When I was still working in French food media, I got the opportunity to interview a chef of Chinese origin who told me that the balance of flavors on French plates was designed for wine. In other cuisines, he said, where wine wasn’t a given, the plate was balanced: sweet, salty, bitter, and acidic. In France, where wine is so often served with food, this last sour flavor often didn’t make it into the mix.
As someone who enjoys sour flavors – the freshness of lemon, the zip of cider vinegar – this is something that doesn’t translate to my own cooking at home, but it’s definitely something that I’ve notice (more and more since he first mentioned it) in France. Dishes are often rich in fat: butter, bacon, even olive oil on more summery dishes. But at Buffet, I noticed that someone in the kitchen shares my palate.
During my recent lunch at this restaurant, recently opened by the owner of famed Au Passage, the four-item ever-changing menu (two appetizers, two mains) featured this carrot gazpacho with curls of fried carrot and chunks of roasted almonds on top. The fat, of course, was there, but there was also a depth of flavor from the addition of vinegar.
The hand-cut steak tartare, meanwhile, featured a nice glug of red wine vinegar, which brought out flavors that usually get lost in the unctuousness of the raw beef dish.
This isn’t to say, of course, that Buffet doesn’t do wine: it does, and it does it well. Many of the wines on Buffet’s wine list are natural wines, and this rich Alsatian skin-contact orange wine was just the ticket to round out the meal.
The menu, as with many in Paris these days, reflects this natural mindset: seasonal flavors are first and foremost, and offerings change every day.
Garden-ripe summer squash and tomatoes were paired with soft goat cheese.
Pan-seared pollack was served atop a silky celery purée and alongside roasted broccoli with just the right hint of bitterness.
All-in-all, Buffet is a fantastic address to have on-hand: located in a quiet street not far from Bastille, this restaurant seemingly effortlessly combines everything I love about a good bistro (down to the gingham placemats) with the flavors I so adore from this new wave of natural, seasonally-minded restaurateurs.
Buffet -Â 8, Rue de la Main d’Or, 75011Â