Dining experiences

We tried two different neighborhood brasseries/restaurants recently, with quite different results.

On Sunday, we made a reservation via lafourchette.com for L’Oustal, on the Place Cambronne.  Confirmation of the reservation was sent right away, as usual.  When we arrived on time at 8PM, we found that the restaurant was closed.  No attempt had been made to contact us about that unusual closing.  Contrast this with what happened last time I reserved at Le Blavet:  the chef texted me immediately to tell me that there was only one main course on the menu (duck), because they were closing for vacation the next day.  We thought it was very considerate for the chef to contact us personally.  We went, and enjoyed the duck thoroughly.

Locals dining at Les Favorites, a restaurant on the rue Cambronne.

We gave L’Oustal another chance; we reserved a table on Tuesday.  This time the restaurant was open when we arrived.  As we were being seated, we told the server that we’d reserved via lafourchette.com and we gave him our name.  He didn’t seem to care much, but he acknowledged what we said.  

Endive and Roquefort salad at L'Oustal.

Our entrée salad was terrific; our main courses were merely good.  It took a very long time to get the check, and when it arrived, the 20 percent lafourchette.com discount was not on it.  Weirdly, the server had asked me to sign my name as it appears on LaFourchette, and to write the reservation number down.  Luckily, I had that information, and I had provided it.  Nevertheless, we did not receive our discount, and we probably won’t return to L’Oustal.  That’s too bad.

Our experience at Les Favorites on the rue Cambronne on Wednesday was entirely different.  We arrived and our reservation via lafourchette.com was acknowledged positively.  We were given a great table in the window, even though we aren’t locals or regulars – yet.  Later in the evening, the place was packed with locals.

There is no lafourchette.com discount at Les Favorites, because you don’t need one.  The prices are quite reasonable there.

Les Favorites’ food was great.  We shared a shrimp and salad starter course (below) which was perfect for a summer evening; the shrimp were tender and tasty. 

Tom had a veal scallopini with thin slices of country ham and a homemade tomato sauce on homemade tagliatelles – veal saltimbacca is what we’d call it, but Les Favorites calls it escalope bolognaise.  Whatever.  It was excellent.

Veal Scalloppini at Les Favorites.

I took a risk and ordered the 16-euro steak with pepper sauce.  The risk paid off; the steak was tender and delicious.  The fries that came with it were piping hot, and Tom helped me by consuming half of them.

Tom had a fine café gourmand for dessert, and I had a moelleaux au chocolat that was heavenly (photos below).  The service was orderly and friendly at Les Favorites, and I’m sure we will be back there soon.  I’ve added it to my list of “favorites” on LaFourchette.

We enjoyed walking down the rue Cambronne so much on Wednesday that we decided to walk its full, shady length on Thursday afternoon. 

Starting at the Place Cambronne, we walked south along the wider stretch of the rue, which has a large space on the west side with a double row of mature trees.  The street is a pleasant mix of residential and small businesses. 

Flowers along the side of the rue Cambronne.

At the rue de Vaugirard, the rue Cambronne changes names to the rue Paul Barruel.  That ends at the Place Alleray, where we continued along the rue Brancion to the rue de Vouille which becomes the rue de la Convention.

Trees along the rue Cambronne

We were positively impressed with the rue Cambronne/rue Paul Barruel/rue Brancion.  This looks like a comfortably livable neighborhood, with plenty of conveniences like grocery stores and markets, pharmacies, shops that sell things you really need, etc.  Apartment buildings are clustered around verdant courtyards.  Life looks pretty good there, and it is, by Parisian standards, affordable.

We’d not spend much time along the rues Cambonne/Paul Barruel/Brancion before, so we were exploring “new” territory for us.  But when we turned onto the rue de Vouille/rue de la Convention, we were on very familiar turf.

The ceiling at Le Train Bleu is spectacular; the food and service were only mediocre.

Great friends, the Burkes and Maddy, dined with us at Le Train Bleu.

At avenue Felix Faure, we turned right to head back into the heart of our neighborhood.  We stopped in Le Monde et Nous, where Tom helped me shop for a new dress.  I found one I love – blue, with blue lace, made in Italy – for 39 euros! 

I’ll probably wear that for dinner with friends at the famous Le Train Bleu.

