Experiencing
Italian Cuisine in France
Italian food in France has roots which go back very far in
history. Around the Mediterranean Basin, there were many exchanges
in the ancient times. Cuisine and food habits were no exception
to the rule and followed the trade routes. Although some products
were already known in Massalia (now Marseille, a Phocaean counter
since 600 BC), they spread widely among the Gauls as the influences
from Italy grew quickly after the conquest of Gaul by the Caesar's
legions 2000 years ago. Among these products, the Romans developed
the culture of grapevine to make wine. They introduced the oven
and with it the skills of cooking bread. They brought with them
the choppers and taught how to prepare the sausages. In the
mean time, the Gauls shipped to Rome live fish and oysters,
kept in barrels with sea water.
Since then these cross border influences have not stopped.
More recently, during the Renaissance, the fashion came again
from Italy and benefited a lot to the French cuisine and tableware.
The plates appeared first on the wedding table of François
1er, the forks during the reign of his grandson, Henri III.
His mother Catherine of Medicis, when coming to marry his father
Henri II, brought with her the pasta, and the American bean
from the then West Indies. In her suite was count Frangipani,
already known for his pastry cream, together with many Italian
cooks. In fact, at that time, having an Italian chef was a must
in any noble house. Of course, this did challenge the French
chefs who observed, compared, and improved their techniques
to take the lead back.
Today, it is much easier to travel, and these transalpine
influences are still present. One can experience a true superb
Italian cuisine while staying in Paris. They are lots of Italian
restaurants, ranging from the pizzeria to the high class tables.
Here are some of our favourites, in different styles, and located
in various places of interest, to help you to make an Italian
trip to Paris.
About half way between the Invalides and the Eiffel Tower,
in the little Malar Street, there is Beato, run by Ivano Giordani,
who settled here in 1984. In this refined and cosy décor,
you will run into some chic Paris people. When the headquarters
of the French TV were nearby, lots of TV stars were seen in
its elegant dining room, and even the late President Mitterrand
used to invite his daughter here to share an Italian dinner
with him. Everything is of the utmost freshness, and besides
the specials of the day, you can have an à la carte summary
of Italian cuisine. As starters, you have a choice between different
antipasti, a superb prosciutto di Parma, stewed artichokes with
herbs or parmesan cheese, sautéed sea shells and crustaceans,
an assortment of grilled vegetables, a scampi and shrimps salad,
or a marinated salmon with basil and lemon,. Then, of course,
come the pastas, all sorts of pastas : penne all'arrabbiata
(spicy tomato sauce with garlic), tortelloni al Gorgonzola,
spaghetti ai frutti di mare, tagliatelle terra e mare (tomato
sauce, artichokes and shrimps) or with scampi or salmon, penne
ai quattro formaggi (in a creamy sauce with 4 cheeses),. After
the pastas, you can have fish: fried scampi and zucchini, assorted
grilled catches of the day, or superb scampi with tomato and
basil, or a roast salmon,. For meats, you may try the tasty
veal scaloppine al limone (in a lemon sauce), or with artichokes,
a beef fillet with a balsamic vinegar sauce, or even simple
lamb cutlets grilled with herbs. Should you care for a dessert,
you may want the genuine tiramisu, with coffee or red fruit,
the chocolate iced truffle or a thin hot apple pie. To drink
with all this, you will chose between French wines (with a short
but good selection of Bordeaux wines :
95 Haut-Médoc Château du Taillan, Saint-Emilion
Domaine de la Gaffelière, 97 Lalande de Pomerol Château
de Viaud,..) or Italian wines, White (Pinot Grigio La Staffa,
Orvieto Salviano) or Red : 97 Valpolicella Campolieti, 93 Portulano
Rosso del Salento (from Apulia), 94 Barolo Pio Cesare, a rare
91 Barolo Gaia Sperss, 95 Tignanello Antinori, or a rarity,
a 96 Sassicaia, which Ivano was among the first ones to serve
in France, all of them at very reasonable prices. For two, you
will spend about $100.
