Lazare, Paris

Lazare
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.

Salmon
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.

Clafouttie
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.

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

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

Cabbage
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.  

Comments (Archived):

  1. kathryn jones

    You killed me with yesterday’s post – but what a disappointment! Hope you are feeling better soon (I had the same thing happen two weeks ago which I thought came from from much less glamorous chicken wings from an NYC dive bar – but it turns out there is a bug going around, so for better or worse, it might not be the result of your disappointing Parisian restaurant experience!)

    1. Gotham Gal

      It was definitely a bug but definitely restaurant disappointment too. Lol

  2. aysha ali

    Food looks a bit cold! Also, i love the way you write, so matter of fact-ish 🙂

    1. Gotham Gal

      🙂

  3. AnujMathur

    here’s something for your next trip that’s a couple of years old in the 10th that my wife and i really enjoyed: http://www.le-galopin.com. contemporary, cook-whats-available-in-the-market approach. thoughtfully considered and well-priced wine list didn’t hurt either. would be happy to see this imitated in NYC.

  4. AG

    Not one of the plates looks intriguing or inviting. The thick smoked salmon and blinis…the only upshot to being sick, imho, is being reminded that you tp be more grateful when feeling healthy. But it’s a reminder best learned at home!