Having tired of baguettes and wandering around the city, my sister and I decided to stick to the 14th arrondissement where we were staying for dinner. After asking the concierge to call a few restaurants in the area to see if we could get a table on a Thursday night, we were optimistic. Nope, we were out of luck and on our own. We were determined to find an amazing meal for our last night in Paris.
My sister and I were joined by a friend for my sister's birthday meal. For a late dinner and any available tables, our odds were stacked. We happened to walk down Avenue du Maine towards the Tour Montparnasse and hung another right onto Rue du Maine. We wandered into Le Plomb not knowing there is another one a few blocks away! The bartender told us there was a wait for tables and pointed us in the direction of a hostess/waitress. We were about to tell her that we would go somewhere else when we noticed a pan with what looked like mashed potatoes but smelled like glorious cheese, run by us. We told her we would wait. And in about 10 minutes a table opened up outside, it was cleared (2 tables pushed together for 3 people) and even on a cold night, we were kept warm by the heaters outside.
Our waitress was amazing, suggested their house red wine for us to share. We were over being picky about what we drank, we figured the wine would help to warm us up. And it did! For being a house blend it was quite aromatic and drank easily, no bitter tannins and it paired well with everything we dined on. (Paired well enough we ordered 2 more bottles! -- she even told us that the artwork on the bottle was created by a friend of owners)
We started with Pâté, which my sister still says was the best she had in Paris and soupe à l'oignon (onion soup). I could have probably stopped after the first course but this being our last night in Paris, I decided to go all out. For our second course I ordered the Oceane Salade, smoked salmon, tomatoes, shrimp and potatoes -- again, delicious! My sister opted for the onion soup and our companion the Confit de canard (Duck confit).
Now let's talk aligot. Potatoes. Either mashed or roasted. Made to order, the mashed is blended with cheese and the right amount of seasoning. Once table-side it's folded delicately and with finesse out of the copper pot and onto a plate by a server. The roasted (truffade) are garlicky and chunky, perfect pairing for something hearty like a steak. Or for eating alone, all day. Everyday. I don't regret eating all of those potatoes that night, I wish I could eat them every night!
Dinner could have gone on for hours if we did not have an early flight to catch. In order to know the difference between the two Le Plomb du Cantal's, note that Jolivet faces a park and has a small section of seating outside. You can probably see the Monoprix down the street if you crane your neck enough! Fantastic meal and service, only wish was next time we could sit inside! read more