Making mountains out of molehills

My momma always to tell me to eat early so that my body doesn't have to work on digesting food while I'm sleeping (which apparently is a reason for weight gain and tiredness in the morning).  I guess Paris never had a momma like mine to tell them what's up.  The running theme here is to eat dinner in the wee hours of the night and go to sleep extremely full.  And so, in our further attempts to be Parisian (sorry momma), I had a dining experience at the Chez Prosper from 10pm-12:30pm.

Ok so maybe 10pm is a little late even by Parisian standards (I heard standard dinner time starts anywhere from 8:30-9:30pm) but to be fair we had to wait an hour to be seated.  And to be honest, the one hour wait plus the raving reviews from fellow classmates, TA's, and professors really put me in a defensive skepticism about the place (Over-hype scares me and I have a bad habit of downgrading expectancy in response to it).  Plus, the hype was about burgers...

And those who know me back home know I have two food passions; ramen and burgers.  I've paid my dues and have had my fair share of gourmet burgers back home in L.A. with my favorites being places like The Foundry on Melrose (which serves a giant burger with homemade sauces and seasonal vegetables on a grilled 4-pack Hawaiian roll) and The Counter (a build-it-yourself burger bar where I can make my wildest burger fantasies come true).  This all to say the Chez Prosper was building itself a mountain of expectations that only grew with my growing hunger during the wait.

And so, how did the 14.50€ Parisian Cheeseburger at Chez Prosper fair? Surprisingly well. The burger itself was simple enough: bun, meat, cheese, tomato, onion, and mayo on the side. The bun was a standard toasted sesame burger bun, nothing special that didn't enhance or detract from the burger in any manner. The tomato and onions were well...tomatoes and onions, and the mayo tasted like....well, what mayo should taste like. 

But here's where it gets good. I wasn't sure exactly what type of cheese was on the burger (and I'll probably never guess since France has a million kinds of cheeses) but whatever it was, it was delicious. Not strong and overpowering like Gouda or Bleu cheese, but not invisible in taste like American or some Provolones do in a burger. It complimented the meat perfectly. And oh the meat! The meat patty was a fine blend of ground chuck beef that broke off in crumbles when I squeezed the burger too hard yet held it's own when I delicately (or my version of delicate when I'm voraciously starved) took a bite.  It wasn't the juiciest meat patty I've eaten in a burger (those props go appropriately to Juicy Burger in Hollywood) nor the most flavorful (props to the Golden State for that category) but the meat patty at the Chez Prosper most definitely held it's own among good meat patty's.  

I don't remember too much about the fries except for the fact that I finished them (which is probably a good thing) but the burger plate at Chez Prosper, while not the most exciting burger plate of condiments and fries, excelled in the one area that mattered the most in a burger plate, the meat patty.  


And as much as I'd like the end this post here and not further bore you, I have to mention a little bit about a tiramisu that was quite frankly, the most delicious tiramisu I've ever eaten (IN MY LIFE).  It was a classic tiramisu served in a glass jar that was priced at a hefty 6.90€, but trust me on this one, this tiramisu is worth every euro cent (I made the unfortunate mistake of sharing it with a friend to cut the price in half and I was left licking my spoon and staring longingly at the empty jar afterward).

It's hard to describe perfection in words, but I feel obliged to at least give it a try.  The creme was light in both taste and texture and tasted like what you imagine clouds would taste like if you ever dreamed of eating a cloud while staring into the sky.  The cake beneath the creme was moist and flavorful, complimenting the light creme well and also came in the right proportion to the amount of creme served.  


And so amidst all the hype and delusions from waiting to eat such a late meal, Chez Prosper gets a resoundingly positive review for a great burger, a friendly waiting staff, and the most delicious tiramisu (IN THE WORLD).  Not only do I recommend going back, but I'm making a note here that I myself have to go back to try the even more hyped nutella tiramisu that was out of stock by the time I was ready to order dessert.  


Chez Prosper

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7 Avenue Trône, 75011 Paris, France
Metro: Nation