One of the things I wanted to do most here in Paris, related to cuisine, was have dinner at Hidden Kitchen. This is a totally illegal underground restaurant here in Paris that is either going to have to legit or stop getting media attention.
I vote for going legit. The gig is up on this place, which is not a bad thing, and I don’t want the talented chef, or his lovely girlfriend who books the reservations, takes the coats and chooses the wines, to go to jail or get shut down.
Given that I found out about it on My Little Paris - the Parisian equivalent of Daily Candy - and others at my dinner read about it on Facebook, Time Out Blogs and Trip Advisor, it is only a matter of time before either the gendarmes show up or someone backs this team for a real restaurant. It would be an excellent investment, as man, can this kid cook! (By kid, I mean it, as he’s probably no more than 30.) Those from DC will appreciate this comparison: he’s created Komi in his living room. Seriously.
So here’s out it works. (Again, on this one, I’m not giving away any trade secrets. Though, I’m not going to include the various links. If you like food, are coming to Paris and want to experience this wonderful dinner, you’ll need to at least do a little research on ‘the Google’.)
Step one: Find link and submit reservation request by email. The ‘restaurant’ books up months in advance so you may get the ‘would you like to be on our wait list’ email. Do it. I couldn’t get a reservation, joined the wait list, and Voila! I got a seat the second weekend I was in Paris.
Step two: Twenty-four hours before, you’ll get an email with the location, cost and a request for any allergies, etc. The cost: 80 Euros. Take it from me, it is a steal. It is 10 courses (with an amouche bouse and petit fours) and includes wine pairings and coffee.
Step three: Show up on the doorstep at the appointed time. Try not to be late. Two people from our dinner were a half hour late and it was annoying. One, because everyone else was scarily prompt. Two, because we were all starving!
Step four: Sip your aperitif (a lovely champagne with pomegranate seeds), get to know the fellow diners (in my group that was two British couples, one lovely Parisian couple, two American expats and their friends, a group of four women traveling together, and me) and get ready for a lovely meal.
Step five: Eat. For our dinner, the menu was what can only be described as a Parisian take on Thanksgiving:
- Amuse bouche. Egg nog granita and a “spoonful” of candied yam with homemade marshmallow. While I thought the yam was a little sweet, the spice came thru on the egg nog and the whole thing signaled the start of an innovative Fall-inspired meal.
- Soup. Sunchoke soup with brown butter pear jam. Sunchokes are the base of a sunflower and have a relatively delicate flavor. In this case, he managed to bring out the earthiness with the salt of the brown butter. Everyone at the table was caught wiping their bowls with lovely pieces of traditional French baguette.
- Vegetable. Crispy broccoli with white cheddar sauce. Yeah, the menu description did nothing for me either. It was actually a collection of small, broccoli florets roasted until crisp and served wrapped in a baked ring of rye cracker. Lemon zest, parmesan, and some beautiful pepper was all it took to elevate this dish to something simple but special.
- Fish. Sauteed sea bass with homemade chorizo, mussels, garlic and lime. The fish was perfectly cooked and served in a very light seafood broth. This simple dish was brought to life by the chorizo’s spice and the tang of the lime.
- Cleanser. Everyone at our dinner loved the palette cleanser dividing the fish and meat courses - a Mint Julep. This version consisted of a mint granita served on top of a bourbon gel. A mouthful of the South brought up memories of Spring afternoons and prompted a discussion of hats, horse-racing and gambling.
Still with me? Because there was so much more.
- Pasta. This was a single, perfectly seasoned veal meatball served over delicate, handmade linguini. Topped with simple lemon zest and parmesan, the pasta had the hidden treat of truffle oil- not too much, just enough.
- Meat. Pork belly is everywhere now and some are probably sick of it. I’m not and while my favorite is still, and probably always will be, is the pork belly ramen at Momofuku in New York, but this dish (pork belly with walnut salsify and pickled chillies) was delightful. The belly fat just melted in your mouth and chillies were a hot-and-spicy-treat for the palette.
- Salad. Over the years, I’ve actually come to like brussels sprouts. Though usually I like them roasted with balsamic vinegar and a little pepper but this delicate salad was nothing more than shaved brussels sprouts, lemon, pepper and dash of oil. This allowed the earthiness to shine through and it was the perfect thing to follow the richness of belly.
- Dessert. If there was a weak point in the night, it was the apple pie. Accompanied by a refreshing and not-too-sweet apple cider ice cream, the apples weren’t great and the ‘crust’ was a little tough. What saved dessert was the selection of petits fours including ginger geles, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, petit beignets and oh-so-perfectly-minature-sized ‘rice crispy’ treats.
With these yummy mouthfuls, the night closed on a fantastic note. Our charming hosts came out and chatted for a while, there was no rush, and one-by-one we left with new friends, a fun story and a full tummy.
[Note: The wines weren’t documented though I have asked for a list; I’ll post when I get the email.]
