Habile, Paris 10

Habile is an informal, friendly restaurant with good food and wine at moderate prices. My review is here.

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As always, a great review. And now, another place for my list when we return. However, I think that you are not making my life as easy as you should by ordering the same main as your dining partner and depriving me hearing about another dish. It was similarly not responsible to not have dessert. I expect more. Thanks. :innocent:

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Odd time of year for morels, or are they available year-round there?

AI says this: “Morels are typically in season in France during the spring, with their peak season often occurring from late March to early June. Their availability can vary slightly depending on local climate conditions”. I’m glad you asked the question, Ernie, because I didn’t know that!

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I think ours are a while away here.

I expect to be back soon at lunch and will report then.

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I’ve seen plenty of wrong AI answers, but this one is correct. Fresh morels are a sign of spring, and indeed they are now in the markets here in Paris.

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:joy: When I get a wrong answer or a suspiciously incorrect answer from AI, I generally ask again “Are you sure”? Often the answer comes back corrected. It also seems to help if you tell AI who it is. In this case I might have said “you are an expert in French mushrooms.”

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@onzieme - thanks for the great review! Habile place is 15 minutes from our place in the 11th, and we will be back in Paris in a few weeks so we have added it to our list - thanks for the tip!

If you’re having lunch at Habile, there is an excellent exposition Dans Ma Cuisine at the Les Douches photo gallery around the corner at 5 Rue Legouvé. About 50 photos from, about or pertaining to the kitchen, at least some of which you’ve no doubt seen. The gallery is located in an old Art Deco bathhouse, hence the name. Bring money: the photos range from 1,800 to 25k euros.

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@PeterCL - Great recommendation, thank you!!

I love the tee shirts - “Never Trust a Skinny Chef”. It reminds me of a chalkboard I saw in front of a pâtisserie in Paris some years back:

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Finally got to Habile last night, what a memorable experience. Camille (wife and front of the house) and Eric (chef and husband) were a delight! Camille does not usually work at night, so it was quite a treat to get to meet and speak with her.

After getting settled in with some water, when Camile understood we were going to have a bottle of wine with dinner, formal introductions to Eric were made, and off to the cellar we went to discuss wine and choose a bottle. Eric and I had a wonderful discussion about Pinot from Alsace providing exceptional value over Bourgogne. Still, once we discussed our meal selections, we chose the 2020 François Villard Côte-Rôtie Le Gallet Blanc, which I was excited to try as I enjoy their Condrieu.

Unfortunately, we were having so much fun, I forgot to take pictures of the meal, but here goes.

To start, Lori had the Oeufs mayo “miso-gin” which were delightful, with an exceedingly light and airy miso-flavored mayonnaise served on top of julienned celery root marinated in Gin. This dish shattered my perception of a rich, heavy starter, managing to be delicate and nuanced while remaining substantial.

I enjoyed the beetroot salad, which was a great contrast of earthy beets, with a whipped raspberry vinaigrette, with hazelnuts, which I fell in love with. In speaking to Camille about this dish, she mentioned that when Eric was asked to cook for a school and mentioned serving this dish, there was much concern, which was completely unfounded. Apparently, the young students enjoyed it as much as I did.

For the mains, I enjoyed the duck breast atop pureed beans, with figs and goat cheese, which was fantastic, and Lori had the 8 Hour confit lamb with polenta which is not to be missed!

Since a glass or more of the Côte-Rôtie remained and was coming into its prime, Camille was kind enough to provide an exceptional Comté for me to enjoy with my remaining wine. When Eric discovered that I was finishing my meal with the Comté, he brought out some butter sprinkled with Fleur de Sel with a wink.

Lori finished with the rice pudding dressed with olive oil, which was available for sale, and we chose to take some home with us.

It was an excellent evening all around, and we look forward to returning!

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