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A Breath of Fresh Air in Paris
PARIS – Following Joel Robuchon’s lead
into the world of the more casual any-time-of-day gastronomy
with his Left Bank Atelier, respected chef Alain Dutournier
has tossed his hat into the ring. Pinxo, a clean, modern,
all black and white restaurant near the Place Vendôme
on the Right Bank, offers a nice breath of fresh air,
a new approach. Open seven days a week from noon until
midnight, the restaurant will help break France’s
traditional strict dining hours and customs.
With a bar open to the small, compact kitchen, and
a casual atmosphere, the restaurant is designed to
accommodate those who want a single quick bite as well
as diners who are willing to wile away an afternoon
or evening sampling Dutournier’s creations. The
chef is a proud son of France’s southwest and
a staunch defender of all its products, and so it is
no surprise to find the region’s specialties
honored here. From the marvelous beef “race blonde
d’Aquitaine” to tiny chipirons (baby squid)
and on to a cool piperade (eggs, red peppers, onions,
tomatoes and ham), the brief menu takes us on a fine
tour of the region.
The wine list, wisely, is arranged not by region or
color but by price, with bottles ranging from 28 € for
a Domaine de Deurre Côtes du Rhône Villages
Vinsobres 2000 to 85 € for a Volnay 1er Cru Marquis
d’Angerville 2000. Wines by the glass range from
5 to 7 euros.
I loved almost everything about the place and assume
some of the nicks will be taken out in time. Service
was hesitant and at times just wrong (bringing items
we had not ordered), and some ingredients just didn’t
have that ultra-fresh flavors we expect of Dutournier.
Miniature heads of lettuce the size of a Belgian endive
are all the rage right now, and he kicks in with a
welcoming Salades Croquantes, a generous mix of a trio
of crunchy hearts of lettuce, sliced mushrooms, shallots,
radish sprouts and tomatoes. So good to know that green
salad is back, but too bad the tomatoes had that stale,
I’ve-been-sitting-around-too-long flavor.
His soup – better than almost anyone’s
mom – is brilliant, a superb mix of herbs, mushrooms,
a touch of ginger, and fresh beans, all warming and
energizing. And I literally devoured his tiny spring
roll of fresh crab, a fine rendition of an Asian classic.
I am a huge fan of the sweet, crunchy, tiny squid
known as chipirons and no one does it better than someone
from France’s southwest. Here they are cooked “a
la plancha,” or on a flat griddle, seasoned with
a touch of ginger, mildly spicy pepper and garlic chips.
Alas, the garlic chips were bitter, marring an otherwise
delightful dish .
When you go, do order the beef filet, aged to perfection
and cooked perfectly rare. The meat is served with
an unusual combination of cubed Charlotte potatoes
bathed in a healthy tapenade, or black olive purée.
With the meal, we loved the Jurancon Sec Clos Uroulat
Cuvée Marie 2000, an always appealing white
from the Petit Manseng grape, and priced at 35 €..
Most items – which can be mixed and matched – range
from 7 to 22 €.
Dutournier came up with the restaurant’s name
from the verb “pintcher,” which means to
capture something with a quick gesture., and not like
many have assumed, the Spanish pinchos or tapas eaten
with one’s fingers.
Alain Dutournier has not been sleeping. This summer
he took advantage of the holiday period to also re-decorate
his Michelin two-star restaurant – Carre des
Feuillants -- transforming the large space off of Place
Vendôme into a sober, modern, calming spot. The
food is as good as ever, with a fabulous terrine of
foie gras, an updated version of the classic wild hare
lievre à la royale, and an oyster starter – that
included a superb “terrine” of fresh oysters
and a little tartare of algae that is worth a trip
all on its own.
Pinxo
9. rue d’Alger
Paris 1
Telephone: 01 4 020 72 00
Fax: 01 40 20 72 02
All major credit cards. Open daily. A la carte,
from 20 to 60, including service but not wine.
Carre des Feuillantsb
14, rue de Castiglione
Paris 1
Telephone: 01 42 86 82 82
Fax: 01 42 86 07 71
Web: www.perso.wanadoo.fr/carre.des.feuillants.
All major credit cards. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
58 € lunch menu, 138 € dinner menu. A la
carte, 150 to 200 € including service but not
wine.
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