Chez L'Ami Jean - Chef Stephane Jego - Paris, France

One of the 2 best meals I had on my trip to Paris last fall was at Chez L'Ami Jean in the 7th Arrondissement. It had actually been on my radar since my previous visit to Paris in 2010 but on that trip, I ran out of time. In 2012, I made sure to get there (for our final meal of the trip) and I'm so happy I did. The place isn't exactly a secret but given the genre, I think the quality of the food -- and the skill of Chef/owner Stephane Jego -- probably exceed expectations for most first-timers.

It's a small, casual, cozy spot with an old-school vibe, where some amazing fare is being served. Ingredients are of superior quality, compositions are grounded in the traditional and also brilliantly incorporate contemporary touches. Execution is exceptional. This is the kind of food that I personally fantasize about eating when being in Paris.


Chez L'Ami Jean - 27 Rue Malar, Paris



Terrine
This house terrine is served with bread, cornichons and mustard before dinner. I was so hungry -- and it was all so delicious -- I may have overdone it just a bit.

We sat at a somewhat cramped 4-top at the back of the dining room right next to the pass. From there, we could see Chef Jego doing his work, and it was like a scene from a movie watching him in action. Almost immediately after we were seated we all nearly jumped out of our seats when we heard 3 very loud claps. Looking up, we could see that it was Chef himself doing the clapping, having just placed some finished plates on the pass. As soon as the sound hit, each of the servers in the restaurant immediately finished what they were doing and quickly returned to the pass. It was insane.

The man who took our order seemed to be in control of the FOH. Let's just say he had an obvious command. He was firm, knowledgeable, helpful, and he possessed a sharp sense of humor. There are some alluring prix fixe options but we were not at all dissuaded from ordering ala carte. That's how we wanted to go because there were offerings on the menu that we just had to have. In our hunger-induced enthusiasm, we began pointing at items on the menu and asking a few questions about them. Then, we ordered an item. He said "yes" and wrote it down on his pad. We ordered another. He did the same. Then another, and so on. This went on for a short while after which he looked at us and said "that's enough." Turns out he was right.

I'm very sorry the pictures that follow aren't better and do not begin to match the quality of the food we were served. I did my best but I'm an amateur who was in a bit of a food frenzy. There were some space limitations, too, but hopefully, the images will at least provide a good sense of the meal we enjoyed. . .


Scallops In Shell
Perfectly cooked. So sweet, tender and delicious . . . oh, and topped with a little slice of foie gras.



Razor Clams
I cannot remember seeing razor clams this big before. They were nearly the thickness of a small wrist. Again, just great stuff.



Cepes
2012 was a bumper year for cepes in France. They were everywhere and they were relatively cheap. Here, as you can barely see, they're served pretty much on their own . . . well, with a lot of salted butter and some bordelaise. These were meaty, tender, rich and spectacular.



Garnished Plate
After we finished the cepes, these garnished plates were put in front of us and the pots starting coming out of the kitchen . . .



Wild Hare
This was served with a sauce made of its own blood, and if you've ever had rabbit before, well, this is absolutely nothing like it. It was gamey and intense. It had an almost cheesy aroma, and a dense texture. It was spectacular. We had to fight just a bit for this one, as our Captain warned us about its intensity. But we assured him that we wanted to eat dishes that Parisians eat. Score!



Wild Hare
For me, this leg was the best part of the hare. Much like so many other animals we eat, the dark meat was the best part.



Roasted Lobe of Foie Gras
"Roti-Frit-Vapeur" is how this is described on the menu. And the menu also says it's for 2. That may be true if the 2 are ordering nothing else. We had 4 in our group and with all the other food we'd ordered, we didn't quite finish this off.



Roasted Lobe of Foie Gras
REB & RAB wait patiently while our Captain serves up the foie.



Roasted Lobe of Foie Gras
My initial portion of foie. Yeah, I had a second one, too. So what!



Cocotte of Pork
Just a lousy pic here but there were all sorts of great cuts in here, including shoulder, loin and even some blood sausage, too. It was served on a base of lentils, which were intensely flavorful.



Pots of Deliciousness
Food frenzy! In the foreground is a buttery bowl of pommes puree that would give Robuchon a run for his money.

As full as we were, this being our last meal in Paris, we had to try a couple desserts . . .


Rice Pudding
This was served with salted butter caramel, which is not pictured. I loved this rich, creamy version but it was not my very favorite on this trip (more on that later).



Meringues
These were served with with the riz au lait.



Ko Ko La Lolo
This concoction was a Cappucino-Chocolat mixture that was really delicious.



Chef Stephane Jego

I cannot express just how great an experience this meal was on every level. In an addition to the glorious food & wine (hopefully RAB will remember which wine he ordered for us), and old-school service, the best part may have been watching chef work. As folks he knew came into the restaurant, he'd point to them and wave, and chat out to them from behind the pass. He just commanded the room and the kitchen from that spot. And you could kind of tell from watching him that he doesn't suffer fools lightly. But as intense as he was, there was a moment when he came out to greet some guests at a nearby table. On his way back to the kitchen, he reached down and gave our Captain a good hard goose (not the kind with feathers) from behind. They all burst into laughter. Work hard, play hard and feed your guests well. That's what I imagine the mission statement would be at Chez L'Ami Jean, if they subscribed to such nonsense as mission statements.

=R=

Chez L'Ami Jean (website)
27 Rue Malar
75007 Paris, France
+33 1 47 05 86 89

Great report , definitely somewhere I'll try and get to.

ronnie_suburban wrote:
Ko Ko La Lolo
This concoction was a Cappucino-Chocolat mixture that was really delicious.

I really like the English description of this dish from their website: "nasty delight of chocolate and coffee"

this definitely looks like my kind of restaurant; unpretentious with simple preparations of great raw ingredients. my chances of making it to paris anytime soon are slim to none, so thanks for the pictures- i can dream can't i?

We ate here a few years ago, it was my favorite meal of the trip. We had a clear view of the kitchen from our table. Three people were dancing an intricate ballet all night in that minuscule space, spinning out perfectly timed meals for a packed house.