Le Chateaubriand : Paris, France

As the final installment of posts about what we ate in Paris, I present a very happy accident.  Imagine my surprise when, searching for our airbnb apartment, the words 'Le Chateaubriand' caught my eye. But could this be THE 'Le Chateaubriand'? Right next to our place? And further surprise when I entered to grab a reservation (managing to get the last open table they had before we left), and I found out the tasting menu at this top 20 restaurant was 60 euros.

The night of our meal, as honorary Spaniards, we took our 5-year-old Buckley with us to dinner. She was delighted by the gougeres that they served as amuse bouche.

 

What she wouldn't try were the raspberry dusted fried shrimp. Curious, I tried one. I'm not normally of the dried/crunchy seafood persuasion, but these and their touch of sweetness were AMAZING. Once you pop you can't stop.

 

Then a tiny shooter of ceviche in which the liquid was really the star. A tiny, perfect chunk of lightly cooked fish.  This is when Mugaritz first popped into my mind, and it turns out that Iñaki Aizpitarte, the chef/owner, is Basque and counts Mugaritz as "the best dinner of my life." Hmmm.

Of the next dish I was suspicious at best. Trout with carrots and grapefruit ice. Either really good or really bad, right? Fortunately it was the former.

Then, delight of delights, Iñaki finally started to act Basque.  Enter....marmitako, that rustic Basque soup perfect for cold, semi-rainy days. Iñaki's version was refined, featuring roasted vegetables and crispy potato.

To cleanse the palate, a herring broth with celery that brought to mind miso.

Then, the turbot. So delicious. It came covered in thin potato slices, tender to the fork, sprinkled with almonds.  That fish. That fish. I will not soon forget how tender and perfectly cooked it was.

And, the last dish, the boeuf. I was definitely feeling good about the 60 euro price tag even before this plate.  This surf and turf dish combined a perfectly cooked piece of beef with springy green asparagus and the babiest of baby anchovies. 

Then, dessert...a beautiful rendition of tocino del cielo, the Spanish dessert of egg yolks and caramelized sugar with a meringue base. The exploding "egg yolk" was Iñaki's only real nod to trends from molecular gastronomy like spherification.

Then a rum-raisin ice cream with a nice alcoholic kick.  In silver goblets, in tune with the classic French feel of the place. Iñaki and his team have an exquisite aesthetic and eye for detail.

A famed French paper recently ranked Iñaki right after Michel and Sébastien Bras as the best chef in France. His response? "All that means nothing to me as being ranked like that will never change the way I work. In my opinion, the best restaurant in Paris is far from luxurious - it is the Baratin, in Belleville, where Raquel Carena cooks food which I relate to."

What can I say? I'm American; I'm a sucker for democracy.  And even more of a sucker for great food.

Le Chateaubriand | 129 Avenue Parmentier, 75011 Paris, France

Eating Paris, Part I

So, you thought my culinary rundown of our Paris trip was going to be filled with starred accounts of tasting menus and famous chefs? 

Well, we'll get there eventually. But meanwhile, for my first "Happy Eating in Paris" moment, we're going direction guarrada. If you know me, you know I love a good crunchy, puffy snack.  The kid in me was thrilled to see a whole new flavor range on the shelves of french hypermarchés. Roasted chicken, curry, provençal, and these beauties: Mustard Pickle. Which actually translates better to English as "mustard chutney," but as someone who spent her childhood eating white bread, French's mustard, Kraft singles and pickle sandwiches, I'm invoking "this is my blog na na na na na" rights and sticking with Mustard Pickle.

If you've traveled abroad, you've probably noticed that chip companies in particular are masters at globalization. Check out this ridiculous list of the Lay's flavors from across the world. On my bucket list to try? Cucumber and guacamole (Poland), Lasagna (Argentina), Kebab on Charcoal (Egypt). On my list to avoid at all costs? Scottish Haggis (UK).

Leave a under I'm Asking with your favorite foreign junk food. Inquiring minds want to know.

