Meg Zimbeck » 75009

Photos: L’Office

admin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:38:38 +0000

Egg with pork belly, tomato reduction and pickled red onion at L'Office

Velouté of mushrooms with soft-boiled egg at L'Office

Carre d'agneau (lamb chops) with cabbage, endive and Jerusalem artichokes at L'Office

Chocolate with caramelized bananas, banana ice cream, and hazelnuts at L'Office

Eating at the bar at L'Office

For practical information and a collection of trusted reviews, please see our page for L’Office on Paris by Mouth.

Review: Autour d’un Verre

Meg — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:36:34 +0000

Caroline Mignot, a French writer who I like quite a lot, recently wrote about this little wine bar in the 9th. “I’m surprised that I haven’t written about it before,” she said, and I know exactly how she feels. Autour d’un Verre is a place I’ve visited many times and one that I often recommend. But I hadn’t ever written about it, beyond a little mention in BlackBook, because it’s just so incredibly simple. Sometimes, though, that’s exactly what you need.

My first visit happened four years ago with Phyllis Flick, a longtime Paris resident who I “met” on the eGullet discussion forum. We shared a bottle of Morgon (was it the Foillard?) and some sausage & mash. To my delight, she became a friend. I’ve returned many times since because I like the wine, the friendly dog, the laid-back atmosphere, and the price: €20 for two courses at night. I also love that I can walk in without a reservation.

To be clear: the food is very simple. It’s like eating in the home of a friend who knows how to entertain a crowd. Cheaper ingredients are stretched and adorned and the preparations are simple: sausage & mash, pork belly & mash, etc. & mash. Last week I broke from tradition and sampled their Thai-style steak. I was expecting a train wreck, but this was one of the best Thai dishes I’ve eaten in Paris. It’s true that’s not saying much, but the plate was still a delightful surprise. On that visit, I so enjoyed the glasses of wine that we ordered – a sparkling Vin de Table (Cuvée Jeux de Bulles) from Domaine Mouressipe and a Bourgogne Chitry from Vini Viti Vinci, €4 each – that I took home the bottles.

One nagging downside: I could stand a little more warmth from the team behind L’Autour d’un Verre. The waiter is friendly enough, but I haven’t once managed to squeeze a smile out of Kevin, the American who owns this place with his Finnish wife Mari. The natural wines on offer (including many small production Vins de Table) deserve an ambassador who is willing to explain them.

In sum, L’Autour d’un Verre is a great place to go when you haven’t booked ahead, when you haven’t a lot of money, and when wine and friends are the evening’s main attraction.

L’Autour d’un Verre
21, rue de Trévise (rue Richer)
Tel: 01-48-24-43-74

Review: L’Office

Meg — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:32:17 +0000

3, rue Richer, 75009. 01 47 70 67 31.
Open for lunch Thurs–Fri, and for dinner Tues–Sat.
Closed Sun and Mon.

The area around Grands Boulevards has suddenly (and surprisingly) become cool. This major thoroughfare, not far from two landmark department stores, used to be nothing but chains. In recent years, however, a handful of hype restaurants has put this neighborhood back on the foodie map. Among these, Racines and Passage 53, tucked inside the Passage des Panoramas, are the most well known. But another relative newcomer—named after a place that I try to avoid—has begun to establish a following. I revisited l’Office this week and was reminded of why I loved it the first time around.

To begin, the waiters are adorable. Young and hip—wearing smiles and just enough facial scruff—my friend and I were putty in their hands. Did we want a sparkling Vouvray to begin? Absolutely. Sipping our bubbles, we admired the decor and made plans to transform our own apartments with strategically placed antlers. The taxidermy, when combined with retro lighting, moleskin banquettes and funky wallpaper, created an enviable atmosphere.

>>read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

Review: Table 28

Meg — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:29:35 +0000

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the opening of Table 28 before I had actually been. That was the backstory. This is the rotisstory.

Sunday night I stepped in out of the rain and said hello to my dinner. “Robert,” having just descended from the spit, was resting quietly on the counter. The suckling pig would soon be joined on the table by a roasted Coucou de Rennes. But at this early hour, before the others arrived, there was time to sip my wine and watch Marie-Aude sharpen her knives.

My friend turned up and we sat down to share a slice of house-made foie gras. With a puddle of green tomato jelly and aided by a crémant de Jura, it was well-worth the €14 add-on.

