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One of the best 'traditional' meals we had during our recent Paris trip was at Chez Dumonet, Restaurant Josephine. It's a store front bistro that turned out amazing renditions of classic bistro dishes. It's run by chef Jean-Christian Dumonent, who, in addition to being a seriously skilled chef, is also a really cool cat. He worked the dining room tirelessly during our meal and I do not mean that he schmoozed. He took it upon himself to essentially expedite the dining room so that all the diners had everything they wanted and servers were doing their jobs without issue. When we chose a wine, he suggested bringing another one that he felt would pair better with what we'd ordered. He also had a great sense of humor and because of the way he comported himself, there was no mistaking the fact that this was his 'maison.' Pictures are captioned in my terrible French to English translation but menus are posted here for those who want to see them as we saw them in the restaurant . . .


117 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris, France



Menu



Dessert Menu



Amuse
Not sure exactly what this tasty little cup held but but I'm pretty sure it was some sort of squash or pumpkin soup garnished with some aged balsamic vinegar.



Smoked Salmon
Cold-smoked by chef Dumonet himself. It was gloriously fatty and unctuous, and it made me totally embarrassed by the stuff I make.



Terrine de Campagne Maison
A great rendition with beautiful flavors and definition.



Stuffed Morels
This appetizer portion was sizeable and totally awesome. They were stuffed with forcemeat, naturally!



Stuffed Morels, up close
Morel porn, plain and simple.



Cassoulet
I had cassoulet a number of times on this trip and this was, by a wide margin, the best one . . . and the best version I can ever remember having. The beans were tender but not mushy at all, the meats were flavorful and the resuting pot liquor was garlicky and rich. Even the crunchy cracklins came through with perfection.



Cassoulet, plated
I shot this before I managed to scoop some of the duck confit out of the pot. Love that big hunk of bacon in there!



Duck Confit
Textbook, awesome. This was ordered by my son, who absolutely loved it. It really was perfect with the soft, fatty meat and crackly-crispy skin.



Grilled Andouillette
Wow! I'd never had this before but I knew to expect that it would be funky and was it ever. It was almost barnyard-like. I was so incredibly full but I still couldn't stop nibbling it.



Millefeuille Jean-Louis
This was another sensational dish, that we couldn't stop eating in spite of ourselves. I don't know what part was best...the pastry, the cream or the chocolate. The portion size was enormous. I think we ate about half of it.



Apple Tart
A delectable work of art. Not very sweet at all, which made it all the more compelling. This was a seriously masterful dish.



Grand Marnier Souffle
So tall and light. The flavor was subtle and the light crunch from the shell and the crystal sugar with which it was dusted was a fantastic sensation.




Me and Chef
I really just wanted a picture of chef but being the super nice guy that he is, he insisted that we take one together. It's cool that I have it and I'm really glad he suggested it.

I loved everything about Chez Dumonet because by eating there, I was educated in exactly how these classic dishes are supposed to be executed. In a large sense, I finally "got it." It's going to be very hard to order most of these dishes at home now because most local versions don't come close to measuring up. The only negative about the meal was that it came only about 3 hours after our epic lunch at Alain Ducasse and we were really full. At one point, I think chef Dumonet was a bit concerned that we didn't like our food until we apologized to him and explained to him about our huge lunch at Ducasse. At that point, his eyes lit up, he smiled and practically embraced us. Not only did he no longer seem concerned about our apparent lack of appetite, he actually seemed bemused that we would even attempt such a combination. But honestly, we left food on those plates at Dumonet that I really wish I had in front of me right now. I cannot believe how little of that cassoulet -- the best one I'd ever had -- I actually managed to put away. No matter how great a trip is, there are always some regrets. I don't pine for the museums or cathedrals I didn't visit in Paris. I'm not really sorry that I missed going down into the catacombs or up in the Eiffel Tower but the food I couldn't finish and the restaurants, boulangeries, patisseries and boucheries I never visited . . . those still sting and probably will for some time.

At the end of the evening, chef actually apologized to us for his food not being as good as Ducasse's. I assured him that as much as we loved Ducasse, his was food that we'd love to eat everyday. Any future trips I make to Paris will unquestionably include another meal cooked by chef Jean-Chrisitan Dumonet . . . if I have anything to say about it.

=R=

Chez Dumonet, Restaurant Josephine
117 Rue du Cherche-Midi
75006 Paris, France
01 45 48 52 40

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

Like pretty much everyone around here, I'm ready to hop on the bus to Paris. It's really interesting, I think, this idea of "getting it." I know what you mean is that everything just tasted so much better, was made with more skill and exquisite attention to detail, but what it also seems to me, based especially on your reports, is a couple of things that mostly come up lacking when we eat and eat out around here.

Mostly, it is a sense, a sense that comes in so strong from your comments and that picture with the Chef, is of a situation of embracement, of wanting to meet your needs. I mean I don't want to be gross or insulting or overly antagonistic, but take for instance the constant local chef complaints about food forums, bloggers, etc. There just seems a lot more "us vs. them" here whereas my impressions (and it's been over 20 years since I was last in France) that it's a lot more us and us there.

Look at the portions. The stereotypes are that French food is all fussy and finicky and dainty, but the reality is quite the opposite. It's not just the hearty-ness of a cassoulet or a basket of sausages, knife on the side. It's the over-the-top generosity of service. Why serve a slice of terrine when you can offer the whole terrine? Do we see that here? I have no good answers or comments, but look at the price points of this meal and that other bistro meal, the one with the sausage basket, can anyone imagine the same amount of food, this type/quality of food, at the same price points around here?

And what also kills me is how total and complete all those dishes seem. Ronnie's comments are all about the duck confit, but those potatoes, I assume cooked in duck fat, my god! The way everything is packaged and put together just reinforces to me what it is. Just this general sense that we should most fully enjoy and appreciate each plate put before us.

