7.2 Yard, 6, rue de Mont-Louis in the 11th, 01.40.09.70.30, no reservations taken for lunch, closed weekends and Monday nights (Metro: Philippe-Auguste), was opened in 2008 by one Jane Drotter (whose father ran a company named Yard, hence…..) and for the life of me I cannot recall any buzz until she recently brought in Shaun Kelly, ex of Au Passage (apparently when James Henry was there) and suddenly the big boys and girls woke up. I was sitting at the place I called the prix-qualité place of the year – Le Servan – a couple of weeks ago and fellow blogger said “You must go to Yard.” So up it went on my famous “list.” The exterior is understated, slate-grey and the interior understated with metal tables and unadorned walls. The carte is a simple daily printed one with 3-3-4 offerings for 15 E for 2 courses and 18 for 3. And they sounded really interesting.
My dining partner and I wrestled intellectually over our choices and she graciously deferred to me so she actually wound up with the less interesting 1st than I – several slices of octopus with slices of big radishes and olives and an interesting sauce, whereas I has a ceviche of bulots and coques with a superb citrony vinagarette, really good with really good bread.
Then because I was having the rabbit liver, she went with the bonito, which I, not a cooked tuna guy, thought was terrific, especially with a mound of peas – and my rabbit liver came with the other inner organs as well, an unexpected treat, and also had plenty of vegetables 9scallions, greens etc.)
To finish we shared the Eton mess, which I had looked up last month and its blend of strawberries and cream with bits of meringue atop – simply divine.
Our bill was a bit complicated because they comp’d us to a glass of wine and 4 coffees due to “slow service” the wait-lady said, although you couldn’t tell by us, we were so busy catching up on each others last months’ activities. But if a couple had two 3-course lunches, a bottle of wine and 2 coffees, the bill would be 62 E with establishes it as the best prix-qualité meal of 2014.
Go? Try to, we arrived pretty promptly at noon and it was full in no time, with James Henry, ex of Spring, Au Passage and now Bones, too boot. 72.7 db’s noise.
