Day Two in Paris

Posted 05/14/2008 at 05:51 AM by Carolyn

Day two in Paris. Well, day one was spent re-normalizing my sleeping and eating, and familiarizing myself with my surroundings. So, now that I’ve sort of got my bearings, this was my first real day in Paris. Yay!

I gave myself two missions today: get my haircut, and have a great lunch. I won’t bore you with the details of my first pursuit; sufficed to say I did get my haircut without incident. Gladly, the second half of my mission was just as successful!

I’d read about Le Beratin in the issue of Food and Wine magazine that I snagged at the airport. It was written up in a feature story about restaurants that can’t be missed around the world. How convenient! Given this high recommendation, I expected the place to be swarming with tourists like me. When I arrived, it was certainly packed, but with locals on their lunch breaks rather than yahoos on vacation. Maybe I’m the only one who read the new Food and Wine.

The only seat available for me was at the bar, so I took my place next to an older man nursing a glass of white wine. This man had good enough English to help me understand the day’s specials, and I chose the braised veal cheek special as my main course. I ordered a mesculn salad as my starter and vanilla custard as my dessert. All for 15 Euros!

Le Beratin’s angle on food and wine is that it should be all natural and organic. The owner is blazing the trail for organic wine in France, a philosophy popular among young winemakers and oenophiles. From what I tasted, the organic wines of France can easily stand up to their chemically manipulated counterparts.
To pair with my salad, I selected a glass of white Burgundy, Claudius 2006 from Vezelay for 5 Euros. Of course, I absent-mindedly threw away my tasting notes in a purge of my little tasting notebook. But, I do remember that it was a typical French Chardonnay, with lots of acidity to balance the full mouth-feel and a very slight hint of oak. Delicious! My salad was simple and fresh, with a touch of parmesan cheese; a very straightforward start to my meal.

As I enjoyed my first course, it began to occur to me that the nice man next to me at the bar was probably the owner. The magazine had described him as a “cranky” man who “pours what he thinks you deserve.” This was a man apparently very serious about organic wines. I decided to find out what he thought I deserved.

As my main course arrived, I emptied my wine glass and displayed it in front of my plate. After a few minutes, the owner noticed and asked if I wanted something else. I said I wanted a light-bodied red, but didn’t know what to choose. He poured me a glass of Foillard 2006 Cote de Py from the Morgon region, also for 5 Euros. It was certainly light, slightly earthy, with plenty of red fruit flavors. I don’t know if it’s what I “deserved,” but it’s definitely what I wanted! And, my wine didn’t come with a hint of crankiness. Maybe Food and Wine should just be nicer next time. Oh, and the braised veal cheeks were absolutely sublime.
In all, it was a fantastic meal. The food all tasted fresh and expertly prepared (two women were cooking up a storm in a tiny kitchen). Eventually, I confirmed with the man at the bar that he was, in fact, the owner, although he was a little reluctant to admit it. For 27 Euros, I thought it was an excellent bargain. So, if you find yourself trudging up the Rue Belleville in the 20th (what are you doing all the way over there?) definitely stop in for a bite and a glass of wine. But, wait until I get back from my trip. I don’t want to find the place full of yahoos when I go back on my last day in Paris.

I did indeed write that on the second day of my trip, and I did indeed go back to the restaurant on my last day in Paris. I was crushed to find the restaurant closed for a week of vacation. It was the probably the best meal of the whole trip, and definitely the best value!

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