If you cannot get a reservation at the one-Michelin-starred Septime in Paris, which fills up fast two months in advance, you can get a taste of it in its more casual Clamato, which has the Michelin designation of Bib Gourmand, next door. It is first come, first serve, and expect a line down the sidewalk thirty minutes or more before it opens.
The hundred-year-old bar, Le Chardenoux, is listed as a historic monument in Paris. It is a bistro now, owned by Chef Cyril Lignac of the one-Michelin-starred Le Quinzième. The menu is seafood-forward, and the desserts are divine.
L’Ecailler du Bistrot in Paris is the seafood side of Bistrot Paul Bert. Famed for the fresh catch from Brittany and Normandy, the bistro has many specials based on what is available. The Homard Bleu au Kari Gosse, which is lobster in a curry sauce, is served with frîtes.
Marigold in Virginia is one of Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurants. The famous French chef is best known for his eponymous establishment in New York City, which maintains two Michelin stars and four stars from The New York Times.
In the country near Charlottesville, Marigold is located at Keswick Hall, a luxury resort that was recently renovated. The casual dining room and balcony overlook the rolling hills of a golf course and glow with golden lighting.
Garlic mayonnaise is commonly called aïoli, which is a misnomer. The difference is authentic aïoli (which is a combination of the French words for garlic and oil) is only garlic, oil, and salt. Garlic mayonnaise can include egg yolk and/or mustard to aid in emulsification, and usually incorporates roasted garlic. In Provence, and also in parts of Spain and Italy, to make aïoli, garlic and salt are ground in a mortar with a pestle to a fine paste, and then further pulverized with a few drops of olive oil at a time until of mayonnaise consistency (this is quite labor intensive). After the garlic and salt are paste, it can also be transferred to a bowl and whisked to incorporate the oil. Proportions are to taste, and a little garlic and salt go a long way; a liberal amount of olive oil softens both. Aïoli is traditional with bourride or bouillabaisse, which are Provençal stews, and can be used with any boiled or poached seafood or vegetables, especially cod or potatoes.
Garlic mayonnaise is more stable and a good substitute. You can whisk mayonnaise by hand, but it’s much easier with a machine. I have found my mixer to be better than a food processor or blender, because I can control the speed of the beaters. Drop 2 egg yolks, 15 grams of Dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt into a bowl and turn on the mechanism of choice; and then slowly stream in vegetable oil (olive oil is too overwhelming) until you have an emulsified, pale, and polished sauce (no more than 120 grams). Mix in roasted garlic, and taste as you go to achieve perfection.
Truc (Tip): For the sauce called rouille, classically served with bouillabaisse, a variation with breadcrumbs, saffron, and cayenne pepper, see Lulu Peyraud’s version:
Land and sea meet at Fiola Mare, Washington’s best restaurant according to the Washingtonian, and you can dream you are on the Mediterranean even if it’s only the Potomac.
The seafood platter, full of raw and cooked shellfish
King salmon with escargots and Swiss chard on polenta
Wild halibut with apricots, lettuce, mushrooms, and truffle
Chocolate semifreddo with pistachio and basil accoutrements
Lemon and cherry spumoni of mousse and foam
We went to Autour du Saumon in Paris this morning to buy our “catch” for New Year’s Eve dinner.
At a restaurant in Cassis, our server recommended bouillabaisse, which originated in Marseille and is essentially a local specialty. It emerged from a fisherman’s stew, made of leftover fish from the day’s catch. It includes at least five or six kinds of fish and shellfish, primarily poisson de roche, or rock fish; eel; and crawfish or lobster. Other ingredients include tomatoes, fennel, garlic, parsley, saffron, bay, thyme, and orange zest.
See my post “Restaurant La Presqu’ile, Cassis, France, 2013” for the rest of the story…
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