Les Cocottes de Christian Constant - GOGO Review

Number 35

Afaria - GOGO review

Afaria (or: You'll never see blood sausage the same way again)

After having done a tour of the 15th arondissement's ghetto bistronomique this week (Grand Pan, Le Troquet...), Friday's lunch at AFARIA was a superb surprise. Julien, the chef, surely has a talent far in advance of his 26 years, and many more surprises up his sleeve than the dish Parisians cross town for , the Boudin noir aux pommes, cuit en crout de moutarde. The amuse-bouche a starter of chiperons, deep fried was both light and tender, as might be compared to other's elastic offerings, followed by skewered chunks of pork cooked in espelette pepper. The starter of scallop carpaccio with artichokes and doused in a creamy pumpkin soup an excellent, light winter dish. The Lebanese "boulghour" (crushed wheat) topped with oysters and a side of hummus, remarkable for its freshness and unique texture. The famous aforementionned boudin, followed by a delicious roast maigret de canard grilled in a fig/balsamic vinegar sauce, ending with a gingered fruit salad. Their three course menu is & steal at 26€.

Afaria
15, rue Desnouettes, 15th
Telephone: +33 1 48 56 15 36

Biarritz , etc...

Can you imagine I've been living for more than a decade in France, and that I've never been to the Basque region ,and that I've been missing out on this?.....

The Saga of the Red Bull Inn...to come

This Pennsylvanian chain restaurant left an indelible mark on my childhood memory with its dark dining room, buxom waitresses and buttery lobster. Sadly the chain no longer exists, but it' worth reviving the memory for what I believe to be one of America's greatest ideas in mass food, especially since there seems to be very little info on the web....more soon...