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A Pair of Winter Bistros
Le Cosi and Les Bouquinistes
PARIS - Le Cosi: What’s there not to love
about Corsican food? It’s a perfect blend of
country French and Italian, no frills fare that is
easy to
get your arms around. Until now, Paris has pretty much
been a Corsican wasteland, but the new Left Bank Le
Cosi seems to take care of that.
With bright orange walls, charmingly mismatched 1930’s
chandeliers, highly varnished oak tables and Art Deco
chairs, perky service, and a small but appealing menu,
Le Cosi fits the definition of a cheap and cheerful
modern Parisian bistro. I loved the first course “carpaccio” of
coppa – Corsican smoke-cured fillet of pork loin
that’s rolled into a sausage – served like
a classic beef carpaccio, with parchment-thin slices
of coppa topped with thin slivers of sheep’s
milk cheese and drizzled with a touch of pesto. It’s
a satisfying dish in any season, but particularly welcome
on a cold winter’s night, downed with sips of
Antoine Arena’s Patrimonio rouge, Corsica’s
best wine, from one of its top growers (and well-priced
at 30 euros a bottle.)
The first-course tarte aux tomatoes is highly recommended,
luscious, deep and densely flavored and served with
a well-dressed green salad on huge white plate. The
main course cocotte de veau aux olives was a little
stingy on the olives but served with fanfare and a
flourish tableside, with the waitress spooning portions
from a black cast iron casserole as if she were a Corsican
mama. The roasted goat was a bit on the fatty side,
but nonetheless delicious.
The classic Corsican fiadone – a rich and golden
sort of cheesecake made with the ricotta-like fresh
sheep’s milk cheese known as broccio -- was smooth,
not too sweet or rich, just a perfect ending. Service
here has an unusual touch of elegance and care: Thank
you!
Les Bouquinistes: The ever-popular Guy Savoy bistro
Les Bookinistes has changed its name to Les Bouquinistes,
with a new
chef in the name of William Caussimon. Former chef
William Ledeuil is still a partner at this always packed
Left Bank spot along the river, but is concentrating
full time on his own bistro right next door, Ze Kitchen
Gallerie.
The bright, peppy spot has not seemed to miss a beat,
and I love nothing better than sitting in the front
room at the window, watching the city’s life
stroll by. The restaurant has always been a model of
what a contemporary bistro can and should be, meaning
you can have your cake and eat it too: You get satisfaction
from the familiar dishes we know so well, and yet get
to be surprised by the chef’s creativity.
On a recent visit, I got a little of both. Nothing
could be more modern than this appealing tempura of
giant and meaty gambas, flavored with ginger, anointed
by a surprising scoop of lemon confit sorbet. For the
traditionalist in us, there was a super-tender, falling
off the bone serving of tendrons de veau, meaty veal
ribs you could eat with a spoon, teamed up with an
unexpected accompaniment of stewed red cabbage seasoned
with blackcurrant cream. The dish worked on all accounts
and paired well with the meaty Roca Blanca Syrah from
winemaker Michel Laroche in the Languedoc. The 2000
vintage was well-priced at 32 euros a bottle.
The menu here jumps all over the place, with roasted
milk fed lamb from the Pyrenees roasted on a bed of
potatoes and served with a confit of shallots; pan-fried
foie gras served with chestnuts and glazed celery;
and giant macaroni stuffed with mushrooms and pumpkin,
topped with grilled coppa and white truffle oil. The
dish was marred by the truffle oil – which is
always offensive, and impossible to digest. (If I were
queen of the world, truffle oil would be banned forever.)
The food, alas, consistently lacked seasoning, something
that can’t always be adjusted at the table.
Le Cosi
9, rue Cujas, Paris 5
Tel: 01 43 29 20 20
Closed Sunday. Credit card : Visa. From 30 to
40 € per person, including service but not wine.
Les Bouquinistes
52 quai des Grands Augustins, Paris 6
Tel : 01 43 25 45 94. Fax: 01 43 25 23 07
Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. All major credit cards.
From 40 to 65 € per person, including service
but not wine.
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