The timing of culinary criticism is rarely favorable to restaurants. Journalists are invited, or invite themselves, to the opening of establishments that make the news. This is also the time when kitchen teams are at their most fragile and menus are being put together. It often takes many months for a restaurant to find its rhythm and continuity in the kitchen. Meanwhile, after several years of existence – unless there's a complete change in the restaurant's direction or the chef's popularity – the best addresses no longer make the headlines, even though they've reached full maturity. Here are five of Le Monde's favorites.
A name that couldn't be more banal, an awkward location in this part of the 11th arrondissement that's spoiled for restaurants, a no-frills decor (tiled floor and Formica bar) – and yet the Café du Coin has established itself as an essential spot in the Voltaire area.
Opened just over six years ago, this high-end establishment has remained affordable despite a small price hike due to inflation (their appetizer + main course + dessert lunch deal is €24 on weekdays). Here, the signature dish is crisp and crunchy and will seduce fans of Italian cuisine. It's the pizzette, a small-format pizza, sometimes adorned with fanciful toppings – like the cacio e pepe, an adaptation of the famous pasta recipe with pecorino cheese and black pepper.
Please note: The menu devised by chef Laurence Dufour has plenty more surprises in store. Each plate is peppered by a little touch of whimsy. As an appetizer when we ate there, there were fritters spiced up with chorizo and caressed by a lemon confit mayonnaise. The blanquette de veau (creamy veal stew) was beautiful, and featured radishes and croutons! For dessert, the pear – which is often given the spotlight – was served as a sorbet with a madeleine and salted butter caramel. How to complement all this? The wine list, focused on natural vintages at reasonable prices (from €6 a glass), features promising winemakers such as Jordi Perez from Banyuls-sur-Mer, southwestern France.
The whole experience is well put together and served with a smile: This is one restaurant by Florent Ciccoli, who oversees several other highly recommended Parisian bistros (Jones, L'Orillon, Recoin) that we will certainly come back to.
Café du Coin, 9 Rue Camille-Desmoulins, Paris 11th arrondissement.
When a chef tells you "We just want to keep it simple and tasty," you should always be wary. At Le Grand Pan, a handsome bistro with tiled floors and banquette seating ready for bacchanalia, Benoît Gauthier doesn't go in for the over-the-top plating, but his dishes are the object of maniacal attention. Take the mushroom soup: oyster mushroom juice, crunchy hazelnut bits and chorizo, all under a shower of chives. What about the pork loin? It's been cooked for a long time at low temperature, then grilled on a plancha, making the flesh crisp and tender, before being topped with pickled pink onions and scallions.
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