It’s a new year and new opportunity for trying new cuisines, plenty of at home baking, and trips to Mina’s for Smoked Mozzarella Bread. I’ll start a new set of posts with a little bit of cheating, going back to the end of 2023 and a trip I’ve saved posting on because I’m still not over it. A too-short but incredible 4-day weekend spent eating around Paris. We were able to head to the city of love for a bit of tourism, a lot of World Cup Rugby, and not enough baguettes, macaroons, and cheese and wine. I won’t be saving the best for last, as I am starting with the greatest meal we had, on the last night, at Le Petit Marché.
Tucked away at Placa des Vosges, the restaurant came recommended by a former local. They said not only was the area underrated with its retro art and beautiful parks, the hidden streets remained free from the mass produced tourist traps you might (and we did) fall into. Step inside the charming wooden establishment and you immediately get what they were talking about. Cozy and intimate but buzzing with waiters, French conversations, and free-flowing wine, I felt like I was at home and at a fine establishment all at once.
Of course, one look at the French menu with no English translations for us tourists, and I immediately know I am in fact not at home. Through common words like “sesame,” “saumon,” “japonaise,” and “filet” it is quite easy to get by (also our good friends at Google translate). The common themes were seafood and a Japanese flair. Our appetizer needed to match this vibe, so we started with the Thon Cru au Sesame: sesame-crusted raw tuna.
The Japanese have mastered the art of combining simplicity and sophistication that blows the culinary world away. This is a prime example of that. Perfectly seared sesame seeds encrust the tender, melt-in-your-mouth piece of raw tuna. Nothing too crazy, just ocean meeting crunch.
While this sounds like something you can create at home, it’s not quite the same unless you have access to fish like this. So unbelievably fresh, a pristine, sushi-grade tuna. The texture is just right and silky smooth. All leads to a buttery taste that has you happily eating tuna raw with just the toasted sesame.
The perfect start to warm up your palette for the deliciousness that’s to come (I’m convinced regardless of what you order but these I would have again and again). Our first main, the Entrecôte Argentine Grillée:
So not exactly on the Japanese cuisine theme, this translates directly to Grilled Argentine Ribeye. A juicy, marbled ribeye is prepared with an Argentinian flair and served perfectly medium rare. “Entrecôte” is essentially a ribeye cut, known for its tenderness and a perfect balance of meat and fat. Add just a touch of sesame, and a mild glaze, and you have a steak lovers dream.
While I am not surprised how delicious the food was, I am surprised how different cultures have come into one here. The French grilling in an Argentine style at a restaurant respected for its’ Japanese flair. Just brilliant. A wonderful choice of a dish to showcase just how brilliant the chefs at Le Petit Marché are. The only downside, and this is a bit more upscale dining, is the portion is of course small. High quality, small quantity is a tradeoff I think you’ll be fine to make here though.
Especially if you order something like the Risotto to go alongside it:
The menu does have seasonal items, so while you are not likely to find it there anymore, this risotto is worth discussing, if anything to prove to you you should eat here. Buttery, velvety, and creamy sauce covers the perfectly toasted and prepared arborio rice.
Onions, garlic, and slight hints of herbs are present throughout but the mildest of all of the flavors. Being it was fall, the prevalent taste was the seasonal vegetables. Sweet potatoes, asparagus and fresh cabbage for a crunch and roasted and add even more flavor and intrigue to an already delicious rice dish. Of course, the sesame present in all of the dishes tops, along with cilantro, and you have a medley of ingredients I would not think would go together. But, they do. Perfectly. We practically licked the bowl by the end, everything was just that good.
A dish known to come from Northern Italy, this mastery of it would have me think the French were the first to create a risotto dish.
And if you’re like me and didn’t think to make a reservation before making your way there, you may find yourself on a 90 minute wait list. Well worth the wait, there are plenty of restaurants along the streets set up in that Parisian style. You can sit outside, sip on some red wine (indulge in even more escargot) and not mind if 90 minutes lasted even longer. The perfect way to start off the great meal, or spend really any night in Paris.
Plenty of escargot and foie gras posts coming up!
