In June, we went to Glen Ellen to have brunch at the fig cafe, which is a more casual offshoot of the girl & the fig in Sonoma.  It was odd, though, to be in a place that seemed similar and yet was quite different.  The decor has the same general style but is a little more modern and spare at the fig cafe (with a higher, pointed ceiling), the menu is a little shorter (including the drink menu), and the food veers maybe a bit more towards American comfort food.  We both loved the food and the friendly service, but we’re more likely to go back to the girl & the fig because it’s closer and more familiar to us.  So, whichever one you happen to be closer to, I don’t think you can go wrong.

To the best of my memory, this was a Pizza with Ham, Red Onions Olives, and Fontina, and it lived up to all of its flavors.  A really great pizza.

Smoked Salmon with Potato Pancakes, Dill Creme Fraiche, Poached Egg, and Fried Capers.  I loved this.  The potato pancakes were the anchor of it all (and terrific because they tasted like a crispy salted potato, not grease), with the salmon as the vibrant (and abundant) star.  Mixing together all the crispy, fried, smoked, sauteed, poached, and creamy parts could amuse me for hours.  This was a perfect version of a classic.

Of all of the so-called casual restaurants in Paris run by renowned chefs that we visited, Cafe Constant was by far the most casual.  In this case, it was run by Chef Christian Constant, of the nearby Le Violon D’ingres.  The entrance of this corner cafe has little more than a bar and some tables, and the upstairs room where we ate was more like a room in an old pool hall.  We were the first to arrive for dinner, and I was concerned about the rather dank surroundings, but as we got our food and as the room completely filled up, things began to look a lot brighter, and I was eventually sorry to leave.  Most importantly, my meal at Cafe Constant was probably the most consistently delicious one that I had in all of Paris, and at most, it cost 27Euro/person for three courses (it was not prix-fixe, and each course had a different price, but each dish within the courses had the same price).

Terrine de Kako with Lentils in Vinaigrette.  The terrine was made with pork and foie gras, and I liked the alternating smoothness and chewiness, and the way the flavors played with each other, with the lentils providing a solid mustard-herb backdrop.

Chaud-Froid Chicken. This was served chilled and covered in an aspic with cream. Here’s a link for more about this classic dish.  I thought it was fantastic — the chicken juicy and substantially meaty, and the aspic such a great change from skin, and I liked the way that the aspic gave way to the chicken when eaten.  And this kind of chilled dish was perfect for that hot day.

Strawberry Melba.  Simply great fruit is really all you need for a great dessert.  I guess ice cream and whipped cream help, too, for a great fruity, juicy, creamy, cold dessert.

Profiteroles.  Perfect.

Creme Caramel. I’d always thought that the point of making creme caramel was to not have bubbles inside it, but it seems like this was matched up with this plate based on its bubbles.  It tasted good, in any case.

We stopped at bread & roses, on the border of the Jardin du Luxembourg, for lunch in the middle of a marathon pastry tasting day.  If you click on the link, you’ll see a picture of just the sort of deli/cafe that I look for everywhere that I go.  They had beautiful puff pastry tarts in the window, and an equally impressive selection inside of salads, sandwiches, and pastries.  They were also extremely friendly and helpful to our slightly frazzled group of 7 that somehow became 5.  I’ve mentioned that Paris was expensive, and this was no exception.  The quality of food was very high, and everything delicious, but the prices still remain a little shocking.

I was dying for a ham and butter sandwich on a baguette, but they only sold them for takeway. So, I had to order this Plate of (San Daniele) Prosciutto. It came with a slice of “campagne bio.” It was about $23.

The tarts were as fantastic and fresh as they look. And I believe about $18 each.

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The traditional French bistro food available at Bistro Jeanty is probably even more traditional than most bistro food I had in Paris last month. Not all bistros have pigs feet and lamb tongue on offer, but Bistro Jeanty goes for it… and it hasn’t changed its menu since it opened in 1998 (but it does have daily specials). The food is proudly rich and comforting, and overall, good… but maybe I’d appreciate it more in, say, February.

Bouchon, located just up the street, also touts itself as serving traditional bistro food, but you would never confuse one for the other. Bistro Jeanty embraces a rustic heartiness while Bouchon is more urban in approach– a little lighter, a little more precise, a little more sparkling (and a little more expensive). Some call Bouchon more of a brasserie. And in Sonoma, the girl & the fig is more about how splendidly Provencal and Californian food can get along.

Tomato Soup in Puff Pastry. I liked this a lot — the soup was just a little creamy, but the pungent tomato was in the spotlight… and mixing it with shards of puff pastry is one of the more humble pleasures in the world. The soup remained incredibly hot the whole time it was in front of me, which was a mixed blessing.

Home-Cured Pork Belly with Lentil and Foie Gras Ragout. So melting, and smoky, and just unrolling with flavor. Chad had a very similar dish at Bouchon the following week, but the Bistro Jeanty version was better — at Bouchon, the lentils were undercooked and overall it lacked the unctuous richness of this one.

Coq au Vin - Chicken, Mushrooms, and Bacon Red Wine Stew . The sauce was a little too thick with starch for me, but the flavor still came through nicely — very smoky from the bacon, with the undercurrent of vegetables and chicken.

I probably could have done without the side of buttery, clumpy Egg Noodles because the coq au vin was rich enough, but they were fine for what they were.

Short Ribs. A special that night. They were good, but those smooth spinach and mashed potatoes were what I kept stealing from Chad’s plate.

We also had a great 2004 Ballantine Zinfandel with our meal, and drove out that weekend to the winery to taste and buy. The 2004 wasn’t technically available for retail yet, but when people come in after having it at Bistro Jeanty, they’ll sell it by request.

Lemon Meringue Tart with Orange Sauce. Chad liked this, but I didn’t. The lemon tasted bland, and the orange tasted medicinal to me. The meringue was too thick (proportionally and texture-wise, like a dense marshmallow), and there was too much caked powdered sugar all over the place. The result was a sour and sweet gumminess that held my teeth hostage for longer than I would have liked.

One afternoon, with plans to visit Fauchon and La Duree for dessert, Chad and I searched for a place to have lunch around La Madeleine, and we were discouraged by the lack of interesting restaurants that we could find until we came across the chic Cafe Sud, at 12 rue de Castellane. Perfectly for us, their 21.50Euro prix-fixed was two courses only, so were were free to stock up at Fauchon afterwards. Cafe Sud had a good lunch, and if I worked in the area, I’d probably look forward to it, but otherwise, I wouldn’t really seek it out. But it is comfortable and modern, and I’m grateful that we ate there, and not at a rundown bistro.
And by the way, I never did get anything from La Duree. The line was too long, the shop was too hot and small, and frankly, the pastries looked rather messier than they did when I had my first macarons there in 1998.

I liked this sort of tropical trail mix served to us upon being seated. We also got good bread.

Chad got the Buffalo Mozzeralla with Grilled Vegetables, which I thought had more flavor than the rather bland version at L’Atelier Joel Robuchon.

I got the Artichoke Salad, which was absolutely perfect and I like that design with the artichokes.

I had the Salmon with Ratatouille. The salmon was meaty and tender, but I didn’t care for the ratatouille. It was drab and watery. The potato chips were very good and welcome.

Chad had the Beef with Fries. The beef was good, but the fries were a bit too dry.