TANNAT - Another Winner on Parmentier

I like the idea of naming one's restaurant after something related to food and not, say, the street address of the establishment.  The former is the case for Tannat, whose brave owners Ariane Stern and Simon Auscher had the tenacity to open about a half block from Chateaubriand, one of the top eating venues in all of Paris.  Tannat doesn't reach the heights of Chateaubriand, but it has its merits and is definitely worth its place on the map.  Getting back to names, as I digress, according to Wikipedia:

Tannat is a red wine grape, historically grown in South West France in the Madiran AOC, and is now one of the most prominent grapes in Uruguay, where it is considered the "national grape".

Okay, I admit I didn't know what tannat meant until I looked it up, so maybe it's not such a great thing to name your restaurant after a food item that one has to google, but if you want to be a culinary snob, you have to do some work.  And as part of my work, I also learned that Tannat's home on 119 avenue Parmentier was for 20 years the site of "the fiery and gourmet cabaret evenings at Chez Raymonde," according to the Le Fooding website.  And just to clarify, Tannat is not a Uruguayan restaurant, but a place to find - oh, what the hell, Le Fooding was on a roll, "colorful neo-bistronomic creations from Olivier Le Corre (Tour d’Argent, Bristol, 52 Faubourg)."

Co. and I checked out Tannat on a Friday evening in mid-May and found an airy, brightly-lit, mirrored room centered by a bar where one can perhaps find a seat without a reservation.  Already this is pretty unique, because when I think of the typical Parisian neobistrot, the words 'airy' and 'brightly-lit' rarely come to mind.  Those adjectives are also appropriate to describe the colorful, elegantly prepared dishes, some of which were more successful than others, but what else is new?

One of my few gripes about Tannat is that everything is ala carte.  I can't remember the last time I ate in Paris without some sort of 'menu' deal offered.  In fact, more and more I am drawn to establishments with fixed menus - the tyranny of the carte as some critics claim.  But from my vantage point, I'd prefer to let the chef decide what is best, but you are free to differ.  To each one's own.  But if you like choice - albeit limited - you'll like Tannat.  So let's get down to business - the business of food.  Here's what the carte looked like during our visit:

What's on the menu?  Click on it to find out.

Another something you don't see very often in Parisian neobistrots is a selection of dishes to share at the start.  Be forewarned, though, the plates at Tannat are copious enough without taking one of the 'partager' dishes - I was pretty much stuffed early into my main plate - but as a reviewer, I felt obliged, with Co's hesitant blessing, to go with the radis et tandoori butter.  This was just okay - the butters were blander than I expected - something I probably would have enjoyed more to embellish some cocktails.  The thinly sliced bettrave was an interesting ingredient, however.

Radishes, beet, and tandoori butter for sharing

And the very satisfying entrees:

Pain perdu, asperge vert, moelle, gremolata for Co. - what is gremolata you ask? I'll tell you.  It's a chopped herb condiment with lemon zest, garlic, and parsley

Although tempted by the beets and herring dish, I selected this one - artichokes, coques, and sable parmesan

The main plates:

For Co., the beef, gambas, and navet unique melange.  Hard to see the thinly sliced beef, but its there. 

No idea I was ordering fish and chips, even though that's what the menu says, and that's what I got.  And when I say chips, I mean chips - not the British kind (fries), but the potato chips kind, even though this dish would make any obese Brit diner (which I am happily not) proud.  Not fantastic, but I rather enjoyed this very rich dish - and I just said rather with a British accent, so as not to offend anyone, I think.

Dessert time:

Killer presentation for the strawberry, rhubarb, and white chocolate dish

A chocolate dessert fit for a Marquise - not as rich as it looks, which made it even better

We accompanied our meal with a rapidly disappearing Coteaux du Languedoc Argentier (27 euros), bringing our bill, sans cafe, to 114 euros.  I liked Tannat a lot more than I thought I would, especially in retrospect.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the carte varies in the future, which isn't the wittiest way to end this post, but it will have to do.


