When you write restaurant reviews for a living, you start to find yourself getting repetitive: my downfall is the phrase "cute little place." It seems that every place I want to praise craves that description, and yet the English Composition student in me balks at the fact that I cannot find some other way of describing my favorite restaurants around Paris.
Suffice to say, the place I am going to share with you this month is both cute and little... but please don't dismiss it because of that. Aside from the fact that walking into this restaurant feels like a combination walking into someone's living room--odd knick-knacks and all--and the stereotypical French café complete with wisecracking owner and bartender, the food is the real draw.
In Paris, old-school French cooking isn't necessarily at the top of star chefs' to-do list, but it still attracts both tourists and locals to some of the best secret eateries in the city, like this one, tucked away near Place d'Italie. Here, the only choices are to order one of the prix fixe menus, priced at 34 (appetizer, entrée and cheese or dessert) and 27 euros (entrée with either appetizer or dessert). At lunch, an 18 euro menu entitles you to an entrée and coffee. From here, you have many choices, listed in the old-fashioned way, on a black chalkboard.
Portions here are hearty and feature French classics, like the chef's famous cassoulet, which my dining companion, a man who has been known to eat an entire Petit Brie cheese over the course of a day, could not manage to finish. I opted for the "fondant" of veal braised in tomato sauce, which came with an unremarkable penne gratin. I was perfectly happy to ignore the pasta and dig into the veal, which was flavorful, succulent, and way more than I ever could have finished on my own.
We opted for the appetizer and plat combination: we had intended to order cheese as well, but the prospect seemed daunting after the meal we had just tackled. The appetizers are delicious, and there are some considerably lighter choices, like the roast tomato and goat cheese salad I chose, which came with organic pesto. The charcuterie plate is one of the heftier appetizers and would be the perfect size to share with a couple of saucisson and salami-loving friends.
As I rolled myself out of the restaurant and down the (thankfully) short distance to my house, I thought about how sweet and unassuming this cute little place had been from the outside. I never could have guessed that it would provide one of the biggest challenges of my gastronomic career. How lucky am I to have a weakness for cute little places?
Le Refuge du Passé
32 rue Fer à Moulin
Métro: les Gobelins
01 47 07 29 91
Open 7/7
Emily Monaco is an American student/expat from New York who has (hopefully permanently) moved to Paris. She spends her time in Paris seeking out artsy movie theaters, eating in amazing restaurants and trying to figure out how to use the Vélib.
http://travelday.today.com
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. 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.
I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Comments