The first Lunch with Lynn was two years ago next month and started with the 13.50 three-course formule at Le Reminet. This meal has always been our benchmark and even though we have had some great meals since, Le Reiminet still has the best lunch for the price. However, we think we hit pay-dirt yesterday at L'Atelier D'Antan.
It's getting harder and harder to find honest, not too fussy bistros with simple settings in Paris anymore. New bistros boast serious chefs with dazzling presentation, slick dining rooms, and sometimes pretentious staff and reservation policies. Many of the old classic bistros are not up to standard anymore and have become boring.
L'Atelier D'Antan is on a small street in Montparnasse near metro Vavin, one of my favorite Paris neighborhoods. The outside is nondescript and inside is cozy and warm with dark red banquettes and a charming window table for three. The waitress was pleasant and down to earth and Lynn chatted with her about everyday niceties for a few moments while I perused the menu.
My entree was thick slices of smoked sausage over a bed of escarole and packed with smoky flavor. It was a generous portion, larger than an entree and just slightly smaller that a plat. Lynn had a fluffy, tasty leek and cheese tart. I dreamed about my curried lamb and apricot stew as I ordered it, and when I tasted it, it was more than a dream come true. It was as tender as you can get lamb, falling off the bone, and the succulent apricots with the perfume of the curry made it one of the most memorable dishes I have had in a long time. My only complaint was they could have put a few more pieces of lamb on the plate, as there was not a lot of meat once you picked it off the bone. It was so delicious I practically ate the pattern off the dish. A filet de bar with creamed spinach was Lynn's choice and the taste I had was light and subtle.
Ah, the lamb stew
Almost anything would have been a letdown after the lamb stew but the warm apple tart was quite satisfying and the sweet apples in the flaky crust offset the curry. Lynn thought her chilled hazelnut cake in a creme anglaise bath should have been warm to bring out more of the flavor.
We met the jovial but modest chef Pascal Molto and found out he was Swiss.
I don't know which was more fantastic at L'Atelier D'Antan, the meal or the price of the meal: 17.50 euros for three courses.
Le Reminet, you now have a serious rival for your now almost unbeatable lunch bargain of 13.50 euros.
L'Atelier D'Antan
9 rue Leopold Robert, 75014
Metro:Vavin
Tel. 01 43 21 36 19
Open Monday to friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday dinner only, closed Sunday.
Pascal
Eye Prefer Paris Photos for Sale
I am happy to announce the sale of prints of my Eye Prefer Paris Photos. I am offering 17 of my most popular and iconic images for sale including my courtyards, doors, architectural details, statues, and monuments. They will make great gifts for all your Francophile friends, relatives, and colleagues but don't forget to buy some for yourself.
Click here to see photos and for full details including sizes, prices, and shipping. Here is a sample of some of the photos.
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 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.
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
Richard; with reviews like this, I tend to be seriously annoyed NOT to live in Paris intramuros....
I must be the biggest all-time fan of LE REMINET (where we eat Sunday lunch from time to time and love it every time!!!) but this calls for an extra trip to 'town'.... Great post - thank you
Posted by: Kiki | July 29, 2011 at 03:15 PM
Love this, and your photos of the snug dining room. I always enjoy the cozy (some would say "cramped") spaces of such bistros. They invite intimacy--you simply have to be close to the person you're dining with.
P.S.: Have you ever tried Le Square Trousseau? It's one of my favorites. I bet they have an under-20 menu for lunch....
Posted by: Chezbonnefemme | July 29, 2011 at 04:13 PM
@ Chezbonnefemme; I would LOVE to go that tiny resto.... sadly it's not open on Sundays, a fact that I regretted many times - but I am only in the area on Sundays and therefore had to pass. Good to know that it IS what I thought; shall make an effort to go there when in the area during a weekday!
Posted by: Kiki | August 09, 2011 at 12:41 PM