So, it's Sunday during the Bermuda triangle weekend between Christmas and New Year's and I call 2 weeks ago and snare a reservation - for 12 pile mind you not 12h30 as I requested. OK. We arrive on the dot and a French family of four (including two kids on scooters) are negotiating/pleading endlessly to enter without having reserved - no way.
We're finally seated - given a list of juices, wines and waters but no food - oh, oh, I forgot to ask if it was just "brunch" on weekends. Turn to wonderful wife - "Where do we escape to?" "Le Garnier" "No, I hated it last year." "You decide." Aye yie yie.
Waiter arrives, and says "Here's the menu today - salmon, chicken and a tart [unspoken - "take it or leave it"]. Aye yie yie. Turn to wife - she nods "OK" nod. "D'accord, Monsieur."
The salmon was moderately strongly smoked and thickly cut (not your Murray's or Zabar's thin) and with the celery remoulade with Granny Smith bits was quite quite nice, albeit too much by half. The chicken from the Landes had a nicely crisp skin for the most part and the thigh and leg were moist but the breat overly dry albeit nicely seasoned or marinated or brined or whatever; the mashies that came with it were deemed average by my mashed potato co-diner. Finally the two desserts - a chocolate tart with noisettes and pineapple financier with a crunchy caramelized top - were superb, Eric Frechon at his best.
Our bill was 125 E with day-old bread, which when toasted was OK, a bottle and glass of wine, no bottled water and decent coffees, was 125 E.
Go on a Sunday? Well the good news is that's it's not a dreaded American imitated brunch but the bad news is it's much like one gets in New York during Restaurant Week, OK but nothing to write home about.
