For quite a while, we'd been hearing about Au Passage, just across the road from us in the 11th, in the Passage St. Sebastien. Creative chef, small plates, off the beaten track -- all things that appeal. But! parisbymouth warned us that the original chef had left to start a new venture (Bones), and that the rave reviews were mostly posted under his tenure. And, our friend Amele said she'd read mixed opinions as well from other Parisien food sites.
Nevertheless, Amele, Cheryl and I ventured out on a very hot July night to check it out. And, have to say it completely disappointed all of us, at almost every level. Okay, the folks in charge weren't responsible for the weather - but they were responsible for the food and ambience - and both were terrible.
One of the things we love about Paris is that, no matter how crowded, it's usually possible to hear your dinner companions across the table. Unlike San Francisco, where restaurant ratings now include noise levels because of the insane need to pipe in very loud music and have surfaces sounds love to bounce off, Paris has always seemed different. So much so that we had concluded that Parisiens just naturally modulate their voices so as to to keep the ruckus down. Not at Au Passage, though. The sound level was through the stratosphere...don't know if it was the low ceilings, or just rowdy groups of diners, but we couldn't hear ourselves think, much less talk.
That might have been forgiven if the food had been great, but, sadly, it wasn't. We started with gazpacho - the only thing all of us agreed was tasty. Then, we moved on to head-on shrimp, with a bit of smoked paprika powder on the side. The shrimp were okay, but a bit soft on texture and flavor. In fact, lack of flavor was the theme of the night. They're using good ingredients, as a rule, but there is nothing going on in the kitchen to make the dishes interesting. Cases in point were a dish of cucumbers, creme fraiche and herbs, and a lentil/fresh ricotta/chervil plate. Both cried out for more assertive seasonings. A bronzed chicken leg and deboned breast came next, over an eggplant puree and thyme. The leg was overcooked and dry, and, though dishes are meant to be shared, was not very easy to dig into. The eggplant puree could have been good, but again missed the mark. Just can't understand sending food out like that...didn't anyone in the kitchen taste it?
The best dish of the night might have been the last one, the veal tartare - good texture, good flavor - but by that time we were just over Au Passage, the noise, the heat, and the boring food.
The only saving grace that evening was watching an adorable young boy - maybe 10 years old or so, eye the raw oysters on the shell his parents had ordered. He was clearly intrigued, and was encouraged by his father to try it. After a few minutes examining one of them, and getting advice on how to slurp it, he did so. His face was priceless - he clearly didn't like it, but kept up a brave front....bravo! For how do you know if you don't try? Similar to our misadventure at Au Passage - we're glad we tried it, but won't be going back soon.
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