There is rarely anything pristine about a restaurant, but even though I found the name to be rather strange, Pristine had good press and was open on Sunday evening, so I headed over to the ninth arrondissement to meet up with American friends who were sojourning in Paris.
The simple, agreeable decor consists of exposed stone walls, industrial light fixtures and recycled furnishings, in keeping with the restaurant’s ecologically correct approach to every aspect of its seasonal, locavore operations. The ambiance was joyously lively and, although music was playing, it was not loud enough to interfere with our conversation.
The server advised us to order two small plates per person, but we picked only five dishes at first. It turned out that he was absolutely right, but we didn’t yet know how good the food was, although we were loving the bread, which came with smoke-flavored whipped butter.
The first up was the onion and chicken rillettes, smothered in fermented red cabbage, the perfect complement to the rich flavor bomb of caramelized onions studded with pieces of meat.
The eggs mayonnaise were a revelation. This is a simple, old-fashioned dish that is currently très à la mode in Paris. It usually consists of a couple of hard-boiled eggs cut in half and served with (one hopes) homemade mayonnaise. Pure comfort food. Here, however, it is raised to a new level. The eggs have not a hint of rubberyness about them, as is often the case but are tender and luscious. And the mayonnaise is not only homemade but also contains kimchi and smoked chili. Brilliant! Transformed from an everyday dish to a gourmet treat.
Then came the mushroom tart, which we all declared our favorite. It was a perfect example of its kind, with a crispy crust, umami-loaded mushroom paste, hazelnuts, tonka-bean flavoring and a lashing of vinaigrette on the paper-thin raw mushroom slices on top. It didn’t take long to decide to order a second one, fulfilling the server‘s prediction that we would want two dishes per person.
To make sure we got our vitamins, we had ordered two veggie dishes. The first was blettes (Swiss chard) prepared like the Italian dish casio e pepe with cheese and pepper, plus breadcrumbs and chives. So delightful that you’d hardly even know you were eating vegetables.
The other veg was supposed to be smoked cauliflower with béchamel sauce but it was replaced by tender, beautifully broiled cabbage that day. Who knew that the humble cruciferous vegetable could taste this good?
The only slight letdown was the dessert we ordered: an “ice cream sandwich.” When we saw that on the menu, all three of us, being Americans, had visions of those childhood favorites: industrial vanilla ice cream sandwiched between chocolate cookies. There was no resemblance; Pristine’s version, with vanilla ice cream studded with chopped hazelnuts between crispy honey-flavored galettes, was fine, but didn’t excite any of us. We ordered only one for the three of us and didn’t manage to finish it.
The service, by the way, was not always on its toes, but was totally adorable. Our young server, who is studying literature at university, was thrilled to practice his English (already excellent) on us, and we let him.
I liked Pristine so much that I went back a few days later for lunch. No small plates this time, just the usual starter, main course, dessert, but the marvelous mushroom tart was on the list. The emphasis was on vegetables, and I already knew that chef Jérémy Grosdidier is a master at making them interesting and delicious. For lunch, he offered as main courses stuffed cabbage with celery and Swiss chard, chicken and Cognac; sweet-potato gnocchi with sage butter, goat’s-milk tomme and pumpkin seeds; and smoked broccoli with Hollandaise sauce, rice and trout roe. Overall, I preferred the small plates served in the evening, which gave the chef more room for creativity and offered diners more choice for diners.
By the way, the restaurant’s name was chosen because in old French, “pristine” meant “ancien” (as in légumes anciens, or heirloom vegetables). After passing into English with a different meaning, the word has dropped out of the French language. (For an excellent explanation of how the word evolved to its present meaning in English, click here and scroll down.)
Go, eat well and have a great time.
See our Favorite Restaurants by Arrondissement page to find a good restaurant in the neighborhood where you want to eat.
Favorite