Mamou in the 9th: Another Fine Place in the 9th; It's Becoming a Culinary Boboville.

6.1 Mamou is a city in Louisiana, a Cajan band and a song as far as I can tell, but it's also a new restaurant in the 9th (and therein lies a tale*) at 42, rue Taitbout, 01.44.63.09.25, closed Saturday lunch, Sunday and Monday dinner.  *The tale involves the Queen of Paris Feng Shui, who prefers to lunch within walking distance of her flat/atelier in the 9th, which suits me just fine since the 9th is exploding with what the Wall Street Journal failed to recognize in its article on December 10-11th, 2005, on “Trendy….New ‘Hood”'s as a bursting new resto scene.

In any case, not only the Queen and I but her hard working husband, who hardly ever joins us for lunch, settled on Mamou when I told them the chef Romain Lalu had passed through the houses of Lasserre and Camdeborde.  And we started off on the right foot; he having a terrine of queue de boeuf and foie gras, delicious; she a tartare of herring and beets (long on the beets, short on the fish); and I a perfect soup for a freezing day - crushed peas with crisped bacon bits - Yum!

Then M. had the onglet of beef with uncooked endives livened up with a raspberry/sherry sauce; Mme had the fish of the day - a piece of grondin - that while usually used in soups such as bouillabaisse, stood by itself very well indeed with some wild mushrooms and assorted vegetables; and I had what was the winner in my mind, a gremolatta of veal cheeks - soft, tasty and perfecly paired with purees of spinach and potatoes. 

At this point M. and I called it quits but Madame still had some room left and ordered what was the super-hit of this day, a ganache of speculos (never seen/heard of such before) with a jelly of intense coffee and chantilly nuage - Wow!

From their nice wine list (they do say outside "bar a vins") we had a fine bottle of Ardeche/Luberon Ch. Canorgue. which with a glass of Pinot Grigio and no coffee (they were off to their publisher) amounted to 90.33 E a couple.

Go?  You bet, in a flash; I see Glory for Romain Lalu; catch a rising star.