So, I’ve been a bit delinquent what with one thing and another, and I did not take many pictures from meals in Paris, as they were all with others, and I find that distracting. Overall, there was plenty open, and I thank HO posters for the recommendations for the splendid meals I had at new-to-me restaurants:
Chantoiseau on a rainy night was really welcoming, and the three of us (my cousin, @Carmenere and I all enjoyed the place and will look forward to going back. We had trouble deciding what to order, the menu very appealing to us all. One of us ended up with beef, another lamb, and the third beef cheek in a pie (I think this is right) for mains, and we all had forks in each other’s plates to try.
Alliance at a holiday lunch with another good friend was just incredible. We had the short menu and added the pasta with truffles, and I was glad not to have ordered more (thanks to @sfcarole for this advice). There were at least six or seven small bites before they even started with the menu. We had wine pairings, but not with every course, or we would have been under the table. Each dish was as beautiful as it was delicious. This picture gives you an idea…it was of raviolis (made of radish), and I believe they were stuffed with shrimp.
Four of us had an excellent lunch at ChoCho, and we tried almost everything on the menu that day. Having come to Paris from Barcelona, I was perhaps not as impressed as others. Still the food was tasty and fun and different for a crowd at lunch.
And my cousin and I had an amazing final meal at Oktobre that was terrific. Thanks to @onzieme and @Kjtravels (those quail were very delicious) for the reports that focused my attention. It’s a very buzzy restaurant, no Americans nearby the the night we were there, but the place was full. Service was really excellent, and the people working there seem to love what they are doing and serving.
In addition to the above new-to-me places, my cousin and I had our first dinner in Paris (still Christmas week) at Dilia (my second time there). Maybe even better than the first time. We went a bit overboard with adding things, but we could not resist adding a risotto with scallops and a slow cooked egg in a bag with Parmesan over which Frederico (the fun and fabulous waiter there) shaved truffles. Meal ended with pheasant two ways, and finally a slice of Panettone (this is after all an Italian chef at Christmas time).
We also had a delicious meal on New Year’s Day night at Granite (again a second visit for me). We ate the big menu there, as we had not eaten during the day, and also the additions were things we wanted to try (the wagyu beef and the scallop dish). Here’s the menu we ate:
They had opened two big bottles of white wine (jeraboams maybe) from which they were pouring glasses. I drank from these (one a Condrieu, this fast becoming a favorite of mine…not sure I have had a bad one, but I’ll leave the real wine reviews to @onzieme )!
Speaking of @onzieme and wines, we ate at friends’ home for New Year’s, and I did not get pictures of all of the wines we drank, I don’t think, but they were all excellent, and I did take pictures of these:
This first one was my contribution (in consultation with my friends) to the dinner. We drank this with the main meal (had a different aperitif wine that I don’t think I got a picture of, but we had a wine from the same winery with dessert, amazing wines), but this the main white we drank:
We had this yummy Rioja with cheese course:
And this, the exceptional (in my opinion) dessert wine:
Also had lovely meals at favorite places for me: Le Mazenay, Grande Brasserie and Breizh Café. This last was a lovely pre-New Year’s lunch with @Carmenere and @VaPaula and her M.
Happy New Year to all!
