About

"The evolving Francophile..."

My husband Jack has always wanted to live in Paris and learn French. I thought it would be good for him to achieve his life time dream. Hence, we moved to Paris in 2008. My first year was difficult. I started "missives" to relieve some stress and chronicle my life so friends back in the US could read what I am experiencing. I currently write about my food in Paris, which is my passion., travel experiences, and "experiences living in Paris."

It is definitely a challenge to live here, but each year it gets easier, and quite enjoyable, in large part because I value friendships over locale. I have a love/hate relationship with Paris as do most Parisians, mais La vie est belle (but life is good)!

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Le Court-Bouillon -- Restaurant Review


51, Rue du Théâtre, 75015
tel: 01 45 77 08 18
Closed: Lunch Saturday, Sunday and Monday
Website: http://www.lecourtbouillon.com/
Metro: Line 6 Dupleix
Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor
€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)
1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)

  3.5 - Star...............................................................€€€........................................................... 4 - Bell


We have friends that wanted to come into the city for dinner. They mentioned that we could either go to one of our favorite haunts or try something new.  I opted for something new since I was in exploratory mood. I found this restaurant which is not far from where we live.  As we entered, it felt really cozy. We were warmly greeted by the Maitre d' and immediately sat at our table.



As our friends arrived, we ordered an apéritif of 3-coupes de champagne and a martini blanc.  As we were enjoying our apéritif we perused the menu.  They had a pre-fix menu for 45€ for an entrée, plat and dessert, higher than the average meal price in Paris.  And, if you order à la carte and made the reservations through "la fourchette" you got an additional 20% discount.



As an amuse bouche with out apéros they brought out some "gougères"; they were a bit on the dry side but none-the-less they were good.
We decided to order à la carte. They then brought out a second amuse bouche of a crab with mayonnaise over a layer of avocados. It was good, but I found the amuse bouche had a bit too much mayonnaise for me, while JJ liked it.







We opted not to have an entrée.  Three of us got the Bouillabaisse at 39€ each and one person got the veal.  I hadn't had Bouillabaisse in a while and I was really in the mood for it.  We all agreed the bouillabaisse was delicious. There were various types of fish. It was served in a cream base. It had a very nice "bisque" style flavor. The fish was cooked perfectly and was accompanied by extra broth with a dollop of flavored mayonaise. And, despite there being an absence of any shellfish, we didn't miss it cause the flavors carried themselves.  This dish was a hit!




One person ordered the veal. She said it was tender, cooked perfectly and a well balanced delicious dish. One outstanding feature of the dish is that typically French like their vegetables well cooked. In this case, they cooked it perfectly. It still retained some crunch!







One person ordered the dessert of the day which was a crumble of pear and a dollop of ice cream. Our friend commented that it was really, really sweet and not a typical crumble. I had a little taste of the crumble and it turned out to be a "sablé" (buttered pastry), which can lend itself to being a bit dry. It was indeed very sweet. It was just an OK dessert, nothing outstanding.










Three of us had the cheese of the evening which was a St. Marcellin. This particular cheese was aged, but it was creamy and rich. We enjoyed it.









Overall, we thought the food was very good, albeit a bit on the pricey side. Although cozy and nicely decorated, it does get surprisingly noisy with a full house. The 2-main dishes of bouillabaisse and the veal were both a hit. The service was EXCELLENT. The atmosphere was great!







With a 3-coupes de champagne, 1-martini blanc, 2-glasses of sancere and a bottle of Chateau Briand 2009 our bill came to 264€.  For the price-point it is a bit pricey, but we would go back, afterall it's in our neighborhood!


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