I loved Little Red Door when I went with my friend Ava B. a couple years back, and I wanted to take…read moremy husband Matt B. when we were in Paris this month. We ended up going with Ava and her boyfriend Yassine, lining up after dinner, around 10:30 on a Friday night. There was a small crowd waiting outside, and it took us about a half hour to get in.
The place was fun and busy, and as charming as I remembered. We got seated in a loungey upstairs area and received excellent table service. There was free popcorn and even a complimentary round of welcome drinks, a strong mini cocktail of Gentian and peated whiskey.
The menu had changed over completely since my first visit. The cocktail offerings were printed onto thick printed leaves arranged on metal branches, forming a cool little tree centerpiece that replaced a paper menu (there was also a more detailed menu available online). Several of the cocktails were labeled with raindrops, indicating they were available as mocktails--helpful for Yassine, who doesn't drink alcohol.
Matt and I shared two rounds, sampling a good chunk of this new menu. Everything was delicious. The Carbone was a bright, interesting cocktail made with beetroot, black garlic, Origin smoked gin, and Dartigalongue Un-Oaked, served with a cube of frozen yogurt that melted lushly into the beet-red drink. The Serre Solaire was smooth and boozy, with black tea, green walnut and milk, Cointreau, and Rémy Martin cognac. The Résilience was a highbrow tropical cocktail, with sorghum, pineapple sage, Pasquet cognac, and Savanna rum. The Permaculture was creative and flavorful, with chestnut, butter, wakame umeshu, and Avallen Calvados. I also tried a sip of Ava's Aquaponie, a light, juicy vodka drink with basil, lemon and sweet clover, St. Germain, and Grey Goose.
I love Little Red Door and I'm glad I got to visit a second time and share it with my husband. We do live kind of far away, but I hope a third visit is in the cards.