I ended up booking Tournelles and then Dandelion, which came strongly reccommended by another WB member. Will report back. We’ll go mid September.
Anybody been to Granite in the 1st?
1 Like
We went to Granite about 18 months ago. Totally enjoyed it. Wine list was decent and we landed on a bottle of Champagne and a 2011 1er Cru Burgundy. After looking back at my pictures of that night, the tasting menu was really good. A mix of tourists and locals. Would certainly go back next time we’re in town if the schedule permitted.
1 Like
Thank you, will add it to the list.
1 Like
Patrick, I went to Granite last night with my wife and we loved it. We did the 5-course and every dish was great. Started with a glass of Ruinart and got a bottle of ‘22 Coche Bourgogne for 375 Euros that paired really well with the dishes. I would gladly go back and do the 8-course. I will try to post some pictures later.
On this trip so far we have been to Le Bon Georges, Hestia, Soltice, Les Antiquaries and Verjus. Granite is our favorite followed by Verjus and Hestia. Still have Chez Fernand, Septime and Bubble Bliss to go before heading to London.
7 Likes
To me Parcelles is the quintessential Parisian restaurant that represents so many things I love about Paris that I can’t find just about anywhere else in the world. Grab a table right by the windows which look out on a very Parisian street (which are are open when the weather is nice), chat with the fashionable French girls popping outside for a smoke (most of the guests at Parcelles are still French), eat the best ris de veau in Paris made in a kichen the size of a closet, chat with the somms, pet the passing dogs and feel chic - it’s all so French. And, unlike Tournelles, the wine list doesn’t lean in a certain direction - you can go traditional (last time we were there we had Rayas and CLB), you can go interesting (the time before that I had a very limited production Recaredo) or you can go full natural - all from a large and varied wine list (or from a huge cellar that’s not on the list) 
Tournelles is the sort of restaurant I can get in many places in the world because it represents a French bistro fixed in a certain moment - lots of Beaujolais/natural wine, the same 12 French bistro dishes done fairly well, bad stemware and a certain vibe that I can get in lots of places, whether in Brooklyn or Libertine* in the West Village. It’s authentic French by way of a certain moment in time, whereas to me Parcelles is quintessentially Parisian because it’s timeless. Currently one of my absolute favorite places to eat and drink.
*This is not at all an insult to Libertine, which is a lot of fun and is deliberately patterned after Parisian bistros like Clown Bar. And has great mezcal negronis.
I love Claud, which to me is, in many ways, the most quintessential New York restaurant going right now - its standout dish (and one of the best dishes in the city) is chicken liver agnolotti. (I like that dish so much I made sure we ordered two plates of it yesterday ;)) I think I enjoy it so much because, like Parcelle, it’s not intended to be au currant.
1 Like
wow - that’s high praise.
Lunch at Septime was a miss for us. It took 15 minutes to get a wine list (I think Greg called ahead and told them I won’t like anything on the list so don’t bother). They started off strong with amuse of onion rings, too bad it was just an amuse. The bread was tasty but no butter, just a mayo that came with the onion rings. It took an hour to get the first course which was a white tuna in a sweet berry sauce. I am not a fan of raw fish and sweet flavors. Next was an eggplant in a peanut sauce with some nuts, blueberries and super bitter sorrell. I would have been happy with just the roasted eggplant, but too much going on and the flavor combinations had us scratching our heads. Btw, we had wild sorrel at CORE a few days later in London that was very enjoyable. Next was a veggie dish with fried sage leaves in a bitter broth. Beautiful presentation, but all we got was bitterness. Finally a dish we all liked, the guinea fowl. Dessert was good, a watermelon sorbet I believe, but nothing special. You win some and you lose some and this a loss for us.
Dinner at Granite was outstanding. We were seated at a table in front of the chef, and it was great to watch her and her team execute the dishes, but a bit warm because of the heating lamps. We did the 5-course and we loved everything, not a single miss. Next time I would go for the 8-course. Service was outstanding, friendly and knowledgeable. The duck was the best ever had, so tender and the fat was rendered down so well that it was just thin layer with a nice crispy skin. We started with a glass of Dom Ruinart and then enjoyed a 2022 Coche Bourgogne.
