Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole

24 rue Chanoinesse
75004 Paris

Phone: 01.40.51.78.52

Metro Station: Cité (Line 4)

Type of cuisine: French

Days & hours of operation: Open every day for lunch and dinner, except for lunch on Saturday. Hours: noon ‑ 2:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m. ‑ 10:30 p.m.

Credit card: Visa, Amex

Stepping over the threshold to enter this restaurant is like stepping back in time.  The building in which the eatery is housed dates from the 16th century, and its ground-floor dining room is furnished with what appears to be medieval carpets, drapes and furniture.  The décor is all part of the fun of eating here, and the good news is that the restaurant specializes in the appetizing cuisine from Aveyron, a French administrative department in the Midi-Pyrénées.

We came here for lunch recently, and after settling in and examining the menu, decided to order the 39€ Table d’hôtes surprise d’Odette, which, as its name implies, would be a surprise.

Our first course was called Les petits farcous sauvages d’Odette aux 7 légumes verts.  We were served six small, thin pancakes containing seven green vegetables.  The pancakes were delicate, with a light taste of olive oil.

Next came a delicious, hot vegetable soup in which I could taste turnip, carrot, potato and onion.  The soup was homogeneous, without any vegetable chunks.  It is also worth noting that it did not have a cream base, as so many soups served in French restaurants have.

The third course was called La terrible terrine d’Odette aux cêpes, foie gras et pistaches.  This was a coarsely-textured, country-style meat pâté containing Boletus mushroom and pistachio, with a foie gras center.  It was served with gherkins, lightly toasted bread, compote of onion, and red peppercorns.  By the time we finished with this course, we had gotten the message that people in Aveyron eat very well!

The fourth course was the main one.  It consisted of a succulent roasted leg of chicken served with sweetened vegetables, including candied carrots and white sweet potato, zucchini, red and yellow peppers, and onion.  The skin of the chicken leg had also been basted with a sweet sauce.  The sweetness of the dish was not overwhelming, but rather reminded me of the type of platter that is served at Thanksgiving.

There followed (finally!) a fifth course – the dessert.  For this course we were given the choice between Crème brulée à la vraie vanilla Bourbon, Fondant au chocolat brut, froid ou chaud (Oulala !) [sic], Fromage blanc nature et confiture sauvage maison, or Tarte fine aux pommes sauvages. We each chose, therefore, the wild apple tart.  It was a generous portion of moist, sweet, sliced apples baked on a thin crust and served with caramel sauce and crème Chantilly vanillée (vanilla-flavored whipped cream).  A wonderful finish to a fine meal!

The bill for this five-course meal for two and two glasses each of Château Lamothe – 2007 – Côte du Bourg came to 98€.

The service was friendly and efficient.

For diners who yearn to sample food from a far-away region in France within a charming, old-world setting, we think that Au Vieux Paris d’Arcole will admirably fulfill this desire!

Tom Reeves has been a confirmed Francophile since he first traveled to France in 1975.  A native of northern California, he moved to France permanently in 1992.  Reeves’ love of French language and culture inspired him to create Discover Paris!, a travel planning service that caters to Americans interested in cultural travel to Paris.  His book, Paris Insights – An Anthology, has been called “the kind of insider’s view of the French capital…that first or even second time visitors pine for.”  He publishes a monthly newsletter entitled Paris Insights about history, culture, and contemporary life in the City of Light, and posts daily information about the French capital on Facebook.