Best of Both Worlds

I have no qualms forking over good money for good food.  But there's something all too satisfying when you're able to find good food for an excellent price.  At Creperie Josselin, eating from the 10 lunch prefix menu almost feels like a crime.  For 10, they provide their traditional jambon (ham), fromage (cheese), and oeuf (egg) crepe, an option of a simple dessert crepe or sorbet, and a boisson (drink).  And with the drink, you can get their famous cider, a glass of wine, or if you're boring (like me), a bottle of apple juice.  And while everybody around me was getting a specialty crepe off the traditional menu (which were priced more appropriately at about 6-9 for just a meal crepe), the temptation of satisfying myself on just 10 was too great an opportunity to pass up.

At first glance, the savory crepe makes you do a double take because it's not what you expect from a savory crepe.  its a thick buckwheat crepe batter that is slightly crisped and stuffed with all the savory ingredients (in this case cheese, egg, and ham).  There is no sauce glazed over the crepe nor do any fancy decorations adorn the top, but none of that is needed as simple and to the point seem to be the theme of this creperie.  And this no frills crepe was actually quite delicious.  The buckwheat crepe batter is not as smooth as a traditional batter, but provides a little more grainy taste.  It is soft at the heart of the crepe where all the ingredients are and crispy on the edges, even until the very last bite.  The combination of cheese, egg, and ham within the crepe is gooey and flavorful, but not too greasy as sometimes this combination is.  I was able to scarf down the entire crepe and not feel heavy or bloated at the end.

Which was definitely a good thing because I still had dessert coming up.  In the mood for something citrusy, I went with the lemon crepe.  The dessert crepe came on the more traditional egg based batter and was stuffed with a lemon glaze and sprinkled with sugar.  The batter itself was fluffy and could be peeled in layers, almost reminding me of an omelet where the egg is rolled in thin layers over and over.  The lemon glazing was sweet and citrusy and the sugar added some crunch.  The dessert was also light and delectable as the whole thing disappeared in no time.

The end of a good meal is usually when the smiling ends as the waiter brings the l'addition (check/bill) and the penalties of a delicious meal, but not at Creperie Josselin where great, authentic French crepes and friendly service can all be bought for a bargain 10 during lunchtime.

Creperie Josselin

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67 Rue du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, France

Metro: Edgar Quinet, Vavin, or Montparnasse Bievenue

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

When a pre-fix is no longer convenient

So Paris (and maybe the rest of France too) seems to have a thing for pre-fix (or prix fixe) menus (pre-determined or limited options three course meals for a set price).  And since I'm a man of convenience, I personally think it's a great system and opportunity to try a full three course menu from a restaurant (it's also a brilliant marketing move making you buy more food than you normally would for a "discounted" price).  But when does a pre-fix menu no longer become convenient?

The answer is when the simplicity of having a pre-fix menu is lost within the options of more than one pre-fix menu.  At the Bistro Romain, a chain restaurant across Paris, there were at least four different pre-fix menus with different options and prices throwing me into utter confusion in trying to decide what to eat for dinner.  But since not eating was not an option, I buckled down, put my thinking cap on, and made a grown up decision.  And since I had a small fiasco the other night trying to be bold with the pre-fix at the Cantine, I decided to keep things relatively conservative.

I started out with a chicken caesar salad that was actually quite delicious as caesar salad's go.  There was a healthy serving of tender chicken, the cheese was not too dominating but enough to add flavor (and came in thin slices as opposed to grated parmesan), the lettuce was fresh, and the piece of toast to compensate for croutons was still warm and equally delicious with a soft underside and toasted crunchy backside.

My main course was a veal cutlet with noodles that was pretty average.  The noodles were completely tasteless even with the red sauce on top, but at least it didn't taste bad.  The veal cutlet was a bit of a surprise as I've never had feel prepared in a cutlet style before.  With the lemon sprinkled on top of it, it almost tasted just like a pork cutlet, which is not a bad thing.  The meat itself was pretty tender albeit a tad thin, and the seasoning on the breading was mild (which seems to be the running theme in French food here).

Dessert was the ever elusive creme brulee that came in a very hearty dish which I thoroughly enjoyed because of the larger surface area for the glazed shell.  The shell was a pleasantly warm, crunchy, and sugary treat while the creme underneath was a little bit on the dense side but delicious nonetheless.

