We ate lunch here after visiting the Musee de l'Armee. We were wandering down the Rue Cler (a Rick Steves walk) but nothing there was calling our name, so we continued walking down more of the side streets and finally decided to give this restaurant a try. I'm so glad we did, because it ended up being one of our best dining experiences in Paris!
Overall:
It's a pretty small place. Despite being right around the corner from the Eiffel Tower, it's not very touristy. Also, we were on the later side for lunch, so it wasn't crowded at all.
Food:
Pretty basic, but tasty. My husband got the lunch formule of a starter and a main for a fixed price, while I did the same thing, but added dessert to mine for us to share. We both started with the onion soup (I was NOT leaving Paris without getting me some French onion soup!). It was much lighter than we're used to getting at home, so I think maybe they used chicken broth rather than beef broth. This was actually a great variation, and a nice hot cup of soup was just the thing after walking around Paris on a blustery day.
For our mains, I got a goat cheese quiche (I seriously ate so much goat cheese in Europe that I got sick of it!), which came with fries and salad. The quiche was delicious and the texture was SO creamy. My husband got a chicken cutlet with tagliatelle and tomato sauce. It wasn't the most creative dish in the world, but it was well made and tasty. The breading was really nice.
We split a serving of chocolate mousse for dessert. Neither of us is a huge sweet tooth, but come on, like we're going to go to Paris and NOT eat some fantastic desserts?!? This chocolate mousse was amazing. So, so, SO rich and chocolatey. The texture was a bit more sticky and less airy than we're used to, which as far as I'm concerned is a good, since it made it feel more substantial. My husband wished it had some macadamia nuts in it, but c'est la vie.
To drink, I had a glass of Champagne to start (another item on my "can't leave France without getting some of this" list) and then a glass of Sancerre. The Champagne was a great way to start the meal and the Sancerre was excellent. My husband had a 1664 beer that our server recommended, which was just okay.
Service:
This was easily some of the best service we got in Paris. The woman working there was so nice and friendly! As we were looking over our French menus, she thoughtfully brought over the chalkboard menu, which had the specials of the day written in English. When I asked her in French to recommend a beer for my husband, she did and then said "And don't worry, I speak English. So you can practice your French, and I will practice my English." That's probably a reflection on my French skills, but it was still a really nice gesture! Menus, drinks, food, check: everything clicked along on schedule. It was one of those meals where you just have a great feeling when you leave because overall it was such a pleasant experience. read more