La Gazetta

La Gazzetta is located in the Bastille area of Paris.  We went there for dinner this evening.  A small bistro owned by the same people that own Le Fumoir and China Club.  Le Fumoir I would definitely not recommend for eating but La Gazzetta has been getting good reviews based on a young Swede in the kitchen. 

There are a few options on the menu.  Either prix fixe for four courses, six courses or a la carte.  Fred and I went with the four courses and the kids went a la carte.  Nice warm friendly bistro.  The four course is 37 euro which is quite the deal. 

The girls started with salad d'hiver which is greens and thinly sliced root vegetables.  Simple and nothing to write home about.  Josh began with a ravioli dish.  6 small raviolis stuffed with ricotta and carrots over a vegetable bouillon broth.  A bit on the sour side but interesting.  Fred and I began with a puree of cabbage with a mixture of long slices of calamari, tiny peas and herbs running through it.  Think mashed potatoes with calamari.  It was ok but certainly creative. 

Next course out was my favorite, hands down.   Crispy skinned cod that had been cooked in a buttery hazel nut sauce with roasted leeks over the top.  The fish was perfect.  The nut butter added a whole other flavor that was simple and layered.  Really good.

Em had the roasted caramelized scallops and cauliflower with a foamy sauce over the top.  Foam is obviously the latest thing straight from El Bulli.  I say to all chefs...lose the foam.  Jess went with the white fish that had rich sauce with a little bit of pistachios.  The girls gave both a thumbs down.  I tasted the scallops and didn't love them either.  Josh went with the pizza.  Had no chance to even try it.  He obviously liked it.  Fred and I were served the lamb.  A tad too cold.  One piece was of the liver.  The other was of the chop, cut and served as a thick round piece with no bone and with thinly sliced poached celery and a puree of potatoes.  It was good.

Fred and I, as part of our tasting, got a dessert.  Out came a brownie which was  actually like a fruit chocolate pudding, soft fruit bread.  Not my thing that came with a scoop of creme caramel sorbet.  The other dessert ( two for the price of one) was thinly sliced pineapple that had been baked almost to a crisp with a scoop of meringue and a few chopped up toasted pistachios. All creative but not my thing.

I didn't love La Gazzette but did like the vibe and think it is probably one of those places that if you go on a night when you love the menu, you are psyched, but other times it isn't what you were hoping for. 

My favorite part was coming home on the metro.  I was sitting next to Josh and took pictures of Fred, Jess and Em texting away.  Like father, like children.