Chez Lazare

Chez Lazare

18 rue de Satory

Versailles

After seeing all the posters of the Grandes Eaux Musicales de Château de Versailles, we decided to give it a try. So this dinner accompanied our small trip to Versailles, paying 6.10e for a round trip fare on the RER C.


Chez Lazare is a “grill house” restaurant. Their main courses are mostly meat and as you may guess, “grilled.” Just a few minutes from the chateau, and from RER C, Chez Lazare is found in a narrow passage littered with restaurants and stores. It really was quite quaint and you could tell it was a place where people lived – actual grocery stores, residential housing above the shops, and if you continued further, the rest of the residential area of Versailles.

The restaurant is quite tiny, with a second floor, and the staff happily greet you and seat you immediately. There are tables outside as well and both the interior and exterior are attractive eating areas. As all the tables were taken outside, we took an inside seat, just under the staircase. With a redish glow, there was Marvin Gaye’s greatest hits playing, a ‘vache qui rit” poster hanging on the wooden walls, a pasta maker next to us on an old fashion stove, and lights strings around. It looked like rustic cabin, with flare and wit at the same time.

The staff was very friendly and accommodating. There are three/four menus for dinner. We did not see an option to just order a main course, but perhaps they made exceptions since the table next to us had small kids and each ordered a main course separately. You can take an: entrée + dessert, entrée+ plat, plat+ dessert, entrée + plat + dessert. 

My boyfriend and I both took an entree with a plat. He ordered the “camembert roti au miel” for an entrée, while I took the “gaspacho.” For plats, he ordered the “cotelettes d'agneau” and I took the “magret de canard.” Each plat comes with a choice of sides – legumes poelé, frites, salade or pomme au four. I took the “pomme au four” while my boyfriend took the “legumes poelé.” You also get a choice of sauce – béarnaise, poivre, beurre blanc or roquefort. He took the “poivre,” I took the “beurre blanc.”

The gaspacho was great. Very fresh tasting, with real tomatoes pieces, and the basil leaves went perfectly with the acidity of the soup. The camembert roti au miel was very original. The honey really brought something extra to the melted camembert and it was accompanied by a surprisingly large salad. My boyfriend apparently found it a bit unnecessary to have so much salad as it was just an entrée, but he ate it nonetheless. We are definitely going to try camembert roti at home now!

My canard was very good, but grilled duck tastes very different than how I normally have it and it was my first time tasting duck grilled on a barbeque. It gives it a different texture, a bit more tough like steak, but a nice smokey flavor.  The sauce was no biggie, but the pomme au four was very good. The French eat baked potatoes with a crème fraiche mix with chives on it (like our sour cream and chives). It had been ages since I had a baked potato so maybe it tasted oh-so-good just because I haven’t had one in so long. Overall, my plat was satisfactory, although not outstanding.

The cotelettes d’agneau were well cooked and well seasoned. The sauce au poivre was a bit strong though (and even I thought so as well). It tasted very strongly of pepper, due to the poivre vert they used. Normally pepper sauces aren’t as strong, but this one had to be used sparingly with the meat or else it would dominant the natural flavor.

Overall, the food is good, but we found the prices a bit expensive for what it was. Our entrée + plat was 22.50e for each of us. Perhaps it was because we were in Versailles (which is always a bit more pricey) or because the meat they used was of very good quality. It was a nice meal and good environment. If you are in Versailles and  want to go out for a nice dinner with your loved one I would recommend this one, but not for the tourist bypasser who is trying to save some money.

Baan Boran

43 rue Montpensier 75001

Metro: Louvre Rivoli

Baan Boran is a quaint Thai restaurant nestled away from the touristy streets of Paris. Located behind a large historical building, rue Montpensier is littered with small Thai restos (well, at least two).

The ambiance feels classy. Dark painted walls, dim lighting, tinkling fountains, cream colored tablecloths and fancy origami napkins. The service is not as friendly - upon entering the restaurant, we were given stares of amazement (we weren't sure whether it was because they've never seen customers before, or they just didn't know what to do with us). We were seated by the window, given our menus, without any fancy talk (or any talking at all for that matter).

I ordered Pad Thai, under the Thai classics portion, and my bf, who I will call Totoro (because I feel like it) ordered a spicy chicken curry. The pad thai was decent. The plate is well laid out, with a crispy fresh purple flower on the side, and the noodles not greasy, yet a bit dry. I think I expected something more peanuty. Or maybe just more saucy. it was definitely more dry than I expected, but still tasty and satisfying, despite the not-so-big portion. I appreciated the less grease.

Totoro's curry was not spicy, although it was spicy enough for him. The rice came in this small bamboo basket, tall and skinny with a cover on top. It wasn't exactly "handy" and so Totoro ended up just dumping the rice onto his plate. The curry was good, but nothing special.

The highlight of the evening was the bathroom. That probably sounds weird to you, but I was impressed with the real towels provided. Nicely folded, fresh, white...it added class to the already classy atmosphere. But then you wonder if they really are saving tress by doing a load of laundry for white hand towels every night. Go fig.

Price-wise it wasn't too bad. Thai food in Paris is normally expensive, which is astounding to most Americans who find it a cheaper alternative. The pad thai was about 10-11 euros while the curry was 13-14 euros with 2 euros for the rice. We didn't order dessert as they didn't look very tempting. Most of it was fruit based, fresh fruits, and sorbets. It also didn't seem very Thai.

Overall, we probably wouldn't go again specifically for that restaurant. If we happen to be in the area and are hungry and we know we want good food, we would most likely stop by. The same recommendation goes for all of you. If you happen to be in the area, don't want expensive and touristy food, go and try it. It's not poisonous, I wouldn't say it's the best (although it is the first Thai restaurant I have tried), and you'll be happy in the end, although not ecstatic. But I wouldn't recommend you go jump on the metro and invite all your friends for an amazing Thai experience.