Au Vieux Paris d'Arcole & Michelin 2010 UK Buzz
Show me a chef who doesn't have problems and I'll buy you dinner. It's Thursday and Odette's puzzled, she can't make her cream whip up into a chantilly however hard she tries. It's just about time for lunch service at Au Vieux Paris d'Arcole and the kitchen is buzzing. Suddenly Odette realises why. “I changed the brand of cream yesterday, this one is useless,” she sighs.
Not really a major problem compared to the Haiti earthquake or guessing if Carla's with child, but nevertheless stress. Odette, is one of the handful of talented women chefs in Paris, discreet, bien in her baskets and sure of the dishes she wants her clients to taste.
Working with her talented son Christian (more of him later), cousin and wine maven Aymard P. d'Harambure, and husband George de Larochebrochard (posh eh!) the team have created a unique niche just behind Notre Dame and the Pont d'Arcole. Read a wisteria covered 16th century pile, decorated from top to toe with tschokes that need lots of dusting. A wine cellar where clients are invited to choose their wine and, when you've had a drop too much, you really can stay the night. 5 rooms and suites (from 150-300€) await. You can even have your meals sent up if you're George Clooney and don't want to be mobbed by the paps.
Odette and George open the restaurant and ancilliary rooms (including the former stables) for private dinners, and concerts take place in warm weather, under the directin of Sir John Eliot Gardiner, on the interior paved terrace. In between times George's prototype electric car sits on the terrace - “it's my green statement, the only one of its' kind”, he says proudly. “We're people of the soil, most of the products come from the Aveyron and we're very much inspired by the local herbs, vegetables and fruits available in abundance, just for the picking. It never ceases to amaze me how people would rather buy fruits than pick them. What a waste”.
The recipes are all tradi-family dishes interpreted by Odette who's passionate about organic vegetables. So for the ladies who do, just tip the wink towards the kitchen when you arrive and you'll be in veggie heaven, darling. And there's none of this, “oh sorry we're closed” culino-babble. AVP de l'Arcole is open every day. “Recently five Italians tapped on the door at 5pm, “canna you feeda us”, they asked. “Of course I can." Seems they ate their way through the 39€ Table d'Hotes Surprise d'Odette menu with a nice Le Haut Medoc d'Issan 2004. Then later that night, they returned and ate their way through the A La Carte menu!
The house signature is Mon Grand Coufidou d'Aubrac au vin de Marcillac en marmite (27€) It's wine marinated tender beef stew served in a huge crock for the table with steamed potatoes. Begin with fresh watercress soup, St. Jacques sur salad, oeuf en cocotte with foie gras. How about an omelette bio et vegetarienne d'Odette? Cheeses from the Aveyron region, even from their village. Tart du jour, coulant au chocolat, créme brulée, and a shot of poire digestif, “it's helps it all down, grins Odette.
As for Christian, “my son the chef”. Having worked with the greats he now runs La Prieuré de las Canals, the family's green and pleasant domaine in the Aveyron region. There's everything there for a perfect break, tennis, swimming pool, huntin' shootin' fishin' gathering wild herbs, shlepping the cows up the hills to their summer pastures and a music festival under the direction of Sir John Eliot Gardiner. www.lascanalis.fr George says there's 12 spectacular villages ten minutes from the priory and 800 classic sites of interest. Not to mention the welcome (they'll collect from Rodez airport), Christian's incredible souffles and innovative cuisine. “Chantilly, never touch the stuff”, he sniffs.
Au Vieux Paris d'Arcole,
24 rue Chanoinesse, 4th
Metro: Hotel de Ville or Cité
T: 01 40 51 78 52
Open 7/7
Average Spend from 33-59€ + wine
Michelin Great Britain & Ireland 2010
The new Michelin 2010 UK guide includes one new three-star restaurant. Let's hear it for Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. There's one new two-star The Ledbury. Both are in London. Included in the list of 18 new one-stars is Sienna, a small, family run restaurant in Dorset and The Harwood Arms, the first pub in London to achieve this accolade. Bray-on-Thames has yet another star – The Royal Oak.
Away from England there are also three new stars in Scotland and three in Wales.
Commenting on the 2010 guide, Editor Derek Bulmer said: “Last year was a difficult year for hotels and restaurants but those establishments who reacted by being more flexibleand creative appear to be riding the storm. Value for money has also been an important factor and we have awarded 28 new Bib Gourmands ‘good food at moderate prices’ – which reflects this.
“Chefs have had to be more resourceful and restaurants have had to adapt to changing eating habits. Some have even introduced ‘credit crunch’ menus to help fight the recession. “As we head into this new decade, the hotel and restaurant industry appears to be leaner and fitter and the public’s interest in chefs, food and cooking shows no sign of abating.”
The format of the MICHELIN guide offers its readers an unrivalled selection of hotels and restaurants to suit all pockets. The 2010 guide recommends more than 1,900 hotels and guesthouses and 2,000 restaurants and pubs.
At the same time, MICHELIN Guide London 2010 is also launched (£9.99)
This guide forms part of Michelin’s collection of city guides. It features additional descriptive text, two entries per page for non-starred restaurants and one entry per page with photographs for starred restaurants.
The MICHELIN Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2010 will be available in bookshops from Monday 1 February in France (22,90 euros).
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