L’Aubergeade {Paris} – Double Trouble

I was told by a local to keep this one a secret. I told him sure no problem, but failed to mention that I’m not very good at keeping secrets. Not to mention the local who gave me this secret equally sucks at it. Sometimes secrets get you in trouble. Like when I told my primary doctor that I smoked cigarettes at the age of 6. He’s old and didnt quite get the half joke and sent me for a Chest CT scan and other tests.

With the war in the Middle East consuming our lives these days, our visit to L’Aubergeade feels like ages ago. But it was only last month. On our first night in Paris the stars aligned, and everything clicked. Well, until we picked the “iPhone Tower” as our after meal Passeggiata. Its like a giant iPhone commercial these days as that’s all you see all around you. iPhones, red balloons, and a tower somewhere between it all.

L’Aubergeade is an old timer, run by two old timers. Twins in fact. I was about to say to my wife, “its like there are two of him”, until I noticed our waiter/owner had a different shirt this time. The twins easily handled the entire house, running around like two teenagers. In the US we are accustomed to seeing double the amount of workers in places this size, not to mention half the age of the twins.

Early on the silky smooth Foie Gras with clementine jam was a nice preview of things to come. Even more memorable was the addictive Escargot. Garlicky, buttery, awesomeness. Just like we like them. The problem with perfect escargot on your first night in Paris is that the rest of the stay they may seem pedestrian (and they were).

The deconstructed steak tartare was more deconstructed than I anticipated with all the ingredients including all the sauces on the table. But after mixing it up with some adjustments I think I’m ready for a chef de Tartare at Granite. Not sure I prefer it this way but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Leg of lamb with couscous was masterfully cooked. Extremely tender and scrumptious. Finished with a nice “Norwegian Omelet”, a new one for us. Essentially a baked Alaska. Flambéed, ultra light, fluffy, with an ice cream surprise inside. My favorite kind of surprise.

L’Aubergeade is just the kind of rustic we look for on our travels. Judging by the amount of locals in the house, it seems like everyone’s kind. Its not quite on the tourist trail. The residential location in the 12th will probably make sure of that. Tremendous value to boot with 88 euros total including a nice bottle of house white. This is a major Go!