le chateaubriand

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photos taken with ilford delta 400.

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a highlight of paris was the meal xavier and i enjoyed at le chateaubriand, in the 11th arr. on avenue parmentier. we arrived at 9:30pm — it was beaujolais day in france (lucky me), so we had some nice beaujolais while waiting at the bar for a table.

the room was buzzing, glowing, full of happy people (and some famous people) and the scruffy, friendly waiters were excellent. everything about this place just felt so damn good. the decor is simple but thoughtful and feels very comfortable.   

the food was amazing — i haven’t eaten a meal like that in a long time; it made me think and surprised me.  it was really fun.

this place is getting a lot of press, and i think they deserve it. it’s part of a group of exciting new restaurants in paris headed by ambitious chefs with a more casual vibe.  there is an excellent article about le chateaubriand and other similar paris restaurants in “the art of eating” issue no. 82. the article is called “new ways to be a restaurant in paris: the casualization of dining” and it’s really interesting. 

they serve a set menu unique for 50 euros. we ate 4 courses (plus amuses bouches).  i loved the salad of huîtres, tapioca, boudin and champignons, which was an incredibly earthy dish made up of tapioca tinged with the taste of oysters, pieces of crispy boudin sausauge, raw mushrooms and mache-like greens.  we also couldn’t stop talking about the pigeon, which was perfectly cooked.  and we drank a really nice pic saint loup wine.

we left the restaurant around 12:30am, and i felt like a million bucks.  a highly recommended spot if you are in paris.

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speaking of good meals, i hope those of you who celebrate thanksgiving have a great holiday.  sadly, i won’t be able to celebrate much myself, so have a piece of pumpkin pie for me, ok? this is always one of my favorite holidays.