Lunch with Lynn/Under 20 Eats: La Marine

Lynn was going back to the U.S. for the summer-boo-hoo! - so we wanted to go someplace outside in the pleasant weather for our last hurrah before she abandoned me. (Yes, I have abandonment issues, doesn't everyone?). I remembered my favorite restaurant on the Canal St. Martin, La Marine, which had a good lunch deal for 14 euros for entree & plat or plat & dessert.

It was a warm, sunny day so we went early to secure a table outside. The restaurant overlooks the scenic canal with its deep green colored water but the drawback is that the tables are too tightly packed with the chairs touching one another to be able to sit comfortably for hours.

The 14 euro menu had many appetizing starters, almost too good to select one, although the starters were much more interesting than the plats. I've noticed a certain sameness on many menus lately: they have inventive starters but the buck stops there and the plats are very traditional, standard French fare. It was the same story at La Marine and I was hard pressed to find something that excited me, so I chose the half coquelet/baby-roasted chicken with potatoes and fresh arugula.

I started with a beautifully composed salad of circular stacked cantaloupe slices garnished with watermelon cubes and topped with a mound of prosciutto. The surprise was the drizzling of pesto sauce that gave the dish that savory zip to offset the sweetness of the two melons. I also liked that the portion was substantial, not just some taste teaser. A delightful summer dish. Lynn enjoyed a fresh Mozzarella and tomato salad with pesto and a big leaf of red lettuce. The coquelet was tender and juicy, the potatoes good but not exceptional, and the arugula was a wise garnish since I ate all of it. Lynn's seiche-cuttle fish- was sautéed with ginger, soy, and bean sprouts. She liked it but didn't love it and found the fish a bit rubbery and hard to chew. The service was attentive but the wait time in between courses was too long. It did become a bit noisy at times with the car traffic and the roar of the too often coming motorcycles but all in all we liked our experience and would go back there again. I have also dined inside and love the dark, cozy atmosphere with classic French bistro features including dark red banquettes, brushed steel lanterns (a modern touch), mosaic floor, and wood-framed mirrors.

I will miss Lynn and her quirky sense of humor and passion for food for sure and dining out this summer just won't be the same. Although there is no replacement for Lynn, would someone else want to join me for an under 20-euro lunch?

La Marine
55 Quai de Valmy, 10th arr.
Metro: Republique, Jacques Bonsergent
Open everyday
14 euro Formule Monday-Friday, lunch only
01 42 39 69 81‎

Mozzarella & tomato salad

Cantaloupe. proscuitto, and watermelon with pesto

Coquelet with roasted potatoes & arugula

The ever elusive Lynn

Coming soon: Eye Prefer New York Tours

New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
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 Charlotte’s 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.

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.

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.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

Comments

[Laura]

Hello Richard, love your blog. sorry for being pernickety, "prosciutto" is misspelled...just invert I and U. bear with me, I'm half Italian.
From a culinary point of view it's interesting to witness the encounter between northern Italy- Liguria region(the pesto) and southern Italy-Campania region(the mozzarella), a combination that I'm seeing more and more often, abroad.
take care

[nancy]

I wish I could join you!! Love your blog, so cozy, it feels like being in Paris again. Can't be there ( for right now), but with you in spirit! Merci!