Le Rigmarole
French restaurant · Folie-Mericourt ·
Binchotan-grilled skewers, inventive pastas, natural wines
Binchotan-grilled skewers, inventive pastas, natural wines
"One of the most unique tasting menus in town can be found on a quiet street in the 11th arrondissement—the same neighborhood where all of the city's most epoch-defining neo bistros and contemporary restaurants, such as Le Châteaubriand and Septime, have gotten their start—in a blink-and-you-miss-it space. There is warm, dim lighting and a smattering of simple wood tables but the best seats for solo diners or duos are those right at the long counter where the chef-couple Robert Compagnon and Jessica Yang (who met working for Guy Savoy in Paris) preside over an open kitchen with a binchotan grill. The menu des chefs might read like a shopping list–pigeon, oysters, salmon, mackerel, endive, leek–but these are the ingredients that will be grilled and served one at a time. Among the non-grilled dishes, there may be fresh pastas, tartare, and almost always a butternut beignet." - Lindsey Tramuta, Sara Lieberman
"An omakase-style lunchtime-only tasting that upended Parisian formats with a relaxed, long service featuring pickled vegetables to start, a succession of binchotan-grilled skewers (occasionally including chicken heart or artery), fresh pasta, fish tartare, tempura-fried seasonal items like butternut squash, and artisanal ice creams—marked by its intimate, ingredient-driven progression and roots in haute kitchens." - ByLindsey Tramuta
"Mentioned as Michelin-starred and neighboring Folderol, Le Rigmarole is noted in the piece but otherwise not detailed." - Emma Orlow
"In Paris, the Michelin-starred Le Rigmarole captured Lin’s attention for a dish that inspired her Midnight in Paris Dumplin—particularly the restaurant’s use of binchotan grills, which influenced the flavors and technique she translated into her own dumpling riff." - Andrew Watman
"One-Michelin-starred French-Japanese grill that everyone is obsessed with." - Maria Yagoda