Paris Journal 2008

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Our friends Jim and Maddy have now left the US and are on their boat somewhere between Charleville-Mezieres in France and Dinant in Belgium. We’re looking forward to hearing about their watery adventures when they arrive in Paris at the beginning of August. Meanwhile, we are rooted in Paris because Tom is still working on the textbook for WW Norton. He and his editor thought up a new feature to add to each chapter, and another editor just told him she will start sending him galley proofs soon. After working yesterday, we went on a walk in the neighborhood and decided to try the restaurant Le Minzingue, located across the street from our local church, St. Jean le Baptiste de Grenelle. This restaurant has only been in this location for about two years. Prior to that, there was a seafood restaurant specializing in bouillabaisse. We never went to the seafood place because it looked expensive for what it was. Only when it was too late did we learn that it was well known for its bouillabaisse. Le Minzingue seems to be popular with the young-ish working people from the area, so we decided not to miss this one. It is run by Jean-Louis Piqueronies, a 60-something-year-old man who looks very much like he comes from the country. Indeed, the restaurant’s card describes its cuisine as traditional. Tables are close together. The place filled up with French people. The prices were not bad, considering that this is Paris. The main course that I ordered, morsels of roasted lamb, was priced at €16 or 17. I also ordered a starter course of ravioli with foie gras and cream sauce (€7 or 8). The starter was wonderful and rich, but quite small, and I thought that with the lamb this wouldn’t be too much food. Then our server came back to the table, menu in hand, and apologized because there was no more lamb. Having just consumed a whole Daurade the night before, I wasn’t interested in fish again (that isn’t Le Minzingue’s specialty anyway), and I have had enough duck lately. I didn’t want to order the roasted pork because that’s what Tom had ordered. And so I asked our server if she thought the Andouillette AAAAA was good. She was enthusiastic about it, saying it is a very typical French dish (which is a very good thing when the French say that about their food) and very “authentique.” Now, I have eaten Andouillette before, perhaps twice. But I don’t think it had the AAAAA appellation, which stands for “Association Amicale des Amateurs d’Authentiques Andouillettes.” There is a difference, I learned. What arrived at the table was a plate with a most definitely homemade pork and veal sausage, split open lengthwise, and served warm with slices of potato and herbs. Each piece of sausage was topped with a dollop of cheese, not unlike Boursin. The sausage did not have the finer, monotonous interior texture that other sausages have. No, it was plainly obvious that what I was eating was . . . well, it doesn’t sound good, but it was . . . . intestines. Very AAAAAuthentique. Don’t be put off. The Andouiellette AAAAA was very good. But it was also very fatty, as it is supposed to be. This was much like the experience of eating tête de veau (calf’s head) last summer. I’ll do it once, and even enjoy it, but the experience will last me for at least five years. Eating this kind of thing regularly would be deadly, I think. Tom’s pork roast was good, too, but also very fatty. He ordered the apple tart for dessert, and it was good but not spectacular. It was a tarte tatin, which is a thick, carmelized upside-down apple pie. Tom prefers the thinner apple tarts with a layer of very finely sliced apples on a thin crust. The tarte tatin is much more robust. Tom isn’t country; he’s Parisian. I could not eat all of my food, but I thought it would be acceptable to leave almost all of the potatoes on the plate, and so I did. When I could not eat any more Andouillette, I did what Hillary Clinton does when she is travelling in strange places and encounters food that is just a bit too much. I cut it up and spread it around the plate. Tom ate some, too. When the food seemed to be sufficiently consumed, the server came back and asked me how it was. I answered that it was very good, and interesting. She giggled at the word “interesting.” I’m sure she’s heard that before! By the way, all this conversation was in French, but this server did use a few words of English just to be nice and friendly. A very nice surprise about this place was the wine list. It consisted of a long enough list of wines that seem to be purchased directly from the winemakers. But it was all full bottles, priced at about twenty euros each (which is reasonable enough, if the wine is good). So I asked our server if it was possible to get wine by the glass. She responded that I could order just a glass of any wine on the list! I didn’t know what they would charge for a glass, but I thought it couldn’t be too much if a bottle was 20 euros. The price turned out to be only €3.50 per very generous glass! I wanted a red, but not too heavy. So I ordered a Beaujolais villages, hoping that on this warm evening, the wine would be slightly chilled. It was chilled! Usually I would not want my red wine to be chilled, but a Beaujolais villages on a warm evening is an exception. Evidently, Jean-Louis Piqueronies agrees with me. I think it is possible to eat at this restaurant and to avoid the fat. The special of the day, for example, was a dinner-size salad with shrimp. We’ll probably try this resto again sometime. Le Minzingue, 5 Place Etienne Pernet, 15^th arrondissement, Tel. 01-45-32-48-54.

Thursday, July 24, 2008 The St. Sulpice church is still being restored, and this work promises to go on for yet a few more years. It is still possible, however, to visit the interior of the church. When the French decide to learn to speak English, it is American English that they prefer to learn. This is the selling point in this ad in the metro. Apologies to Britain. This historic nursery school on avenue Felix Faure has been lovingly restored since last year. Buildings on the Place Vendome are also being restored. I love the way they put an image of the building on the scaffolding. Silver shells in a shop in the Place du Palais Bourbon in the 7^th arrondissement. Sign my guestbook. View my guestbook.

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