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La Maison de l'Aubrac
Paris -- I don't know when I have laughed or smiled
more in a Parisian restaurant. It was a Sunday night,
right after a major French rugby game. France lost,
but you would never have known it by all the revelry
in the Auvergnat La Maison de l' Aubrac. There was a
table of 30 or 40 locals, singing their hearts out,
Auvergnat songs, funny songs, sexy songs, country songs
that made you feel as though you were in heart of France
and not just steps from the Champs Elysées.
I don' t know how they managed to keep singing AND
eating as platter after platter of hearty Auvergnat
fare was paraded to their tables, giant trays of whole
sausages and sliced sausages, head cheese and rillettes,
terrines and pâtés, all washed down with
carafes of rustic red.
All around us, diners were eagerly tucking into huge
platters of saucisse aligot, Auvergnat pork sausages
paired with mashed potatoes laced with garlic and curds
of fresh Cantal cheese; huge and gorgeous 2 pound ribs
of beef (côte de boeuf), accompanied by either
sauteed potatoes or aligot, potato gratin or green salad.
Sitting within earshot (one couldn' t get away from
the singing if one had wanted to) we feasted on simple
fare, most of it sublime. My favorite of the evening
was their croustillant de Roquefort aux poires, salade
d' endives aux noix: Brique pastry was filled with a
mix of Roquefort cheese and cubed fresh pears, folded
in four like a crepe, then pan fried. The crispy, warm
croustillant accompanied a beautiful, fresh, and nicely
dressed endive salad tossed with a touch of cubed tomato,
tons of finely chopped fresh parsley and plenty of walnuts.
Equally fine was the cool lentil salad, served with
lots of dressed greens and truly moist and delicious
smoked fatted duck breast, or magret. Less interesting
was the fresh but rather bland slice of leg of lamb
from the Lozère, grilled and served with a duet
of white beans, large and small, a dish that lacked
a defined personality. My entrecôte, grilled to
a perfect rareness, was good: chewy, fresh, meaty and
fragrant. The accompanying green salad was ultrafresh.
This rustic style restaurant (with wooden booths, paper
place mats, and stainless tableware) could easily be
taken for a nondescript café, but it' s more
than that. A true home away from home for the hordes
of Auvergnats who visit or reside in Paris . But even
for first-timers, service is friendly and efficient.
The wine list is excellent, offering good choices from
the Languedoc, Rhône, and the Southwest. We loved
the ripe and virile Pic Saint Loup Château de
Lascaux, Les Nobles Pierres, from the Hérault
village of Vacquieres. The 1997 was honestly priced
at 188 francs. , , Paris 8. Tel: 01.43.59.05.14.Fax:
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LA MAISON DE L' AUBRAC
37, rue Marbeuf
Paris 75008
Tel: 01.43.59.05.14
Fax: 01.42.89.66.09
Credit cards: Visa.
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