6 Likes
We had dinner at Verjus which was around the corner from our VRBO and open on a Monday night. It was casual 4-course and very enjoyable. We started with a bottle of Bereche Reserve followed by a bottle of 2016 Hubert Lamy Chassagne La Goujonne. It was quite a bit of food for 4-courses and the steak was off the charts good.
6 Likes
Finally made it to Le Bon Georges. We started with a glass of Champagne and then got a nice bottle of 2021 Pernot Gevry Chambertin. The list is huge, and not cheap, but this bottle was fine and did not break the bank. We started with the paté en croute and ouef mayonnaise. Really enjoyed the paté, would have liked a little more ouef and less mayo. Steak au poivre was good, but we thought the meat itself could have used a little more flavor. I am a fan of grass fed steak, but I have had better. Steak tartare was good but we had to add more salt. Loved the fries. No one wanted dessert but I insisted on getting the chocolate mousse. It was so good, we finished the entire pot. Walked to Sacré-Coeur afterwards to try to burn off some of those calories.
16 Likes
In the ongoing category of the genius of Parisians being Parisian (& FR people being FR), if you are in Paris a week from this weekend (Sept 5 & 6), the entire Place de la Concorde (where Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette were guillotined) is being transformed for “Les Cheveaux dans la Ville” (Horses in the City) with a giant arena & all things horses, horse racing & jockeys for Parisian families. (There should be a lot of up-close & personal, similar to @ Saut Hermes.). Details are @ France Gallop. (& if you want a pretty secret/secluded place right near by there for cocktails/champagne or a snack, w/ zero tourists, just LMK.)
And then the Paris mayor also just announced - due to it being a smash hit (of course!) - the extension of swimming in Seine - so this is now extended through Sept. 14. La vie Parisien! Stop being a tourist/instagrammer & just live!
4 Likes
Also in the category of the French being French, take caution on September 10th, there is a large strike and protest planned around France, especially Paris.
Yes, good point Tim. This includes an air-traffic controller strike Sept 18-19.
Manifestation: the French national past time.
just returned from a few days in paris…our first time since 2017 and first time with our son (very different trip to say the least).
dinners at freddys, bistrot des tournelles, lazu and bon saint pourcain. freddys was great for our needs as we drove 4 hours from saint malo. almost all americans, we were seated at the bar area behind the chefs which was perfect. ordered a bottle of trebbiano and ate close to their entire menu. food was simple but a hit and we struck up a conversation with one of the chefs who used to cook at shukette where we’re friends with the owner/chef. for our purposes, freddys worked well. not sure id go if we didnt have that seat or if my son wasnt with us though.
bistrot des tournelles was another hit for all of us because of the food and service. everyone was american (a theme) but the staff were great with our son and we were happy we chose to visit. everything was done perfectly though as someone mentioned previously, a good bistro isnt too hard to find in NYC (or most big US cities).
lazu was a dinner in the 9e with my cousin and her family. our only dinner outside of traditional tourist areas, we were the only americans. food was great and different. they still seem to hold on to the ‘bistronomy’ theme with different interpretations of trad dishes (razor clams in a curry sauce that strangely worked). great service and crowd. walking home to our hotel in 2e, i noticed how packed the bars and restaurants were with locals. next time i return without kid, i plan to spend more time here.
bon saint pourcain is a favorite for my wife and i and we dined here on our last night. we ended up chatting extensively with david, the owner who also is a partner at chambers where we frequent. food was just perfect bistro food executed flawlessly. not mind blowing but we’re happy we went and recommend it.
wine was not a focus on this trip. if i didn’t find good prices on restaurant menus, i opted for the best wine for the money (alain voge cotes du rhone, tissot poulsard). we had perfect weather and while different with kid, paris is still paris…just try to stray out of the tourist areas.
1 Like
