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.



2 Amy's Pizza

Alright, I know there are probably a million other blog posts about 2 Amy's pizzas out there. We've heard it all; it's either the best Neapolitan pizza in the area (or the country), or it's an overrated, crowded and expensive pizza restaurant for yuppy people who live in the area.

Here's my take: 2 Amy's is definitely my type of pizza. If you're looking for an all-American huge ass pizza with a million toppings on it, well this is definitely not the place for you. But if you're in the mood for a pizza that is simple, this is the place. I find that a lot of times, it is harder to make something that seems easy taste good. Let's take their famous margherita pizza for example. It consist of the following ingredients: tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella cheese, basil, and olive oil. Not one ingredient should be overwhelming. Since the ingredients are so simple, it means that it must be of great quality. This is what 2 Amys does well. For people who aren't used to a Neapolitan pizza, when the pizza first comes out, it might be a bit surprising to see how few toppings there are. But the crust is baked just right, and the sauce and the ingredients complement each other. It's better to cut the pizza as you eat it rather than precutting it, since it does get a bit watery in the middle.

We started off the meal with an order of bruschetta and potato frittata. The frittata wasn't as good as I hoped since it was served cold, however the tomato on the side did make up for the lack of taste in the frittata.
We also ordered a stuffed pizza with ricotta and Mozzarella cheese, a Caprese pizza with olives, anchovies and mozzarella cheese, and a pizza with salami and bell peppers.
The stuffed pizza was to die for. The pizza came and it looked like the cheese was about to burst, and once you cut into it, all of the yummy ricotta comes oozing out. It was excellent! My favorite pizza of the night was the Caprese! The Olives and anchovies went really well together!
I didn't feel like the prices at 2 Amy's were that over-priced. At the last restaurant I worked at, they charged $14 for a Margherita pizza, and let's just say the taste does NOT even compare!
But again, 2 Amy's pizza probably isn't for everybody. Some people like the New York Style, others like the deep dish Chicago pizza. I'm definitely more of a Neapolitan fan!!