The Paris restaurant scene has deliciously come back to life after the challenges of two recent lockdowns, and a talented new generation of chefs are serving intriguing contemporary French cooking that leaps beyond the cliches of la bistronomie (modern French bistro cooking) with an emphasis on simplicity and sustainability. Though one or more of the restaurants below are currently closed for their August holidays, this is the cheat sheet you’ll want to tuck away for your next trip to Paris

L’Arrière-Cuisine. Chef David Rathgeber’s Montparnasse table L’Assiette is one of my favorite Paris bistros. Now he’s opened what the French call a cave a manger, or a little grocery store where you can also get a simple meal and eat it at the table d’hotes, or communal table in the middle of the room surrounded by stools. What’s on offer here is Rathbeber’s excellent take on street food and quick eats, often inspired by the comfort food classics of Nice and the south of France, which he learned when he worked in the kitchen of Alain Ducasse’s three-star Louis XIV in Monaco. It varies from one day to the next, but might include homemade kefta with homemade pita bread, pissaladière, socca, and what’s probably the best pan bagnat in Paris, a beautiful handheld feast filled with radishes, shaved fennel, lettuce, tuna, anchovies, tomatoes, fava vean, quail’s eggs, pureed black olive, garlic and olive oil. This sandwich is so good that the last time I had a train at the Gare Montparnasse, I left the house early to buy one for lunch on the rails on the way to Brittany.181 rue du Château, 14th Arrondissement, Tel. (33) 01- 43-22-64-86. Open Mon-Sat 11.30am-8.30pm. Métro: Mouton-Duvernet.

Cena. The two most innovative restaurateurs in Paris today are probably Stephane Manigold (the just opened Liquide, Contraste, Substance, Bistrot Flaubert, Maison Rostang) and David Lahner (La Crèmerie, Le Bon Saint Pourçain, Anima, Racines, Caffè Stern, Vivant). Cena is David Lahner’s latest and it fills a void in a part of Paris top heavy with Michelin starred restaurants but offering rather little in the way of the kind of healthy and inventive contemporary bistro cookoing that has become the signature of Paris dining. Dishes like Roman style deep-fried artichokes, arugula, guanciale and socca (chickpea-flour crepe) curry; yellow pollack with roasted asparagus; and chocolate mousse with smoked black cardamom reflect the impressive resume of young chef Alban Chartron, who worked at La Villa Florentine in Lyon, le Louis XV in Monaco, Anne-Sophie Pic in Valence, and at Épicure at the Hotel Bristol in Paris before taking over the kitchen here. 23 Rue Treilhard, 8th Arrondissement, Tel. (33) 01-40- 74-20-80, Metro: Miromesnil. Open Mon-Fri for lunch and dinner. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Average 60 Euros.

Restaurant La Halles aux Graines. Located in the handsome neo-classical building on the western edge of Les Halles that was once the market for trading wheat in France, the new restaurant of Sebastien and Michel Bras is inspired by various different types of grains and pulses, along with the minimalist revision of the space by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The official table of the new museum housing the art collection of French luxury-goods mogul François Pinault, it’s located on the third floor of this landmarked building and so has superb views of the church of Saint-Eustache, la Canopée des Halles, and the Tour Saint-Jacques, among other mythic parts of the Paris skyline. Highlights of a recent dinner here included two starters—button mushrooms stuffed with mushrooms and a veil of candied oats and black pepper and red tuna with celery and anchovy vingaigrette, a delicious terrine of summer vegetables for two as a main course, and a superb millefeuille with caramelized pumpkin seeds for dessert. Charming service and an excellent wine list. 2 rue de Viarmes, 1st Arrondissement, Tel. (33) 01-82-71-71-60. Métro : Louvre-Rivoli. Open Monday to Saturday for lunch from noon-3pm, tea and light meals from 3pm to 7pm, dinner from 7.30pm-midnight (last orders at 10.30pm), www.halleauxgrains.bras.fr

Jugaad. I love the diverse kitchens of India, which I first discovered many years ago when I was a student in London. Though there have always been a few Indian restaurants in Paris that I would describe as “correcte” (decent), the French capital has never had a really good Indian restaurant, until now at Jugaad. Talented and highly experienced chef Manoj Sharma’s cooking is a brilliant modern match-up of witty contemporary Indian cooking inspired by India’s many regional recipes and the best French produce.
Standouts among the starters include lamb tartare with crunchy vegetables and mixed spices and mozzarella croquettes with peas, mint and fresh red pepper sauce, which are best ordered with Naan (puffy flatbread) freshly baked on the premises. Among my favorite mains are pork ribs marinated in Goan spices with pickled vegetables; malai salmon, which is marinated in maple syrup and served with a glasswort (a briney seaplant) pesto with curried yogurt and cardamon cream and crunchy buratta with caramelized tomato sauce and mint-and-pistachio pesto.16 rue Favart, 2nd Arrondissement, Tel. (33) 05-54-96- 63-48, Metro: Richelieu-Drouot, Open Tuesday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. Closed Sun-Mon. Average 60 Euros.
www.jugaad.paris

