Paris Journal 2010 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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Fog in southwestern France kept us from seeing nice helicopter shots of beautiful French countryside and quaint villages during the televised Tour de France yesterday. It was the last stage in the high mountains for this year’s tour. So while it was an exciting stage, we felt slightly deprived of the scenery that we love. In the evening, after using modern telecommunications to resolve a mechanical problem at the house in Florida, we went out to eat. We walked up into the very heart of the 7th arrondissement, to the rue Amélie, to dine at Le Petit Niçois. I had called first for a reservation, and the man who answered the phone was very accommodating. Likewise, when we entered the restaurant, he was very quick to make us feel welcome and gave us a prime table in the middle of the dining room. I suspect that he is one of the restauranteurs who searches the web to see what people have to say about his business. Here’s what I have out there on my b2cool.tripod.com web site about Le Petit Nicois: Tucked away at number 10, rue Amélie, is Le Petit
Niçois, a gem of a restaurant with modern French cuisine. Don’t be afraid
of the prices. The food is worth it. The fish of the day, even with its
per-person supplemental cost, will no doubt please you. This elegant
restaurant is popular among working professionals in Paris, so it is best to
reserve in advance, and probably essential to do so on weekends. Dress
appropriately. You won’t see many t-shirts or blue jeans here. According to Le Monde, the chef, a young man named Alain Hacquard and his
partner, Carlos Romeira, are doing a “spectacular” job. Telephone 01-45-51-83-65. I think it was Carlos who took the reservation and who seated us. At any rate, I do believe he knew who we were when we came in the door. Tom likes that; I am a little uncomfortable with it. But I became comfortable very quickly, especially as the beautiful and delicious food began to arrive at the table. The first course was a small green salad surrounded by the most perfect eggplant beignets you can imagine. Maybe the salad had a bit too much vinaigrette, but it was such delicious vinaigrette that I didn’t mind. The dish was sprinkled with sea salt. The beignets were hot and crispy, and the eggplant was so freshly sliced that it was all still pure white, snuggled softly inside the crispy beignets. I was simply delighted with this, and I shared beignets with Tom. Then came our main courses: sardines stuffed Provençale style for me, and a supreme de volaille (chicken breast) with Provençale vegetables and an intriguing green parsley sauce for Tom. Sardines in France at good restos do not come out of cans and they are not salty. They are a wonderful little fresh fish, usually served in small filets. These were soft, moist and tasty, and they were served atop very thin slices of roasted, marinated sweet red peppers with a tomato coulis and a bit more green salad. The herb seasonings were just right, and the veggies in the sardines were finely chopped and cooked in butter until they became almost like a sauce themselves. For dessert, Tom ordered the “strawberries from the back country.” These arrived in a small dish on a square plate that also hosted three small glasses: one filled with sugar, one with crème fraiche, and one with an intensive strawberry sauce. Absolutely divine. There were classy looking people dining there. Next to us was a group of four who were speaking Spanish and having a great time. They also all spoke French with Carlos. Behind them was a group of four Americans, all dressed well and well behaved, I’m happy to say. Two groups of four French people came in while we were eating, and they were all sophisticated-looking types. There were a few others in the resto, too, but I couldn’t see them. The dining room is simply and elegantly decorated in tobacco-related colors, and the lighting is expertly done. There was a bit of a cigar motif in the artwork, but of course one cannot smoke cigars indoors in French restaurants any longer. Thank heavens. Le Petit Niçois specializes in seafood, and in particular, bouillabaisse. They also offer another fish soup called a “marmite.” The bouillabaisse is expensive, because there is a 13 euro supplemental charge. I’d order it anyway, because this restaurant is so good, but the way the pricing is on the menu, one must order at least two courses. The size of the soup servings are enormous, so there is no way I could manage this. Maybe sometime I will work up the courage to ask if one of them could be shared. The basket of bread looked delicious, but I cannot eat bread for the most part anymore. But it caused me to notice, on the menu, that the restaurant offers butter for the bread at a 2 euro supplement. If I have anything at all to criticize about this restaurant, that’s it. With the prices they’re charging, which I don’t argue about because the food is so good, I really don’t think they should charge a 2 euro supplement to those few people who request butter. They could easily absorb that cost. The walk home was lovely, in the cool evening air with the Eiffel Tower sparkling just as we walked by the École Militaire. Sign
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Friday, July 23, 2010
Clockwise,
from upper left: eggplant beignets,
stuffed sardines, chicken breast with Provençale veggies, and country
strawberries, all at Le Petit Niçois on rue Améie in the 7th
arrondissement.
Lizard and corncob
details on a door on the rue de Grenelle, near the rue Amélie.
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