12, avenue Richerand
75010 Paris
Phone: 01.42.38.00.13
Metro Station: Goncourt (Line 11)
Type of cuisine: French
Days & hours of operation: Tues to Sat Noon ? 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. ? 11:00 p.m.
Credit card: Visa, MasterCard
Philou is a tiny restaurant located near the Saint-Martin canal in northeastern Paris.? The evening that we dined there, there were small groups of people sitting along the edge of the canal enjoying the mild spring weather.
The restaurant has a crimson-red awning over a large sidewalk terrace.? Inside, the red is echoed by the vinyl benches along the walls.? And red is also echoed by the red shirts that one of the waiters and one of the waitresses wore that night.? Chalk boards announcing the food and drink menu take up most of the space on the walls, save a large, framed poster depicting a scene from Marcel Carn??s movie Les Enfants de Paradis.? In the center of the room hangs a large illuminated mobile by Ingo Maurer, a German designer.
Following the waitress? suggestion for an aperitif, we ordered Cerdon Bugey, a delicious, slightly sweet, sparkling ros? with the flavor of strawberry.? This wine is one of our favorites ? it is always refreshing!
The chalkboard lists a three-course, 30? menu, but many of the dishes carry supplemental charges.? These supplemental prices greatly distort the concept of a fixed-price menu.
For the starter, I ordered Asperges blanches, vinaigrette et ventr?che (5? supplement).? The white and green asparagus, cooked al dente, were served in light vinaigrette and sprinkled with chopped chives.? A thin slice of pan-fried pork belly (ventr?che) garnished these vegetables.? The asparagus was ?ber-fresh and delicious.? It was an appetizing course!
My partner requested Terrine de boudin, petite salade.? She was served a firm terrine of blood-sausage made with large morsels of onion, garlic, and parsley, which provided color and flavor.? A mixed salad of bitter greens and a dollop of smooth apple sauce were served alongside.? The terrine did not have the traditional texture of boudin, but was pleasing nonetheless.
Continuing along the theme of pork, I selected C?te de cochon Iba?ona, grenailles et champignons (7? supplement) for the main course.? Iba?ona pork comes from the Basque region, and the cuts that I was served were particularly succulent.? There was lots of fat to cut away, but the remaining white meat was substantial.? Small, cut, saut?ed new potatoes were served alongside.? Overall, it was thoroughly satisfying.
My partner chose Joue de boeuf aux petits l?gumes. ?She received shallow bowl containing a stew of slices of beef cheek, turnips, carrot, parsley, and a single stick of zucchini, all in a light broth. ?She declared her satisfaction with this selection.
In contrast, my partner was disappointed in her dessert.? The presentation of her Baba au rhum was appealing, but she found that the pastry lacked sweetness and that the rum lacked strength and integrity.? She orders Baba au rhum at every occasion that she finds it on the menu, so that she can make comparisons from one restaurant to another.? She could not recall being more dissatisfied with a baba!
I was pleased with my Nougat glac? ? l?orange, a large serving of ice cream containing crunchy hazelnuts, served on an orange slice with orange syrup.? A thin cookie, called tuile, accompanied the dessert.? This was a fine way to end a rich meal!
To accompany our starters and main courses, we ordered a half-liter of Lub?ron Domaine Font-L?ale 2009, a wine from the Rhone Valley.
Super-big loaves of dark, chewy, crusty bread were sliced thick and served alongside in a basked.? Wonderful!
The restaurant seemed to have a good price on its 20-year-old calvados (apple brandy), so we each ordered a glass of L?on Desfir?chesas ?P?re Jules? as a digestif.? Amber in color, it was smooth and tasted of apple, even after twenty years of aging!
We were quite pleased with our service.? When one of the waitresses observed that we were trying to photograph the extra-large bottle of Calvados, she promptly brought it over to our table for closer inspection.
The bill for two, including two ap?ritifs, two digestifs, a carafe of Lub?ron wine, two 30? menus with supplements, and an espresso, came to 106.50?.
Though we were largely satisfied with our meal, the memory of our disappointment with the Baba dessert remains strong.? More importantly than an unsatisfactory dessert, the door was kept open during the dinner service and the smoke-filled air from the terrace periodically drifted into the dining room.? This proved problematic for my partner, who suffers from asthma.? It will keep us from returning to dine here, at least during warm weather.
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Tom Reeves has been a confirmed Francophile since he first traveled to France in 1975.? A native of northern California, he moved to France permanently in 1992.? Reeves? love of French language and culture inspired him to create Discover Paris!, a travel planning service that caters to Americans interested in cultural travel to Paris.? His book, Paris Insights ? An Anthology, has been called ?the kind of insider?s view of the French capital?that first or even second time visitors pine for.? ?He publishes a monthly newsletter entitled Paris Insights about history, culture, and contemporary life in the City of Light, and posts daily information about the French capital on Facebook.
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Rating: 4.7/5 (3 votes cast)
Philou,Source: http://www.parisiensalon.com/2011/07/philou/
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