Dinner at Septime (Spoiler Alert)

[Andrew_Kotowski]

I didn’t post this in the Eating in Paris thread for several reasons, not the least of which is Septime’s desire for each course of the dinner to be a “surprise” as it comes out. That said, I’m not a big fan of surprises! So, I thought I’d post pics of the dinner here with a disclaimer, so I don’t accidentally ruin somebody else’s surprise…

Getting the Reservation
I wish I could tell you there was a secret handshake, but it really boiled down to waking up at 12:55 AM to a laptop with the window set-up and then hitting refresh repeatedly until the calendar showed the date as available. The site was 2 mins late, original showing an “available soon” then “full” and then active a minute later. I almost punched the screen when the “full” message popped up, as there was no way I missed the window with a 2GB connection. I auto-filled the form (name, credit card, etc.) and hit confirm… but the damn page times out on me after I submitted, hanging indefinitely. I refreshed, only to find that reservations had filled up. Fortunately, I got an email confirmation despite the hang, so I copied the confirmation into my trip OneNote (as well as another mail confirming the deposit) and waited for the 13th to arrive.

Spontaneously Bursting into Flames
It hit 100+ degrees in Paris on the 13th. There are few places less equipped for hot weather than Paris. I put on jeans and a short-sleeved button down, trying to thread the needle between respecting the Michelin star and “i need a squeegee to wipe down because im boiling to death.” Our reservations were for when the doors opened at 7:30, so my wife and I sat at a metal table outside for 20 mins. I suppose we could have gone next door and grabbed a pre-party drink at the cave, but I decided to sweat to death in my seat next to the door instead. As expected, the room ranged from well-dressed to smart casual to “I just jumped off the hop-on hop-off bus,” so I was glad I cleaned up and put jeans on beforehand. As we walked in, I saw a single fan and realized dinner was going to be toasty…

Let’s Get It Started
I had decided to go with the wine pairing menu, mostly because I had heard good things about their somms and the wine list was deep on natty wines and I didn’t recognize many names outside of Ganevat. This proved to be an excellent choice (for once, as I have had quite a few terrible pairings elsewhere in the last). “Would you like to start with an additional glass of champagne for 17 euros?” Turns out I passed the IQ test and a glass came out moments later. Round 1 immediately followed - a lukewarm cucumber broth served in a monkey dish that was moderately salty and unworthy of a photograph. The second part of the course was a stack of onion rings and a green chili sauce made with pimientos padron. The wine pairing was a L’Anglore Tavel, which is one of my favorites on a summer day, but felt a little strange with the course. The starter champagne worked well with the rings, so I finished the course and enjoyed the Tavel on its own.

Tuna Chunk and Wine Pairing Funk
Round 2 - chunks of tuna and watermelon, with tomato and olive oil. The flavor on this was great and it was refreshing after the onion ring course, but something about the texture of the tuna just didn’t do it for me. The somm (Thomas) magically appeared with a glass of Vin de Voile (I believe it was Clos Lapeyre, but I didn’t get a pic) and explained that it was from just outside the Pyrenees, which was “the mountain range that protects Spain from getting invaded by the angry Frenchmen.” I laughed and have to say that interacting with Thomas was a highlight of the night.

Let Me Tell You Allllllll About Pinot Meunier
Thomas returned with a new glass of champagne, which makes him my new best friend. As @Warren_Taranow would agree, there’s no such thing as too much champagne. I enjoyed the glass of André Heucq Héritage Blanc de Meunier, as well as the lecture on Pinot Meunier. I’m a big Prevost Les Beguines, so another enjoyable Meunier was a fun side quest that paired well with Round 3 - baby leeks with a kaffir lime vinaigrette and sorrel.

[Andrew_Kotowski]

Oh FFS, More Veggies and a Wine I don’t Remember
At this point of the meal I was seriously considering asking for special accommodations, as I am a practicing meatatarian. A very pretty plate of “zucchini tagliatelle” with an anchovy and butter sauce, topped with “citrus caviar” came out next. I felt the plate was a little bit of a dice roll, as the dish was heavy on the butter and salt flavor if I didn’t get several of the finger lime pearls on the fork to go with it. Thomas brought out a bottle of old vine verdicchio (iirc), but I totally forgot that I had one job and forgot to take a pic. “Alex, I’ll take ‘obscure natural wines from Central Italy’ for 454 euros!”

