April 2006
Paris ’06
by Cynthia Sin-Yi Cheng
LE MAUZAC
7, rue de L’Abbé de L’Épée
75005 Paris
01.46.33.75.22
What I love about bistrots à vin is that wine is coupled with home-style cooking, that you can focus on smaller, up-and-coming French regions with producers that aren’t necessarily on the export market and that the clientele don’t get all dressed up to taste wine.
I found myself in my favorite city with a fever midway through my stay. Even in my state of delirium I still had one thing on my mind: bistrots à vin. I had a limited time but wanted to finally write this piece for Cravings to share a few good addresses. So, I mustered enough energy and headed for Le Mauzac one night. Due to the recent protest against the CPE (Contrat Première Embauche=First Employment Contract), part of rue Saint Jacques was blocked off, which meant I had to take an indirect route from where I was staying in the 5th arrondissement. Of course, even that didn’t deter my sense of curiosity and mission.
Crowded and lively, the ambiance is very welcoming at Le Mauzac (named after an indigenous grape from southwest France that is usually seen under the Gaillac appellation). I saw that on the blackboard above the bar the champagne of the moment was Jacquesson Cuvée n°729, a favorite of mine. I ordered it in a heartbeat only to be told, with some delay, that they ran out of the wine and replaced it with A. Laurans (€8). I compromised. It definitely did not live up to my original choice. It was a standard house champagne with a short finish.
Okay, I was under the weather so a bit less patient than usual (or I’m beginning to think that New Yorkers are just out-of-sync with the rest of the world in terms of demanding immediate results), but, I felt like I waited for hours for each order, which made the rhythm at this bistro a bit off for me.
Don’t get me wrong, there was no attitude — unlike so much of what I get in my beloved Gotham city — though let’s just say the service was very “relaxed.” I started with a mille-feuille de rouget et concombre, crème aux herbes fraîches (Mille-feuille of Red Mullet and Cucumber in a Fresh Herb Cream) (€8). Somehow I was a bit thrown off since “mille-feuille” conjures a sense of thin, multilayered texture for me, but the rouget came in rather thick pieces overlapping with the cucumbers covered and herb cream.
For main, I very much enjoyed a filet mignon de veau rôti à l’huile de truffle noire, écrasée de pommes de terre à la fourchette (Veal Filet Mignon with Black Truffle Oil accompanied by Fork-Mashed Potatoes) (€20). The veal was tender as can be, although maybe a bit rosé for American standards. I can still taste it as I am writing…. The chunky mashed potatoes were terribly good also. Befittingly, I asked for a glass of the 2004 Mauzac Noir from Robert Plageoles (€4,45). A good match.
I never skip fromage at the end of a meal in France. To accompany my cheese plate (€14,50), the matron in charge — who reminded me of Morticia from the Addams Family — brought over a glass of 2004 Domaine de la Ferme Saint Martin Baume de Venise Rouge (€5).
My overall assessment is that since the food is not the type of home-style cooking that I crave (unlike that of Les Enfants Rouges) and not cheap for a casual meal (my bill totaled €65), next time around I’d go back at lunchtime and have a lighter meal with some good wines by the glass. Knowing how I can’t hurry the service, I’d prefer a day when I have nothing planned in the afternoon. In this easygoing light, I think I’d rather enjoy Le Mauzac.
