Drew M.
Yelp
I went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars for this one (I really wish Yelp would have half star options for reviews!!!). I eventually settled on 4 because this is Paris after all. As amazing as my meal was, you can find even better in Paris.
Anyway, on to the real substance of the review. Astier is in the 11th arrondissement, a charming and hip part of town with lots and lots of great restaurants. You could dine exclusively in the 11th and be very happy for a very long time. I picked Astier based off Patricia Well's recommendation in her awesome book, The Food Lover's Guide to Paris. She highlights basically how much you would expect to pay at each restaurant, and since I was aiming to spend a little less this particular evening, Astier seemed the perfect candidate.
It's a charming enough restaurant with a slight "classic Paris" feel to it. Homey. Quaint. But still nice. Tables are kind of packed in (we were slightly uncomfortably close to the guests next to us but luckily they were very nice). Some diners, particularly those who like classic Paris bistrots like Chez Georges and other might find this charming, some might find this annoying. I was pretty neutral on it.
On to the food. You can order whatever you want, but they have a great deal where for 45 euro, you can get one starter, one entree, cheese plate, and a dessert, but not all the options are permitted to you. These items by themselves would tally closer to 60-80 euro, so this is a great deal.
I got the pork shoulder for my starter, the halibut for my entree and a rum baba cake for my dessert. My friend got a goat dish for his starter, half-a-chicken for his entree and a pistachio-based dessert that is pretty hard to describe haha (it was also likely the best thing we were served). My favorite thing I ordered was the pork shoulder. Perfectly cooked, and prepared in a classic French style. Truly special and extremely satisfying. My friend's goat dish was almost like spam in consistency - but shockingly delicious and very well-paired. My halibut was of course well-prepared, fresh, and tasty, but nothing extraordinary. My friend's chicken, however, was masterful. I was quite jealous. It was beautifully prepared, and exceptionally high quality meat. More importantly to me was the delicious and fresh vegetables the chicken was paired with. A classic and nutritious meal. If the meal had stopped there, we would have likely felt fresh and light.
However, next comes the cheese plate. I have mixed feelings on this tradition, but Astier undoubtedly nailed it. It was quite confusing to us capitalist Americans; they bring you a giant cheese plate and you can cut off however much you want. I was under the impression that, if physically possible, I could have eaten 4 pounds of cheese and they wouldn't have stopped me. Truly strange, but truly delicious. We ate amazing cheeses, ranging from delicate to sharp, young to old, creamy to hard, until we felt near sick. This is part of what makes Astier really special. We bought a bottle of wine with dinner, a delicious red from cote-de-Rhones, but were more intoxicated from the cheese than the booze by the end of our meal.
Last came dessert, where my jealousy of my friend peaked. His pistachio based dessert is hard to describe, but was one of, if not THE, best dessert I've ever tasted. Unfortunately, I only could steal two bites from him haha. The waitress had said how good the baba rum cake was ("Best in Paris") so I got it. And...maybe I just don't get it, but it was really weird and unenjoyable. I've had rum-based desserts before, of course, but every one I've ever had has the rum cooked down. This dessert was literally just a plain cake that the waiter then dumped about 4 shots of rum on top of. Every bite took as much mustering to stomach as an actual shot of hard liquor. Very strange, and a terrible ending to the meal. I truly got drunk off my dessert, which was not my intention. Had I not been so sedated by the cheese, I likely would have sent it backed and asked for a pistachio dessert, but the thought didn't cross my mind as I'm not a very rude diner.
All in all, a classic Parisian experience that is well worth your time.