Went to Paris for a few days, ate at some places. Was with my mother which limited my choice in restaurants and meant we stayed away from all seafood heavy spots. Side note: I scoured Hungry Onion for Paris recs, and they seem to gravitate heavily (and I mean heavily) to French-Japanese cooking. That wasn’t of interest for me on this trip, so I avoided some of the most highly thought of restaurants.
Septime for lunch: the internet seems to suggest that there are 7000 restaurants better in Paris than Septime, but I’d never been, and somehow was able to get a table for 5. Honestly, I really enjoyed it. Nothing revelatory, but everything was very good. An almost Californian-ethos, for better or worse. Incredible ingredients, presented relatively simply. Highlight was probably a tuna and plum dish.
Juveniles: Wine bar/bistro in the 1st (or maybe the 2nd.) Yeah, really nice. Delicious moules frites, and I had a wonderful fish of the day. Great beef tartare. This spot definitely scratched the itch of quintessential Paris bistro. Chalkboard specials, tight tables, etc.
Dandelion: Meal of the trip. Neo-bistro in the 20th. Small menu, known for their ris de veau grilled over charcoal. Highlight was a decadent though perfectly balanced sweet corn, crab, harissa butter, and lardo dish. Dish of the year candidate.
Kubri–Lebanese spot with much acclaim. Bill Addison recently said it was one of his favorite Lebanese spots in the world. That seems a little generous to me, though we had some service issues which meant that we had one tiny plate and like 12 dishes in front of us. The internet suggests more beautiful veggie dishes than we had–everything was sort of flavor-bomby. Here’s Bill’s take. He’s eaten a lot more Lebanese than me, though I’ve written more reviews hahaha. “So, so rarely does a Lebanese kitchen find balance between the traditional dishes (many of which have simple ingredients that demand technique) and innovation (which often produces aberrations that have no relation to the original). This one nails the midpoint, with wonders like a charred wedge of cabbage rubbed in Aleppo pepper butter and pummeled with diced pickled apricot, shanklish (crumbly aged cheese) and salty-sugary peanuts modeled after a snack in Lebanon called Cri-Cri. The only restaurant to which I circled back for a second meal.”
Recoin- Bistro in the Marais, meant to feel like an old school spot. There were like four total things on the menu, which is just too small for me. Two apps, two entrees. Had a fried eggplant that felt like something from Carbone and a delicious tuna and bean stew. Tasty enough, but wouldn’t recommend.