by Americans and for Americans. Everyone in the place (including the wine bar which I checked out while visiting the bathroom) was speaking English and the staff all speak English with no French accent. They are very friendly and the place is tiny, casual, and aiming to please. If the menu were 35-40E I would say make a reservation immediately. But at 55E, not so much.
Where Paris' locals dine
I'll report back. We have Axuria tonight, La Regalade (which we have been to many times and have loved. Sure do hope it's still as good!) on Monday night, and Le Dirigeable on Tuesday night.
Where Paris' locals dine
Hard choices. We've been to La Regalade numerous times and it's been one of our favorites, (not so much LRSH) despite the elbow to elbow. We have 1 dinner with friends who are in Paris for the first time and we planned to take them to LR and have a reservation for this Monday night. Tuesday evening is our last night before we leave and we were thinking of trying Le Dirigeable or Axuria, thus the question about consecutive nights. But now I'm thinking of trying to see if we can get inot Axuria this Saturday night. We have reserved at Reed but for some reason I haven't been excited about it. From the sounds of this thread, we could enjoy Axuria, La Regalade, and Le Dirigable in close succession, yes?
Where Paris' locals dine
Are Axuria and Le Dirigeable different enough in style of food to enjoy them both on consecutive nights? And can someone do a caparison with either or both of these spots with the original La Regalade please?
Overwhelmed by all the restaurant options in Paris - please help!
There are many, many great restaurants in Paris where you can have a fabulous meal for much less money than a Michelin starred place. Just browse the board here and you'll easily find 20 names. Narrow your choices and ask again.
Upcoming Paris trip: need some input on this planned itinerary
Looks like a great itinerary to me. Reservations at some wonderful places and plenty of spaces to play things by ear. Guy Savoy is wonderful place and the internet special allows you to choose off the carte without restriction. They claim it's 1/2 portions but it really isn't. And it's great fun and delicious if not particularly challenging food. Gagnaire would be more challenging and perhaps better food (though not always) but not as much fun.
Paris Lunch Challenge
I would NOT go to Jenny for great food. Yes, lovely old brasserie atmosphere, but we were not at all impressed with the food and don't recommend it. The food at Breizh is great for what it is (crepes) but it sounds like the OP is looking for something a little more upscale. I agree with the rec of Maceo. Elegant atmosphere, lovely food, and great for vegetarians and carnivores alike.
Crepes in Paris - Little Breizh or Breizh Cafe?
I've eaten at and enjoyed Breizh Cafe but I prefer the crepes at Crêperie Josselin (67 rue du Montparnasse) They don't take reservations though so if you go there at a prime meal time you may need to wait a bit in line. They're open from noon until 11 PM with continuous service every day but Monday. Casual, authentic, wonderful. And a really fun neighborhood to stroll around in before or after.
Paris Itinerary Help - Primary question Le Cinq or Guy Savoy for lunch
Yes, congratulations! Sounds like a wonderful trip. Thanks so much for the great report.
June in Paris - Pls help comment/critique
I also could NEVER eat dinner at La Regalade after lunch at Le Cinq. I strongly suggest doing these 2 on different days even if you have enormous appetite.
Recent trip, food report
Thanks for a great report. Evidence is building that Reed ma be worthy of spending a meal there. And La Regalade is our favorite restaurant in Paris (the original) and we return every trip so I'm always happy to hear that it's still firing on all cylinders! We'll be there in just a few weeks!
L'Instant d'or
Generally, I look for more than one person (no matter how well read/respected that person is) to give feedback on a place before I want to spend serious money on a meal, especially in Paris where there are so many choices. There are so many palates I know and respect here on CH it's always preferable to me if I can back up a blog rec here.
L'Instant d'or
Yes, I saw that (which is how my interest got piqued to begin with) but I wondered if any Hounds had tried it and had an opinion.
Le Troque or Afaria
Yes, I see the appeal of Dans les Landes and we might choose it but both Afaria and Le Troque are better located for us so if one were only choosing between these two? Has Afaria gone downhill since the chef is now focusing on DdL? Has anyone dined at Afaria recently that can comment?
Le Troque or Afaria
For Basque influenced bistro food, which would you choose and why?
Starting to narrow the choices: input please?
Thanks for the info xigua. How far in advance does one need to reserve for Le Troquet? And how early does the Cantine begin serving? It might be a good first night choice for us.
Starting to narrow the choices: input please?
Thanks Chef June. We'll definitely check it out. It's right in our neighborhood.