Liquide. Please read my full review here: www.alexanderlobrano.com/restaurant-reviews/liquide-paris-chef-matthias-marcs-great-new-bistro-in-les-halles-b/

Mosuke. Please read my full review here: www.alexanderlobrano.com/restaurant-reviews/mosuke-paris-mory-sackos-exquisite-franco-afro-japanese-cuisine-a-b/

Petrelle. Since female chef Lucie Boursier-Mougenot and sommelier Luca Danti took over this charming restaurants, it’s even better than it was before and has become one of my favorite restaurants in Paris. What I love is that it’s so supremely Parisians—small, chic, charming and serving impeccably prepared and very witty contemporary French dishes that are unfailingly succulent and sensual. The menu changes regularly but I loved my last meal—roasted girolles with an egg yolk confit, brioche and guanciale; roast pigeon with a ragout of chickpeas and salsa verde; and whip-cream filled profiteroles. 34 Rue Petrelle, 9th Arrondissement, Tel. (33) 01-42-82-11-02, Metro: Anvers and Poissoniere. Open Wed-Sun for dinner, Saturday and Sunday for lunch, closed Monday and Tuesday. Prix-fixe lunch 28 Euros, prix-fixe dinner 52 Euros.
www.petrelle.fr

“A flat-out wonderful read, full of the stories and secrets that make eating in Paris what we want to be doing right now. Lobrano has a genius for finding characters at every level of the food chain—the peasant chef, or the grande dame home cook, or the bistro revolutionary with his simple, perfect dishes—and for owning up to tasting foods for the first time and describing them with surprising poetic flair. Reading My Place at the Table on a New York subway, I did something I have never done: I missed my stop.”
—Bill Buford, best-selling author of Heat and Dirt

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Greetings from France, and it’s my pleasure to announce the publication of my new book, MY PLACE AT THE TABLE: A Recipe for a Delicious Life in Paris by Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt.

Though the book is officially released on June 1, 2021, we’ve already had some wonderful reactions from early readers and reviewers, including The New Yorker food writer Bill Buford, above.

“A redoubtable restaurant critic and 30-year resident of Paris sets the table with an enticing menu of memories…Lobrano writes with mouthwatering elan, dash, and feeling.”—Kirkus

“Lobrano’s story is inspiring, and his prose lush and inviting. Readers will savor every last page.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred review)

“Rest assured, there’s never a dull moment in My Place at the Table. It’s a veritable feast of humility, humor and emotion.”—BookPage

“Like so many food-lovers, Alec Lobrano dreamed of a life in Paris. Unlike the rest of us, he made the dream come true. In this warm, delicious, and extremely candid book, he lets us in on all his secrets. Everyone who loves French food will want to read this memoir.”
—Ruth Reichl

“In this coming-of-age tale, Alec Lobrano chronicles his discovery of taste during a challenging youth, which led him to emerge as one of the most astute and brilliant writers on French cuisine. Few understand France, and its cuisine, as deeply as Alec, and readers will devour My Place at the Table, which is seasoned by his sharp humor, a soupçon of heartbreak, and the satisfaction of triumph, all framed by his reminiscences of delicious dining at Paris’s most lauded tables. This book is truly a recipe for pleasure!
—David Lebovitz, author of My Paris Kitchen and French Drinks

It’s peony time in France

“Alexander Lobrano’s beautiful memoir about finding himself through writing about food is charming, wise, and often very funny. An American who has lived in Paris for more than thirty years, he offers fresh insights into French culinary culture.”
—Alice Waters

“A long-lasting love story with the French food scene told with wit, verve, and great expertise.”
—Chef Alain Ducasse

“Lobrano excels in weaving a full and timeless human story with bits of mouthwatering epicureanism. He elevates food to an essential anchor of memory in a rich and dynamic human story and shows us that deliciousness, in food and in writing, is achieved through authenticity, clarity, and vulnerability. This book is another example of why Alec Lobrano’s voice is so important: His writing is a meticulous, generous, and joyful affirmation of life.”
—Daniel Rose, chef, New York City (Le Coucou) and Paris (Chez la Vieille. La Bourse et La Vie)

“All I really wanted to do was go to different places to eat, and then write it all down,” says a young Alexander Lobrano in My Place at the Table. Thank goodness he followed his appetites, which eventually led him to Paris, renown as a food critic and now, the author of a memoir that’s by turns poignant, hilarious, wise, and bravely honest. Mouth-watering, too. Lobrano writes beautifully about food. But he’s just as adept at mining life’s truths. Lobrano’s debut book is a lovely feast.”
—Tom Sietsema, food critic, Washington Post

So what is My Place at the Table: A Recipe for a Delicious Life in Paris about? And why did I write it?

