I first discovered Café Constant the first year I was living in Paris, when my aunt came to visit.
This is not the aunt I’ve mentioned several times on this blog, the one who is also my godmother and with whom I have a tradition of taking a trip somewhere new every Thanksgiving. This is my other aunt, the one with whom I stay in Princeton for at least one night every time I go home to the States, the one whose house is filled with lovely labradors and who introduced me to the Whole30 Challenge. She doesn’t make it to Europe nearly as often as my godmother does, but when she does, she comes armed with a binder full of things she wants to do and places she wants to visit, and this restaurant was one of them.
It has since become one of my favorites.
Café Constant is a diminutive restaurant in the 7th arrondissement not far from the Eiffel Tower. It is unique in several ways: it doesn’t take reservations, it serves all day (en continu) instead of closing for several hours between lunch and dinner, and it boasts one of the most reasonable prix fixes worth eating in the capital.
For 36 euro, you can enjoy any appetizer, any main, and any dessert on the ever-changing seasonal menu. This terrine of foie gras and kakos (pork shin) served on a bed of lentils was an appetizer choice on a recent visit.
This marinated salmon, served “like herring” with pickled onion and herbed potatoes, was a dressed-up version of one of Hemingway’s favorite Parisian lunches, which he used to devour at Brasserie Lipp alongside a few glasses of beer.
Given the chef’s Southwestern roots, mains tend to be hearty, like this braised beef cheek stew.
Perfectly cooked (read: rare) steak is also on the menu, with exquisite housemade potato purée.
Those who prefer something lighter might opt for sea bream with pesto and vegetables.
Desserts continue in the same vein: homey but perfectly executed. The ile flottante up top is rich and creamy with a slightly unfamiliar perfect cone shape, while the quenelles of chocolate cream are like the best, richest, thickest chocolate pudding you’ve ever had.
The profiteroles are doused tableside with chocolate sauce. (They leave the pitcher behind, in case this little drizzle isn’t quite enough for you.)
I’ve never met a cheese plate I didn’t like. The portion of Saint-Nectaire was so generous I was convinced I’d never finished it. (I was mistaken).
Café Constant is an excellent address to have in your back pocket: it serves up the typical French food and Parisian bistro experience that so many seek when they come to the city. The tables are, yes, a little too close together and the bar is tough to drink at, seeing as there are constantly pushing their way through to the dining room. But somehow, these things don’t seem to matter that much once you dig in, and the fact that it’s open on Monday (when so many other restaurants close their doors) and eschews reservations makes it an easy last-minute choice when you have folks you want to impress.
Café Constant - 139 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007