L’Epi Dupin

Simply the best meal we had on this trip and certainly the best restaurant I have eaten at in Paris in this price range is L’Epi Dupin! This chef owned restaurant has a unique atmosphere that is both traditional yet updated. White starch table cloths adorn the tables yet there is a cool tall wooden bar type table with bar stools. Waiters bring the handwritten menu to the table for your perusal. There is a wide selection of entrees and main courses that are intriguing and eclectic without being weirdly over the top. Words cannot describe how interesting the menu was so I took a photo of it and am including it in this post so you can have a look at it.

The four gal pals each selected different entrees, main courses and desserts so we could sample one another’s dishes. I chose the following:

Effilochée d’agneau et pommes en l’air au curry

Pave de faux filet de bœuf et son croustillant de ver

Crème chaud au chocolat et glace au prouvé

The lamb starter was out of this world and seasoned to perfection! I am not a huge lamb fan and wanted to push my palette tendencies by ordering “out of my comfort zone” and boy does this gal pal now love lamb!

It has been my experience that French chefs tend to cook beef more well done than American chefs leaving the meat a tad dry and underwhelming. Given this bias, I was dying to test Francois’ version. Wow! This place nailed it – the meat was tender and melted in my mouth and the sauce had a combination of flavors that left me feeling like I could eat it every night without getting bored.

Ah, dessert. This gal pal loves chocolate and is very picky when it comes to the consistency and the quality of the cocoa. The warm creamy chocolate came in a rather generous portion sized ceramic pot and was served with a dollop of ice cream that had the consistency of a fine cream that melted in my mouth.

Chef Pasteau and the Gal Pals

Merci beaucoup to the charming Chef François Pasteau for a fabulous meal that these gal pals will remember for a life time! Also merci François for the adorable chrome purse hook with your restaurant logo. It was an unexpected pleasure. Those of us that return to Paris each year will definitely make our reservations early to ensure that we are not denied a table. Special thanks to the two people who recommended this place – Margo (a frequent Paris visitor) and Jeff the tutor for recommending this place to me and for getting me in shape to be able to converse en Français.

11 Rue Dupin – 75006 PARIS – Tel. : +33 (0)1 42 22 64 56 – [email protected]