The short answer is that it’s a coming of age story about how a shy kid from suburban Connecticut ends up daring to chase his dream of living in Paris and eventually becomes one of the most respected and important restaurant critics and food writers in the French capital.

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As the months roll by during the second national lockdown of France’s restaurants, I often find myself thinking of chef Mory Sacko and his intriguing restaurant MoSuke. The reason why is that I desperately hope this exceptionally talented young chef’s intriguing restaurant will survive the financial vicissitudes of the greatest crisis to face French gastronomy since World War II, the successive closures imposed by the French government as a way of tamping down the Covid pandemic in France.

This almost all-white dining room with bamboo laminate topped tables, a few bold splashes of color and accessories of colorful African fabric opened in Montparnasse last September, and Sacko was winning rave reviews for his delicate, elegant, and very personal cooking, a fascinating and unique cuisine that reflects his French nationality, the African origins of his immigrant parents and his deep affinity for Japan and Japanese cooking, when he suddenly had to close MoSuke.

“It was very very hard,” he says. “For me, but also for my team, and it’s harder still that we still don’t know when we’ll be able to reopen again,” he told me by phone recently.

To be sure, the very tall (six feet, five inches), lithe and almost preternaturally gracious and poised 28 year old chef, who grew up in the eastern suburbs of Paris with  his eight siblings eating West African dishes like chicken yassa (with lemon and onions), thieboudienne (fried stuffed fish in a tomato-and-vegetable sauce served with rice), and mafé (beef stew in peanut sauce), has hardly been idle in the meantime. Aside from tending to his nearly 200,000 followers on Instagram, he also won a Michelin star in the 2021 guide to France and is the host of a delightful and popular new television show on France 3, Cuisine Ouverte (Open Kitchen) {N.B. This show is in French and you’ll have to create a free account on the France 3 website to watch Sacko live), which debuted on February 28.

The guiding idea of the wryly but accurately named television show is for Sacko to explore the products of the diverse terroirs (specific geographical regions where specific foods are produced according to specific government regulations) of France. The first show was set in Megeve, the tony Alpine resort in the Savoy, and Sacko was a striking screen presence against a backdrop of snowbound mountains. During this show, he met a producer of reblochon, a typically Savoyard cow’s milk cheese, and then a local chef, Emmanuel Renaut, who has three Michelin stars at a the outstanding Les Flocons de Sel. Both chefs then used the cheese to prepare dishes that reflect their style, with Renaut making the hugely lucky Sacko the most sumptuous looking grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever seen, aka une croûte de montagne. Think sautéed onions, two types of cheese, including Reblochon, and white wine on country bread.

Manioc lacquered with soy sauce, spinach, ginger, coconut

Sacko’s retort was an intricate dish that elegantly expressed the trinity of his gastronomic identity as a Frenchman of African origins who is besotted with Japan. After smoking the reblochon in hay, he liquefied it with sautéed potatoes and onions, added a dab of wasabi, and  siphoned into deep-fried spheres of toasted bread crumbs, which were then perched on sunny yellow pools of beaten egg yolk seasoned with Japanese plum vinegar. Renaut found the dish surprising, but appealing, observing “I was afraid the wasabi would overwhelm the cheese, but it wakes it up.”

This same leitmotif of lyrical but well-reasoned gastronomic invention and iconoclasm was what I found so thrilling when I had dinner at MoSuke with a gastronomically incisive friend last September.

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Chefs Galien Emery and Adrien Ferrand @Geraldine Martens

After a lot of trial and error, my favorite delivered food in Paris reliably comes from Brigade du Tigre, an excellent contemporary Asian restaurant run by chefs Galien Emery and Adrien Ferrand near their original modern bistro Eels in the 10th Arrondissement.

Since I love going to Paris restaurants so much, I’ve never been a big fan of takeout or delivered food. This all changed in 2020 when restaurants in Paris were shuttered twice by the government as part of its attempt to reign in the spread of Covid 19 (they’re still closed as of February 25, with no known reopening date on the horizon).

During the first quarantine, we rarely ordered more than a pizza or two, but once the second shutdown hit us, I was honestly a little worn out from being in the kitchen so much, and we started ordering more delivered food. Too often, it was a hope-springs-eternal sort of a story, as harried, underpaid, often probably not even legally employed delivery people came to our door frequently massless with pizzas scrunched up into the bottom of boxes, congealed Asian dishes that no amount of steam or sautéing could bring back to life, and some truly tragic mishaps, like the time we ordered from a well-rated Paris delicatessen in the hopes of having a good pastrami sandwich; what arrived was just plain awful.

