5.5 Pan, 12, rue Martel in the 10th (Metro: Gare de l'Est), 09.52.51.63.70, closed Saturday lunch, Sundays and Mondays, was featured in today's special end-of-the-semester section of Figaroscope as the place with "la plus buzz." It is the second restaurant of Ludivine Billaud who runs Le Look sandwicherie (pictured) across the street, where customers were lined up on the sidewalk to get in, so many that I took one took at the mirror-resilverising place across the street and marched on - but wait - that was it; understated, Caillebotte-like flooring, Bobo-black tables and cool pastel chairs of mixed colors. Wow, this is it; the hot place of the month.
I had a coupage of electricite this AM d/t boosting the amperage of the power in my flat so it didn't blow whenever we turned on the toaster-oven or micro with anything else (PS there goes one semester of one grand-kids' tuition - we'll pick the loser by lot) so I had no way to reserve when the 09 number didn't answer - undaunted and driven over/down by my newly-rich electrician in his Beemer, I blundered in.
I took one look at the carte - almost all cold stuff (pictures await my SIL's figuring out where they are on my new camera) and went with what seemed appealing and unfuckupable:
A generous portion of "gravlax", which was exquisitely fine salmon but not gravlax by the standards that I got to expect living in Denmark, but very good, mind you; just don't call it gravlax without any dill within miles;
A super-Mario-size portion of beef tartare that one mixed oneself which is probably smart down here in the deepest 10th where the local customers are unaccustomed to Worchester and spice (PPS there was so much that I spirited away my leavings for an "amburger" tonight;
A wonderful serving of super-delicious lemon ice and a not so super scoop of another iced thing; finishing with -
The best coffee I've ever had in Paris, I kid you not, made from Brazilian beans that the wait-lady told me were personally selected by some Dude, who gets the tip of my hat/cap.
With 1/2 bottle of Rose, no bottled water, great bread that'll make a nice "amburger" roll, my bill was 51.50 or 102 E a couple.
Go? Well, it's certainly pricy for a carte of largely cold food, but since you will get to see what I really look like without a beret in the Fall version femina, if the photog's pix turn out better than mine, I'll say "why not?"