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Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me.

The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets

There is no substitute for going to the source. You don't learn this from a class, book or movie. How can you make the definitive cassoulet if you've never had one to judge it by? Tasted white beans cooked perfectly with rich garlicy pot liquor studded with bacon. Or even the revelation simple bread and butter can be?

In a word, travel (with Ronnie if you're lucky enough) and see how it's done on it's own turf. At least for a point of reference before we attempt to replicate, stack, deconstruct or foam it.

I've learned more from my travels than I ever did in school. Bravo Ronnie for your meticulous documentation for our hungry souls, exposing Lucas to another world and your spirit in general.

Well done buddy. Magnifique.

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"In pursuit of joys untasted"
from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata

More incredible pictures. Also salient points by VI. I found the Parisians to be incredibly gracious and patient with us. That being said I was once at a classy little bistro and some locals were unhappy being seated in the side room, they complained, and the proprietress took their plates away and told them to get out! Lesson: do not complain about your seats in Paris.

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i used to milk cows

We too, were treated kindly at every turn. My wife spoke just enough French to get us through situations where not knowing some French might have created minor awkardness. But even when I ventured out on my own, speaking essentially no French, the locals with whom I interacted were always helpful, friendly and polite. Some knew more English than others but we always found a way to communicate.

Before our trip, on the recommendation of a friend, we printed out Patricia Wells' French to English Food Glossary, which I kept in my camera bag. I also stored a .pdf copy on my phone. Each time we sat down to eat, we'd take it out and decipher the menus we'd been given. Invariably, we'd be asked if we wanted English menus but we never took them because we really enjoyed taking our time, figuring out together what all the ingredients and preparations were. It became a very fun part of our trip. Sure, there were some idioms we never quite figured out and we had to ask a few questions but the glossary was very useful.

I think it probably had a positive effect on the way we were treated, too but that's only a guess. At Dumonet, for example, our server noticed that the glossary had Patricia Well's name printed largely on the first page. He immediately asked if he could show it to chef because chef and Patricia Wells are friends. Chef seemed bemused or fascinated by it, as if he'd never seen it before. But he also seemed pleased that we'd gone to the trouble to print it out and try to translate the menu for ourselves. Throughout the trip, the glossary elicited very positive reactions from everyone who reacted openly to it.

In an overall sense on this trip, we found that our attempts at politeness were always met with the same, regardless of whether we spoke (good) French or not.

=R=

_________________
I just wanna live until I gotta die. I know I ain't perfect but God knows I try. --Todd Snider

Twitter: ronniesuburban

This is brilliant, thanks. My wife has loaded it on her Kindle, and it is going to save us a ton of grief this week. She is nearly fluent in French, but never learned haute cuisine, nor is she interested in most game or offal, so those words don't tend to stick in her memory.

This place is fantastic...had dinner there on Monday night, and despite my horrible error in ordering the andouillette*, we had a terrific meal.

The chef greeted us at the door and sent over a complementary aperitif, very thoughtful. Our amuse was cauliflower soup with the same balsamic drizzle pictured above. Extraordinary, the very essence of cauliflower, magnified. Had the terrine, salmon and shrimp starters. All were exceptional representations of their class, but the salmon may have been the best I've ever had. The less said about the andouillette** the better, but my wife's beef bourguignon was a perfect rendition. The cheese plate was an overwhelming portion, but she finished that, too...I'll have to let that speak for itself, as I couldn't manage a single bite after putting away the humongous soufflé. Midway through dessert, the chef noticed I'd finished the small glass of Grand Marnier that was served along side the soufflé and fetched the bottle from the bar to refill it. Needless to say, service was immaculate.

*Funky sausage? That sounds right up my alley...
**I consider myself an extremely adventurous eater, but that thing has no redeeming quality in my book. It smells like the after effects of a baby getting into a block of Roquefort and cutting into it produces something akin to Han Solo slicing into a tonton. The taste...well, it was better than the smell or appearance, but that isn't saying much. I can't think of another dish I've had from the menu of a respectable restaurant that I would never order again...but andouillette is now atop that list. The chef thankfully offered mustard when the mains hit the table, and after catching a whiff of the thing, I nearly begged him for it. I managed a few bites while waiting for the mustard to arrive and was able to choke down about 2/3 of the portion once sufficiently smothered, but demurred finishing it with the excuse that I had the soufflé coming.

Ah, but now you too can ask people if they've tried the andouillette!

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i used to milk cows

I had to look up exactly what andouillette was. According to Wikipedia, "As with all tripe sausages, andouillettes are an acquired taste. Their strong smell can be reminiscent of feces and may offend people unaccustomed to the dish."

Left the good camera at home for this one. Excellent meal. Our server barely spoke English and we spoke almost zero French, yet we had several great laughs together. Will definitely be on the agenda for our next trip to Paris. Would really like to dive deeper into this menu.

Butter Poached Artichokes



Perfect. Practically melted in your mouth.

Foie Gras



Best foie gras I've ever had. I tend to think of foie really needing something else to balance its richness, usually something sweet. I absolutely loved this just smeared on bread and ate the entire portion myself.

Beef Bourguignon



Incredibly rich. The depth of flavor was outanding.

Chateaubriand



Really great, perfectly prepared tenderloin, but also something you can get at a lot of places in Chicago. Wish I would have gotten the Duck Confit. My wife wanted to try whatever I got, and doesn't eat duck so convinced me otherwise. Oh well, next time.

Grand Marnier Souffle



Paris's culinary scene is so vast, I would typically try not to make repeat visits, but as I stated above, if we're lucky enough to return to the City of Lights, I will definitely head right back to Chez Dumonet.