It seems as though Israeli food is having its big moment.
It’s been on the rise since Israeli born chef Yottam Ottolenghi put contemporary Israeli cuisine on the map in recent years with his innovative, sometimes daring food plus a chain of restaurants in London and four best selling cookbooks.
Some of his former employees and disciples have gone on to open their own restaurants, further extending the appeal of the distinct flavors of middle-eastern cuisine.
Earlier this year I wrote about Tavline, an Israeli restaurant in the Marais, which has become a regular haunt.
Yesterday, I went to Balagan, the hot restaurant ticket in town near the Tuileries. Opened in June, trendy Parisians flocked to Balagan all summer.
Chef Assaf Granit and his partner Uni Navon (who own Palomar in London) have teamed up with Experimental Cocktail Club, the trendiest, most successful cocktail lounge and restaurant chain in Paris. Pre-destined to be a hit, Balagan was smart to locate their restaurant in the Paris Vendome Hotel, a magnet for the fashion crowd during Fashion Week.
I went with a friend for an early lunch at 12PM, as they don’t take reservations at lunch and didn’t want to risk having to wait for a table. A pile of fire engine red chiles and a bowl of end of summer tomatoes almost too perfect to look real, were an appetizing welcome at the entrance to the restaurant. We were warmly greeted and escorted to our table immediately.
We were pretty much the first people to arrive, so I was freely able to take photos of the gleaming open kitchen with hanging copper pots and bins of enticing fresh spices, vegetables and greens.
Our waitress explained the menu in great detail, even telling us how to mix the ingredients in certain dishes once they arrived.
I had a starter of chicken livers and a hard-boiled egg served in a Mason jar. (I think the Mason jar trend is getting quite tired by now). The waitress told me I had to smash together the egg and chicken livers vigorously to attain the best flavor possible. As I started to mix it with a spoon, she asked if she could help, as though I wasn’t getting it right and I replied I think I can handle it. The results were worth the exercise, as the pairing of the egg and livers formed a nice texture and rich taste.
My friend had a beet salad with sweet Marscapone cheese and coriander. It was difficult to photograph as the beets were hidden underneath the greens.
A tender veal was served on a bed of risotto or possibly orzo with mushrooms and aromatic herbs and my friend enjoyed daurade stewed in a enamel pot with tomatoes, carrots and chickpeas which she said had a spicy kick to it.
The dessert menu lacked variety, only offering two choices and seasonal fruit plate. We chose the biscuit tart served in a Mason jar (it actually worked well for this particular dish) which had a creamy filling with the texture and taste somewhere between tiramisu and cheese cake, topped with crushed shortbread biscuits.
As we were leaving the restaurant, there was a tall, nice looking man and his young daughter sitting next to us. I briefly locked eyes with him for a moment and said hello! and then I blurted out, you look familiar and have we met before. He said he was from New York and we started chatting, discovering we grew up in bordering neighborhoods in Brooklyn. His father owned a famous pizzeria on Ave J in the Midwood section of Brooklyn and we were both Jewish.
A moment later he took out a deck of playing cards and asked me to think of a card. I thought of a card and presto, he pulled it out of the box. I was impressed and when I looked closely at the box, the imprint was www.davidblaine.com . BINGO! That’s why I recognized him; David Blaine is one of the top magicians and illusionists in the world. As we chatted he started to do some card tricks with my friend and the waitress. A few moments later, his six-year old daughter got in on the action, and began accurately guessing the five cards in my friend’s hand.
We chatted for a few more minutes and he asked me for my card. My big star moment for the day.
I went over my usual under 20€ budget by 9€ but my friend kindly invited me.
Two course lunch, 23€, three courses 29€.
Balagan
9 Rue d'Alger, 75001
Open everyday for lunch and dinner
http://www.balagan-paris.com/en
Christmas & New Years in Paris-My Apartment for Rent December 24 to January 3(dates flexible)
How would you like to spend a magical Christmas and festive New Years in Paris?
I am renting my apartment out from December 24 to January 3, (dates are flexible) a total of 10 nights for $2500.
Centrally located in the heart of the Marais near the St. Paul metro station, it's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C, washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S. The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.
Photos upon request. Please email me at [email protected] if you are interested.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
