Le Cul de Poule

October 21, 2008 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Buttering Up Customers It’s not often that everyone in a party of four at a restaurant table (or boudoir-like dining area, but more on that later) goes into ecstasies over the butter, but that was the case the other night … Read More

Taxi Jaune

October 14, 2008 | By Heidi Ellison | Archive

Yellow Cab Cuisine Cheerful dining with often sublime results. February 2005; updated Oct. 15, 2008 THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED The cheerful Taxi Jaune, located in the wholesale leather-goods section of the Marais (where tourists often fear to tred), has … Read More

L’Arôme

September 30, 2008 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

The Sweet Scent of Stardom All the elements of success: gray-beige decor, great food sources, a talented chef and well-schooled staff. It’s getting to be a bit much, all this gray-beige decor. Every aspirational restaurant startup has it. Have those … Read More

A la Chataigne

September 23, 2008 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Regional Byways Seasonal berries with a melon-ribbon bow. I take real pleasure in seeing a new restaurant open and take off seemingly effortlessly. A la Chataigne opened earlier this year, but when I was there very recently, it felt as … Read More

Hotaru

September 9, 2008 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Simon Says: Don’t Miss It The decor is minimal, the food memorable. Japanese food remains largely terra incognita for me, and I have more than a sneaking suspicion that like other “ethnic” cuisines, Japanese food is dumbed down here for … Read More

Itinéraires

July 8, 2008 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

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

Les Papilles

June 10, 2008 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

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

Ferrandaise

May 22, 2008 | By Heidi Ellison | Archive

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

Les Cocottes de Christian Constant

April 29, 2008 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

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

Café des Musées

March 18, 2008 | By Heidi Ellison | Archive

A Best in Bistros The basic decor belies the quality of the food. February 22, 2006; updated March 19, 2008 Who would expect such a fine meal from such an unassuming little bistro? The Café des Musées, situated on a … Read More