Near Notre Dame and the Sainte Chapelle, in the Ile de la
Cîté, you will find Il Delfino. It is at the very
end of the island, opening on one side to the Quai des Orfèvres,
where are the Criminal Police Headquarters, familiar to Simenon's
Inspecteur Maigret, to the Place Dauphine on the other side.
The Place Dauphine is one of the loveliest places in Paris,
which you must see when visiting this area. In the Delfino's
friendly atmosphere, you will have a typical Italian experience.
Starting with fresh marinated sardines, grilled marinated peppers,
a salad with fresh cheese in olive oil, or a carpaccio, you
will soon be ready for pastas prepared the classical way : spaghetti
alla Bolognese, Napoletana or Carbonara, fettucine alla Ciociara
(with bacon, green peas, mushrooms and parmesan), penne all'arrabbiata,
tortellini alla Tratevere, lasagna al forno. You may also have
fish (grilled gambas, scampi in white wine and tomato sauce,
or with a cream and Cognac sauce), or meat : veal scalopine
Valdostana (with ham and cheese), or in a Marsala wine sauce,
or Delfino (with a tomato sauce and mushrooms), saltimbocca
alla Romana (with Parma prosciutto and white wine). For dessert,
you may want to try the ones I like most, the home made tiramisu,
or the Marsala zabaglione. Each day, there are also the chef's
specials, depending on his mood and on the market. The wines
to go with all this are quite good and you will have no trouble
to make your choice between the classics : Chianti, Valpolicella,
Barolo,. For two, it will cost you about $70.
Off the Place de la Concorde in the rue Cambon, almost across
from the US Consulate, you will see the Castille hotel (part
of the Sofitel Demeure Hotels). It is ideally located, in the
heart of one of the nicest shopping areas in Paris, at a walking
distance from the Louvre Museum, the Place Vendôme, or
the Opera. Inside, it opens onto a florentine-style patio, with
a trompe l'oeil painted wall and a splendid stone fountain.
This is the Il Cortile restaurant. From the inside dining room,
you can see the superb kitchen, a dream for any chef, with its
broiler and spit. The Italian Cuisine at Il Cortile reaches
summits. No wonder, it has been re-visited by Nicolas Vernier,
30, under the supervision of Alain Ducasse, our most starred
chef in France (8 Michelin stars altogether). Nicolas is the
living example of this subtle mixture between the French high
cuisine which he learnt with Alain and the Italian spirit he
has naturally from his Italian born mother and his own experience
of the Riviera. The menu, which changes with the seasons, is
just an Italian symphony: as starters, green asparagus with
parmesan powder and reduced balsamic vinegar, or an assortment
of salads and aromatic herbs with fried scampi. The pastas have
been recreated as well: cannelloni with ink, crab and lobster
meat and a subtle fennel cream, maltagliati with quails and
morels stew, risotto with purple asparagus and roast juice,
or a panned Milanese risotto with braised veal sweetbreads.
Then, from the broiler or the plancha, minute cooked, you will
be tempted by a thick roasted slice of swordfish with mixed
citrus and ground peppers, veal piccata with sage and beets,
or a beef fillet with truffles and Marsala wine sauce. A la
carte, you will have some other examples of this subtle, sunny,
perfumed, colored and tasty Mediterranean cuisine. Gourmet dishes
are here to celebrate each season's finest products. It is now
the right time for asparagus (risotto with raw and cooked asparagus),
lobster (lobster meat and coral with pasta salad and black Taggia
olives), poutargue (also known as Sardinia caviar, in salad
with artichokes, celery and tomato), Parmigiano Reggiano (parmigiano
chips with figs, fresh fennel and balsamic vinegar), Tartufi
d'Alba (white truffle from Piedmont, with spaghettini or a creamy
risotto). For dessert, you will be in trouble to decide between
strawberry soup in Barolo wine with lemon sherbet, tiramisu,
Panna Cotta, or zabaglione with Marsala,. For wines, Il Cortile
offers one of the most comprehensive Italian wine list in Paris,
from 80 vineyards, covering all the wine regions in Italy, even
the most remote ones : Calabria (white 96 Pian della Corte Scavigna
- Odoardi), Apulia (white 96 Vigna di Grazia - Maci, red 95
Falcone Ris), Valle d'Aosta (96 Syrah), Friuli (96 Merlot Grave
- Fantinel), Sardegna (94 Terre Brune). A dinner for two will
cost you about $140, and there is a 3 course luncheon special,
wine included for $40 per person.
