5.2 Ma Chere et Tendre Steakhouse in the Meridien Etoile, 81 Boulevard Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, in the 17th, 01.40.68.30.40, open 7/7 (Metro: Porte de Maillot or PC Bus) is whoo-woo pricy a la carte and wine-wise but has a lunch and dinner "menu" at 35E that provides a glass of wine or water and coffee, so.... If you didn't know it was a steakhouse, the waiters' butcher-boy aprons and signs send a strong meat alert.
My friend from the 14th, originally from Baltimore, ordered the "crab cakes comme dans Le Maryland"; of course they were not made from blue Chesapeake crabs, but those pathetic French things, had no Old Bay seasoning, but instead a watery tartare-sort-of sauce, and had no binder, eggs, crumbs, mustard, Worchester, butter, etc so they, actually, it, fell apart on arrival and was pretty tasteless. The cucumber wrapped salad was nice although the dressing was so etherial as to be well - etherial.
Then she had the filet of Charolais beef asked for "rare, rare, rare" which it was and very good indeed, with Bordelaise sauce and some unadorned spinach sprouts (which could have used some lemon or vinegar) and I had the "menu" special of the day - a faux-filet from the Limousine, which I ordered "blue, blue, blue - black on the outside, raw on the inside" which it wasn't but I still enjoyed, once corrected with some salt and pepper.
We shared the "menu" dessert of a tiramisu with chopped apples - pleasant enough - and finished our 35 E wine.
I had a coffee in a cup that said Dreams (rightside up) and Conflicts (upside down); must be some inside joke.
Our bill, which my friend picked up for services unknown that I've apparently rendered, was 124 E.
Go? If at a meeting at the Palais Des Congrès across the street and the company or university is picking up the tab, sure. The dB level never got over 68 dB and the bread was quite good.