Strolling in the rain without reservation

August 9, 2017 -- Our first pause on yesterday’s walk was at the Square des Missions Etrangères, the Foreign Missions Square, on the rue de Bac.  I was attracted by the centerpiece of that square, a handsome bust of Chateaubriand (1768-1848).

Chateaubriand was somewhat different from other writers/intellectuals of his time in that he remained a faithful Catholic.

He’s also interesting to me because he traveled to America when our country was still young, in 1791.  He claimed to have some fascinating adventures there, including living and travelling with Native Americans.  (See this write-up in Wikipedia.)

Bust of Chateaubriand in the Square des Missions Etrangeres on the rue de Bac

Some critics think he made it all up.  But his stories had to be inspired by some experience, didn't they?

We continued up the rue de Bac to its origin on the boulevard Saint Germain.  Paris was shrouded by a light, cool rain, but we had our umbrellas and jackets, so on we went, up the boulevard.

Old stone staircase in a courtyard in the 6th near
the boulevard Saint Germain.

At the boulevard’s most congested area, we escaped to the picturesque and peaceful rue Jacob.  The narrow sidewalks there had few other pedestrians, due to the rain and due to the fact that these middle two weeks of August are when Paris streets are the most deserted by Parisians, who are mostly in the south of France now, where the weather is toasty  -- almost too toasty.

At the end of the rue Jacob, we were drawn into lovely, shady square at the rue de Furstemberg.  Tom always likes to walk through the décor store there, Flamand.  When we exited at the far end of Flamand, we were across from the back door of the church of Saint-Germain des Prés.

That isn’t my favorite church in Paris because it was originally only for the church elite; the common people had to worship elsewhere, like at Saint Sulpice.  However, both of us were awestruck at the beautiful restoration of the painted decorations in the Saint Germain des Prés church.  We’d entered through a back door, so we were initially seeing the ambulatory, apse, chancel, and choir sections of the church, where the restoration has been completed.

The work is ongoing in the transept, which is walled off with huge sheets of thick plastic.  But the center aisle is open from the nave through to the altar and choir area, since a false ceiling was erected above the center of the transept to allow for work on the ceiling there, and still enable worshipers in the nave to see the altar.

The restoration goes on, and the worship goes on.  More photos from Saint Germain des Pres, below.

Transept walled off by sheets of plastic during the renovation.

In the narthex, I picked up a brochure about the restoration because we intend to make a small contribution towards it. 

After our visit to the church, we continued along the boulevard Saint Germain.  We paused to chat with the young woman who manages the tank-top stall where our granddaughters bought three tank-tops not long ago. 

At the boulevard Saint Michel, Tom wanted to walk up the hill to the square in front of the Sorbonne.  We did that, but it was farther than he thought it would be.  So we stopped for refreshments on that beautiful square at L’Ecritoire (the writing board), an attractive, old café with a zinc bar.  

Cafe gourmand and Poire Helene at L'Ecritoire.

Normally, Tom would just order a café gourmand which includes a few small treats to stave off hunger pains.  But this time he was really hungry, so he ordered a Poire Hélène as well.  Wow, what a lovely concoction of poached pear, liqueur, dark chocolate sauce, and whipped cream!  I certainly had to help him consume that!

Prices are reasonable at L'Ecritoire, and the service is very nice.  We recommend it when you're in the 5th.

We were able then to continue walking up the boulevard until we reached the ancient rue des Bernardins, where we turned off the boulevard so we could visit the beautiful church of St. Nicholas du Chardonnet on the rue Monge.

The beauty of this church is more subtle than that of Saint Germain des Prés.  St. Nicholas du Chardonnet was originally built in the 13^th Century, and rebuilt from 1656 to 1763.  It is now used by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, a conservative fraternity of priests headquartered in Switzerland.  I particularly admire all the crystal chandeliers in St. Nicholas du Chardonnet (photos below).  The church is also known for hosting a series of concerts.

Young man pontificating on la Place de la Sorbonne.

As afternoon showers gave way to evening, we boarded the metro and rode home from the 5^th to the 15^th.  We went out again for dinner at a local brasserie, L’Oustal, where the evening star was a stunningly delicious endive and Roquefort salad. 

Star-shaped endive and Roquefort salad at L'Oustal.

 

Leaving la Place de la Sorbonne.