Caillebotte - Isn't It Romantic?

The answer is: NO! 
And the question certainly was relevant on the Friday evening that Co. and I visited Caillebotte, the relatively new offspring of Franck Baranger (the chef), and Edouard Bobin's popular venue Le Pantruche.  Located not far from the Gare St. Lazare and the Grandes Boulevards in the South Pigalle district, you are guaranteed to get lost if you follow Google maps.  I speak from experience.  By the way, the Friday evening in question was Feb. 14th, better known as St. Valentine's Day.  Well into our meal, as I gazed lovingly into Co.'s deep, dark eyes, she looked at me and whispered, "It isn't very romantic."

She had that right - more on the modern side of traditional, Caillebotte, despite the misleading images you'll find at Googe images, is intimate, but not in a good way.  The space is pretty tiny, and if you don't luck out like Co. and I did and get seated at one of the solo two-seat tables, you can expect to be scrunched in-between other diners and hearing every word they coo.  We were lucky, as I mentioned, but still had the ornery waitress glaring at us from time to time, I guess a function of the fact that we arrived around 8 pm for our 7:30 pm reservation and came within, I surmised, about another minute or two from having our table handed over to a female duo waiting eagerly at the bar.  Ignorantly following the Google map in lieu of my more reliable little red book (Paris by arrondissements), I got us about as far away in the opposite direction as humanly possible before a human with half a brain would stop and say, "I don't think we're going in the right direction."

Well, enough complaining, if there's one thing that definitely recommends Caillebotte, it's the one thing that really matters - the food.  And here I had no complaints.  For a 3-course 35€ menu (plus - and I guess I can complain as I am wont to do when this element rears its ugly head - some supplements), the quality was well up to par.  Here's the barely visible carte from the evening of our visit:

click to enlarge

Round one, the entrees, went to your's truly with the poulpes - a unique combination of egg yolk, mushroom cream, chantilly fumee, etc.  Excellent.  Co.'s salade de legume d'hiver was less impressive, and pretty sparse when it came to the key ingredient that lured her in that direction, the smoked eel.  Still, pretty tasty with the chevre and parmesan crumble.

Salsifis aux poulpes de roche (+2€)

Salade de legumes d'hiver

Things stayed on a high note with the main plates.  I happily went with the one fish dish on the menu, the pave de lieu jaune, replete with the chapelure de pain brulee, cauliflower mousseline, and bouillon parmesan - the combination hit the spot.  Co. perked up with the scallops dish, St. Jacques d'Erquy, with fenouil de cafe and mousse d'oursine.  I remember reading a comment online from a dissatisfied diner who claimed to have been served unfresh scallops - no problem in that regard for Co.

Lieu jeune - terrible photo, I know, but sometimes with food porn, you've got to live with grainy.

St. Jacques d'Erquy (+5)

 Desserts hit the hat trick.

Biscuits russes (me, the sucker for anything pralinee)

Mousee au chocolate - not what you'd expect (in a good way, with black olives)

All told, with the two 'menus,' the supplements, a reasonably priced Pinot noir (25€), and one espresso (2€), the whole shebang came to a respectable 104€.  By dessert time, the St. Valentine's vultures - the ones with reservations for the 9:30 second seating - had begun to hover in the foyer and things got about as unromantic as possible.  The waitresses were stressed, the first sitting diners were lingering (me, over a cafe), and who knows what from the patrons who casually arrived a good half hour after us.  Not exactly the best ambiance, I grant you.   It may not be your candlelit lover's hideaway, and it may be spatially challenged, but as long as the food stays this good, they'll keep a-comin'.

CAILLEBOTTE
8 rue Hippolyte Lebas
75009 Paris
01 53 20 88 70
website:  don't think so.

Le Guide Fooding 2012 - Winners' Circle

Although the 2012 Fooding Guide has been sitting on my table for the better part of a month, I have been remiss in sharing their latest list of top tables for 2011 - the so-called Le palmarès, blame it on the day job. But I'm psyched - on the list is the last venue I favorably reviewed - Septime - and at the top is where Co. and I are heading this coming weekend - Chatomat. In the groove, and a nice list to start off 2012 with - I already have Au Passage in the radar. What am I waiting for, drum roll, please . . .



A bit closer look at the Paris establishments follow, photos (click to enlarge) courtesy of Le Figaro:



If there is more buzz about another affordable restaurant gastronomique these days than Chatomat, I haven't heard it. According to Fooding, "Who knows what a Chatomat is?! One thing for sure it's a damn good restaurant!" Enough said for now, my review is forthcoming.



Well, I've been pretty clear that I'm not on the Frenchie bandwagon, but maybe there's something to the wine bar.



I just read a favorable review of Au Passage at one of the Paris newsletter sites, and I'm definitely intrigued. Per Fooding, "The food is jazzed up a bit by a former Spring cook, but really it's just good, simple, and inexpensive." Sounds like the place to go for lunch, but I'll probably opt for a dinner, early 2012.



Ah, Septime, one of my personal favorite discoveries of 2011. "Food not quite spot on at first but seventh heaven really can't be that far off..." which is why I'll be returning as soon as possible.



I like to think of myself as a man of substance, so why not a restaurant of substance? Fooding says "dazzling" and who am I to argue until I get there and try it on for size firsthand?



So many restaurants, so little time, as I've intoned on countless occasions, but where, where, I ask you, can you "watch the barge-boats pass by from this lone spot on the Ile Seguin, a temporary restaurant managed by the South West chef Arnaud Daguin. His concise, unpretentious and delicious vegetarian menu uses all organic produce." But does "temporary" mean Les Grandes Tables won't be back as "best decor" restaurant next year?



So that brings us to Pantruche, none other than 'best bistrot' of 2011. Hmmm...never heard of it, but "something on the menu to please everyone.." I'm sold.

I haven't thought about it too much yet, but I guess having 4 or 5 of these as destinations for 2012 is a pretty good start for New Year's resolutions. Check out how I'm doing by regularly returning here for concise, pithy, witty, and anything but objective reviews.

For a complete listing of Le Guide Fooding palmare winners dating back to 2000, check out this link. The Guide Fooding 2012 now available at newsstands for a mere 9,90€.