Lazare, Paris

Going to Lazare might have been a turning point in our restaurant going in Paris.  For years all the restaurants were pure old school.  Rarely did new places open up.  Then just like every other city food became a new economy and restaurants opened everywhere.  There are so many new places in Paris that are amazing.  Yet if I closed my eyes Lazare could have been in NYC or Chicago or London.  Nouvelle French cuisine that just did not perform.  Keep in mind they opened in mid-September but still.  I am going to return to the old school places next trip.

The room is nice, simple and modern.  The restaurant sits in side the train station although you can only access it from outside and you can see it from the inside of the station.  Essentially the restaurant is housed in a mall.  We started with two appetizers.  One was blinis with sliced salmon and a creme fraiche.  Thick blinis that were almost like pancakes.  Salmon that was thickly sliced with very little flavor.  Creme fraiche that was more like a boursin.

The other appetizer was a savory clafoutis.  Eggs, cream, scallops and herbs.  Not exactly a clafoutis but interesting.  The scallops were overcooked which isn't surprising in this particular dish.  The egg part was buttery and tasty but the scallops just sank to the bottom.

Fred went for the mussels and fries.  They were good.  Fries could have been a tad crispier.

I had the cornish game hen just roasted.  Not much else to tell.

On the side they served a buttery cabbage dish with small pieces of ham.  

All and all just not what I expected.  The following day I got up and just knew I was not well.  Maybe it was the meal maybe it was just a stomach virus.  Regardless, the day was not pretty.  I am sure it will go down in our family history.  Not fun being sick when you aren't in your own bed.  

Back to NYC the next day after watching Fred speak at Le Web.  Always a good trip to Paris, regardless of being sick.