“Top of the world, Ma!” - Bests 2011

In fact, before that gas tank explodes in White Heat, James Cagney actually yells, “Made it, Ma. Top of the world!” But let's not nitpick. It's that time again, actually, it's 10 days past that time again, to name my top five restaurants of the year, in this case 2011. Hard to believe, but Paris Restaurants and Beyond is now entering its fourth year, with somewhere around 80 or so restaurants reviewed, so I first have to give myself an award for keeping with it. Congratulations, me. It would be nice to hear from more readers, especially with your own recommendations, but I know, you are shy and I don't want to press you. I'm happy you come to this site and welcome your contributions.

As mentioned in previous PR and B 'best of' installments, I have no claim to suggest that any restaurants named here are in fact the 'best' restaurants, which would be a ridiculous claim to verify anyway - only that my best meals outside my own kitchen were found in the venues listed. 'Best' for me includes originality from the chef, fresh and inventive ingredients, and an overall enjoyable and memorable experience, the latter of which includes conviviality, atmosphere, and service from staff and fellow diners. Without further ado, here are my top five for 2011 (full reviews and addresses by clicking the relevant links in the 'restaurants reviewed to date' list to the right):

1. Le Gaigne - two really terrific dinners at Le Gaigne in 2011. I don't know why we don't hear or read more about this little gem situated between Beaubourg and the Marais, but the menus degustation for the two visits were inventive and completely satisfying. You've read my reviews, now check out another from the One Spoonful at a Time blog. Le Gaigne is tiny, but chef/owner Mickael Gaignon performs some grand magic in his kitchen.

2. La Gazzetta - regular readers of this blog should not be surprised by this choice, as I have been praising the restaurant since 2010.

3. Chateaubriand - I wouldn't go so far as to agree that this is the best restaurant in Paris, as has been claimed, but it's damn good. Multi-dishes pass before you in a blur, creative and hip, but alas, some of those dishes are just too tiny for their own good. And they are good.

4. Septime - This new addition to my 'go to' Paris restaurant list, along with Chatomat, were the most promising restaurants I dined at in 2011. Not great, but enough to suggest that they may soon be. I really enjoyed my dinner, particularly at Septime, last Fall, but it's hard to jump to conclusions after just one visit. I'm really looking forward to the next time.

5. Chatomat - see no. 4 above, and it's true, I did call this one 'great' in my review. In retrospective, let me just amend that by saying 'we'll see.'


Co., my dining cohort, is pretty much in agreement with these choices, although she'd probably nudge Septime or Chatomat from their mutual slots to include La Table D'Eugene, one of her personal favorites.

Best tapas - Aux Deux Amis - chaotic and crazy in the early evening. That herring ended up on the floor, but too much fun to care. And even the simple tapas were fresh and memorable.


Best oyster restaurant - Le Pleine Mer. 'Restaurant' may be stretching it, but there's no denying this is one of the top, if not the top 'o the world, places to eat oysters in Paris, especially if you are seeking authenticity down by the seashore in the heart of Paris.

Best online shopping for Mexican condiments - Dos Mexicanas, hands down. Based in Villepinte (France metropolitan). Sauces, hot peppers, chipotle, you name it. Great selection, reasonable prices, and I've already received orders within one or two days of ordering online.

Best movie about food: El Bulli - Cooking In Progress. This documentary about Ferran Adrià's majestic, but alas now closed, greatest restaurant in the world is mesmerizing from the opening shot of Adrià tasting a flourescent lollipop, to the final close-ups of the 38 dishes served during a typical meal. The film covers the six months the El Bulli team spent in their experimental labs in Barcelona, and follows the evolution of the new menu items for the restaurant's upcoming season in Roses, Spain. At one point during the experimental phase, Adrià tells his chefs, 'Don't worry about the quality of the taste, it must be magical!'

Disappointments of the Year - there were a number of these, although if you're not expecting much (see Millesimes 62, La Cerisaie, and Tintilou), it would be unfair to classify a venue as disappointing. But when Frenchie and JaJa get so many rave reviews (albeit 'rave' is an exaggeration for JaJa), disappointment definitely does apply. People talk about Frenchie like it's the bees-knees, so maybe I hit a bad night, but I was distinctly underwhelmed. And as for Jaja, fuggedaboutit.

Shalimar - An Indian in the Suburb

Have to keep discovering new places, I keep telling myself, so where do Co. and I end up for our first 2010 foray into Paris and beyond? Back to a sure thing, Les Magnolias, the Jean Chauvel gem in the beyond of Le Perreux-sur-Marne. What more to say that I haven’t already said about this Michelin restaurant, other than that Monsieur Chauvel keeps experimenting and modifying the mysterious and unexpected carte—for example, Cabillaud rôti au four au “Moromi 3 ans d’âge” laqué de sesame noir soufflé (main dish) and Macaron rougi de “Grenade – Campari” et cassante Opaline scintillante ganache au chocolat lacté (dessert, wow). Ferran Adrià of El Bulli in Spain, the consensus pick for most famous restaurant in the world, must take a two year vacation (2012-13) to figure out how to upgrade his menu. M. Chauvel just keeps on keeping on.

