#parislunch

I have this one group of friends who I get to have dinner with about once every three months. Unfortunately, our recent meetings have been in the wake of tragedy, the Paris and Brussels attacks. In a way though, these are the perfect occasions to be with these friends because they are all such beautiful, sensitive, resilient and caring people. Nothing breaks their hopeful spirits and love for life, humanity and – of course! - good food. So, for our last dinner, we decided to try Le Papillon, a new restaurant that just opened in January 2016 by chef/owner Christophe Saintagne. The whole evening re-affirmed our appreciation for the simplest and best pleasures of life.

Chef Saintagne has a massive list of accomplishments behind him already. He served Président Chirac at the Palais de l’Élysée, worked with Jean-François Piège at l’Hôtel de Crillon, and was head chef for Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée and then Le Meurice. He finally broke off on his own this year and opened Le Papillon in Paris’s 17th Arrondissement. Thank goodness, because my Plaza Athénée and Le Meurice objectives have been constantly challenged by a handful of obstructive forces, notably Le Ministère des Finances et des Comptes (taxes) and kids - the ideal left-hook/right-hook combination for budget/social life control.

In other words, I was completely content to be sitting with my friends at Le Papillon and eating the superb cuisine of Chef Saintagne. Every plate was spectacular, from starters to dessert. I could go on and on about each and every culinary creation, but you can get an idea with the pictures included here. What was really unanticipated and impressive to me was the chef’s disposition. He was so happy! 

I haven’t seen many French chefs moving around their restaurants being genuinely happy and relaxed. It was so surprising and enjoyable to see. He was smiling, looking at the orders, figuring out what each table was eating and then he visited every table to chat or even take orders. No one can be this happy every day, but that meal and the whole atmosphere was so uplifting that we all felt transformed for one lovely evening. Thank you, Le Papillon!

Here is a list of what we ate (in French and not all dishes, unfortunately, are pictured): Calamar, oursin, pomme Anna; asperges vertes rôties, comté, estragon; Boulgour et légumes d’hiver, herbes potagères; saumon fumé, betteraves et crème aigre; cochon fermier en promenade à Utah Beach; barbue rôtie sur canapé, herbes amères à l’olive; pigeonneau rôti, sauce salmis, navets; gâteau au chocolat, crème épicée.