The “official” dinner menu began with a salad of sucrine, pomegranate and échine de porc Noir de Bigorre (baby Romaine and high-falutin’ pork belly). Not bad, but not at all in line with my previous meals in this space. It isn’t Spring – I know, I know – but it’s hard to adjust one’s expectation. Then again, I may have just been distracted by what was happening in the kitchen:Is that not hot?

Back at the table: A heaping bowl of pork and bird, with chunks of roasted squash. A “creamless” gratin (with plenty of duck fat) on the side. It was good – copiously so – we couldn’t possibly have finished.

Dessert was pear cake with a side bowl of yum. The latter might have been raw crème fraîche and pear compote. Or it might have been some-other-fruit compote. That detail disappeared along with the last drops of an under-ripe Pommard.

So what did I think of my first visit to Table 28?
It wasn’t anything to do with why Daniel Rose is famous. It wasn’t the kind of thing that made me once write this. But hey, it was a warm and welcoming place to share some satisfying food. I had a wonderful night and can recognize that this, more than anything else, is the aim of Table 28. So bravo Daniel, it’s good to see you smile.

Table 28
28 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne, 75009
Reservations: 06 42 87 79 64
Menu for €38 (starter, main, dessert) and wines ranging from affordable to stoopid.

Rolling with the homies

Meg — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:53:22 +0000

As promised, Daniel Rose hosted an indoor picnic de luxe last Saturday at Spring restaurant in the 9th. On the menu: lobster rolls, duck-fat french fries (a nod to Hot Doug?) and some very cold champagne.

We arrive late (quelle surprise) after a noisy afternoon at the Villette Sonique music festival. Walking in around 9pm, we’re met with fallen face and the words “we just sold the last sandwich.” There is a table, though, so we sit for wine and to plan our next move.

A bottle of champagne lands on the table. Soon after, a half-packet of algae-flecked Bordier butter. I see Daniel dash out and return with an armful of bread. “Well you’re here, you’ll eat a little something.” Then a platter arrives, grinning with cherry tomatoes and a pile of parsley-topped lobster salad. We split into the warm rolls, with one knife and no napkins, making DIY sandwiches on the table top.

Daniel and Marie-Aude start to clean the soon-empty restaurant, but stop over to replace and swig from a succession of bottles. Between chores, they assemble a bowl of raspberries for us to share, fresh cream and chocolate mousse on the side. Scraps of bright green pistachio cake also find their way from the pan to our plateless table.

We stay longer than is polite, allowing them to leave as the clock strikes midnight. We continue along to Chez Moune (dancing models are a let-down after this), while our hosts totter off to ponder the fact that they made more money selling sandwiches than their regular four-course menu.

For those who prefer a proper meal over communal scraps, you can call Spring to “reserve your beast” and then show up anytime on Saturday between 12-7. Normal price is €23 for a sandwich, and €5 for duck fat fries. Emptying the fridge and the cave (rightly) costs a little more…

Daniel Rose and the return of Spring

Meg — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:50:55 +0000

A few months ago, I interviewed Daniel Rose for United’s Hemispheres magazine. During the two hours we spent together, his phone rang about 47 times. It wasn’t a good thing, he explained, because those callers wanted… a reservation. Rather than pick up and tell the would-be suiters that Spring was booked four months in advance, he mostly ignored the phone.

When he did answer, I could tell from his face that there a lot of begging going on. “I’m sorry (Ambassador… Mr. Editor… Mom) but there’s just nothing I can do…” “That phone,” he later told me, “is the enemy of joy.”

Shortly thereafter, he closed Spring with a plan to reopen around the corner from the Louvre. Unsurprisingly, that address has been wrapped up tightly in red tape, and it will be months before clients can descend down into its 16th century cave.

In the meantime, Rose has retreated to his original restaurant in the 9th. He announced quietly on the blog that he’ll once again be taking reservations. So anybody who’s been dying to try Spring but couldn’t face the half-year wait should call today… like, seriously, right now.

The most exciting part of his post, however, was this:

“Next Saturday, May 30th we are starting a new formula at SPRING. Service all day [on Saturday]… no reservations. Champagne, cold beer and LOBSTER SANDWICHES. Just what you always wanted during an economic crisis – a pricey luxury sandwich and enough cheap booze to help you forget about it. Call ahead and order live lobsters to go at cost + 5 eurobucks”

Lobster rolls and beer, with no phone reservations… could Daniel Rose actually be having fun?

Update: Spring reopened in July 2010 around the corner from the Louvre. A collection of reviews on the new Spring Restaurant can be found on Paris by Mouth.