Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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Imagine this, a fantasy: You’re hungry, and you’re in Paris. You’ve worked all day at writing and editing. It’s about to rain, so you don’t want to walk far. Only an hour before dinnertime, you reserve a table online at your favorite restaurant in the immediate neighborhood. Even though it is Friday night, you have no trouble getting the reservation at exactly the hour you desire. When you and your spouse arrive at the restaurant, the chef greets you at the door. He knew you were coming. He tells you to choose any table in the room. You sit at your favorite table. The chef brings the blackboard/menu to your table, and explains that he will be serving you himself. He will be in the kitchen, and he will also be the server. “Like magic,” you say. “Yes, like magic,” he responds. The place is called l’Alchimie (the Alchemy), after all. Like magic. He brings you a bottle of your favorite sparkling water. Well okay, it is only your second favorite, but you get the idea. Moments later, he brings you a complimentary hors d’oeuvre: a delicious, freshly made, zippy seafood spread and toast triangles. You peruse the blackboard and find just the right offerings there: foie gras as a starter to share, lamb noisettes for your spouse, sea bass filet for you. A seasonal strawberry feuilletée for dessert, to share. A glass of white Menetou-Salon wine from the Loire Valley. The chef thoroughly approves of all of your choices. He disappears into the kitchen. Momentarily, he brings out the foie gras. He has divided it attractively onto two plates, without your asking. He disappears into the kitchen again. You both enjoy the foie gras, which comes with a delicate slaw of very fine, thread-like deep-red sprouts in a touch of vinaigrette. The sprouts, spices and foie gras are a wondrous combination. Shortly after the chef removes these plates, he brings out the main courses. They are beautiful. And then you find out how absolutely delicious they are. The fish and vegetables have just the right amount of butter; they melt in your mouth. The beurre blanc/sabayon sauce is perfect. Your spouse is extremely happy with his lamb noisettes, which seem to be in a little pool of fruity sauce. They look great! The bread is warm; it is individually sized little loaves of freshly made, flavorful crusty bread. At last, the fabulous main courses are finished. After just the right amount of time between courses, the chef brings the dessert. Again, he has split the dessert onto two plates, each beautifully presented. The pastry is flaky, crisp and buttery. The whipped cream is worthy of its Chantilly name, and it rests atop a little pool of delicious strawberry sauce. The strawberries are exploding with flavor and natural sweetness, with just a touch of sugar glazing. As you finish the dessert, you realize that the entire restaurant has been yours for the evening. All of the regular customers are still away on vacation. You have had the restaurant, and the chef, to yourselves. This wonderful experience will probably never happen again, you realize, just like the time you and your spouse were bumped up to first-class on a NYC to Rome flight fifteen years ago. It will never happen again . . . it is just too unlikely. You’re already savoring the special memory, even as you’re saying goodbye to the chef, thanking him profusely, just before you go out the door, into the light rain falling on the darkening streets. It is a short walk home. You can hardly believe your good fortune. Yet it really did happen, to us, last night.
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Saturday, August 23, 2014
Filet de bar, by Chef Eric Rogoff, at l’Alchimie on the rue
Letellier.
Lamb noisettes
with a poche d’aubergine (eggplant
pocket pastry).
Feuilletée de fraises. |