Near the Arc de Triomphe, off the Place de l'Etoile is another
superb restaurant, Sormani. Owned and run by Jean-Pascal Fayet
since January 1985, it has always been considered as one of
the best Italian restaurants in Paris. Jean-Pascal Fayet is
one of these chefs who keep renewing the Italian cuisine. He
is a truffle lover, and you will not be surprised to find these
mushrooms in many specialties. You may go for them as they are
exquisite. Everything here is original and a subtle mixture
of tradition and new tastes, where the authenticity of the ingredients
is always respected. As starters, you might be tempted by a
salad of lentils with clams and squids in a basil cream, or
the soup of white beans with bacon and scampi, or a simple carpaccio
of tuna. Then you will want a fish, the catch of the day, or
sea robin fillets, with mashed potatoes in olive oil with basil.
Or you will prefer pastas, ravioli with duck foie gras and mushrooms,
ravioli with lobster and tarragon, tagliatelle with bacon, white
beans and black truffles, or with mashed onions and veal sweetbreads,
ravioli with goat cheese and black truffle, cannelloni with
cod and leeks. For meat you will chose between a hot beef carpaccio
with black truffle, a grilled veal kidney with mashed potatoes
and olive oil, a grilled veal liver with mashed onions and spinach,
or a subtle piece of veal stuffed with black truffle. Since
you are not on a diet, you will want a dessert, a splendid tiramisu,
a hot chocolate pyramid with caramel sauce, or an assortment
of sherbets and ice creams. The wine list will fulfill all your
expectations, with wines from many Italian regions. White: Pinot
Grigio della Staffa (Friuli), Conte della Vipera (Umbria), Nozze
d'Oro (Sicily), or red : Venetia (94 Amarone Luigi Righetti),
Piedmont (94 Barolo Pio Cesare, 95 Barolo Marcarini La Serra,
98 Dolcetto d'Alba L. Sandrone), Tuscany (97 Santa Cristina,
97 Peppoli Chianti Classico, 96 Sassicaia, 94 Sangioveto, 96
Cabreo, 96 Pomino Rosso). For two, you will pay about $160,
and for lunchtime, there is also a 3 course menu at $35 per
person, without wine.
Jean-Pascal owns also 2 smaller Italian restaurants worth
trying, Le Vinci and La Cafetière.
In the heart of the Saint-Germain des Prés quarter,
in one of the very typical streets of Paris, the Pizza Santa
Lucia offers pizzas among the best ones in Paris. If you have
cocktails before your meal, and if it is not too crowded (as
it is not on the menu), ask for a pizza pane, a plain pizza
with nothing on it. You will find it much better than any crackers.
At the entrance, a large antipasti buffet raises your appetite.
Then you can see in the back a true wood fire heated oven in
which the pizzas are cooked, and which gives them this special
and unmistakable taste. You can have all kinds of pizzas, 4
cheese, Neptune (tuna and tomato), Cantona (sea food), Mimmo
(tomato, mozzarella, eggplant), Mollicone (sausage, ham, egg,
tomato, cheese), Napoletana (tomato, cheese, anchovies, capers).
For pastas, the choice between the typical Italian specialties
is also very wide, spaghetti with tomato and basil, with clams,
parpadelle with prosciutto, with salmon, penne all'arrabbiata
or with mushrooms and ham, tortiglioni with tomato, eggplant
and mozzarella. You may also ask for fish (grilled or fried
squids, fried scampi, mussels) or meat (beef fillet with Gorganzola
or pepper, scaloppini, bocconcini). To drink, you will chose
within a short but well selected Italian wine list : Chianti
classico Villa Antinori, Lambrusco Amabile, Barbera, Cabreao
or Yago Valpolicella. For two, you will spend about $70.
