Beef to spread, Bigarrade to close

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

The-butcher-Yves-Marie-le-Bourdonnec-will-open-The-Beef-Club-steakhouse-in-January

Butcher Yves-Marie le Bourdonnec will open The Beef Club in January

The-dining-room-at-Albion-photo-Meg-Zimbeck

The dining room at Albion (photo Meg Zimbeck)

Les Affranchis by Alexander Lobrano

Cod with fennel carbonara at Les Affranchis (photo: Alexander Lobrano)

L'Intention by Bruno Verjus

Four dishes from L'Intention (photos: Bruno Verjus)

Barrel aged cocktails at LMDW (photo: Forest Collins)

Barrel aged cocktails at LMDW (photo: Forest Collins)

Comings & Goings

• Alain Milliat, the bottled juice king of Paris, has opened up a new restaurant in the 7th. With English chef Jon Irwin at the helm (ex-Gagnaire and Akrame), they’ll be open for lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea at 159 rue de Grenelle, 75007. [L'Express]

• The pastry chef behind the blog Croque Camille is now baking for Blend, a new burger joint at 44 rue d’Argout that sources its beef from renowned butcher Yves-Marie le Bourdonnec. In addition to baking buns, Camille is curating the beer list and making American desserts like cheesecake and whoopie pie (did you hear that, Dorie Greenspan?)

• The aforementioned boucher bohème will be opening his very own restaurant in January. The Beef Club is a partnership between le Bourdonnec, Romée de Goriainoff (Experimental Cocktail Club) and Tim Wilson (Hawksmoor in London), and will serve steak from breeds rarely seen in France. The club at 58 Jean-Jacques-Rousseau will also feature a downstairs cocktail bar. [via L'Express]

• Also scheduled to open in January is Youpi et voilà, a new restaurant from Patrice Gelbart (Le Verre Volé) at 8 rue Vicq d’Azir, 75010.

• Bruno Verjus gives big love to Christophe Pelé - “Here is the soul of cooking… Genius in its purest form!” – then drops the bomb that Bigarrade will close in February. [Food Intelligence]

Restaurant Radar

• Two more critics have weighed in on Albion, the new bistro created by Fish alums Hayden Clout and Matt Ong. Alec Lobrano found the seasoning to be timid but said that ”ultimately, Albion is an agreable neighborhood restaurant, and would also be a great spot for lunch on your way to or from the Gares du Nord or L’Est.” [Hungry for Paris] Caroline Mignot is more enthusiastic: “It’s a damn good French bistro with a touch of sophistication that makes it almost better than a traditional bistro.” [Table à Découvert]

• Les Affranchis was the gathering place of choice last week for Paris by Mouth contributors. John Talbott returned with Phyllis Flick and found it “still solid albeit not dazzling,” but Lobrano loved his meal with Dorie Greenspan. He describes it as “bright, light, reasonably priced and intelligently inventive contemporary French cooking,” and cites it as evidence that “the renewel of the neighborhood bistro in Paris has now reached a rather glorious full gallop.” [Hungry for Paris]

• It’s time for dueling hidden cameras! François-Régis Gaudry visits La Laiterie Sainte-Clothilde and rates it “très bon!” across the board. [Et Toque!]. François Simon makes a much shorter video in the same restaurant, calling La Laiterie “pas mal de tout,” especially in this no man’s corner of the 7th. [Simon Says!]

• And in Cheap Asian Eating: Talbott follows advice from the discussion forum and visits Lao Thai on New Year’s Day. He listens to Sophie Brissaud, orders “Laotian, not Thai,” and is rewarded with very good fried quail with garlic and pepper. [John Talbott's Paris] Moving north to Korea, Gaudry remembers Bibimbap in Seoul as generous, inexpensive and full of flavor. The version at L’Arbre de Sel is completely the opposite, with “shriveled meat, small patches of scalded vegetables, and a trio of condiments that look like amuse-bouches for elves.” Go instead to Gwon’s Dining or Olive, he says. [Et Toque!]

• Thierry Richard loves everything about his meal at L’Intention and doesn’t understand why you’re eating at the nearby tourist joints instead. Upon leaving the still-empty restaurant, he wants to drag you in, “shove your nose into the plate and watch your eyes widen with pleasure.” Is this a review or a deleted scene from 9 1/2 Weeks? [Chroniques du Plaisir]

• For those not yet completely sick of oysters, Talbott quite likes the creuses de Bretagne n°3 and Utah Beach oysters at Garnier [John Talbott's Paris], a place that also happens to be one of our selected places for Five Great for Oysters in Paris.

Bottoms Up

• Forest Collins discovers barrel aged cocktails for sale at LMDW Fine Spirits and tells us that the St-Germain shop, which carries more than 1,500 different offerings, is now hosting free tasting events. We’ll keep an eye on these and add them to our calendar of Paris Food & Wine Events. In the meantime, if you want to try an aged cocktail without springing for the barrel, they’re being poured at L’Entrée des Artistes. [52 Martinis]

• For those who want to take their showing off to a new and ridiculous level, Benoît Tarlant is here to teach you how to saber a bottle of Champagne with your iPad. [via Dr. Vino]

N’Importe Quoi

• The venerable and increasingly global pastry house Ladurée is set to launch a line of cosmetics in February. Twenty different shades of blush, sold under the Albion name, will make their debut in Japan, followed by Europe and the US. I can’t wait to see Blair Waldorf with a stripe of pistache on her cheek. [Women's Wear Daily]