Paris Journal 2012 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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Our dear friends Ron and Elisabeth dined with us at Oh! Duo last night, and so it was a special night indeed. We lingered over a four-course dinner (if you count the cheese course), talking until almost 11:30PM. I’d made the reservation for 8PM, and did it by email. When I received the confirmation email, the signature block on it said “Mme. Valéro,” so naturally I assumed it came from her. Tom and I arrived first, a few minutes before 8PM. Françoise Valero was looking out the window, seeing us approach. She seemed to be expecting us. When we entered, we exchanged warm greetings like old friends, except that we still use the formal “vous” instead of “tu” when talking to each other. Joel Valéro came quickly out of the kitchen to greet us, too. We soon learned that it is he who handles everything on the computer, even the email reservations, and it was he who had responded to our message. Françoise didn’t even know that the signature block has her name on it. But really, since she runs the “front of the house,” the reservation thing is her job, so I guess Joel decided her name should be there on the confirmation messages. This seemed to be the first she’d heard of it. Funny. We worried a little bit when it was a few minutes after 8 and Ron and Elisabeth had not arrived. I pictured what it is like when you come up out of a metro station that you’re not familiar with, and it is in the middle of a multi-pronged intersection like the one at the Charles-Michel stop. So I went out and walked toward the busy intersection, hoping to spot them. After a few minutes, I saw them, they saw me, and we all smiled and waved, greatly relieved. It was so nice to see them! We all settled into our lovely round table and Françoise gave us menus. She even had an English language menu for Ron. (One of the many nice things about Oh! Duo is that the tables are not too crowded together, and they are not too small.) Françoise asked me how many years we’d been coming there to dine. I answered “Quinze.” Fifteen years. How time flies when you’re having fun. Tom asked Françoise how long the restaurant had been there. 26 years, she answered. More than two decades of providing beautiful, delicious, dinners at a splendid value. Joel and Françoise are real pros. They take great pride in the way they run the restaurant, as they should. Everything, like the black and white photographic images that decorate the walls, comes in two with the décor at Oh! Duo. This summer, they’ve posted two sheets of paper in the front window. One is in French, and one is in a sort of English, and they both describe the Valéro’s convictions about preparing everything the old-fashioned, traditional way, with nothing but the best, freshest ingredients. There is much of grand tradition in the cuisine at Oh! Duo, but it is also very creative and beautifully presented. The portions are small, making it possible to indulge in all three courses, plus cheese between the main course and dessert. Elisabeth, Tom and I ordered the foie gras appetizer, which came with an absolutely divine confiture of onions, so sweet it was like onion marmalade. The foie gras was a small, smooth slice of paté, one that is made by the restaurant. Joel is not alone. He has a helper back in the kitchen. Françoise normally has a helper in the dining room, but not last night. Joel came out at the end of the evening and helped her. They are quite the duo. Ron’s appetizer looked fascinating, and he said it was delicious. Thin slices of calf’s tongue, with garniture, beautifully arranged on the plate. Elisabeth had fish for her main course, and Ron and I each ordered the rabbit -- rable de lapin – which was very good, including an excellent pile of greens in the middle. Tom had a pretty dish of slices of duck breast that were smothered by slices of peaches and a bit of sauce. Delicious. The garniture that came with Tom’s, Ron’s and my main courses was a little bowl filled with Joel’s incomparable, smooth as velvet, light as a song purée of potatoes. Nobody does puréed potatoes quite like Joel’s. He is a master. Brie de meaux was the cheese course. We each ordered dessert. Tom and Ron each had Joel’s exquisite tarte fine aux pommes, with a scoop of French vanilla ice cream. I ordered the charlotte au chocolat, which was a slice of a loaf filled with heavenly, fluffly dark chocolate mousse, resting in a pool of delicious crème Anglaise. Ron and Tom finished with espresso, and we sat and talked and talked. What charming, witty, intelligent and fun people Ron and Elisabeth are! Today is the big day – Tom’s son, Dan, and our twin granddaughters, Olivia and Sarah, arrived at the Charles de Gaulle airport this morning. We’re off to see them at the other apartment, in the 6th arrondissement. More later . . . .
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Thursday, July 19, 2012
Rable de lapin at Oh! Duo, above, and the magret de canard smothered in peaches, below.
Clothing
alterations and repairs are done in this shop on the avenue Emile Zola. Another duo . . . .
Italian
deli on rue Mademoiselle, across from the Cristal de Sel
restaurant.
Rue
Mademoiselle at night.
Artwork
in a Chinese restaurant, with a Vietnamese restaurant sign from across the
street reflected in the window. A
number of Asian restaurants are popping up in this rue Mademoiselle
neighborhood. |
