So tucked away on a Marais side street very close to me, I’ve almost forgotten about Metropolitain restaurant. The neighborhood standby has been around as long as I can remember with its cherry red storefront dotted with portholes. I’d been for lunch about four years ago with a tour client but for some reason hadn’t returned. Passing it last month I saw they had a 20€ two-course lunch menu and decided to give it a whirl.
Lynn wasn’t available this month, so I went solo last Friday about 12:30 and surprisingly it was almost empty. Maybe it was because of the Touissant holiday, where children are off from school the last two weeks of October.
Looking like a typical neighborhood bistro, Metropolitain has a white tiled wall with vintage movie posters with opposite walls of exposed stone along with wood tables and bentwood chairs. Touches of fall and Halloween including pumpkins and gourds lined the shelves along with bottles of red wine. In summer there’s an outdoor terrace in the rear of the restaurant.
The 20€ lunch was the daily entrée and plat special, with no other choices, but luckily it was two things that I liked.
An not so salty olive tapenade cleverly served in a sardine tin on a cutting board with dried toast on the side was first and I lapped up every last bit of it.
A house cured salmon gravlax served with radish rosettes and dots of beet juice was the entrée. The freshness and flavor of the salmon clearly came through as the curing was not too strong or smoky and the beet dots gave a subtle but recognizable sweetness to it.
Next up my plat was roasted codfish with rosemary served with broccoli mousseline. The codfish was perfectly cooked, tasting more steamed than roasted, but I didn’t taste the rosemary. Mousseline and pureed vegetables have been a long time staple accompaniment to plats but as of late you don’t see it much on menus anymore, so I appreciated the smooth, comforting pool of broccoli mouselline.
Although my meal wasn’t sensational, I still recommend Metropolitain if you are looking for reliable, solid bistro food and don’t need to be dazzled.
Chef Paul-Arthur Berlan was a semi-finalist on French version of Top Chef in 2011.
8 Rue de Jouy, 75004 Paris
Metro: St. Paul or Pont Marie
Tel. +33 9 81 20 37 38
Open Monday to Friday for lunch, Monday to Saturday for dinner
Eye Prefer Paris Postcards
I am thrilled to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Postcards, a 3, 6 or 12-month subscription service where the subscriber receives three physical postcards of my iconic Paris photos every month. Each month will have a specific theme, from architectural street scenes to romantic outdoor cafes to beautiful gardens to unique shots of iconic monuments. Each mailing will include two postcards in color and one in black & white or sepia, beautifully packaged in a special French Blue postcard holder with a custom designed seal.
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Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
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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 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: 195 euros per person (about $210)
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,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
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