Chez Michel
Chez Michel
10 Rue de Belzunce, 75010 Paris, France
June, 2009
- Jeb Dunnuck
Thierry Breton is the chef of this small bistro and he specializes in game and classic dishes from Brittany. Located in the 10th Arrondissement of Paris, I don’t think this place could be harder to find. I’ve been lost both times I’ve visited and this time, the cab driver had to make multiple calls just to get us within walking distance. If visiting, the cross streets are Rue St. Vincent de Paul and Place de Roubaix. Hopefully that helps and I do think it’s worth the effort to find.
For this visit, Traci and I had just gotten into Paris (after spending more than a week in Chateauneuf-du-pape tasting through the 2007s), were beat and looking for a relaxing, easy evening with good food and an affordable, solid bottle of wine. Chez Michel delivered and the Soupe de Poisson, Mussels, Coq au Vin and Salmon courses were all first rate. The wine list, while not very deep, did offer value and the 2006 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape came in at under 60 euro and was a no brainer. This is certainly one of the top wines of the vintage and this bottle was even better than a previous one from a couple days earlier. Possessing awesome purity as well as the edge and cut you expect from this producer, it had top notch aromatics of dark fruit, licorice and graphite (this cuvee sees zero new wood.) Balanced, precise and very pure, my guess is that this will drink beautifully over the next 15+ years. All in all, a solid way to start a couple days in Paris!
Food:
- Soupe de Poisson
- Snails
- Mussels
- Steamed Salmon
- Coq au Vin
- Far Breton
Wine:
- 2006 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape - 94 pts.