Lunch In France

The other day I find myself over a late lunch in Bayonne, France.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I never cease to be amazed by the huge difference a border can make on cuisine.  The French and Spanish(Basque) cuisines share many things, but even just at a sheer surface level glance, they are so different.  And nowhere is this better expressed than at a simple, everyday lunch.   In Spain (Basque Country) you might expect something stewed, some delicious grilled meat, an iceberg/onion salad dressed with apple cider vinegar and olive oil.

Not en France. Baked cheese en croute; jambon de Bayonne; goat cheese tartines, crispy and charred; croque monsieur, covered in broiled bechamel; and a sensational and sumptuous quiche, the French's answer to tortilla. Our lunch was adorned with beautifully dressed salads, studded by lardons and perfectly seasoned.

It's really just too typical.  The French lunch is a beautiful, sexy woman, subtle and detailed.  The Basque lunch is simple, filling and humble.  Viva stereotypes, as long as they are as delicious as these!

A Copa Con...Bob Worboys

Today's installment in the "A Copa Con..." series is an Englishman made good in the French side of Basque Country. Well, if not made good, at least MAKING good (great) beer.  Bob Worboys is the founder, head brewer, driver, office manager, and any other titles you care to invent at his business Etxeko Bob's. It's truly one of the only artisan microbreweries in the area, and it's growing slowly but surely in the small French village of Hasparren.

What do you do?

I make beer. I founded Etxeko Bob's about seven years ago.

How did you end up brewing, when your career had you in the marketing/TV industry in England?

I got very drunk one night, and I woke up and I was here. No, just kidding. I fell in love with the Pays Basque. I wanted to actually do something where you're working with high-quality raw products, to add value.

Can you compare beer making to, say, winemaking?

If you look through the chain, it's more, especially in terms of raw materials, than grapes. It's a continuous activity. We're producing all year. Right now we're trying to build up stock for the summer.

Is there a secret to brewing beer?

You're only working with four things: malts, water, hops and yeast.

At the end of the day, I hate to say it, but it's true: beer is 90% water. When I first opened I didn't talk about 'the water comes from the mountain' because I didn't think it was important. Because you can modify water. Before, long ago, it wasn't safe to drink.

What's it like, being a producer in the Basque Country?

There is a huge sense of pride in things that come from this area. If you're producing a locally made product, you'll have, to a certain extent, a market.

So has it been smooth sailing since you began seven years ago?

No. Because all beers here are so homogenous, you would just order a beer. People would say to me, 'the problem with your beer is it's got too much taste'.

Would you change anything about your journey?

The reason I came here is because I like the Basque Country. Five years was when I really felt I turned the corner. It's complicated at the moment, with the economy.

What's exciting right now for Etxeko Bob's?

At Mugaritz I worked with them on a menu. I began to think: how can we find alliances? How can we find things that go with this beer? We got right back to the basics. Rather than trying to match a beer with a dish, let's look at developing dishes with ingredients you use to make beer.  You're building awareness, and everybody wins.

Thanks to Bob for the wonderful visit and interview. Leave us a comment on the above topics, and if you're in the area, you've got to try his beer!

San Sebastián Gastronomika. In a Few Words.

San Sebastián. The world's greatest chefs. An exchanging of techniques, ideas, and old-fashioned facetime.  Put it all together, and what do you get? San Sebastián Gastronomika.

Star of the show=France, as invited country.

Flavors the flowed from the fount of 'nouvelle cuisine' at SSG12: Roast duck, mushroom, sorrel, apple, black truffle, cassis, wild herbs, beets, walnuts...many of these modified with a place name. A return to terroir.

Spanish chefs=wilder combos. See above in La Grand Bouffe, a light-hearted cookoff between eight young chefs. Coconut,  herb charcaol, tapioca, lime granita, fermented garlic, soy sauce, parsley foam, spider crab, green tea, barnacles, smoked tuna, frozen gazpacho.

foto via Katharine Giery

And, after parties. Ice-cold French oysters, champagne, gooey cheeses, fried chicken, chefs and journalists happy.

Good Year.