But then you turn right onto a small street called Rosenwald, and soon you find a neighborhood bistro like the ones you probably assumed disappeared from the Paris landscape long ago. Even better, you enter a world of Parisians — the kind of folk who go out to dinner for one reason: for the enjoyment of sharing a good meal with family and friends. From the experience of recent visits, there seem to be no foreigners, at least not yet.
On his five-course tasting menu, Benôit Gauthier, the 32-year-old owner and chef, offers whatever he likes, based on seasonal items he finds daily in the market: truffles in winter, asparagus in spring, lobster in summer, game in autumn (42 euros, $52 at $1.24 to the euro; there are also à la carte options).
“I can’t tell you in advance everything that I’ll serve you,” he said. “There always has to be a surprise.”
Our menu one evening included lobster soup with chorizo and croutons, tuna tournedos with foie gras and avocado salad, and line-caught merlu à la plancha.
Mr. Gauthier is the son of a butcher from the Corrèze, the south-central region where locals believe they produce some of the finest cattle in the land. It was there that his father taught him about cuts of meat. It should, then, come as no surprise that the most popular dish of the house is the côte de boeuf for two (52 euros), served with thick, long, hand-cut, double-fried French fries. It is such a sublime dining experience it will tempt even the committed vegetarian to fall off the wagon for an evening.
The two-room bistro’s décor is simple, from the red leather banquettes to the handwritten menu on a huge blackboard. Like his father, Mr. Gauthier is a rabid rugby fan, and souvenirs from a trip they took last year to New Zealand for the World Cup adorn one corner of the room — a reminder, like the côte de boeuf, of the importance of shared pleasures.
Le Grand Pan, 20, rue Rosenwald, Paris; (33-1) 42-50-02-50.
Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=96968239d6045ad440fbecb896ce521e
