The Top 3: Vol IV.

A tasting menu, a great lunch spot, and one truly great bar

When the days get longer and the weather improves, as it has in the last two weeks, the call to spend every minute of daylight out of the house becomes irresistible. Now, the earth’s tilt brings palpable depth to our part of the country after flattening it to a gray and sullen husk of a place. It’s why long lunches on sun-drenched terraces can feel downright spiritual. But it’s the evening feeling that gets me most. Stumbling back onto the streets at 10 p.m. after a memorable, satisfying meal to discover the evening sky’s golden glow elicits a particular kind of joy, one I have only felt more intensely in Sweden (more on the joys of a Nordic summer here).

And it’s that joy I tapped into during and after three recent outings. The food and drinks were memorable but so was the very particular moment in which they were consumed. Sometimes that makes all the difference.

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1 - FULGURANCES L’ADRESSE
10 rue Alexandre Dumas, 75011

In the last eight years, the trio behind Fulgurances has grown their chef residency program across three spaces in Paris—L’Adresse, wine bar, and L’Entrepôt. But it’s at L’Adresse, the first of the bunch, that some of the most talented, emerging culinary stars get to show off their style for six months. At the moment, it’s the Uruguayan chef Nazareno Mayol, who has worked for Mauro Colagreco at Mirazur and David Toutain in Paris, who commands the kitchen through September. His cooking is plant-forward, highly textured, and truly surprising— rarely have I seen flavor pairings, such as fermented banana purée, comté cream, and Espelette pepper, come together so beautifully as in his Tartelette (shown above), served as an amuse-bouche. Another highlight for me for its texture was one of the starters, peas in a beurre blanc with coriander seeds, capers, fried spelt, onions and fermented spelt powder. The wine list was stellar (wine pairing costs extra, of course) but my friend Alice and I opted for one divine glass of Bonnet-Ponson natural Champagne— the perfect companion to an exciting, very green, early summer meal.

Chef Mayol’s tasting menu is only offered in the evening. A separate chef and menu is served at lunch. Reserve here.

2 - KISSPROOF
50 rue de Belleville, 75020

As I get older, the kinds of bars I want to spend time in are those that might be defined as chill. They’re bars that put together solid playlists but don’t dial up the volume to the point where conversation requires a megaphone; they’re intimate without inspiring claustrophobia; they deliver consistently good service and have a knockout food menu. There are a few in Paris that meet this personal standard but the most delightful I’ve discovered recently is this Lebanese bar in Belleville that opened first in Beirut, ten years ago. You’ll recognize it by its yellow façade and eye-catching neon sign. The cocktails are sharp and the wines are smartly selected but if you’re more into hard spirits, they’ve got an entire menu dedicated to absinthe. Whatever you do, don’t leave without trying the food: chef Mohamad Flayfil has put together a brilliant small(ish) plates menu with dishes like smoked labneh & straccietella topped with togarashi oil; a lentil salad with rutabaga, chankliche (often spelled shanklish), a cow or sheep’s milk cheese common to Levantine cooking; a kickass chipotle chicken sandwich (which is honestly a proper meal) and what I’m told is a stellar burger that I’ll have to go back to try. (Menu available here).

I walked back onto rue de Belleville at 9:30 p.m. and felt happy and taken care of which is honestly the experience every establishment should be delivering if they’re doing things right.

Aube, with resident chef Carrie Solomon

3 - AUBE
8 rue de la Main d’Or, 75011

Leave it to an American to pursue all of their talents in one, impressive career: that’s what Carrie Solomon has done since she’s been in France for the last twenty years. A talented photographer, author, recipe developer (for restaurants and Elle Magazine) and cheffe, she has been a fixture of the food scene in some form ever since I started documenting the landscape back in 2012. She spun her latest book, Breakfast All Day into the concept at Aube (formerly Buffet, owned by Audrey Jarry of Au Passage), where she has taken over as cheffe in residence for the next year. What feels so special is the pairing of a contemporary menu with an atmosphere so seldomly preserved today. So few, truly old school establishments like this remain in Paris since most have gotten a modern update and have none of the old world patina that Aube has retained.

In essence, a wonderful place to read the newspaper over breakfast, linger for a meal midday (Turkish egg tartine, different deviled eggs each day, fresh and interesting salads, green gaspacho and much more), or trickle in for a late lunch— they don’t close until 4 p.m. You’ll be as charmed by the decor, the light, and Carrie’s cooking as I was.

Enjoy!