Joe Allen is an institution in New York City and my favorite restaurant in the theater district. For years I would have dinner after I attended Broadway shows and many times I would see actors and actresses from the shows sitting across from me.
Based on the success of the New York restaurant, Joe Allen now has branches in London and Paris.
The traditional all American décor and menu is the same in all locations: Brick walls with theater posters, dark wood chairs, Jukebox, and white tablecloths with a menu that includes chili con carne, barbecue chicken, spare ribs, Chefs Salad, and banana cream pie.
Joe Allen has a two-course formule for 16 euros. It was a damp, rainy day so we both opted for the zucchini soup. It was a hearty bowl, not a puny cup, and though it needed a little more flavor, it fit the bill. While waiting for our main course, I began looking at the different posters on the walls and had happy and some unhappy memories of seeing them. However I noticed one important difference between the posters in the New York branch and the Paris branch: The posters in the New York branch are all of shows that flopped and the Paris branch was a mixture of both.
For our main course, Lynn had Blanquette de Veau on a bed of wild rice and I had the Barbecue Chicken with spinach salad and sweet potato fries. Lynn said her veal was tasty and tender and the sauce not too heavy. She also liked the choice of wild rice as the accompaniment. My chicken was moist and the barbecue sauce was a little mild (French people don’t like spicy food) and the spinach salad had a tangy, creamy dressing. Since Lynn and I have big appetites, we appreciated the large American size portions.
While we were having our meal, many of the tables around us were served French fries and the intense smell wafting over us made us vow we would come back for a plateful.
Banana Cream Pie looked tempting but we passed, since we were full from our lunch.
The service was attentive and genial, much like in New York, but I don’t think they were aspiring actors.
Keep in mind if you are ever here over Thanksgiving, Joe Allen does an excellent turkey dinner with all the trimmings.
Joe Allen
30 rue Pierre Lescot, 75001
Metro: Etienne Marcel
Open seven days for lunch and dinner
Tel. +33 (0)1 42 36 70 13
http://www.joeallenparis.com/joeallenparis.com/Home_Fr.html
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