Tucked away in a mercifully nonetheless ungentrified road within the northern Marais, Parcelles is a really close to excellent Parisian bistrot a vins, or bistro with a particular give attention to wine. It’s rapid allure, which comes from the wake of the addresses that proceeded it on the similar deal with, notably Le Taxi Jaune, is joyously genuine and profoundly Parisian, from the large copper-clad bar to suspended manufacturing unit lamps and a retro cracked tile ground.
This isn’t some fly-in-amber deal with, nevertheless. As a substitute, you immediately sense the suave professionalism and seriousness of the employees from the second you’re seated at a desk with a crisp white desk material. Then there’s the pleasant welcome from proprietor Sarah Michielsen, who’s among the finest younger restauranteurs working in Paris right now. That is due to her reflexive hospitality but in addition comes from her intensive expertise of operating Parisian eating rooms, together with, principally just lately, that of Itinéraires, the now closed restaurant of her ex-husband, chef Sylvain Sendra.
Sommelier Bastien Fidelin is equally cordial and attentive when he involves the desk together with his quite fascinating wine record, which options natural and pure wines from throughout France and past. The significance of his work is mirrored by the title of this restaurant, too. Within the French terminology of wine-making, a parcelle is a small plot of land with distinctive geographical and geological traits that affect the standard and character of the grapes cultivated.
Chef Julien Chevalier’s menu is frequently revised in line with what’s seasonal and finest within the markets, and his fashion is splendidly produce centric. To wit, he goals to reinforce the pure flavors of the produce he cooks quite than mood them into different tastes. On this cautiously and hopefully submit pandemic second, this simplicity and authenticity is precisely the best way we wish to eat proper now.
So Parcelles is a complicated however relaxed trendy bistrot a vins that aspires to and sometimes achieves a splendidly low-key excellence.
Assembly my buddy Tina, one other American journalist in Paris with a French partner, for lunch we acquired via an excellent hunk of media gossip over a glass of fantastic Champagne (Elise Deschannes – Essentielle), and determined to order various things to offer the menu a broader sampling. My steamed clams in a marine broth with recent herbs had been succulent and remarkably recent, whereas Tina’s pumpkin fritters with herbed Fromage blanc had been completely cooked in a feathery tempura-like batter.
My alternative of a predominant course could have made Tina shudder, however I can’t resist ris de veau (veal sweetbreads), as a result of I like their resonantly carnal style and texture. Right here, they had been impeccably cooked, with some gentle crusting and garnish of fried sage leaves, and served on a mattress of buttery potato puree with a superbly made silken sauce of veal inventory and pan drippings. Tina’s guinea hen was a succulent piece of hen with garnishes of spelt risotto, a thick asparagus spear, and a few tapenade. Each plates had been generously served and the cooking was. gentle, exact and filled with taste.
The wine I considerably begrudgingly allowed sommelier Bastien Fidelin to selected–I’d been leaning in direction of one thing from the Cotes du Rhone or Languedoc, was excellent with this meal, too: Saint Veran – 2019 – Les Pommards by Jessica Litaud, an exceptionally gifted younger winemaker.
We concluded by sharing a very excellent creme caramel and the fuzz of well-being that follows a scrumptious and superbly served meal (N.B. Don’t miss the lemon cream crumble if it’s on supply).
Since I’m nonetheless savoring each meal out with a quiet sense of grateful wonderment after the distress of the 2 restaurant shutdowns in France, I couldn’t assist however pondering that it’s eating places like Parcelles, not the over-hyped tables of the most recent winners of the aggressive cooking exhibits on French tv, that kind the ballast of Paris’s enduring fame for gastronomic excellence.
Creativity has its place within the kitchen and could be quite fascinating, however Gallic gastronomic classicism delivers a purring pleasure that’s really timeless in its class and sensuality.
13 rue Chapon, third Arrondissement, Paris, Tel. (33) 01 43 37 91 64, Métro : Arts et Metiers. Open Mon-Sat. for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday. www.parcelles-paris.fr Common a la carte 50 Euros.
