Pétrelle, 34 rue Pétrelle, Paris 9
As I indicated in my article about lunch at Pétrelle this past May, the restaurant has been in my regular rotation for some time. But I have not previously written about dinner there. Last night’s dinner, with L and a visiting friend, may have been the best meal we have had there yet, and so deserves to be written up here.
The restaurant is located in the northeastern corner of the ninth arrondissement, not far from the Gare du Nord, on a street that seems to still harbor some industrial establishments.
The cozy, funky interior with an abundance of candles is reminiscent of a “special” dining establishment one might find in a college town in the U.S.
At dinner, there is a four-course menu for 72€ with the option last night of a fifth course of cèpes and squash for 20€/person. The menu changes frequently, so the food is always seasonal.
The diners were probably majority French, but there were a few American tables in addition to ours.
Before getting to the first menu course, however, we were treated to two amuse-bouches:
A delicious seasonal broth was in the white bowls on the left. On the right was crisp-fried chickpeas with Italian charcuterie on top that was much more than just satisfying.
The wine list, primarily natural, is excellent and includes a number of producers who are highly-sought after. We chose a 2022 Chablis from Samuel Billaud, one of the finest producers in Chablis. Despite my respect for Billaud and the reputation of 2022 as an outstanding Chablis vintage, the wine exceeded my expectations, showing superb balance, Chablis typicity, and complexity far beyond what one would expect from a mere village wine.
Following the two amuse-bouches, the official first course was a millefeuille of beets with miso and Kalamata olives.
The dish was most flavorful and harmonious, and I found it refreshingly original.
Next up was the scallop quickly plunged into hot water and served with a sauce made from the beard, and wild mushrooms and beef bone marrow.
This was an excellent dish with everything cooked perfectly and each element highlighting the others.
The main course was grilled pollock in brioche with grilled pointed lettuce and a sabayon.
Again, all the elements worked seamlessly together.
Dessert was a chilled pear in a fondante with cardamon, and chestnut sorbet in the interstices, served on a bed of a financier with pecans (the menu said hazelnuts).
The dish was light, refreshing, and harmonious, a perfect ending to the meal.
Except that there was also a final dish, a slice of fig on meringue that was in fact the perfect finish.
The final bill for three diners with one bottle of excellent Chablis:
Pétrelle doesn’t have a large number of seats. As a result, even though it is in a somewhat out-of-the-way and unfashionable location, you may have to reserve a week or more in advance, but the special quality in all aspects of the meal easily merits the advance planning.
Pétrelle
34, rue Pétrelle, 75009 Paris
Wednesday-Friday dinner, Saturday and Sunday lunch and dinner
Telephone: 01 42 82 11 02
Métro: Anvers, Poissonnière, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Barbès-Rochechouart