Chez Aline

Funnily enough, in a country where the jambon beure is a national symbol, decent sandwiches are few and far between in the City of Light. Until recently, when Mrs Inaki Aizpitarte, i.e. Delphine Zampetti took over a chevaline, or horse meat butcher (hence the tongue in chic , Chez Aline) , all yellow tiles and kitchy 70's deco in a more coming than up part of the eleventh. 

The tiny space is divided into the kitchen and four seater counter, where Ms. Zampetti works her magic, slicing up cold cuts, assembling sandwiches to an ever growing queue of local destination foodie hipsters coming for a delicious handful of pristine ingredients. 

The daily changing roster includes roast chicken or veal millanese wrapped in a crusty baguette, round sesame sandwiches filled with egg and fresh herbs, or cold offerings such as St. Jean de Luz tuna escabèche with caponata a Sicilian eggplant salad with capers and a sweet and sour sauce. It's great that Zampetti , who cut her teeth in such various establishments as Le 104 and Verre Volé puts her skills to something sorely needed in town, fresh, good and fast food.

Chez Aline

85 rue de la Roquette, 75011

Transversal at the 104

******* NEWSFLASH Patty the Cookie says that a new outpost of Tokyo Eat will open at the 104*********




Scoop

Could the toujours not announced restaurant at Paris' new 104 art centre be another outpost of the TRANSVERSAL? They have a history of integrating cutting edge art houses (Vitry, Maison Rouge), and they are doing an event for the opening of SLICK at the 104 on October 23rd, so seems a natural progression. But we won't know for sure until 2009...

The Coolest Place In Paris Today

Attended the opening of the new Paris art center, Le 104. Streams of people of all type and persuasion (including the entire art student population of the City of Lights) made the pilgrimage from the Stalingrad metro, past African epiceries, North African tea houses and ethnic hair salons to the former municipal funeral home now turned biggest art center in Europe. The center"s restaurant, an ephemeral affair located in the former basement stables , although serving substandard hot dogs, ham and cheese sandwiches, tepid lasagna and a small selection of drinks and beer, was actually today the hottest place to eat in the city, so much buzz there was in the air. Even along the rue d'Aubervilliers, the normally skanky bars and cafés, thronged with a new clientelle, on their way to or from the 104. Chairs of all size and form made makeshift terraces to satisy the demand. It's rare to have the opportunity to see instant gentrification in action.