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From Paella to Purely Paris
International Herald Tribune
PARIS - The welcome is warm, the rice delicious, the
Spanish fare a great change of pace. For the last year,
the owners Pierre Ruffin and Alberto Herraiz have offered
Parisians a totally authentic Spanish experience, complete
with giant platters of varied paella, a medley of excellent
tapas - tiny plates of starters - good desserts and
excellent wines. All this comes at a very decent price,
with warm and friendly service and a pleasant setting
across from the charming park of Saint Julien le Pauvre
Church on Paris's Left Bank.
This pocket-size restaurant is bathed in warm shades
of ocher, and for the good tapas starters, the menu
may include the famed Spanish pata negra ham; filling
red peppers stuffed with shredded bull's tail (poivrons
farcis à la queue de toro); delicious, spinach-rich
tortillas, and tender baby squid bathed in their ink
(chipirons à l'encre). There are some six different
versions of paella, all of which bear no resemblance
to the watered-down versions we are most familiar with
today. The rice - all Spanish rice from the Ebro delta,
where the grains are larger and more strongly flavored
- is the main element in all the paella dishes, with
flavorings that vary from a jet-black version made with
squid ink to a Valencia version seasoned with chicken,
rabbit, vegetables and snails.
The paella is served in the pan in which it is cooked,
and diners eat right out of the pan, which is perched
on a stand at the table.
Desserts vary from a soothing sheep's milk yogurt to
irresistible hot melted chocolate in a beautiful white
bowl, served with state-of-the-art churros, a kind of
fritter. The wine list offers some true discoveries
and bargains, including the Gran Corona Torres from
the Penedes area of Catalonia, a mix of cabernet and
the aromatic tempranillo grape.
On two recent visits the restaurant was embarrassingly
empty, and the background music varies from cheery marching
tunes to abrasive Spanish sounds.
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Old-Fashioned Bistro
French critics like to call Au Moulin a Vent-Chez Henri
the L'Ami Louis of the Left Bank. Although there is
no succulent roasted lamb or chicken to compare with
what one finds at L'Ami Louis, Chez Henri does the job
when you are looking for a busy, old-fashioned, purely
Parisian bistro. This is the place to go with a crowd
when you're in the mood for red meat and Beaujolais.
With a barely legible menu in purple ink, a jovial
patron and sausages hanging from the ceiling, this is
one rare spot to find authentic boeuf a la ficelle,
top-quality fillet of beef that is tied with a string,
then cooked quickly in boiling water. The boiling technique
seals the outside of the meat, making for a beef that's
perfectly rare and without a trace of fat. (Don't be
turned off by the unappetizing gray appearance of the
meat - the inside will be gloriously red and appetizing.)
Another star is the entrecôte, the rib eye, with
shallots, earthy pan-seared beef that is literally pasted
with finely minced shallots so they cook to a fragrant,
golden crispness. Almost everything here comes with
cubes of sautéed potatoes, perhaps the best version
of that bistro classic I have ever tasted.
Other dishes worth trying - if they're on the menu
that day - include a refreshing salad of mushrooms and
green beans, another of perfectly cooked, thinly sliced
artichoke bottoms and a classic sole meuniere. The magret
de canard, fatted duck breast, can be dry and tough.
The Beaujolais Fleurie goes down very easily, and the
bread is dry and dreadful.
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Fogon Saint-Julien, 10 Rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre,
Paris 5; tel: 01-43-54-31-33. Closed Sunday, Christmas
Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Credit card:
Visa. 120-franc ($21.50) lunch menu (including wine
and coffee), 160-franc menu. A la carte, 200 francs,
including service and wine.
Au Moulin a Vent-Chez Henri, 20 Rue des Fosses Saint-Bernard,
Paris 5; tel: 01-43-54-99-37. Closed Sunday, Monday,
holidays and August. Credit card: Visa, MasterCard.
A la carte, 280 to 320 francs ($50 to $57).
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