Lynn and I haven't been able to coordinate having lunch together for the last two months and finally had the opportunity to do so in March. We had a lot of catching up to do and I chose a place where we could have a long, uninterrupted lunch. I had been to The Christ Inn Bistrot a few weeks before with some tour clients and had a delightful experience.
We got to the restaurant early to avoid the crowds but even at 12:15 it was starting to get busy. It's long and narrow with one aisle up the middle and cozy upholstered banquets, typical French bistro design. The walls had colorful tiled murals depicting romantic scenes from the former Les Halles market and there were so many quirky details and odd sculptures on the wall, my eye kept on finding new things to look at.
The thing that won me over about The Christ Inn Bistrot before was the exceptional value of the 14-euro three-course lunch. Not only was the food good but also the portions were quite hardy. Also the menu had a generous selection of dishes to choose from in each category, not like other restaurants with formules that limit you to only one or two selections to choose from. On this day there were almost too many good ones to choose from and I was salivating before I ordered. I chose the Salade Piemontaise, a mayonnaise based salad with potatoes, green olives, and vegetables, much like an American style potato salad. Although it was served cold, it was comfort food that satisfied. I find Blanquette de Veau on fewer menus these days, so I was eager to try their version. I was surprised to find that it was served with a brown sauce instead of the classic white sauce. I dove in anyway without questioning the curious color change of sauce and was rewarded with robust, tender meat with a roasted whole tomato and white rice. I couldn't get enough of the piquant brown sauce and soaked up every last drop of sauce with crusty bread. Lynn had admired at the next table a salad of foie gras and sauteed gesiers (duck gizzards) and decided it was for her. She enjoyed the foie gras but the gesiers didn't float her boat.
Lynn struck up a conversation with a large, burly man sitting next to us who was originally from Prague and moved to Paris many years ago. He was a lawyer and he had been eating lunch at the restaurant everyday for the past ten years since his office was around the corner. He was bald-headed with a rugged, handsome look to him and Lynn became enamored with him.
Lynn's salad
Salade Piemontaise
Blanquette de Veau
We were beginning to catch up but were distracted by a boisterous man in the back of the restaurant who was speaking so loudly we could barely hear ourselves. We were wondering who was this obnoxious character was interrupting our precious conversation. It turns out he was the owner of the restaurant and was laughing and putting on a show for some of the restaurant regulars. He looked like a crusty old Bretagne sea captain with a long, wild, gray beard and a beret, a clichéd character out of a French storybook.
My dessert was a sliver of apricot tart and a refreshing finish to my hearty dishes before. Lynn eyed her new friend from Prague downing a mammoth sized chocolate mousse with an obscene cloud of whipped cream piled high on top of it. She decided it was a must have and of course she couldn't finish it, so guess who had to do the job. After almost 90 minutes I left stuffed and almost in a sugar coma and staggered home to have a nap.
Le Christ Inn Bistrot
15 rue Montmartre, 75001
Metro: Les Halles or Etienne Marcel
Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner
Tel. 01 42 36 07 56
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Chocolate mousse-Is that enough whipped cream for you?
Sliver of apricot tart
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/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!
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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)
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