January 2024: Mokonuts, Le Clarence, Granite, Plenitude, Geosmine, Nodawari, Petrelle, Resturant Eels

Regional Dining Discussions France
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Following up on my birthday trip! The itinerary changed a bit from my initial plan. *Will follow up with photos soon

Lunch at Mokonuts
We landed at around noon and hurried to our reservation at Mokonuts. What a great first meal in Paris! Very homey but not rustic. We had a seafood soup, gnocchi, a fish plat, and lamb. For dessert we had the cookies and the kalamansi tart. Everything was perfectly cooked. The gnocchi was SO pillowy and delicate - possibly the best I’ve ever had. The service was so comfortable and warm.

Dinner at Le Clarence
I’m going to have to make a separate topic for this dinner. Le Clarence was our most anticipated restaurant for the trip. We decided on it because of the recommendations that it is a very Paris experience. We sat in the green and red china room with a view of the library room on the second floor. I would have preferred to sit in the library because the wood walls and the floral arrangement made for a nicer setting, but we did end up having the room basically to ourselves as the other table in the room was done halfway through our meal. Overall the tension between the creative food and the old school setting made for a surprising and lovely meal. We had the smaller course menu, per our host’s recommendation and shared a wine pairing. Service was formal but we had a younger server who was also cracking jokes which eased the tension. Notable dishes were the venison course, and the eel and caviar dish.

For our venison course, they poured a red that was quite robust and gamey. I didn’t realize that venison was the paired course so I actually asked the somm if I could get something else and he poured a Pinot. This turned out to be a grave and hilarious mistake. We got the venison course which was comprised three unique dishes and the original wine perfectly paired with all three. The Pinot replacement just didn’t make sense and all we could do was have a laughing fit. My partner and I had a big laugh with the somm after we admitted our mistake to him. That’s the last time I question a 2** somm.

Lunch at Granite
You all warned us of food fatigue, but we didn’t listen and inevitably had a hard time at Granite after our 4.5hr dinner the night before. Last time in Paris, Granite was our favorite meal. This time around, possibly bc of the direct comp to Le Clarence and probably due to my heartburn, Granite paled in comparison to our last experience.

Dinner at Plenitude
We had been on the waitlist for Plenitude for a couple of days of our trip. When I emailed in October 2023 or so they had availability in July 2024. They called us on our way to Granite in the late morning and we were quite thrilled. Unfortunately, we had to late cancel our reservation and got charged 300 euros at Pantagruel to make the reservation.

The room was immaculate - the interior, the dishware/glassware were beautiful, the wine cellar and cheese room, were truly something else. Our servers were so pleasant, warm and very professional. The food was surprising, had depth, and perfectly executed. I don’t want to spoil any of the menu for anyone, but the highlight was all of the sauces that were spooned tableside and left for us to indulge. I will sing praises of the beet vinaigrette forever.

One thing was that we were the only table that was not asked to visit the kitchen. But I am chocking it up to us being 20 min late to our reservation and also resolved that it just seemed like an activity to fill the time between main courses. Also at the end of the meal, the patrons in the private room started smoking cigars and the smell permeated the room.

Lunch at Restaurant Eels
We met up with our friends for lunch at Restaurant Eels. Very solid lunch spot. I had their signature smoked eels entree and trout plat. We were happy to have a casual meal after our marathon at Plenitude.

Dinner at Geosmine
My partner ended up getting quite sick and wasn’t able to join our friends and I at Geosmine. As everyone noted on this page, very good, modern menu. We had the a course meal for 139euros and had a bottle of Robinot L’iris. The notable dishes were the sea bass, the bergamot sorbet with watercress palate cleanser, and the chocolate praline mousse. There was kale under the sea bass that was my best bite of the night. In my opinion, the 11 course did not add anything that was noteworthy - the three extra dishes were the weakest of the menu. At a similar price point, I prefer Geosmine over Granite.

Lunch at Kodawari
My partner was still quite sick and he NEEDED broth. We went to Kodawari (Tsukiji) because we liked it last time but this time it was way too fishy (and I LOVE sardines) and salty.

Dinner at Petrelle aka bday dinner
Petrelle was absolutely what I wanted for my birthday dinner - intimate, cozy, delicious food. I was surprised at how refined and delicate the dishes were - I don’t know why I was expecting something heavier. We had red mullet, pumpkin gnocchi, lamb two ways, the additonal course which was an artichoke heart baked in a bread with truffle, and rice pudding dessert. The rice pudding tasted like one of my favorite Korean snacks (Jolly pong) as a kid which was such a fun element. Service was by one man who was very attentive and sweet.

The best croissant hunt
As one does in Paris, we went on a search for the best croissant. I’m spoiled and my local coffee stand in nyc has one of the BEST croissants. Our friends went to Brigat during their morning run and reported back that it was what we were looking for. They were right. The runner up is Union Boulangerie

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Thanks for the report, and a very good selection of restaurants. I once had your fortitude to visit so many great places in such a short time, but, alas, that time is past.

Granite, in my experience, is becoming problematic. A lunch there a few weeks ago included a café at 9€ that was undrinkable, two bottles of house water at 9€ each (the second without asking if we wanted it), and a dessert that was flamed with a torch that left a lighter-fluid taste to the dish, and nothing was done when we complained. In short, it’s off my list.

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Thanks, Angela for the write up. You’ve given me some ideas for our upcoming May/June visit. And, thanks Onzieme for the heads up on Granite. We had to cancel out of our dinner there last year and I had it high on our list for this year. I’ll keep up on it until our trip but it looks like it may not be a priority any longer.
Angela: I’m impressed that you wanted Plenitude enough to fork over the 300euro cancelation fee at Pantagruel. Glad that worked out (except for the cigar smoke). One question: where’s your NYC “best croissants” place? Ours is Apartment 4F in Bklyn Heights. Really good, but we’re always on the prowl for better.

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Steve – Go to Hémicycle over Granite if you want the same overall vibe and the same restaurant group.

Hope to see you here in the spring.

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I’m glad you agree on Granite. Come to think of it - I noticed the charges for water without asking us our preference on our bill as well.

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Unfortunately, we were too excited and confirmed Plenitude, forgetting that we had pantagruel booked. I wouldn’t be so careless normally, but it was either cancel Plenitude or Pantagruel. We have no regrets. It was a truly indulgent special night.

On nyc croissants - I love 4F as well. The one I’m referring to is at Little Collins in midtown. They are not as consistent to be frank but 9/10 times they are flakey and crisp on the outside, soft and buttery on the inside. And no crazy line because ppl go for brunch and not necessarily the pastries.

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Marvelous culinary adventures in Paris. I do marvel at the capacity of visitors to have so many high points clustered in just a few days. I would have collapsed or gone on a diet on day 2. And, for me who celebrates all the possibilities that Paris offers, not much variety in terms of cuisine and (especially) ambiance.

Re Kodawari, various Asian cuisines (along with North African/ Middle Eastern) are very much a part of the typical parisian diet these days. From my experience over the years, I am slowing coming to the conclusion that inconsistency is a common characteristic of many Japanese and other Asian restos in Paris… a dish that was stellar on one visit is less than stellar on the next visit. Maybe too much staff turnover in the kitchen.

But this could also apply to all restaurants in Paris, especially those that change their menus daily or frequently… one is bound to come across a dish that does not appeal to one’s particular palate.

And I quite agree with Onz’s advice to replace Granite with Hémicycle… or with my own particular favourites Mallory Gabsi near the Arc de Triomphe and the more relaxed and fun ChoCho on rue Paradis in the 10th.