TANNAT
119 avenue Parmentier
75011 Paris
tel. 09 53 86 38 61
useless website

Note:  Apparently you can overcome my fixed-price formula nit pick at lunch with a 15 euro two-dish meal, which sounds like a pretty good deal.  You can also take a nice little walk to the Canal St Martin after your dinner, which Co and I did - on this particular evening the streets were packed, the canal lined on both sides with YOUTH, and the intersection of Petit Cambodge and Le Carillon was happily animated, six months after tragedy struck.

The canal - a short walk from Tannat

Manger - One Plate Short of Perfection

To clear up the mystery right off the bat, that one plate was one we didn't receive.  I'll explain later.

Manger - a relatively new neobistro in the 11th on a quiet portion of rue Keller near Bastille.  Yes, 'Manger' is both the name of the restaurant and what you do there (aka: eat).  Design-wise, Manger is a looker.  Open kitchen, vast space, large skylight,  elegantly geometical lines and blacks and beiges.  I liked this place right off the bat - casual, hip staff, large black and white portraits of the four chefs who participate in the 57€ 'diner des chefs' fixed menu in the evenings and themed lunches according to the day.

 

If you don't opt for the fixed price menu, you have some interesting alternatives, including a raw bar selection - red tuna, marinated salmon or beef) and dim sum (wok vaporized options).  The special 'diner' is composed of four courses, each conceived by a different chef.

After a tasty mise-en-bouche of colin spread on small toasts, the 'diner' commenced.

SALADE NIÇOISE À MA FAÇON

Chef:  YVES CAMDEBORDE - COMPTOIR DU RELAIS SAINT-GERMAIN, PARIS VI

 

This was more of a thick soup than a salad, accompanied with a dark brioche and mango ice - superb.

Next up:

CHIPIRONS, JUS DE CRESSON, NAVETS, POIREAUX

CHRISTIAN ETCHEBEST - CANTINE DU TROQUET, PARIS XIV ET XV

 

Nothing too ostentatious here, but an amazing combination - damn excellent.

Number 3, number 3:

POITRINE DE COCHON FERMIER MOELLEUSE DE CHEZ OSPITAL

LA COUENNE CROUSTILLANTE, PETITS POIS À LA FRANÇAISE

BRUNO DOUCET - LA RÉGALADE, PARIS XIV

 Yours truly had the alternative (bottom) for this course, eschewing pig the way I am apt to do - in lieu of the cochon, I had Canette laquee aux epices a risotto d'epeautre, orange/ tandoori.  Co. relished her cochon and I couldn't deny the alternative (available on the ala carte menu, 25€) was impressive - that risotto, I need more. 


And for dessert:

ÉCLAIR FRAISE PISTACHE MENTHE

CHRISTOPHE ADAM

 Eclairs aren't really my thing, but this one was well conceived.  It would have been nice to follow this up with a second dish, which is becoming modus operandi for dessert in other neobistrots around town.

Ah, yes, the dish that never came.  It might have been chocolate, it might have been something else.  But for some reason, I went into Manger thinking 5 chefs, 5 plates, and although the meal was excellent, at 57€, both Co. and I concluded that a 5th dish would have been appropriate.  Something was missing.  A couple patisseries at the end would have done the job.

Nonetheless, I should add that Executive chef William Pradeleix, who  worked with the renowned Hélène Darroze at the Connaught in London, has his apron in the right place.  A portion of the bill is relegated as a social contribution to the city's program for culinary training for unemployed Parisians.

To counterbalance the price, Manger has a more than reasonable wine list with several good inexpensive bottles to choose from.  I chose a St. Nicolas Bourgueil, as I am wont to do, and wasn't disappointed, especially at a mere 28€ for the bottle.  Total bill for two: 142€.

A year ago, the Conde Nast Traveler website dubbed Manger "the best new restaurant in Paris."  I wouldn't go that far, but it's definitely worth a visit.  


RESTAURANT MANGER
24, rue Keller
75011 Paris
tel: 01 43 38 69 15
website: http://manger-leresto.com/