Heidi Ellison
Le Cotte Rôti
Where the Customer Is Not Always Right
THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP Our meal at Le Cotte Rôti started off quite nicely. After greeting my two friends and me and ushering us to our table, the waiter enthusiastically explained in great (too much?) detail every … Read More
Requins: L’Expo-Sensation
Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Shark? A blacktip reef shark. Photo: T. Ameller. Musée Océanographic de Monaco. Sharks have a seriously bad rep, but just because they chomp on an occasional surfer doesn’t mean that they are truly vicious … Read More
La Canaille
Good-bye Anarchists, Hello Bistronomy
When I was invited to an event celebrating the publication of the new edition of Les Bistrots de Chef à Paris, by Claire Delbos and Gérard Cambon, I was surprised to find myself in a pretty restaurant near Bastille, La … Read More
Rillettes
Lard Day’s Night Chez Mom and Pop
I had heard high praise of Rillettes, a mom-and-pop restaurant in Paris’ ninth arrondissement, from two different friends, but it had been on my list for a while before I finally got there. When we arrived in this homey, cozy … Read More
French Restaurants without Chefs
Keep an Eye on the Chef
Let’s all be grateful for the current popularity of open kitchens in Paris bistros. They allow us to keep an eye on what the chefs and their assistants are up to, and ensure us that they are not just dropping … Read More
Grenier des Grands-Augustins
Paris Update Flash News GOOD-BYE GRENIER? One of the most magical places in Paris, the Grenier des Grands-Augustins, is being threatened with closure. Picasso lived and worked in this attic atelier in a 17th-century Left Bank building from 1936 to … Read More
L’Office Revisited
New Chef's Cuisine Hits the Right Spots
We reviewed L’Office only about a year ago, but a return visit was in order, since chef Kevin O’Donnell had been replaced by Yosuke Yamaji, an alumni of the kitchens of Alain Ducasse and Joël Robuchon. I assembled a crack … Read More
La Maison de la Radio
What the Ears Cannot See
Nicolas Philibert, director of the deeply touching documentary Etre et Avoir (2002), about the relationship between a teacher and his students in a one-room schoolhouse in rural France, has turned his camera on the inner life of a beloved French institution, … Read More
Le 6 Paul Bert
Le 6 Paul Bert
Now that the blogger buzz over the opening of Le 6 Paul Bert a few months ago has died down, it seemed like a good time to try out this acclaimed new addition to Bertrand Auboyneau’s small empire, which began … Read More
Les Délices d’Aphrodite
Greek That Everyone Can Understand – and Enjoy
For some, Greek food calls up memories of idyllic island vacations, while for others, like me, the experience of Greek food has been limited to oily moussaka in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant or the occasional stuffed grapeleaf (never met one I … Read More