Confessions

Everyone has confessions, whether small or big, outrageous or not.  Even Usher had one and he made an entire song about it (with two parts).  Mine is well, it's not that scandalous, but it's still a confession.  So you see...I have a secret addiction for making lists.  Lists in themselves are not satisfying, but the "crossing things off the list after I have successfully completed them" part is the most rewarding and satisfying part.  I could probably compile a short novel with all the lists that I've made but one of the lists that I've been secretly (or not so secretly) been keeping here in Paris is a list of foods that I still want to try.

Last night, in typical Parisian fashion, I had a pre-fix menu around 8pm.  With the recommendations and the help of some friends, I was supposed to try the restaurant Le Pot de Terre, but in arriving at their front door, we were met by a sign that said they were closed for dinner on Sundays and all of Mondays (unless you had a party of 30...).  So we ended up picking a restaurant along the same street (Rue Pot de Fer) called Le Pot de Fer "Chez Robert".  To my pleasant surprise, the pre-fix menu at Chez Robert had two items that had not been crossed off from my secret list of "Foods I still need to try in Paris" list.  The first being French Onion soup (or just onion soup since we're in France and the French part is both assumed and given) and the second being Coq au vine, or a traditional French dish of chicken marinated in wine.

And since I love great deals almost as much as crossing items off a list (I'm a religious user of Groupon, Living Social, Campus Cred, Woot, Gilt City, etc etc), I took full advantage of this two-for-one deal and ordered the onion soup au gratin for appetizer and the coq au vine for main course (dessert was a medley of sorbets).

The first thing I noticed about the onion soup when it came out was that it was gigantic for an appetizer dish.  Second was it was loaded with cheese on top (the French just can't seem to get enough of their cheese).  The broth of the soup was very mild and complimented the strong flavor of the cheese and onions quite well.  The bread quickly soaked up the soup and became sponges of added texture to alongside with the cheesy soup.  The soup ended up tasting nothing like French onion soup back home (or maybe the American attempt at French onion soup) and I enjoyed it quite thoroughly.  The mild flavor of the soup along with the large heapings of cheese and bread allowed for a warm, satisfying appetizer dish that didn't coat my tongue in salt, panting for water as I wait for the main dish.  But for those used to the heavily salted and flavored soups of French onion soup back home, you've been warned.

As for the main dish, the coq au vine, it also came with a generous portions, this time with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and zucchini.  The sauce was definitely a majority red wine, as the red wine flavor was very strong in the chicken and the vegetables, but I actually didn't mind the flavor of the sauce.  The vegetables were fine, as they tasted like how vegetables should, but the chicken itself, was a little tough and dry, especially the breast meat.  But I've come to terms with ordering chicken dishes from restaurants knowing that you can't always control the tenderness of the chicken; sometimes the chicken you eat will be dry.  Overall, the dish was average.  Even if the chicken was tender, there was nothing that really stood out about the dish, as the dish was nothing more unique than red wine on chicken.

The dessert however, was something else.  It was a small bowl of three different scoops of sorbet (lemon, raspberry, and...i'm not quite sure, maybe strawberry), and each was amazing in its own right.  The raspberry was the strongest in flavor with actual chunks of raspberry inside, the lemon was icy and refreshing, and the strawberry was very light (also with fruit chunks).  All three flavors stood their own individually, but also meshed extremely well together.  It was quite the pleasant surprise as dessert from the pre-fix was just a shoe-in without expectations to complete the pre-fix meal to which I was more anticipated towards the appetizer and main dish.

This entire pre-fix menu came out to be a very reasonable 16,90€ as I thoroughly enjoyed my sorbet medley and French onion soup and was able to try coq au vine for the first time.  In addition to the actual meal and price though, I have to add that the dining experience at Chez Robert was quite enjoyable with an extremely friendly (and English speaking) waiting staff and open air tables within the alley of Rue Pot de Fer, where many street performers stop by and play their 5 minute set of live music or entertainment before giving way to the next performer (save some spare change if you want to show your appreciation).  And it is here where I guess I must also confess that I'm a sucker for nice ambiance to compliment a nice meal.  But then again...who isn't?  


Confess in the comments below.


Le Pot de Fer "Chez Robert"

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12 Rue du Pot de Fer, 75005 Paris, France
Metor: Place Monge