Le Tute in the 9th: The “Top!” Sez Gaudry; Not Quite but Interesting.

5.3 La Tute, 7, Rue Rossini (across from the swells and sleeze-bags at Drouot) in the 9th, (Metro: Richelieu-Drouot), 01.40.15.65.65, is a place Francois-Regis Gaudry of l'Express deemed “Top!” recently. 

It turns out it is an old place, displaced from the Rue Sainte Anne in the 2nd a year ago due to what an admiring blogger called Terrance termed a "landlord dispute."  But the "new" place looks pretty old, nonetheless and the sense is certainly that you're in the Pyrenees.

The offerings are all on a long ardoise outside or three shorter ones inside and several items were not available.  But no matter, we sat down and ordered away.

I did not crop/photoshop the pix not only to mke your vision blurry but to be able to contract the black against the cool striped placemats.  My friend J. chose the anchovies boquerones, R. the duck hearts a la plancha with espilette and I (declared winner) the squid in its really black ink.

Then for mains, J. had the tripes Birgoudanne which were OK, R. unspicy but over-salted chorizos in a gelatinous sauce with mashies and I the lomo of pork and veggies brochette which I again thought was the best in show, but served with over-salted frites.

Then the three of us more or less shared the prunes in armagnac which were just fine.
With crisp outside/slightly stale inside bread, a bottle of white Gascogne, a Schweppes and coffee and no bottled water, our bill wa 116.90, thus 77.93 E a couple.
Go?  As my old pal the RFC would say "It's not urgent."