Joe Ray

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Leave the wine. Take the cannoli.

A quick pause from Belgian beer to say that when it comes to finding the best Italian in the 11th arrondissement, you win, Francois.

Last night, taking the advice of locals and friends, a sommelier friend and I went to Casa Vigata for Sicilian on rue Léon Frot for a hit and miss extravaganza.

The hits:
The Seafood – a clam and artichoke appetizer full of flavor and sauce made for bread dipping, whole-roasted octopus served with just a slice of lemon and a perfectly-cooked breaded swordfish main. Paris can be disastrous when you’re looking for good fish and these guys nail it.

The Cannoli – Leave the gun. The friendly owner makes these daily using a crispy shell, light, tangy ricotta and just a touch of candied orange peel. If there’s better in Paris I haven’t found it.

The misses:
Consistency: Our neighbors ordered two of the same dishes as we did; their octopus was cooked better (mine was slightly over) and their swordfish/caponata portions were significantly larger. They also got a shot of lemoncello with their check. The last is certainly at the owner’s discretion, but all three together leave a bitter taste.

The worst:
The wine – overpriced and, um, bad. A red Sicilian table wine for 40 euros? I love a good Nero d’Avola, but please.

It took us 10 minutes looking at the wine list to essentially decide how we were going to be fleeced and we still lost. My friend was talking about…something when I got distracted by a sip of the white we ordered…

Me: “This is bad.”
Sommelier friend: “Very bad.”

The verdict?
I’ll try again in a year. Maybe.

Casa Vigata MAP
44 rue Léon Frot
75011 Paris
+33.1.43.56.38.66

| More

Monday, October 06, 2008

Gunshots and coal-slinging near the Rue Paul Bert

Perhaps I spend too much time wanting to eat on the rue Paul Bert, but needing to find a good restaurant nearby on a Monday changed all that. Mikael, man of good wines at Crus et Decouvertes, told me about Le Coup de Feu – “the gunshot” - not too far away on the rue Léon Frot – a parallel universe with a foursome of restaurants – Coup de Feu, the Italian Casa Vigata and the bistrot à vins Melac, and La Table de Claire (actually on the rue Emile Lepeu) that quietly give rue Paul Bert a run for its money.

Along with a tasty, organic-oriented wine list, we went three for three on mains at Le Coup de Feu – beef cheeks with root vegetables, flank steak with a soy-based yakitori sauce and calamari with pork belly and piperade (onions, peppers & tomatoes: blub, blub, yum, yum). Though nothing was Bistro-Paul-Bert-engraved-in-your-memory-good, the price was right and the food solid: main course for three and a nice bottle of K.O.’s cot (malbec) and a dessert split three ways for 25€ each. As a bonus, they threw in a tasty, honey-scented white as an apéro.

There’s good neighborhood buzz around the other three restaurants, particularly Casa Vigata, though I’ve heard a reports that the waiters at Melac tend to be on the crotchety side. Also of note is the café/bar/bistrot Carbon 14 – site of the last bougnat (coal depot) in Paris - specialists in good beer and good cheer.

Le Coup de Feu – 48 rue Léon Frot 75011 Paris – 01.43.67.23.48 – www.lecoupdefeu.fr / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Le Carbone 14 – bar/café/bistrot - 6, rue Emile Lepeu 75011 - 01.46.59.04.28 - www.lecarbone14.fr
Casa Vigata - 44, Rue Léon Frot - 75011 - 01 43 56 38 66‎
Melac - 42, Rue Léon Frot, 75011 - 01 43 70 59 27‎ - www.melac.fr

| More