-1.0 Le Saut du Loup, 107, rue de Rivoli in the 1st, 01.42.25.49.55, open 7/7, (Metro: Palais Royal/Louvre) is a place whose outside terrace/garden tables cannot be beat, especially in nice weather (today it reached the high '60's). I had come a couple of times when it opened in 2007 and really wanted to come back when I heard that Marc Meneau (of L'Espérance fame) had taken over its direction last April. But M. Meneau clearly didn't have his hand on the tiller today, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
I entered about 11h50, way early for my 12h30 reservation because I'd taken the morning off and gone to a movie (Dallas Buyers Club) and the Dries Van Noten Show in the Arts Decoratif, where the Saut is located. To pass the time until my lunch companion showed up, I ordered a bottle of Chinon, thinking it was perfect for a warm Spring day - "No more Chinon, Monsieur." "Ok, the Brouilly." OK, but not the Chinon.
She entered right on the dot and it didn't take us long to decide that we both wanted the beignets of crevettes and veal Milanese; but she thinking maybe we should split our options ended up ordering the Caesar Salad. Cool. We started chatting.
15 minutes - no food
30 minutes - no food
45 minutes - no food
at this point we're gesticulating, muttering, complaining to no avail
60 minutes - finally food arrives but they were our main courses not our entrees.
The veal Milanese clearly had been thawed out and was watery (not crisply sauteed) and thick (not beaten thin) and the spaghetti had a sauce that only Chef Boyardee could come up with.
Plus, Madame had no knife despite our waving, searching the room and asking nicely 3 times; and we had no salt and pepper to "help" the veal, despite asking nicely 3 times.
Nothing redeeming here John? Actually yes, the bread roll was excellent.
Our bill (they took off the two starters we never got and two coffees we miraculously did get) with a bottle and 2 glasses of wine, and no bottled water, was 86 E.
Go? Are you kidding? As my old friend the cellist would say after an orchestral mess "That was really a train wreck."
