We'd had a pretty busy day. And then I got the notice that our flight time had changed to very early in the morning. I had reservations about getting up at 4am, then managing to get to CDG for our early flight. So, much like what I did on a previous visit, I went and booked a night at the Sheraton in CDG Terminal 2. We'd have dinner and what not, then vacate the apartment, heading to the airport via the RER arriving around 9pm or so.
While having our no-so-good dinner at Pirouette, we noticed another place in the square was doing some major business. I looked up the place; named Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond, in case you don't know, a Bouillon (like the broth) is traditionally a restaurant that serves traditional French meals, for good prices, that serves the working class. We think of it as kind of a "diner", but with definite French touches as most Bouillons have wonderful, traditional decor. In recent years the Bouillon has been making a comeback in Paris. I had been eager to check one out and here was the opportunity. Plus, Pharamond is open from noon to midnight daily; making a very non-Parisian dinner at 530pm a possibility. Plus, we'd beat all the dinner crowds.
We managed to just walk in a snag a table with no problem. We loved the decor of the place.
And lest you think it was only tourists eating that this hour; I present this gentleman.
He strolled in, took a table, knew all the staff, never needed a menu and they just brought him his dinner. There are many apartments in the area, so perhaps he lives in one of them?
We each ordered one entree and one plat.
The Missus started with the Terrine et Poulet (6,9 € – $7.25/US).
This as quite nice; tender, great balanced offal flavors with a hint of sweetness.
I got the Bone Marrow (6,5 € – $6.75/US)
Simply seasoned with sea salt, this was so buttery and beefy. It was heaven with the baguette.
Speaking of the bone marrow; one couple saw a gentleman and his friendly pooch having an apero at one of the outdoor tables. They asked and got permission for this 70 kilo (we asked) sweetheart to get his own "entree".
For Her plat, the Missus ordered the Andouilette Grillee – the grilled sausage (11,5 € – $12/US)
The sausage had a nice "snap" with a herby-garlicky flavor. The jus had just the right amount of salt for our taste and those mashed potatoes were quite nice.
I got the Beef Tartare (11,9 €, $12.40 US).
Man, this was much better than I expected. The beef, while perhaps chopped a bit more finely than I like was nicely chilled, with a clean finish, loved the ratio of capers and scallions to beef. But the most surprising thing were the frites, which were crisp outside and creamy inside.
Service was efficient and fast. Man, to think that this dinner with wine was around $45 US….and remember, this is France, where the 15% service fee is included (not added) in the pricing.
We'll definitely check out more Bouillons when we're wanting a more traditional French meal in Paris.
Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond
24 Rue de la Grande Truanderie
75001 Paris, France
After dinner we decided to take a nice stroll past all those familiar places.
Traveling has changed me a bit…..and for some reason France has as well. When walking past the Louvre I saw this Nona struggling to get up on one of the stone photo thingies outside the Louvre.
I'm not sure why; but I decided to "lend my shoulders" to the effort.
Which was a success and we all go a good laugh out of it.
I hope she made it down safely!
There's something about Paris that we love. We can't really put our collective fingers on it. It's vibrant, full of surprises, excellent food, and also there are those other moments.
I'm not sure where I read it; but the city still defines itself as a conglomerate of "villages"…..
And a beautiful one at that!
Ah Paris, we can't wait to return!
Thanks for stopping by!
The noodles were really good, doughy and chewy. The tamago was cold, but nicely cooked and marinated. The chashu was on the tough side and needed more flavor.
A very pleasant dish. The skate had been nicely prepared, buttery in texture, good black pepper, though perhaps a bit more salt would have helped. Very moist and tender. The accompanying veggies were fine and the caper butter sauce did well with the fish.
The women were from London and arrived via the Eurostar. Something I'd like to do in the future!
A 14 pound Jennie-O, 90 minutes at 400 degrees. There was poultry seasoning, salt and pepper sprinkled on the skin, handfuls of salt and pepper inside the cavity to force out juices. The meat is very moist.
We doctored up some Stove Top stuffing mix by adding cooked Italian sausage, fresh chopped celery and much more butter than recommended before placing in the oven for 30 minutes with the yams while the turkey was resting.
My 'usual' fresh sweet potato/yam side dish, 
Simple cranberry sauce made with fresh whole cranberries per the package recipe with added tangerine.
Dessert is mincemeat strudel, from 
Here is the first meal, including a roll made from frozen Bridgeford dough and frozen Martha Stewart spinach casserole (found at Grocery Outlet). We've already had a 'leftovers’ meal, and it is only Wednesday!
Menu prices have slightly increased. The choices are pretty much the same. 
We ordered the House Original and the House Spicy broths/"Yin Yang" ($4.25 per person). You can also order a mushroom broth as well as low sodium. 
The Supreme Angus Beef Lunch ($10.70) is accompanied by assorted seasonal vegetables ( thick slices of potato, daikon, a variety of mushrooms and greens) as well as fresh noodles, 'krab" sticks, frozen tofu and assorted meatballs (pork, beef and fish). The Angus beef pieces were nicely marbled and very flavorful; quickly cooked to a pleasant tenderness in the boiling broth.
Once again, I chose the fish filet lunch ($10.70) which has the same sides and includes an entire filet. This was plenty of food.
However the menu has "Add Ons" at the bottom and we decided to order the mini veggie platter ($3.95) just to try the 'lunch version'. This was really worth it: tomato, squash, corn, bok choy, cabbage, spinach, mushrooms and chrysanthemum greens 
Hot tea is still no charge.
Walk in, order and pay, grab your beverages, find a seat and wait for your meal and condiments to be brought out. 
The menu board is above the two cash registers. ( I was wearing sunglasses and it looked black/not working, so I didn't take a photo).
The Grilled Cactus Taco was just something different that I'd never seen on a menu, so we decided to order one ($3.95). This is served on a home made corn tortilla- very nice, very flavorful (corny)(ha) and it stood up to all the ingredients (house made guacamole (also very good), cilantro, onions). This was a really tasty taco. I would order it again.
We also decided to try an Al Pastor taco ($3.95) . There were some pineapple bits in addition to the guacamole, cilantro and onion. The pork was very tender and had a nice char-grill flavor. The sweetness of the pineapple marinade was subtle if you tried a bite of the (plain) meat. Quite good quality.
We ordered the Roasted Pepper Caesar Salad ($10.95) add crack ($4.95). It arrived without the roasted peppers, but plenty of the tri-tip.
A good size portion of the roasted peppers was brought out and these were very good. (I've been buying jarred roasted peppers for use on sandwiches at home and really kind of crave them).
The two sided, laminated/ easily sanitized menu is a bit pared down from pre-Covid-19 days. The majority of choices are Vietnamese with some Chinese choices also.
Still, hot tea is brought out when you are seated; some things are back to normal.
The seafood chow mein (crispy noodles) ($15.99) was quite large, filled with shrimp, fish and scallops as well as very fresh vegetables. Excellent. 
The salt and pepper fish filet with rice ($16.99) was also a very large portion. Light and crisp fry (proper) and onion were all that was needed for this meal. We did have leftovers of both. 
