La Cantine de Quentin Gogo

Paris Food Skank (shame on Cojean)

Don't get me wrong - I like Cojean as much as any self-respecting foodie , but when passing by their Clément Marot outlet the other night and seeing their rubbish bins (full, I might add) in the middle of their shop, I don't think I'll be doing any takeout there for awhile...

La Cantine de Quentin

This small cave a manger, probably the best in this recent new, bistronomic classification which started with the Verre Volé, continued through Les Papilles , might well (for the moment, anyway) end here. Two former Guy Savoy employees, lots of determination and , surtout, generosity, makes La Cantine de Quentin one of the most interesting opening of the last few months. Quentin, the visionary, and Johann, a former chef at Savoy's one star Chiberta , came together and created this space with their own bare hands in one month. Like the Verre Volé, the Cantine is a boutique selling bonbons, honey, jams , sauces, sausages and charcuteries, wine , juices , and dozens of other handpicked artisanal gourmandises. The cuisine is something else. A weekly menu is offered at 14 Euros (starter and main dish), and on the weekends, there is either an a la carte menu , starters from 6 to 8 Euros, main dishes from 12-14 Euros, and desserts around 6-8 Euros. Today we tried an assiette of charcuterie, and a millefeuille of beetroot with crab and balsamic vinegar. Main dish of crawfish risotto, and an amazing "tarte tatin" with maigret de canard, and thym, rosemary whipped cream, and, again , an amazing dessert of "bonbon" of dates, dipped in whipped cream. The 8 Euro pichet (50cl) of Cote de Rhone was excellent value.


Millefeuille of beetroot and crab with balsamic vinegar


"Tarte Tatin"


Crawfish Risotto


Date "bonbons"



La Cantine de Quentin
52, rue Bichat 75010
Paris
Telephone: 01 42 04 40 32

Michelin Paris Red Guide 2007/ Guide Rouge 2007

Here's the first look at the results coming out in the next Michelin Guide Rouge...

Le Cinq (Four Seasons Hotel George V) and Taillevent (unmolested by the guide for more than thirty years...) go from three to two, and Astrance, Le Meurice,Pre Catelan and Helene Darroze (not sure yet, cryptic, perhaps not) get three stars, with Constant's Les Fables de la Fontaine getting one star. Pic looks like the first woman chef to get three stars after Darroze..

Marc Meneau went bankrupt...

http://www.lefigaro.fr/france/20070118.FIG000000015_fuites_au_michelin_la_valse_des_etoiles.html

Unico restaurant Paris

After winning a Fooding award this year, and stellar Figaroscope reviews (by the same people, Cammas & Co. FYI) , this seems to be the hot table of the moment. An interesting concept: a kitchy 1970's family-style butcher shop (which according to the locals dining next dooor to us was pretty crap anyway) , transformed by two Argentinian architects (the owners and longtime Parisian transplants) into a contemporary design version of a kitchy 1970's butcher shop, with crowded tables, a redesigned Norman Foster table d'hote, an Argentinian chef, servers, wines, beef, even a charcoal-burning stove from over there. Happily, the restaurant lives up to the reviews. The empanadas (small, pasty-like pies filled with hand-cut beef strips) were superb, as was the lomo, which was served with roasted potatoes, and a trio of sauces (chilichura the best). The dulce de leche, again, was excellent. Please excuse the following poor quality photos .











I love the picture of our fellow diner relaxing in delight after his meal.

Unico
15 rue Paul Bert, 75011
01.43.67.68.08

Costes take over mayonnaise world!

Shocking news!

Paris' famous Costes family of restaurateurs has taken over the world of cool hotels, bar/ restaurants, and even lounge music apparently with the single aim of cornering the world market on luxury mayonnaise!