2019 Summer European Trip: Day 1
No surprise, our flight was delayed 1.5 hours. Apparently the storm late afternoon affected all the planes in the evening. Luckily we were very exhausted, resulting in us sleeping most of the plane ride. It wasn't a deep steady sleep. More like a long nap. But at least the 7 hours JFK airport to Paris went by quick. As we approached the passport control, we noticed people were huddled all together, eeriely similar to a crowd at a concert. There were no lines. Everyone was trying to inch their way forward like cars attempting to pass through tolls on the George Washington Bridge in NYC. Jackie and I have read many books describing occasional episodes of disorganization in France, much like this current situation. If you're not paying attention, someone will try to get in front of you, like a New York driver blindly cutting you off. Also, be prepared to wait. Even simple things like getting the check can feel like an eternity. There appears to be this mentality in France that things will eventually get done, so there's no sense in rushing. It also doesn't help that we Americans thrive on instant gratification. Once we "paid our toll," we took a taxi to the 11th district in central Paris. It's a standard fare of 50 euros for rides to the right bank, any district north of the Seine river or 55 euros to the left bank, parts of Paris south of the river. It may seem expensive but it's absolutely worth it. Avoid the stress of multiple metro lines or buses and excessive walking from the Charles De Gaulle airport. Take that taxi into town.
Since our airbnb host would not arrive for another 2 hours, we made an obligatory trip to the local boulangerie for some pastries and sandwiches. Jackie insisted on a pain au chocolat. Imagine a buttery, flaky rectangle croissant stuffed with long sticks of dark chocolate. Simply delicious. We also had the typical ham and cheese in a long roll with mayo, lettuce and tomato. Sitting on a bench under some trees, we happily devoured our "breakfast" in the shade. But the sun quickly hid behind some dark clouds. We felt some cool drops on our skin. As we prayed for the overcast to pass, our airbnb host arrived just in time. The tour of the apartment was brief but thorough. The place actually has a decent setup compared to our previous flat rentals in Paris. There's a nice kitchen when you first walk in the front door. Take a few steps downstairs and you're now in the living room/bedroom. We were very shocked to see a curtain for our walk-in shower. Many places we stayed at last year, including my Aunt's condo would have just the tub...maybe a glass divider that barely covers the shower. We joked how people in France wash themselves, along with the whole bathroom floor and walls. It's just another thing we will never understand about France, along with their love for down comforters in the summer and the absence of window screens. You basically sweat to death at night or get eaten alive by bugs if you decide to open the window. Thank god the canicule, or heatwave has passed. It's supposed to be 70's all this week!
At 6:30 that evening, we arrived at L'Atelier de Joel Rubuchon. For those who do not know Monsieur Robuchon, was considered one of the most influential chefs in the past century. He mentored some of the best cooks including Gordon Ramsay and Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin. Unfortunately he passed away in 2018 but his legacy continues on in more than a dozen of his restaurants all over the world. And we were dining at his original restaurant in the Saint-Germain section of Paris. You instantly notice the decor and space is highly influenced by Japanese restaurants: the accent red chairs, polished smooth wooden table tops and sushi bar setup. We dismissed the recommendation of the tasting menu and ordered the classic dishes that Robuchon was known for. The gazpacho had an unbelievable deep flavor of tomatoes that balanced nicely with fresh basil. The langostine ravolis were heavily stuffed with prawn meat similar to lobster.
The pied de cochon or pig's foot is not what you imagine it to be. The meat is chopped up and packed into an elegant rectangle shape with small pieces of parmesean cheese and mini scrolls of iberico ham on top. A very rich but satisfying dish. The fried white fish called le merlan was served in a butter sauce with parsley and some lemon wedges. Definitely reminded us of the italian chicken piccata but with fish. There was a group next to us that ordered some sort of crispy crab leg with romaine lettuce and basil pesto dressing. The server revealed to us that it was another take on the langostine but with salad.
Naturally Jackie and I eat with our eyes, so we added this seafood delight to our order which did not disappoint. It was easily Jackie's favorite of the night. We finished the night off with a Paris Brest. It actually turned out to be three small Paris Brests but presented untraditionally. It was open faced with thin tuiles and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. But what really was unique about it was the hint of some sort of grapefruit, lemon citrus zest in the base that strangely worked. You wouldn't believe it but they also provided 4 other items to our dinner free of charge, as if we really needed it: a futuristic pea soup, Robuchon's signature silky, buttery mashed potatoes, almond ice cream topped with passion fruit foam and mini madeleines.
We were absolutely stuffed at the end. For our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago, we ate at Le Bernardin and we can definitely see the influences of Joel Robuchon in Eric Ripert's dishes. All in all, we are glad to cross this restaurant off our bucket list of places to eat. Next on our list is Frenchie, a little place Anthony Bourdain visited over a decade ago. And we are finally getting around to eat there.