Course of the Evening
Eggplant (the vegetable, not the emoji) with a chicken stock and fino reduction and basil, paired with a Nicolas Caramans Fer de Sang. This was clearly Thomas’s favorite glass and, in all fairness, was incredibly unique. While my favorite Northern Rhônes often remind me of meat courses, this bottle legitimately tasted like steak in a glass. See “meatatarian” note above. Thomas and I are now becoming good friends and I am considering following him on IG, despite my usual disdain for natural wines. That said, I should talk about the eggplant dish a bit. Spectacular. Just look at the picture, as I’m tired of typing on my cell, despite being bored to tears on my way to Amsterdam Centraal. And yes, I’m missing @Blake_Brown AGAIN!

Rest in Peace, Bertrand
The main course was a veal sweatbread dish, meant to be eaten as mini-tacos and chased with a cucumber salad refresher. Towels and herbed water on the side, to keep your hands clean. I can totally see why this was his signature dish; crispy (but creamy$ sweetbreads in a wrap, balanced out by acidity in the sauce. I ate my plate and half of my wife’s. I chatted with Thomas about how we first heard about Septime - we were regulars at CAM and the Septime crew posted all of their business cards on the wall there. It was very sad to hear of Bertrand’s passing from cancer, although Thomas shared a little about the party they threw in his honor, which Esu Lee (the CAM chef) attended. I again failed at my one job, but will likely remember the pairing after I hit reply.

Sarah, am I Supposed to be Excited?
Thomas returned with two bottles to pair with the dessert courses. Bottle 1 was a farm ale made by the Septime in Normandy (iirc). I am generally not a big fan of farm, lambic or anything else from Belgium, which is mildly ironic as I am literally typing this as I speed through the Belgian countryside. I was that guy that bought a bunch of Cantillon to trade to friends… (insert @Scott_Tallman “hello, friend!”) here. Bottle 2 was a sake, and I immediately glossed over the speech on Kijoshu and finishing rice. As Thomas walked away, I texted a pic of the bottle to @Sarah_Kirschbaum and asked if I should be excited, as she (and Jonathan, of course) is my sake whisperer. Turned out to be an Aromasa Shuzo “Hinotori” from their Private Lab series. I enjoyed it quite a bit and at this point was content with a 75 euro charge for the pairing. I’d love to wax poetic about the dessert, but it wasn’t overly exciting and, to be honest, we expected more.

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

@Andrew_Kotowski

I’d love to wax poetic about the Aramasa, but it wasn’t overly exciting and, to be honest, we expected more.

FIFY!

[Andrew_Kotowski]

In Conclusion
Dinner was a bit of a toss-up for us, and I liked it quite a bit more than my wife. To some degree, it’s hard to meet the hype expectations of Septime, especially after failing to get reservations a good 10-15 times previously. I’m totally conscious of the fact that the Septime family lost their leader, and they struck me as a close team from my limited interactions. That said, the service really started to taper off during the evening and then went off a cliff after the dessert course dropped. Paris is notorious for needing to wave down a server for the check, but I expected more attentive service from a 1 star, especially when I’m melting from the heat inside the restaurant. Meatatarian jokes aside, the eggplant dish and the sweetbread dishes were fantastic, but I wasn’t wowed by anything else and the dessert felt like a miss, especially given Tapisserie’s reputation. I’d take dinner at the Peasant in Ballard 10 out of 10 times over my experience at Septime, beverage pairings aside, if forced to make a choice. Given the deep roster of restaurants in Paris, I will be looking for other options like EME, Orson, etc. on my next trip, assuming we don’t get stuck during les vacances again.

[Sarah_Kirschbaum]

Interesting - thanks for the detailed and delightful writeup. I don’t doubt your experience for a second, but I conincidentally received a note from foodie friends of mine yesterday folliwng their lunch at Septime (same day, different meal), saying the meal was superb, after a less-than-perfect meal there shortly after Bertrad died. They dine at Septime monthly, and are pretty open about when the kitchen is on and when it’s off. So I wonder if it was largely a matter of personal taste, as far as the dishes go? Service is another issue, of course.

[Andrew_Kotowski]

Very well could come down to personal taste, but the meal and overall experience didn’t blow me away. I didn’t care for the texture in the tuna dish, which came access as meaty, as if the acid had cooked it like a ceviche. I love buttery, melt-in-your-mouth leeks, but their version hit me as uninspired, similar to the desserts. Let me know what you think next month!

[Mikael_OB]

@Andrew_Kotowski

Eggplant (the vegetable, not the emoji) with a chicken stock

I read bolder a bit differently with the emoji in mind.