Overall, my pre-fix meal at the Bistro seemed to finally average out my streak of prior bad decisions in pairing my appetizers, main dishes, and desserts into a proper dinner.  Nothing negative stood out in any of the dishes but there was nothing extraordinary about any of the dishes either (if I had to vote though, I would rank the salad first, creme brulee second, and veal third).

As for the pricing, the pre-fix ended up being 20€90, which I would put on the expensive side for a meal of this quality.  If you're looking for average/solid no frills pre-fix meal, then grab your €20 bill, some change, and head over to the nearest Bistro Romain

Bistro Romain

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103 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris, France
Metro: Montparnasse - Bienvenue or Valvin

Sometimes, taste isn't everything

With the metro system firmly under our belts now, a group of 9 decided to venture further out into Paris looking for a new place to try some food as well as some fun entertainment.  With the help of a handy iPhone app and website with recommendations, we decided to try out La Cantine de Belleville.

About a 2 minute walk from the Belleville metro station, La Cantine de Belleville is definitely not your warm, fancy French restaurant.  Instead, it's more of a grungy bar with an outdoor patio and a basement where live music is played.  Unfortunately there wasn't live music when we ventured into the Cantine around 8pm on a Wednesday night (they said come back on Friday).  But with a €14 appetizer, main dish, and dessert pre-fix menu and a happy hour for alcohol, we decided to stick around.  


To be honest, the menu was quite a challenge to decipher as it was just a large chalkboard with French doodles (normal printed French on a menu is hard enough to decipher).  Luckily we had a very helpful waitress who was willing to help our French-challenged group semi-decipher the menu and get some food in our bellies.  I'm not quite sure of the exact names of everything I ordered but I ended up with a three course meal consisting of a duck salad, salmon tartar, and tiramisu.


The duck salad was extremely rich and gamey.  Personally, once the salad greens ran out, I wasn't able to finish the rest of my duck pieces.  Around the table, other appetizers ordered were an avocado dish, a pickled-fish, and and egg dish.  The consensus was that the egg was the best (more of a boiled egg with salad aka egg salad) while the avocado dish was good for those whose avocados were ripe and terrible for those whose avocados weren't.  The fish dish that also came with potatoes, carrots, and salad was suggested by the waiter because it was a typical French appetizer dish but it was extremely salty and had a half-raw texture that I didn't prefer.

As for the main dish, once again, I have to say I ordered poorly.  The salmon tartar was extremely tasteless.  The salmon had no flavor whatsoever and was just cold texture to go along with the salad.  Three of us ordered the salmon tartar and all of us were pretty much dissatisfied.  However, I was able to scrounge off some delicious potatoes and jambon from one dish as well as a piece of a cheeseburger from another that was pretty decent.  Other's who got the beef steak dish and the cooked salmon were thoroughly pleased though I didn't get to try it myself.  

As for dessert, the original plan was to get creme brulee but it had run out by the time we were ready for dessert.  I "settled" for the tiramisu which was quite delicious.  The cake part on the bottom was not as fluffy as it could have been, but the creme on top had a good texture that wasn't too sweet and too bland.  Other dessert options included cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and creme caramel.  

Overall, my personal meal wasn't too delicious but I believe that there definitely were more viable options around (I would suggest the egg salad and steak or cooked salmon).  And even with this miss, coupled with the fact that we missed the live music performances, the Cantine de Belleville was quite surprisingly a very enjoyable dining experience.  We had an extremely friendly and helpful waitress who really tried her best to accommodate us in the midst of an extremely busy crowd (the place was packed by 9:30pm, which also must mean that other people are definitely enjoying something on the menu).  She also noticed our displeasure at certain dishes and compensated us through a free dessert and free shots of alcohol all around the table.  

Our party of 9 left the Cantine 2.5 hours after we entered, some more satisfied than others with our meal, but all happy to have enjoyed a meal with friendly service and good company.  And €14 is a cheap price to pay for a good time and a friendly reminder that sometimes, taste isn't everything.

La Cantine de Belleville

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108, Boulevard Belleville
Metro: Belleville