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Dineocrat Explores Paris - Agapé Substance

Stinky, gorgeous, filthy, ancient, modern, progressive, backwards: the paradox that is Paris. In the past few years, Parisian food has gained the dubious reputation of being behind such fiercely modern gastronomic centers as Barcelona, New York and even London. I was there in the City of Lights and I'm here to tell you there's nothing wrong with the food!

First dinner of the trip, the night I and my dining companions arrived, was at Agapé Substance, David Toutain's outpost in the 6th. We caught the staff on their last night before their vacation, their first ever since they opened. Eighteen courses later, we were thrilled that we had made that reservation just in time. (They would have been closed during the rest of our stay in Paris.) Inventive, fun, efficient, adventurous, intimate--it was a great intro to new Parisian cuisine.
The wines here are quite a marvel, served up by a very young sommelier (he looked barely old enough to drink). The restaurant emphasizes independent, organic and unusual wines. Some of the highlights: a delicious organic Champagne from Drappier and a white from Cabernet grapes. The bouquet on the latter was unbelievably floral. We had to guess what it was before the sommelier showed the bottle, so there were speculations of Sancerre or Chablis. But the white had the slightest tinge of rose so that should be a clue should I encounter it again next time. It was quite exciting!
Agapé Substance doesn't have a traditional menu. The staff gives you a board with all the ingredients for the night and you leave your meal decisions to the hands of the chef. Now, some of my dining companions could be control freaks. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't fly, but it turned out to be one unforgettable meal.

In the excitement of the first night, I forgot to take notes. Sorry readers! But below, the topinambour (Jerusalem artichoke or sunchokes) with chestnut powder; poached egg in an emulsion (something similar to what I had at Coi in San Francisco a few years back).
Sea urchin (oursine) with a coffee emulsion. This was one of the dishes that we could not agree on: for some, the emulsion was a little too bitter, but we all agreed the uni was spectacular.
This is one hardworking crew. They try to keep the service as efficient as possible and since the place is so small, you can really feel the bustle. Below, a speck-specked soup with speck emulsion. (Speck is a type of ham.)
Pencil leeks with quail egg; Brussels sprouts with a cream emulsion.
Bread; Romanesco (dinosaur broccoli), potatoes, "dirt," and sweet potato chips.
"Carte noire" (vs. "carte blanche") choice on the menu means you get black truffles. They are generous with it! It was followed by tender veal ribs, the only meat dish of the night. The veal was accompanied by beets and beet chips.
Another first for us: a comté millésimé from Bernard Antony. Delicious! Especially with the black truffles.
Dried pear and fermented milk ice cream; a milk dessert with lemon curd; chocolate dessert with chocolate powder.
Wow! what a meal! Toutain is daring and has full confidence in his skills and ingredients, even when he's toeing the line between great and wacko dishes. It's the hallmark of the restaurant. At times subtle, other times in-your-face, the dinner was never boring. The staff was warm and welcoming, just downright friendly. The only complaint I have of this place is the backless barstool-type seating at the communal table. They are understandable considering the size of the place, but I felt some back discomfort on this three- to four-hour dinner. Paris, you can thank places like Toutain's for your exciting contemporary Parisian cuisine.

As a bonus, the Eiffel Tower all lit up on the way back to the hotel. Je l'adore!

Reservations are essential. You can do it by email and their response time is lightning fast. I mean, within minutes (within business hours), someone was replying to me. I even had a long email exchange after I realized they were going to be closed for almost the exact duration of our stay. It's how we ended up having the dinner on the night we arrived.

Carte noire dinner was expensive: Champagne, wine pairing, and all of the food above came out to about 275€ per person.

Agapé Substance
Adresse: 66, rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris, France
Téléphone: +33 1.43.29.33.83
Adresse électronique: contact@agapesubstance.com
Site web: http://www.agapesubstance.com

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