Paris – Au Passage

Ever since reading (and doing a bit of cooking from), Jane Sigal's wonderful book (it more than a cookbook in my mind); Bistronomy: Recipes from the Best New Paris Bistros, I'd been wanting to try one of the places mentioned in the book. In case you're not familiar with it; think of it as "bistro + gastronomy", at its best; it is affordable food, made with excellent ingredients and technique, without over-wrought processes, in a casual environment.

After doing a bit of research; I'd managed to get reservations at Au Passage in the hip and trendy 11th Arrondissment. So, after a nice afternoon nap, we headed off….we actually walked to the 11th from our hotel in the 5th.

It was about a mile and a half from the hotel and while it was a bit of a hazy evening; it was still quite beautiful.

Located in a little side street (passage) Au Passage has a rustic, vibrant, somewhat hip, vibe to it.

The place fills up pretty quickly. The Missus partook of several of the wines by the glass; the listing is on the chalkboard.

The menu, on a single sheet of paper changes frequently….we immediately knew what we wanted to start with…..

The House Foie Gras (8€). This was well made, very smooth, quite balanced in flavor between the earthy livery flavors with a touch of sweetness. It was also quite a large portion.

Next up; "St Pierre" Sauce XO (10€). Basically, John Dory in a version of Chinese XO Sauce.

If you've ever had "matodai" at a sushi bar; you'd know what this is; a mild, lightly sweet, and tender "shiromi" (whitefish). The XO Sauce (which seemed to have quite a bit of lardon), while quite mild in terms of spice, was still overkill for the lovely and tender fish.

We particularly enjoyed the Endive Moutarde Oreille de Cochon (9€) – some really bitter and yet sweet endive, with a nice mustard based sauce and crunchy delicious fried pig ears.

The Veal Sweetbreads with a wonderful, lightly tangy, sunchoke sauce was also quite amazing.

The perfectly seasoned and cooked sweetbreads were wonderful, a light crust, gave way to a soft and creamy interior.

These Vielle Rouge; which I believe is grouper; was fine, moist, with a crisp skin.

Quite simple in prep.

The Beef was served "blue" and was on the tough side and under seasoned. The greens were quite good though.

Overall, a nice meal, quite solid, and a decent value. The service was a bit shakey as the place got busier we were kind of forgotten.

Still, it was fun trying one of these neo-bistros, the proclaimed "new wave" of bistros.

Au Passage
1 bis passage Saint Sébastien
75011 Paris, France

As we crossed the Seine, we stopped to watch the Eiffel Tower shine it's light on Notre-Dame de Paris, we stop to reflect on just how lucky we were to be able to enjoy the freedom of travel….the sights…sounds…and of course the food!