In the rue du Bac, just across from the Bon Marché
department store, you will find Le Petit Tiberio. It is a small
authentic Italian restaurant, like any trattoria you would see
in a small town in the South of Italy. Apart from the specials
of the day, the menu list may seem short, but you can find in
it everything you want: as starters, a choice between a tomato
and mozzarella salad, prosciutto di Parma, mozzarella alla Tiberio
(tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, olives, peppers), carpaccio,
eggplants and tomatos parmigiana. Then the home made pastas
confirm that you are really in Italy : tagliatelle Bolognese
or Carbonara, penne alla Tiberio (with tuna, olives and grapes),
fettuccine with tomato and basil, ravioli with spinach and ricotta,
spaghetti alla putanesca (tomato sauce with olives, capers,
anchovies and peppers). For meat, you will chose between a fegato
alla Veneziana (veal liver), piccatina al limone (veal steack
with lemon), or with Marsala sauce, tomato and capers sauce,
mozzarella or mushrooms. For two, the cost will be about $50.
Not very far away from the Place de la Bastille and its Opera,
there is a superb restaurant and pizzeria in the rue de la Roquette,
which leads to the Pere Lachaise cemetery. It is called Il Farnese,
run by Giorgio and Marilena Tano. It is a very friendly atmosphere
where you will feel at home, in Italy. You will eat there a
true Naples pizza, with a thin crust in the middle, and a thicker
and crispy one on the sides. There are all kinds of pizzas,
with anything you want on them. Besides pizzas, you will of
course have also a wide choice of pastas, prepared in a frank
and authentic way: penne, spaghetti, tagliatelle, ravioli, lasagne,
with all the Italian fillings and sauces you may dream of. For
meat, you can try the superb saltimbocca alla Romana, or any
of the scaloppini (alla Milanese, with ham and cheese, or with
lemon and cream). Don't forget to ask for the specials of the
day which are always a good surprise. The Italian wine list
will help you to have good classical Italian wines to drink
with your food (Chianti, Valpolicella, Barolo, Barbera). When
going there, if you run into a man looking like Rocco Siffredi,
don't be surprised, as chances are it is the genuine Rocco,
who happens to be a close relative of the owners. For two, it
will cost about $50.
Beato - 8 rue Malar - 75007 Paris - Tel : 33 (0)1 47 05 94
27 - Fax : 33 (0)1 45 55 64 41 - Métro : Invalides
Il Delfino - 74 quai des Orfèvres / 29 place Dauphine
- 75001 Paris - Tel : 33 (0)1 43 54 16 71 - Métro : Pont-Neuf
/ Cité
Il Cortile - 37 rue Cambon - 75001 Paris - Tel : 33 (0)1 44
58 45 67 - Fax : 33 (0)1 40 15 97 64 - Métro : Concorde
Sormani - 4 rue du Général Lanrezac - 75017
Paris - Tel : 33 (0)1 43 80 13 91 - Fax : 33 (0)1 40 55 07 37
- Métro : Charles de Gaulle Etoile
Le Petit Tiberio - 132 rue du Bac - 75007 Paris - Tel : 33
(0)1 45 48 76 25 - Métro : Sèvres-Babylone
Santa Lucia - 22 rue des Cannettes - 75006 paris - Tel : 33
(0)1 43 26 42 68 - Métro : Mabillon / Saint Germain des
Prés
Il Farnese - 45 rue de la Roquette - 750011 Paris - Tel :
33 (0)1 40 21 65 91 - Fax : 33 (0)1 40 21 89 17 - Métro
: Bastille / Voltaire
Le Vinci - 23 rue Paul Valéry - 75116 Paris - Tel :
33 (0)1 45 01 68 18 - Fax : 33 (0)1 45 01 60 37 - Métro
: Victor Hugo
La Cafetière - 21 rue Mazarine - 75006 Paris - Tel
: 33 (0)1 46 33 76 90 - Fax : 33 (0)1 43 25 76 90 - Métro
: Odéon
