Dix-Huit - No Name Goes Bourgeouis

One last dinner in Paris before the Moose goes globe-trotting for the summer and he picked a good one, Dix-Huit, the restaurant whose 'name' is the street number so you won't get lost in the upscale Ternes area in the 17th.  Don't let the neighborhood fool you, Dix-Huit/18 is affordable, despite not having a fixed-price 'menu,' something that I don't think I'll ever understand.

Chef Aaron Isap on the right

Inside Dix-Huit, obviously

       The two-roomed restaurant is the domain of Julien Peret and his the Flipino chef Aaron Isap, the latter having worked his way through Apicius, Drouant, Ze Kitchen Galerie and Pan, which is pretty amazing given that he looks like he's maybe 21 (or should I say 18?).  I didn't detect much of an Asian influence in the dishes, as I had been led to expect, but Isap is adventurous enough to keep things interesting - according to him, during his visit to our table when he made the rounds late in the meal - the menu changes daily. 

The restaurant's decor and arrangement are a bit odd - perhaps a matter of taste - we were ushered into the brightly lit back room, with its resemblance to a terrace: an atrium-like roof and an ambiance that suggested lab room with plants.  By mid-evening, the lights dimmed, the tables filled, and things became a bit more copacetic, notwithstanding the New York couple at the table next to ours who kept apologizing for listening in to the fascinating and provocative conversation typical of Moose and my interactions, but then went on to add their two sense nonetheless.  C'est la vie, as they say here.


Given that the carte changes daily, the following won't be of much use to you, but below you'll see what the offerings looked like the mid-week evening of our dinner:

Click on photo to enlarge

And here is the translation, in pictures:

This white asparagus dish, perhaps the tastiest of the evening, was comped to us by chef Isap - what can I say, the Moose is connected

My Crudo de Doraude entree was more pleasing to the eye than to the tongue - good, but nothing spectacular (9€)

The Moose was more than satisfied with this tartare de veau entree (11€)

My main dish - pintade with radishes - coulda been a contendah, but the betterave (?) accompaniment didn't really work for me.  The meat was excellent, though.  (23€)

Opting out of dessert, ever mindful that such extravagances could multiply any ill effects of his copious lager drinking on non-dinner out evenings, the Moose savored his lieu jaune (19€) and watched me dig into my espuma cafe  (9€).

This rather mundane looking dessert grew more interesting and tastier the deeper I dug, as I hit the pistachios.  Wouldn't mind another of these babies

The verdict is more a pretty good than a spectacular.  However, given the ever-changing menu and chef Isap's experimental nature, Dix-Huit certainly warrants a return visit, probably with the ever-discerning Co. in tow.  I'll keep you posted (which is why they call these things 'posts').


DIX-HUIT / 18
18 (you guessed it) rue Bayen
75017 Paris

From the restaurant's website

Fabrique 4 – No Reservation

Fabrique 4, or Bistrot F 4 for the more conceptual reader, is a tiny, funky little bistrot in a thriving corner of the 17th. It is in good company, with one of Paris Restaurants and Beyond’s favorites, La Bigarrade, just around the corner, and the overflowing Bloc bar/café a few doors away. It didn’t hurt that Friday evening happened to be one of those rarities in Paris – the weather was nice!: still sunny and mild at 8:30 pm, the hint of a full moon on the horizon, and weekend revelers packing the streets in search of a boisson and a bite. Co. and I were greeted outside F 4 by a youthful couple lazing around at one of the marble tables lined up in front of the façade. The casual duo turned out not to be a couple of layabout Parisian university students as first glance suggested, but F 4 co-owners Jade et Thibault, another pair of conjoint restaurateurs who seem to be spreading throughout the capital. Trust me, I have nothing against youth – I used to be one myself, and anyway, give them another 20 or 30 years and they will be as decrepit as me. It just so happens that these talented neophytes are infusing some imaginative culinary flair into the Paris restaurant scene. It’s understandable that the F 4 duo were relaxing in the waning moments of sunshine, because once they ushered us inside to a corner table for 5, the serious work of the evening kicked into full force.

The F 4 carte is a bit conceptual, with the ‘Food F’ starting off the list of choices: sashimi de boeuf (with roquette salad and parmesan) and a salade Ceasar au gambas, either of which could serve as an entrée or main dish. Next category, clear-cut entrees, comprised the ‘be 4’ category, with options consisting of the likes of foie gras mi-cuit and asperges a la flamande. Then it’s on to the main plates, surf (‘Waters’) or turf (‘Pattes,’ as in paws), with four options available in each category. ‘Happy ends’ rounds out the menu with a choice of--you guessed it--four desserts. Co. and I opted for the two Food Fs, respectively. Great start – Co. waxed effusively over the tenderness of the sashimi beef (10€) – a copious lineup of thinly sliced meat squares with a cornichon, orange, and mayonaise sauce running alongside - a sashimi dish that is rare in French restaurants. Meanwhile, my dish consisted of 3 sizable grilled gambas, on a bed of bulgar grain and young green asparagus, a dollop of anchovy butter, and a few slices of toasted baguette (16€). This was definitely a tasty dish, but I didn’t understand the point of the toast – the slices were hard and uninteresting, as if Thibault had forgotten to add the garlic and butter, which would have served as a more logical accompaniment to the gambas.

On to our main plate dishes. Red mullet is one of my favorites and so it was no surprise I picked the rouget with risotto, a quite satisfying option (15€). Co. continued her carnivorish ways, literally having a cow with her selection of ribs de boeuf (17€), two large slabs of meaty bones—the meat she once again praised for its tendresse—along with vegetables and some lightly fried potato squares. To finish up, my happy ending was happier than Co's happy ending, with a far superior fondant of chocolate with an accompanying nuts/syrup guilty pleasure concoction (6€) vis-à-vis Co’s somewhat perplexing tiramisu (6€). The wine list is short but sweet, with several reasonably priced, interesting bottles. We opted for the unfamiliar St. Pourçain 2008, a red strongly reminiscent of Chinon (24€), bringing the total to a reasonable 94€.

The F 4 interior consists of chandeliered modernity – two chandeliers hanging overhead the stylish tables and bar, with a nicely chosen Impressionistic painting running along the far wall. I counted five tables inside, and five out, which makes reserving essential - don't be misled by this entry's title, I refer to those who didn't get to eat. Jade must have turned away a steady stream of somewhere between 20 and 30 youthful patrons throughout the evening who were hoping to be seated despite the full house inside and out. No second serving, no taking advantage of the empty space inside to set up some more tables. It was pretty clear that the dynamic Jade/Thibault duet was one that played to its own demanding limits. (Jade later explained that in lieu of the five outside tables during the cold weather months, they cram in enough extra seats to accommodate 27 – how they do that I cannot fathom, although I have vague images of an endless stream of clowns pouring out of a VW). In short, F 4 merits a return visit. We’re not in Michelin country, but you could do worse. It will be interesting to follow Thibault’s future creations.

FABRIQUE 4
17 rue Brochant
75017 Paris
tel. +33 1 58 59 06 47
website