Chez Carrie - Review - 2nd Arr. - Paris - The Infatuation

"The “American in Paris” category of food entrepreneurs runs deep, but none of its figures has gotten Parisians to prioritize vegetables over animal protein more than the Michigan-born chef and cookbook author behind Chez Carrie. In her bright, warm debut restaurant full of wood tables and a candle-dotted wrap-around bar that’s great for walk-ins and solo diners, the chef pickles, lacto-ferments, and plays up the wellness cred of kale, buckwheat, and herbs at lunch and dinner. Kick things off with housemade kombucha and a series of excellent starters, like the ajo blanco, made with navy/cranberry beans and miso mushrooms, that’s the texture of a dip, tzatziki-topped polenta fries, fried sage and pickled cucumbers, and plump butternut squash fritters stuffed with melty scamorza. Meatless mushroom and celeriac balls, packed with smoked ricotta, make a great main, while carrot cake soft serve topped with buckwheat is the perfect sweet finish." - Lindsey Tramuta