Sticking to the sticks, our second stop in January happened to be a couple Paris suburbs over from Le Perreux in Rosny-sous-Bois, where we returned for the 30th or 40th time to our favorite Indian restaurant in the Paris metropolitan area, Shalimar. But first some background. Welcome to Rosny – otherwise known as the gastronomic wasteland to the east. Just a short, 16-minute ride on the RER E from Gare du Nord and one short block walking from the Rosny-sous-Bois train station, Shalimar is a pearl in the wasteland. For a rapidly-growing, multicultural suburb of Paris (pop. nearing 50,000), where one finds a populace ranging from gleaners rifling through the trash bins at after-hours Fran Prix to high-powered plumbers, ingénues, and Paris Opera dancers, there is not a gourmet restaurant in site. Oh, you have your oddly named “Pro Evolution Snack” spot and assorted pizzerias and Turkish sandwich shops, along with the eminently avoidable El Rancho Tex-mex facsimile at the Rosny 2 commercial center, but the closest to anything gastronomic would have to be Monteuil’s Villa 9 Trois (which we found disappointing in the early days and never went back) and the aforementioned Les Magnolias. Which brings us to the ever-popular and always packed (at least on weekends) Shalimar.

What’s so great about Shalimar? Well, it’s not that the food is exceptionally creative, gourmand, or original - it is just plain excellent (Tandori and curry specialties) and, oh yeah, the prices can’t be beat. Need I say more? Probably not, but as usual, I will anyway. Once seated in one of the two relatively small, but comfortable rooms (seating for 50), after a warm greeting by the Pakistani owner, an aperatif (rosé kir) is offered, along with a pampadon. You can find the full, never-changing (my one main gripe) carte online at the restaurant’s website, so I’ll just focus on my favorites. For an entrée, there are two exceptional hits here, the cailles tandoori (two succulent Cornish hens accompanied by tomatoes, cucumbers, lemon, and some lettuce, 8€) and the gambas tandoori (one of the costliest items on the menu, but well worth it for a couple mammoth-sized, extremely tasty shrimp, 17€). Either entrée, accompanied by dessert, would essentially sate a moderate appetite. Glutton that I am, I typically follow up the entrée with a fish dish, and my current favorite is the Machi Shaslik, a copious, grilled plate of chunks of tandoori fish with generous amounts of thinly diced red and green peppers that arrives at the table still sizzling. Not quite spicy enough for my taste, the owner obliges my predilection for 5-alarm hotness and often slips a spicy plate of curry sauce as a go-with. The sauce is impeccable – it’s slow-building fire doesn’t overwhelm the taste of the fish, only enhances it. A side order of raita (yogurt and cucumbers, 4€) provides a nice counterbalance, along with a plate of palak paneer (Indian cheese cooked with curried spinach, 8€) or dal tadka (lentils, 7€). Co. typically opts for a lamb dish, of which there are ten possibilities to select from.

Sandwiched in-between the pampadon and the entrée is the Indian bread, if one goes that route, and what other route is there? At Shalimar, I highly recommend the stuffed paratha, accompanied by a small tray with bowls of Indian pickles, mint sauce, and a sweet mango chutney. The stuffed paratha (3.50€) is a flat, lightly fried bread about the size of a small pizza, stuffed with ground vegetables. All told, our typical bill usually runs around 60-65€ for two – one cailles dish, two main plates, two side orders, Indian bread, and a bottle of wine. Try to beat that.

As much as I’ve desired to finish off a meal at Shalimar with dessert (the Shalimar halwah has caught my eye), it has never been possible, even for a glutton like your’s truly. One day, perhaps. Nonetheless, as regular customers, it is nice to know that a cognac (for me) and mango lassi (for Co.) will accompany l’addition. Treat your customers well and they will come back – voila, Shalimar’s secret for success.

SHALIMAR
25, rue du General LeClerc
93110 Rosny-sous-Bois
tel: 01 48 54 00 41
(directions available at website; carryout possible)

Note: It would be unfair to write off other possible stopping points for food in Rosny, however few they may be. I can recommend the more than serviceable Moroccan restaurant just a couple doors from Shalimar, Le Maroc (17, rue du Général Leclerc, tel. 0148 94 71 07), which serves up some very nice tagines at user-friendly prices. And there is a Japanese venue in the center of town scheduled for opening in a couple weeks. Sign of better days to come for foodies in Rosny?