Le Bon Georges in the 9th is a place I ate at a month ago but seems like only yesterday. I resolved then to not eat in the mash or nosh pit but up on the bar level d/t the noise below and as if guided by my thoughts, more likely by my blog's statement, our genial waitguy steered us towards a nice round table upstairs. The left side of the ardoise lists the producers of their products - from meats to coffee - the right side the desserts and in between the eats including a côte de boeuf which must be ordered in advance (but more about that later.)
Madame our World Culinary Food Tour and Cooking Class friend ordered the pied de veau which was good but her sculptor-husband's tart of cooked shallots, so sweet I swooned, and my white but perfectly-burned asparagus with a rich mousseline sauce and dried beef, were extraordinary, really.
Then the ladies both had the chicken with a cream sauce that ached for a morrel or two, although it was superb without, but could'ha been super-superb with; M. had the same asparagus but more of which; and I had slices of truly blue (as ordered) milk-fed Spring lamb that were as great as everything else.
And then, and then,....... our wait-guy, who until then had been most friendly, most welcoming and most informative about everything including the côte that one must order in advance turned sadistic and showed me a platter of the côte headed for another table that caused me to seize up in a spasm of jealousy. But wait....
One of the folks at the table getting said côte asked if we'd like to try it, we said yes, and he kindly and generouly sent over two heavenly slices. He later dropped by and spoke to us in a mixture of St Maloian French and Glaswegian English and we thanked him profusely and sent over an armagnac, a small token of our great appreciation for an act I've not experienced anywhere in the world.
As a finale, Colette ordered and shared her fine rice pudding with us, which was over and above the average of such.
Our bill with two bottles of wine, no bottled water and two Brazilian H. Courty coffees, was 103 E a couple. For such a meal.
Go? I'm coming back just for the côte de boeuf you can be sure.