Going My Way? When have sardine rillettes ever looked so lovely? A new restaurant has opened in my old stomping grounds, the quartier Maubert in Paris’s fifth arrondissement, and is already attracting quite a bit of notice. My own interest … Read More
Pushing the Bottle About The wine’s the thing at Les Papilles. Another one of those places that had been sitting on my list for an age, Les Papilles (it means “taste buds” but has overtones of lip-smacking pleasure, which the … Read More
Tip-top Tucker Hats off and sincere thanks to chef Julien Duboué. Afaria means “dinner” in Basque, apparently, but there’s nothing particularly Basque about this restaurant’s food, methinks, which is a brilliantly personal take on contemporary bistro fare. “Good tucker,” as … Read More
La Lune sous l’Eau A bling-free bistro Orwell would love. George Orwell famously authored 1984, but among the myriad bits of journalism he wrote was a musing that appeared in the London Evening Standard in February 1946, about his favorite … Read More
Well-Bred Critic’s Choice February 15, 2006; updated May 23, 2008 French restaurant critics have a new chouchou. La Ferrandaise, which opened last September, has already been named restaurant of the year 2006 by Claude Lebey’s “Le Petit Lebey 2006 des … Read More
Your Table Is (Not) Ready Although you wouldn’t know it from the photo, ETC is more cramped than Dr. Who’s callbox. © Patrice Schmidt, Paris, Musée d’Orsay You can always tell when a chef who leaves a great house to … Read More
Arabian Weaves a Simple Spell From Michelin stars to simple corner bistro. And another erstwhile Michelin-starred chef opens up a no-frills bistro-style eatery. This time it’s Ghislaine Arabian, who, after a rapid exit from Ledoyen a decade ago, opened up … Read More
High Table If Les Cocottes is modeled on an Amiercan diner, it must be a very classy one. After our foray into Constant-land last year, I went back to give Christian Constant’s latest addition to his stable of restaurants … Read More
Key Learning: God Is in The Thai Royal Basil I was so furious with myself. What kind of a food critic turns up for a return visit to a restaurant he wants to review without booking? And, what’s more, right … Read More
National Comfort Food A simple, cozy setting. On the sort of cold, blustery night we’ve been having in Paris recently, my thoughts turn to comfort food and my abiding passion for couscous. The vegetables in broth and the hunks of … Read More