To be sure, we’ve had some good experiences with delivered food as well. I have often ordered from Hokkaido, Ippudo and Deux or Trois Fois Plus Piment–all Asian noodle and dumpling restaurants, and their food is reliably good, reasonably priced and arrives promptly and in good condition. Ippudo even does the really smart thing of packing the noodles separately from the soup, so that you can reheat the soup and then add the noodles without overcooking them. But if these Asian meals are great lunchtime feeds, what I’ve wanted is food for dinner that might begin to approximate the unexpected and delicious flavors and textures of what I’d eat in a great Paris restaurant helmed by a talented young chef.

And this is what I’ve found every time I’ve ordered from Brigade du Tigre–delicious and inventive food with bright and vibrant flavors and diverse textures that’s carefully packed and promptly delivered to arrive at my table in as close to possible perfection as it might be if I was eating it in-house at the restaurant.

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Since the restaurants that are normally my main subject here are currently closed in France, food has taken on a different dimension in my life. Instead of dining out four or five times a week, now I’m the one who’s doing cooking. And although I’ve always loved to cook, I find myself in a constant search for new tastes, recipes and inspiration in the kitchen. So I’ve decided to start a new column here called 3 THINGS I LIKE A LOT, which will cover foods, cookbooks, books, wine, and all of my other latest discoveries and enthusiasms.

For this first column, I  begin with La Bédigue, a newly invented French cheese; La Cuisine Francaise, Jean-Francois Piege’s new cookbook (in French only); and the superb harissa and other condiments that Marseillais producer William Lellouche is producing as part of his Tava Hada Pilpelta collection of high-quality kitchen helpers.

Nestled in a little pine box, La Bédigue is the work of Nimes fromager Sylvain Cregut, who wanted to create a cheese that’s a reflection of the terroir of Le Gard, the mostly rural southern French departement of which he is a native. It’s a soft ewe’s milk cheese produced on a farm in the countryside between Nimes and Uzes, and its texture presents compact but pleasantly perceptible curds. Cregut ages it with Cartagène, a Languedoc wine made from freshly pressed grape juice (80%) and eau-de-vie du vin (20%), which gives it a subtle ambered floral scent and a very faint viniferousness on the palate. I find it to be a perfect dessert cheese served with dried fruit and almonds and expect it will also be great as a picnic cheese this summer.

For now, the only place you can find this treat is at Sylvain Cregut’s stall in Les Halles de Nimes, the city’s covered market, which is open daily. Les Fromages de Sylvain, Allée du Curry (all of the aisles in Les Halles de Nimes are named after herbs or spices), 5 rue des Halles, Nimes.

As time passes, I have become more and more exigent about the cookbooks that actually live in my kitchen and not on the shelves in my office. The ones that join me in the kitchen are the ones that I use most often for reference and cook from regularly. The latest addition to this little stable is chef  Jean-François Piège’s outstanding new cookbook with beautiful drawings by Michel Tavares and many luscious photographs.

With five restaurants in Paris, including Le Grand Restaurant, L’Epi d’Or, Clover Grill, Clover Green and La Poule au Pot, Piège has long been one of my very favorite French chefs for the fact that his intense technical skills are unfailingly at the service of his nimble, witty and intelligently original gastronomic imagination. The other reason is that both of us are besotted with La Cuisine Bourgeoise, or those grand traditional recipes of the French kitchen like veal Prince Orloff or, more humbly but no less deliciously, stuffed cabbage.

There are recipes for both in this wonderful tome, along with a whole alphabet or sauces, classics, and desserts, many of which have names that resonate of the great names of 19th and 20th century French literature. When I read Madame Bovary as a fifteen year old boy in a Connecticut suburb, I was as fascinated by the occasional reference to food as I was to accelerating inevitability and exquisitely rendered doom of the poor woman for whom the novel is named.

Piège has always loved the great French gastronome Auguste Escoffier as much as I have, too, so I couldn’t wait to read this thumping but unexpectedly agile book with some thousand recipes when it arrived at the beginning of December 2020. And I did read it, from cover to cover, because it is so well-written, charming and consistently informative.

Mind you, some of these recipes require some real time and work in the kitchen, so this might not be a book for the rustle-up-dinner-on-a-sheet-pan crowd, but everything I’ve cooked from this book, including his recipe for sole meunière and the first, and possibly only, terrine de lapin en gelée (rabbit terrine) I’ve ever made was staggeringly delicious.

French language edition only, Hachette Cuisine, 60 Euros.

Like many people right now, I’m more dependent on good condiments than ever before. This is because I don’t always have time to cook dishes that build layers of flavor from the ground up, like a good daube de boeuf provencal, for example, a recipe I’ve been making every other week this winter. So what I’ve been needing lately are really good quality condiments that can do this work for me, like the superb artisan harissa and other foods made by William Lellouche in his atelier in Marseille and sold under the Tava Hada Pilpelta label.

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