You may have noticed that we’ve been reviewing a number of traditional restaurants here lately (Au Moulin à Vent, À La Renaissance, etc.). That’s mostly a coincidence, but in fact these types of restaurants are currently à la mode, not just with visitors but also with Parisians. Is this return to their culinary roots and grand-mère’s recipes a sign of insecurity? Given the political malaise discussed in a recent Paris Update newsletter, I wouldn’t be surprised.
The latest entry to our roster of good traditional restaurants is La Petite Périgourdine in the fifth arrondissement. It is not 83 years old like Au Moulin à Vent, but it is not new either – it has been open for 23 years, always with the same jolly chef. I have lunch there every time my friend Patrice, who lives in Barcelona – a former Parisian butcher who now owns the restaurant Kserol in the Catalonian capital – comes to town. An outgoing sort who is brilliant at maintaining friendships over the years, he knows everyone in the restaurant.
This is a classy place where the friendly, professional servers wear white shirts and ties and long black aprons, and the quality of the food is a valeur sûre (sure thing). Everything is made in-house from fresh, quality products (unlike a brasserie in a touristy area where I recently ate in a pinch, which served dishes that were obviously reheated straight from the freezer), and without any frivolous modernizations (case in point: a “deconstructed” bœuf bourgignon” sampled in another restaurant; not for me).
Knowing how generous the main courses are at La Petite Périgourdine, we all skipped the starters, which on that day’s blackboard menu included such favorites as escargots, onion soup and foie gras.
My small appetite that day dictated a light dish nevertheless. A plate of roasted scallops with an elegant pumpkin purée and a single purple carrot for decoration filled the bill perfectly.
The others went for more meaty bistro dishes. Patrice had the fabulous ris de veau (veal sweetbreads), crispy on the outside and luscious on the inside, served with morels and a fine gratin dauphinois.
Aline and Maria Eugenia both had the enormous Norman faux fillet, aged for 35 days, which came with excellent crispy, flavorful French fries.
Having saved room by skipping starters, we all indulged in dessert. Two of us had the wonderful Grand Marnier soufflé, perfect in terms of form, flavor and moderate sugar content, but undercooked at the bottom.
Patrice happily scarfed down his premium creme brûlée and Maria Eugenia her “café gourmand,” coffee served with small samples of four desserts.
If it’s high-quality traditional French food you’re looking for you cannot go wrong here. This is a place that takes pride in what it does, consistently does it well and doesn’t overcharge for it. And, it’s open every day, all day. One of the best of the genre.
See our Favorite Restaurants by Arrondissement page to find a good restaurant in the neighborhood where you want to eat.
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