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Food Wednesday: Where the chefs eat
By Ann | December 10, 2008
Happy Wednesday!
Great chefs spend their lives creating extraordinary meals, but have you ever wondered where (or what) they like to eat? In this week’s round-up of French food media, Le Figaroscope gives us a sneak peak into the favorite haunts of Paris’s most famous toques. Here’s a sampling of three:
Alain Ducasse: Le Fig says: “For a dinner during the week with friends, the chef chooses l’Assiette, which just stole one of his protégés, David Rathgeber. Here he orders marinated sardines with piment d’Espelette, and hare prepared in a “royal” manner. For Sunday mid-day, he opts for one of the four bistrots owned by Christian Constant (Café Constant, les Cocottes, Les Fables de la Fontaine or le Violon d’Ingres), very simple and good. Unless it’s a special occasion when he treats himself to the brunch “palace” of Jean-Francois Piège, at the Hôtel de Crillon, a perfect mix of traditional and inventive. Finally, before a film, he stops in at Ballon et Coquillages, a convivial seafood bar.”
Hélène Darroze (starred chef at her eponymous restaurant): Le Fig says: “The Landais chef (note: this refers to her region, Landes, located in the southwest tip of France), breaks down her favorites in terms of requirements and her dining companions. For a meal with friends, either l’Absinthe, a bistrot on Place du Marché-Saint-Honoré, or la Galerie du Plaza Athénée, for a club sandwich or tea accompanied by a pastry from Christophe Michalak. When she lunches with her daughter, she goes to Coffee Parisien where she adores the ambiance and the burgers. Finally, for a meeting, she heads to Mori Venice Bar. For her, it’s one of the best Italian restaurants in Paris; she finds it a bit “cultivated” because the owner, Massimo Mori, always has something to teach her about a product or a cooking method from his country. And don’t forget le Jules Verne, for the magic of the Eiffel Tower and the cuisine of Alain Ducasse.
Jean-François Piège (chef at Les Ambassadeurs, Hôtel de Crillon): Le Fig says: “Cuisine, atmosphere, ambiance: the two-starred chef of the Crillon loves more than anything the bistrots of friends and the places “très parisiens.” First on the list: la Régalade, because chef Bruno Doucet is a friend who appreciates contemporary bistrot cuisine and one is sure to have a good time there. The same enthusiasm for le Comptoir du Relais, for the excellent cuisine and good humor of Yves Camdeborde, the owner. Far from palaces, Piège vows also a weakness for l’Hotel Amour, created by Emmanuel Delaveine, his French toast is the “best in Paris,” also Delmontel’s baked goods and their incredible terrace. He also frequents le Georges, at place Beaubourg,. Because he loves the work of the architect Renzo Piano, he finds the space impressive; he orders his favorite “fetish,” a tartare “aller-retour” (lightly sautéed).
For the full article (in French), which features more hidden chef spots, addresses and phone numbers, click here.
Meanwhile, in English food news, the lists of Best Cookbooks of 2008 are starting to appear. Epicurious hails Rick Moonen’s Fish Without a Doubt as the “best overall” — see the rest of their list here.
The Wall Street Journal rounds-up the season’s flock of celebrity books in this thoughtful article.
Not to be outdone, the New York Times also has its own holiday round-up of cookbooks here. The Kenny Shopsin book, Eat Me, sounds particularly fun — I used to eat at Shopsin’s when I was an impoverished Editorial Assistant and well remember the “rules” (no parties larger than four), grumpiness, and mac-and-cheese pancakes.
Topics: Food Wednesday, In the news |
One Response to “Food Wednesday: Where the chefs eat”
Comments
« Food Wednesday: Two weeks in one | Home | Great cooking gifts for $30 (or less) »
December 12th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I have always been a bit intimidated by the Crillon, but the Piege account is inspiring. Did you know that “piege” means “trap” in French?