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Tasteful and Tasty, With No Attitude
What a pleasure to dine in a restaurant with no attitude,
no Let's Cook International menu, just good French food
in good surroundings with service that is sincere, efficient
and from the heart.
That's what I found on a recent evening at the six-month-old
Restaurant Baptiste, where the chef Denis Croset and
his associate, Jean-Baptiste Gay, are doing what the
French do best, running a compact bistro where one might
easily become a neighborhood regular.
Situated in the bourgeois neighborhood near Parc Monceau,
the restaurant is a tasteful and simple restoration
of a 1930s bistro, where the best parts - such as the
colorful Art Deco tile floor - have been saved and modern
touches, including comfortable upholstered chairs and
fine linens, have been added.
The well-priced menu is contemporary and to the point,
with such unfussy fare as a tossed green salad (thank
you, chef) and such daily specials as a potato and codfish
(cabillaud) salad. Main courses vary from a masterfully
grilled rump of veal (quasi de veau) served with the
tiniest of French green beans and fresh green asparagus,
to a delicious grilled veal chop, set atop a mix of
vegetables, all cooked to a tender confit. For dessert,
classic crepes filled with cubed warm apples and raisins
are in order.
The compact wine list includes a full, fruity, pleasing
red Faugeres, Chateau Chenaie 1996, at 185 francs (about
$26), as well as an ever satisfying red Saumur-Champigny,
vieilles vignes, from Domaine de la Perruche, the 1997
priced at 130 francs.
Restaurant Baptiste
51 Rue Jouffroy d'Abbans
Paris 75017
Tel: 01-42-27-20-18
Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Two-course menu at
148 francs and three-course menu at 180 francs. Credit
cards: Visa, American Express.
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