Entertaining meal at "Le Jeu de Quilles"

I rarely dine out at night.  Mainly because it's more expensive and usually it's a 2 to 3 hour ordeal, so by the time I get home it's about midnight.  However, when I have a friend in town, I always see it as an opportunity to do some fine dining and also to show a visitor a different side of the dining scene in Paris.

The area of Mouton Duvernet in the 14th district of Paris might not be well known, however, this neighborhood is filled with hidden jewels of restaurants, wine shops, and speciality shops.
I was taking a stroll in the area once and passed by the restaurant.  I have heard many great things and reviews about this small bistro, which probably sits only about 20 people.  The restaurant gets its meat from the famous butcher next door "Hugo Desnoyer" known as one of the best butcher shops in Paris.  It sources its beef from the region of Limousin of superb quality (yes meaning grass fed and able to roam around in an open area!)   It was about 7pm (way before dinner hour in France), outside "le jeu de quilles" the chefs and servers were chatting and drinking wine.  I went into make a reservation, and the staff was extremely friendly.  I was excited for my dinner already!

Friday night came, we went in, and the server immediately recognized me with a big smile.  The restaurant had an open kitchen, which you could see all the activities of the chefs, which is always a big enjoyment for me.  There was some lively music playing in the background, and the whole kitchen seemed like a party. 

I started off by asking for a recommendation of red wine, the server told me he'll bring me something that I will like, and I will have to guess what it is.  I ended up guessing wrong, but it was a glass of Morgan, from the Beaujolais Region.  I usually don't like Beaujolais wine, but this one was of quality.

The a la carte menu was reasonably priced.  For the appetizer, I ordered a marinated fish, tartare style.  While my friend opted for the poached White Asparagus with a cream sauce and pancetta.  The fish was simply marinated in olive oil and vinegar served with some warm green onions on top, it was divine.  I ordered the veal carpaccio as the main course.  Normally I don't go for meat when there is a fish option on the menu, but this place is known for their meat, and I know the quality is top!  Meagan ordered their famous Limousin steak (which she was told she doesn't get to decide how it's cooked.) 



Veal Carpaccio

The veal carpaccio can only be described as an orgasm in my mouth.  It was served with shaved Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and salad.  It was absolutely out of this world.  I don't think I have ever tasted something that just simply melts in your mouth like it belonged there.  I wished the plate would never end.  Meagan's steak was also top-notched, she actually said this might've been the best steak she's ever eaten.  These two dishes are the perfect examples of good, fresh, and quality ingredients.  It was simply prepared.  The steak didn't need to be marinated, only some simple sea salt and pepper was enough to let you take in the true taste of the meat.

When I finished my glass of wine, the server asked me if I wanted another one.  I made a joke and asked him if he was going to offer it to me.   And sure enough, I received a free glass of wine, of quality of course. 

After seeing what the couple next to us had for dessert, we simply couldn't say no.  We shared a chocolate "soup" topped with a pistachio macarron.  Ok, is it possible to have 2 orgasms in your mouth within 2 hours?  The chocolate soup was warm, and not overly sweet.  The macarron gave it the perfect finish.

Dinner at le jeu de quilles was not only just an unforgettable gastronomically experience, it was a taste of a real Parisian bistro with an amicable touch.




The server that was everyone's best friend

Jeu de Quilles45, rue Boulard, 75014
01 53 90 76 22. Open only Wed–Sat, lunch and dinner.



Dinner at les Petits Plats, where les plats aren't really that petit!

This past weekend, I had my first visitor since my arrival in Paris.  My friend, whom I haven't seen in a year and a half came for a quick visit from Boston.  We both LOVE food and wine, so I really had to make sure I made reservations at some impressive restaurants.
This was also a chance for me to dine a bit more fancily at dinner.  Normally I only dine out at lunch as it is cheaper and not as weird to dine alone.
For our last night together, I made a reservations at a small restaurant not far from my apartment in the 14th arrondissement called "Les petits plats," meaning small plates.  The concept is to let diners try out different things in smaller portions.  The set dinner menu lets you choose 4 small plates for 35 euros.  You can choose any combination that you wish: I opted for 1 entree, 2 maind dishes, and 1 dessert, as did my friend.  We found out very soon that these plates aren't exactly as petit as we thought!

