Another Night, Another Bistro

It's easy to get the idea that delicious bistros in Paris are a dime a dozen. There are, however, several fallacies embedded in this argument:

1) France is on the Euro - there are no dimes.

2) Although most food in Paris is, in my opinion, better than the food in America, good bistros are harder to come by than one might believe. Hopefully my recommendations with help.

Tonight I picked a winner (not a nose-picking reference): Bistrot de l'Oulette. As many of my favorite and most frequented spots, l'Oulette is located in the 4th arrondissement not far from Place Des Vosges and Chez Janou (bistro crawl anyone?). The venue has a slightly different feel from Janou - this is a no-frills kind of place with plain wooden chairs, minimal décor, and a relaxed ambiance. The people who dine here aren't looking to see or be seen; they want a tasty, low-stress meal, which is exactly what I received.

Heed the myth that you can wine and dine all night in the typical Parisian bistro. As per my experiences, many of these places want you in and out as soon as possible, especially if you're American (which I've become increasingly talented at disguising). L'Oulette, however, was an exception. Although there was only one waiter present this evening, I felt no competition for his service. He was quite attentive -- I would even go so far as to say he was happy, which in Paris is almost unheard of for anyone working in the service industry. Seems somewhat counterintuitive, but hey, that's Socialism. Stay tuned for my blog on politics...

Back to food. My meal was excellent from start to finish. I didn't feel hurried, and I was greeted by my waiter with a smile. Everything on the menu looked incredible, so admittedly my decision was quite difficult to make. I made it, though, and here's what I chose:

To begin, a shellfish "bisque" containing mussels, clams, and one other unidentified item, although it didn't really matter what it was because the soup was incredible. Just the perfect amount of cream, not too thick or overwhelming. The dish is garnished with parsley and topped with what is probably the French equivalent of Old Bay Seasoning.

Next came one of the best entrées I've had in a very, very long time. Below is a picture of some of the most savory and tender duck breast I've ever eaten. It's roasted and topped with a port sauce with a side of potatoes au gratin -- for those of you non-foodies, that's with cheese and cream.

I was rather impressed with the first two courses of my meal, which I found perfectly complementary. The third component of my "menu" (appetizer, entrée, and dessert for 33 Euro) was not entirely mine; my good friend Dan and I split the chocolate soufflé with raspberry center and the flaky pastry filled with caramelized apples and a side of Armagnac grani. The soufflé melted wonderfully as Dan and I jousted with our forks to compete for the last piece. My only complaint was the lack of actual raspberry - there was a raspberry sauce, which went well with the chocolate, but not as well as real fruit would have. The apple pastry was excellent albeit quite flaky, but hey, I knew that beforehand. The Armagnac, which I had never tasted before this evening, was relatively strong and tasted very alcoholic. I found it a bit harsh paired with the apple, although it was in an ice-like form, which balanced out the warmth of the pastry. The pictures of the two desserts are below. If you can't tell which is the soufflé and which is the pastry, best that you stop reading now and pick up a copy of Life for Dummies.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at a leisurely pace. Dan and I were the last ones in the restaurant, but our waiter didn't seem to mind. I'm excited to return to this new spot of mine, though the restaurant merits much more calm than I'm prepared to give. Then again, it's hard to remain calm in one of the most food-centric cities on earth...

Until next time!

Dine at Bistrot de l'Oulette:

38, Rue des Tournelles

75004 Paris

+33 1 42 77 78 83