Lynn and I ventured out of our comfort zone again this month and went to the heart of 12th arr., a quiet residential neighborhood.
I got wind of Clandestino, an up and coming restaurant serving inventive French cuisine which hasn’t hit the big time yet and still sort of a secret.
The restaurant was mostly empty when we arrived at12:30 and my infatuation with cute waiters was proliferated again with two new hotties, one with the sweetest million dollar smile.
We liked the quirky décor with table settings of vintage dishes and a pasted together wall sculpture of kitchen utensils and objects.
As with many restaurants in Paris, the formule only has two selections of each dish. My starter was a refreshing dish of micro thin slices of raw sea scallops and radishes marinated in tangy passion fruit. Lynn had endive with Roquefort cheese and slices of Iberian ham, which she loved, even though she doesn’t usually like ham. I had the most tender, falling off the bone pork ribs with sautéed cabbage and the only criticism I had was that is it was so good there wasn’t enough to satisfy me. Citrus seemed to be a theme and Lynn’s daurade was also citrus marinated with a sprinkling of walnuts.
When these odd food combinations work it’s a delightful surprise but sometimes they fall flat on their face. A dessert of a thick chocolate concoction that was too rich and gooey topped with a beet sorbet, was a flop, and we were both disappointed because the meal had a promising start.
The other shortcoming of the lunch was the portions were on the puny/precious side. When food is that good you want more of it.
Even though there were a few flaws, the waiter with the electric smile beaming at you makes up for it and we still recommend Clandestino.
8 rue Crozatier, 75012
Metro: Reuilly Diderot
Open Tuesday to Saturday
Lunch 12PM-2PM
Dinner 8PM to 10:30PM
http://www.clandestino.me
St. Jacques/scalllops
My yummy rib dish
Congratulations to PK Housen who won a copy of Paris Letters and was the first to post a comment.
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte's professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday,Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 210 euros for up to 3 people, and 70 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
