Gastronomic Paris: David Toutain
Why not here? Why not now? Is there a better place to dream than Paris? Ratatouille.
Paris . What to say—at this point, from Paris. From Saint-Germain-des-Pres, Colette , Le portail du cloître de Notre Dame, Aesop, the Fromagerie by Laurent Dubois or Charlie Mingus and Chet Baker in The Dome of Montparnasse.
But in Tablecloth & Knife We are here to talk about pittance, so today (and here) we start a gastronomic journey through the Paris that we like the most: of great restaurants of "creative cuisine" but also of bistros, taverns, cocktail bars and (oh yeah) fromageries.
we start with David Tutain , perhaps the most personal talent; It is essential to know his cuisine to understand the present (and future) of Parisian haute cuisine. “Nature, seasons and emotions”, this is how he defines David his proposal the day of this dinner-interview , where in addition to knowing his Reine Des Prés menu (17 dishes, adding snacks, desserts and cheeses) we were able to talk about avant-garde, social networks, wines and the future.
creativity and flavor
The journey of this thirty-three-year-old boy from Normandy is surprising. land on L'Arpege of the teacher Alain Passard (#12 in 50 Best, the first Parisian restaurant on S.Pellegrino's list) . After Marc Veirat up to the kitchen Agape Substance , where international recognition and the "Who is this kid?" of gourmets from around the world. After Mugaritz —impressed by Andoni's cuisine— and New York, the time has come to embark on his own business, and he opens this small establishment in **Les invalides (District VII)**, next to the imposing church of Saint Louis and the tomb of Le Petit Cabron (who, by the way, was very little interested in gastronomy, like almost any military man) .
This same year he received his first Michelin Star at this location on Rue Surcouf. and its recognition by gastropaths from all over the world: Toutain is already a destination in itself. A “destination restaurant”, like his beloved temple in Rentería . Part of the blame for notoriety, the result of his work (natural, without imposture) on social networks —which he sees as an extension of his natural language: the kitchen . So it should be.
The youngest and most radical talent of the Parisian gastronomic avant-garde
“Nature, seasons and emotions”
My kitchen? “We are focused on making the customer happy. We live in an exciting moment, in which we cooks are looking for our voice, our kitchen identity that allows us to express ourselves”. Review some of the great dishes of dinner: oyster with yuzu sauce, peas (wonderful), fried prawn with shrimp and avocado, asparagus and seasonal mushrooms . A line connects them: simplicity, flavor and creativity.
The simplicity of David Toutain
We drank a 2011 Saint Roman from Domaine Taupenot-Merme , and one of the details (the room and the staging, full of subtle details) that made me fall in love was the table presentation of different knives (at the diner's choice) the result of the work of the artisan cutlery of Antoine Van Locke in Belgium. Things yes.
I also review my notes: ease, freedom, naturalness, flavor, lack of complexes and no (but no) need for grand gestures , not a trace of pretentiousness —eye, we are in Paris. Direct kitchen that seems to say: here we have come to enjoy.
**(*) ** On this occasion, the scenario-center of operations chosen for the weekend it was DaVinci , a beautiful hotel with twenty-four rooms in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés; the “intellectual” district known (also) for the Café de Flore, where Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir or Godard lived.
Why the name? Attention to history: in 1911 Vincenzo Perugia (white-collar thief) hid here the most coveted canvas on the planet —the Mona Lisa— after stealing it from the Louvre ; perhaps the artistic theft of the century.
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Da Vinci Hotel in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés