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Chez Dumonet, Paris


Finally!!!!
After seeing countless travel shows filmed at Chez Dumonet, lusting over the restaurant for many years, always assuming that it was just impossible to get into, I fulfilled my wish.  It was quite easy, I picked up the phone and made a reservation.  Silly me, I should have done it a long time ago.

It was worth the wait.


 If I would imagine a quintessential Parisian bistro, this would be it.  It's just perfect.  The tile on the floor, the seasoned furniture, the lace in the windows, the yellowish tint to the lighting, the heavy silverware; it was all so wonderfully old fashioned. 
 



Our reservation was for 7:30, by 8 pm the restaurant started to fill up.  


The menu is not very extensive, but it covers exactly what one would expect in a Parisian bistro.


 We were served this delicious ham along with our bread basket and butter.  By the way, the bread is to die for.  It's the type of bread which just begs for you to order something with a lot of dreamy sauce to mop it up with.  A deliciously moist, warm bread with just the perfect crunch to its crust.  The bread could accompany my last meal on the planted and I would be happy.  (I once read an article where a famous Parisian chef said that his last meal on earth would be McDonald's since he would not want to go knowing that he is leaving something good behind.  I found that very funny). 


Terrine de Campagne maison.   The pate was delicious and it came with a jar of pickles, as customary.




 Saumon fume par Jean Christian. 


 Foie gras de canard frais maison.  I can't resist a foie gras while in Paris.  Funny, I don't really eat it in New York, but there is something about sitting in a great bistro in Paris that just calls for a slice of it with a nice toast. 


Our cousins ordered the Cotes de Boeuf for two.  This was actually very entertaining, everyone around us looked with mouths gaping when the waiter brought out the beef.  IT WAS HUGE!!!  So much for the dainty French portions!  This was half of a cow, and it could feed 4 hungry men back from working the fields. 


It was delicious but too much, they ended up eating some and taking most home. 

 
As we enjoyed our food, we watched the waiter prepare steak tartar for another table.  He skillfully mixed an egg yolk, onions, capers, Dijon mustard, cornichons, Worcestershire sauce, with the beautifully red ground beef. It looked great, but I am just not adventurous enough.

  
Confit de canard, a delicious duck confit, is more my speed. The duck was perfect as were the potatoes which were cooked in duck fat.  Let's face it, everything is better when cooked in duck fat:)



My Boeuf Bourguignon aux tagliatelles.


Spectacular, juicy, tender beef in a thick sauce, and fresh buttery pasta.  Here is where that yummy bread came in handy.

 
 Getting dessert was sheer gluttony since we were already stuffed.  I have heard that the absolute must is the Grand Marnier Souffle.  This grand dame of desserts, which needs to be ordered at the beginning of the meal, came out in a pretty porcelain dish.  The top of the souffle was decadently browned and crusty and a small glass of Grand Marnier accompanied the dessert. 


 
I clumsily poured the Grand Marnier into the souffle, one can choose to just drink it.


 While I can totally appreciate a great souffle, and this one was excellent, my heart was stolen by the second dessert. 

This stunning, and a bit on the larger side, mille-feuille was to be the end of me. 
The sheets of puff pastry had caramelized sugar on them, you could feel that stick to your teeth goodness.  The sweet filling was silky and creamy.  This was a perfect dessert, one that I will think of when reminiscing about Paris. 




Chez Dumonet
117 rue du Cherche Midi
Open Monday - Friday for lunch and dinner

Joanna


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