5.2 La Cachette, 8, rue des Chartreux in the 6th (around the corner from the Luxembourg or for Pierre Capretz fans - where Mireille Belleau took classes) where the tired old Le Chartreux used to be until November or so. Whew! In any case, the telephone is 01.43.26.66.34, its metro is - awww faggedaboudid, it's supposedly open 7/7 (brunch on Sundays) but web-info is contradictory, it's part-owned by Fred Testot (of Omar & Fred but more about that later) and it's chef'ed by Mathieu Baumer formerly at one of the gems of Paris - the Dome du Marais.
Anyway why did I go? It was a Saturday and slim pickin's then, my French friends were up from the country staying not too far away and some friend/colleagues and many web posters have loved it. When I took a look at the menu I and Madame wanted to flee - soup, salmon or foie gras; chicken, a burger, vegetarian risotto, tartare or fish & chips (made from salmon, salmon, good grief). Yikes!
Well after much pondering and back-and-forthing we ordered and my friends from the South and 15th polished off their soups of potiron and carrots (despite their complaining that it/they was/were out of a can; but on second thought, maybe one starves in the Massif Central and anything will do) and I did major damage to great slices of lox with a great sauce, I don't think either came from Metro, but maybe I'm easily fooled.
Then Madame had the cuisse de poulet with what she claimed were mashed potatoes made from a packet; M. said they tasted like cardboard; but my tartare of Charolais beef was pretty damn good and the frites (now recall that I maintain that no one in France can make French fries, three folks in Belgium can do duck fat ones and maybe five Yankees do Freedom fries well) were just about as good as they get.
The bill; with a bottle and a glass of Faugeres, no bottled water, warm, yes, warm bread, no desserts and three coffees, our bill came to 66.26 E a couple.
Go? Well, I love Omar and Fred and wish the latter well, but ummmmm, no. The service is too haphazard, the music is overpoweringly loud (80.9 dB worth), and the food too chancy - (I scored, they didn't) and the location too out of the way for folks like me.