For how long will you be in Amsterdam? You might miss him by a few days or not at all…

[Andrew_Kotowski]

Here with the wife, departing Monday. Excited to hit old favorites (I used to live in Cafe de Klepel) as well as a new one in Bar Kamer!

[Mikael_OB]

You will unfortunately miss him with a few days (I’m also away) if you would have stayed a bit longer we’d invite you!

Must have missed that you lived here, and that’s a new one for me - will check it out. Enjoy your time back “home”!

[Glenn_L_e_v_i_n_e]

Chances of me doing that computer kerfuffle to eat a multi-course are about as likely as waiting in a long line to get into an EDM club.

Sorry the meal/experience didn’t kill.

[Andrew_Kotowski]

@Mikael_OB

You will unfortunately miss him with a few days (I’m also away) if you would have stayed a bit longer we’d invite you!

Must have missed that you lived here, and that’s a new one for me - will check it out. Enjoy your time back “home”!

I was in Paris from 2016-2018, but my Area HQ was in Schiphol… so I was in Amsterdam 3 times a quarter, at minimum. I’m back in the US now, so I rarely get out here now. It’s just such a fantastic city; in all sincerity, I would move here without blinking.

[Blake_Brown]

@Andrew_Kotowski

Just look at the picture, as I’m tired of typing on my cell, despite being bored to tears on my way to Amsterdam Centraal. And yes, I’m missing @Blake_Brown AGAIN!

Great write up and funny too Andrew.

I leave Tuesday for 3 weeks in Amsterdam- bad timing.

[Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n]

I’ve also experienced variability in the meals there - especially my wife’s vegetarian meal which was repetitive (same ingredients in a couple of courses without sufficient variation). It was clear that although I had confirmed it ahead of time, not enough thought was made ahead of time.

It also happened at the Ledbury (repetitive courses in a vegetarian tasting menu). It happens.

I still adore Ledbury ( I’d happily return to Septime if I didn’t have to jump through as many hoops.

[Patrick_Taylor]

[Andrew_Kotowski]

We’re 3.5 hrs in at de Klepel with no end in sight. Met some random people at the outside tables and we’re best friends now in all sincerity, it’s everything I love about this city. 2019 Ganevat La Barraque by the glass doesn’t hurt…

[Robert_M_yers]

Appreciate the write up and honest impressions as someone who most likely will never make it there. Every meal doesn’t have to be the best, it still sounds like a rather fun experience!

[Blake_Brown]

How wonderful. de Klepel is a special place and I’m stoked they are still wine centric and buzzing after Job left.

It’s too late now, but I was going to ask if you checked in on any Rostaing La Landonne which I know you and I both loved in the past.

Proost mijn vriend

[Andrew_Kotowski]

Bit of thread drift here

They stopped getting it for a while, but he has 23 and 24. That said, they’re “not on the list and (Nik) is letting them sit for a couple of years.” Of course I asked!!!

The wine list has exploded and is 2-3x bigger than before. Felt like he went much deeper on the Burgundy side, as I don’t remember much Raveneau or Dauvissat on the list before and he had several bottles. That said, the newer stuff tended to be lower end releases or off years. A good half of the bottles had several years on them (2018 Clape Cornas, for example), so it’s definitely a fun list to try and snipe.

They have stepped up their “by the glass” game and have a lot of stuff on Coravin. I had heavy pours of a 2019 Ganevat La Barraque and a Keller Sylvaner. They were also pouring a 2016 Tempier Bandol Migoua, but I was tapped out at that point (at least until we got the Pulitzer Bar).

The food (upscale French bistro) was on point and the service was great/familial, as always.

[Robert_Dentice]

Chef Bertand is the most important Chef in Paris in the last 20 years. He is the Ducasse or Passard of his generation. I know how very hard his passing (barely a month ago) hit the entire French and global culinary scene so I can’t even imagine how the restaurant is coping. I was in Montreal the day his death was announced and it was felt there, we were at Mon Lapin and they put a dish on the Menu in his honor - beans with chamomile. I am impressed that they are able to do what they are doing considering the circumstances. Theo who was Bertrand’s partner in the restaurant has been involved since the start and will ensure they continue at the same high level. I hope readers of this review will take the current situation into consideration.

For further context you can see Chef Atsushi’s tribute:

Bertrand

[Ramon_C]

Thanks for sharing the experiences.

Cafe de Klepel was wonderful and enjoyed by all of our large-ish group of 10 out-of-towners, comprising of both wine-enthusiasts and foodies, when we visited just a little over 3 years ago. Good to note that it’s still rocking.

Septime was cool and generally positive my 1st time around in 2017, but we were not as satisfied with our return a few years later.