I am taking a much-needed vacation this week and posting The Best of EPP with Lunch with Lynn/Under 20 Eats posts from the past. Enjoy and will fill you in next week about my vacation.
I go back and forth trying to decide what types of restaurants we should go to for our lunches. One part of me is eager and curious to find the newest restaurants and upcoming chefs, the other wanting to dine at the classic, old-time restaurants, more for the history, atmosphere and sometimes legend rather than innovative food.
L’Escargot is one of the classics and I’ve passed it many times in my travels, longing to sample their namesake dish. Alas, the menu prices were not in my reach, so put it on the backburner for when a friend on an expense account visits town.
Last month I passed L’Escargot again and a sign outside listing a two-course formule for 17.50€ with appealing dishes caught my eye. I said, Ah-Ha! Here’s my golden opportunity to finally dine at a place long on my wish list.
Lynn had never been to L’Escargot either, so it was a first for the both of us. It was a hot July day with glaring sunshine and we sat inside, coping with the lack of air conditioning. As lovely and tempting as it was to sit outside, there was a perverseness about sitting inside among the plush, burgundy velvet banquettes, stone floors, dark wood carvings and bentwood chairs in summer. We learned from the waiter the restaurant was first opened in 1832 and the painted panels in the bar area, which adorned the dining room of Sarah Bernhardt, were donated to the restaurant after she died. We squinted our eyes and imagined someone like Proust would have eaten in the opulent salon at the turn of the century, dressed in his finest three-piece suit and a monocle to peer at the menu. We also imagined how cozy it would be in winter with a roaring fire enjoying a hearty cassoulet.
Of course, the first order of business was to sample the legendary snails and the formule offered them cooked with Roquefort cheese. I thought it was an odd pairing and hoped the strong blue cheese wouldn’t overpower the taste. Served in a handsome metal pot with copper handles, the more than ample sized snails with their brown striated mollusks were beautiful to behold before eating. They were perfectly cooked, tender and not too rubbery and the flavor of the blue cheese was faint but added just enough to give an extra flavor.
For the plat, Lynn had a half roasted chicken with was flavorful but slightly tough and a large mound of crispy fried potatoes. Not only did my rascasse look divine topped with parsley, foam and summer vegetables, its taste matched its presentation. Crispy on the outside without being greasy and the vegetables cooked just enough to have some crunch.
The friendly waiters were cutely dressed in khaki shorts and white button-down shirts.
Lynn and I will venture to L’Escargot again in the winter months to fulfill our Proust fantasy.
38 Rue Montorgueil, 75001
Metro: Etienne Marcel
Open daily
http://www.escargotmontorgueil.com/
I am so pleased to have Ann Mah as my guest this week at on A Bite of Paris. We went to Le Mistral, her favorite Paris bistro and had their signature dish, aligot, a rich, creamy mix of whipped potatoes and cheese from the Aveyron region.
Click here or link below to watch Ann and I enjoy aligote.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiRHIW7Oitw&t=4s
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
