As much variety Paris has to offer in terms of restaurants and cuisines, it's not always easy to find clean, simple food. Sometimes I crave dishes like grilled tuna with nice roasted vegetables which used to be on almost every menu in New York when I lived there, but don't find it as readily available in Paris.
This month Meredith Mullins, who contributes beautiful photos every month, was my guest lunch companion and we went to Glou in the Marais, which makes the kind of clean food I miss. They offer a two-course formule for 15 euros, appetizer and plat, or plat and dessert.
The starter of guacamole with toast and red pepper coulis looked great on the plate but taste wise was underwhelming and a bit bland. It basically was a puree of avocado with very little or non-existent spices and 2 pieces of peasant bread toast. They could have had at least served it with some interesting chips, breadsticks, or another type of bread. Simple doesn't have to be boring. I fared much better with the plat which was a appetizing piece of daurade fish with the skin charred and crispy, surrounded by a healthy portion of stir fried julienne of vegetables that were well spiced. Dessert was a light, delicious and ever so satisfying strawberry trifle with Marscapone and crumbled biscuits which gave it crunch. Our spoons were fighting one another to taste every last bite, since we were sharing it.
I liked the casual, neighborhood feel to the restaurant and the staff was relaxed and friendly. We spoke with the very good looking owner Herve, who Meredith dubbed as the French equivalent to Patrick "Dr. Mcdreamy" Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy. He told us he was a food writer and editor for many years before he opened the restaurant with two partners.
The front and back of the restaurant has community high tables and we sat in the one in the back by the open kitchen. Shiny red enamel lanterns and a red enamel brick wall gave the neutral, calming interior a bit of dash.
Some of the food is organic and is prepared with ingredients from local or nearby growers, fishermen, and artesianal food companies. For instance the beef for the hamburger and steak tartare is prepared with meat from the Aubrac region of France and is freshly ground when you order it. Vegetarians, who are sadly neglected in most French restaurants, will rejoice with the hearty seasonal vegetable plate which currently is a purée of eggplant and fig, tomato confit, and squash. A refreshing Moscato, a dessert wine from Italy has star quality to it- it’s provided by ex-Bond girl, the super chic Carole Bouquet, a neighborhood regular of the restaurant.
So if you are craving something besides foie gras and smelly, rich cheeses, Glou is the place to get back to solid, well executed basics.
101 rue Vieille du Temple, 3d arr.
Metro: St. Paul, Saint Sebastien-Froissart
Tel. 01 42 74 44 32.
http://www.glou-resto.com
Open 7 days for lunch and dinner
Herve, the French Mcdreamy
In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New York’s best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/Chelsea & Union Square. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bite of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!
Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
mmmm strawberry trifle.
Posted by: joan | August 31, 2010 at 07:01 PM