There was a little "mise en bouche" to start, with small crostinis and this amazing olive tapenade.  My first course was a white fish gravalax with a creme fraiche sauce wrapped in thinnly sliced carrots.  The creme balanced the fish well, and the piece of baguette was the perfect accompaniment.  My companion had a foamy soup that was poured into a bowl with fresh breadcrumbs right in front of us.  Again, one could probably go through a loaf of bread with the soup alone.

My second dish was pan-fried fish on top of a small crepe filled with leeks and pancetta.  The skin of the fish was crispy, but a bit under-flavored.  But the crepe certain made up for everything!  My friend's second dish was a "riz de veau" carpaccio.  It was served sliced cheese and an excellent cream sauce.  I think this was probably the best dish of the night.  The veal was flavoreful and tender (did I mention it was raw?)

My third course was kind of a decomposed paella.  It was served in two small hot plates, one with the seafood, and the other a wild black rice.  The sauce from the seafood was amazing that I could not resist another piece of bread, even though by this time I was already stuffed.  The other dish was a duck confit ravioli served with sliced pears and grapefruit.  Another inventive and unique dish.


We were both overly full by this point, and expecting our dessert to be just a small sample.  But then out came this big piece of hazelnut eclair and a big bowl of sweet fresh grapefruit and shaved ice.  If that was considered a small plate of eclair, then I don't even want to know what their version of a regular size eclair is!  The flavor of the eclair was to die for, and the caramel sauce complemented it perfectly.  My grapfruit ice dessert was a little lighter, but it was so much that I could barely handle the rest.


Les Petits Plats is a small and quiet restaurant that serves up fun and inventive dishes.  The service was good, and the wine options are plentiful with reasonable prices.  The menu changes everyday.  It is definitely a place that I would go back!

Restaurant Week at Westend Bistro

The week of August 16th marks the summer Restaurant Week here in Washington, DC. Despite the gloomy economy and bipolar weather, reservations were filled up weeks in advance in the most sought after restaurants. I only had a few that I really wanted to try, Westend Bistro being one of them. I have recently become a big fan of Eric Ripert, whose restaurant "Le Bernadin" earned 3 stars from the Michelin guide, the highest honor that any chef in the world can get. Naturally, one would expect similar quality of food in his DC restaurant.

Unlike other restaurants, Westend Bistro did not post their RW menu on the web, so I assumed that I could pick off their normal menu.

I arrived at the restaurant, which was right next door to the Ritz-Carlton. The decor was very impressive, modern but not overdone.

I was handed the menu and was immediately disappointed by what was offered. There were only 2 options to pick from for each course. For the appetizer there was a house salad and a heirloom tomato consomme. Entree: Fish burger with mesclun salad and Grilled Chicken with Isreali couscous. Dessert: Creme Brulee and profiterole, which is a creme puff served with a chocolate sauce.
My friend and I both opted for the tomato consomme to start. The presentation was beautiful, with the server pouring over the cold soup in front of you.


The consomme was very refreshing, especially on a hot day. The heirloom tomatoes were flavorful, and the basil and cheese added the perfect touch to the dish. My only complaint would be that it left me wanting more!

For my entree, I ordered the fish burger. I have to say I was a bit disappointed to see that it was fried. The fish patty was flavorful, but the big chunk of tomato and loose slices of fennel seem really out of place in the burger. I had to pull them out and eat them separately. The bun was buttery flavored, however, the grease of the fish soaked into the bottom of them bun which made it a little unpleasant. I did like the addition of the mesclun salad and the dressing that was served.

My friend ordered the grilled chicken, which seemed like a very tasty dish (I didn't taste it). Butthe chicken looked perfectly cooked. This would have been the dish to go for if you decided to go to Westend Bistro for RW.

The dessert was my favorite part of this meal, and usually I'm not a very big dessert person. The puffs were filled with a delicious cream that wasn't overpowering in sweetness. The chocolate added the extra kick to make the dish even more flavorful. My friend and I were both tempted to lick our plates clean in the end.

Overall, I wouldn't say this was a disappointing dining experience had I not had so much expectations out of it. But I just didn't feel like what was offered in their RW menu really reflected Eric Ripert's forte. He is known for his seafood, however, the only seafood item on the menu was a fish burger, which can scarecely reflect on a chef's usage on the "fruits de mer."
The service wasn't all that great either. I felt very rushed to order, and the waiter dropped off the check before we finished our dessert.
I wouldn't say I won't return, because there are other dishes that I want to try out. However, for restaurant week, I would suggest you look elsewhere. And if you're ever in New York, go to Le Bernadin!!