6.75 Juste Le Zinc, 25, rue de Turin in the 8th, (Metro: Clichy) 01.43.87.44.84, closed Sundays, has been open 15 days and already is packed. I went on a self-assigned search for a coq au vin that would reach the heights that Julia Child's or that at the old Chez René (25 years ago) achieved. "Desolé, Monsieur, c'est vendredi" which means - fish fish fish. Heart broken, we order the next best.
I look at carte and see ours-inade (bear's claw in mud, huh? but I've been searching all over for such ever since I read the recipe in Escoffier.) My friend, the French scholar from Berkeley, says as gently as he can to me "John, I think it's oursin soup as in sea-urchin." Ah. And it was, and it was terrific. My carpaccio of daurade was good product but ruined by too many salt crystals. OK, onward.
Then he ordered (at my insistence) the charlotte of milk-fed lamb which came out looking like a poached pear, but no, wait, those were pimento pieces that had been in the mold - lovely looking and lovely tasting. And I had a special of the days - a fricassee of duck hearts on a lovely, no, I take that back, fantastic, puree. Top-top, product and cooking.
We finished by splitting a Baba au rhum, with rum a volonté; quite nice, indeed.
With a fine bottle of Chiroubles, no bottled water, good bread, one OK coffee and over-the-top candied ginger slices, the bill comes to 86.50 E.
Go? Join me the 3rd of March when we return for coq au vin (I hope.)