Ron W.
Yelp
Chez Michel had been dishing out the goods since 1939. There is an English menu which is the mark of a good or an optimistic place. Here, it's a good thing. No struggling or mad googling.
The restaurant is rustic, authentic and charming. Everything is mismatched (including the patrons) and unique, but it all works to provide an inviting comfy atmosphere for excellent dining.
This is an irregular shaped pill box with a subterranean room as well. The tables are so close that when your neighbor begins to smile, you finish it. If her husband brushes his fly-away hair back it will knock the cockle off your fork. Wanna hit the LOO, everyone in the place will have to get up with you.
And speaking of cockles, they appear as an Amuse Bouche as soon as your butt is in it's nest. You will need surgical instruments to pry the tiny buggahs out of their home. They compete with Escargot for tasting mostly like what they are laying in. Here, it was a brilliant Aioli.
A Kir Royale to begin the feast seemed appropriate and just right for taking the edge off having to talk to the Tunisian Uber driver about Trump.
The Vibe: Early Bistro and populated by locatours.
The Staff: Friendly and helpful. It's easy for them as the menu is Prix Fixe only and at 35 Euros is a bargain into the bargain.
The Food: It's what you came to Paris for. Straight ahead Bistro fare that can't be duplicated. Forego the explanation of what's on offer and dive into the signature bucket of Fish Soup. Yes, it's a scrap heap of former swimming things but they are all fresh and bring sidekicks of crunchy house made Croutons and shaved Parm along for the ride. The Tomato based broth has a flutter kick of heat on the end that's just right. Who ever said Fish and Cheese don't mix is all mixed up. They do.
The special Wild Game Soup du jour with diced Fois Gras, Croutons, and Baby Chestnuts was laced with Cinnamon and served neat with a carafe of creamy broth to splash over the base ingredients. It was truly beautiful and perfectly balanced between the fresh game and the gamey Fois Gras. I suggest you pour the remaining broth down your gullet before the server grabs it.
I once owned a restaurant in LA and when we had "Wild Game" it meant the the mouse population had been depleted. Here, it's whatever the Chef shot himself or bought from professional and responsible Game Guys.
The Roasted Cod was served with Bacon curls, White Beans, all set in an Herb Sauce and this dish alone was reason enough to make the effort to wedge in here.
Next, I indulged in a guilty pleasure tantamount to giving my Internist the finger instead of the other way round. Hey, it's Paris. I ordered the Sweetbreads with diced Green Apple, fresh Forest Mushrooms all drenched in a Bordelaise Sauce. Not a misstep anywhere along the assembly line for this classic offering.
Usually, Sweetbreads come in cute little medallions or Sweetbread Tenders. Here, they were two soft ball sized lobes. I thought they had been yanked from Henry, The World's Largest Steer who tours the State Fair circuit. All 11 feet long and 8 feet high of him. The Sweetbreads were so magical that my LDL went poof, off the chart in seconds. So what? Double up on the Statins.
These bad boys were properly soaked overnight in acidulated water and all the membranes were carefully removed. Otherwise, your eating the laces off your soft ball instead of delicious creamy perfect offal.
This is real deal French food and as rich as Bill Gates.
Plan on dessert as it's the third course and you paid for it even if you're stuffed and your eyelids are struggling to stay up.
The Fresh Caramelized Figs poached in Port looked like plump alien mutants compared to the stunted pygmy ones I coax out of my garden.
Then, there was the Fig Clafoutie with house made Vanilla Ice Cream which was so wonderful and so fig forward. The cakey tart had absorbed all that those figs had to offer.
I was determined to force myself to eat them both. Hey, what the Fig. Right?
Lesson learned? If you do it right, guilt dies with the act.
Take your guilt to dinner and indulge it here.