Joséphine Chez Dumonet

This post is one of many documenting my week in Paris, a present to myself for graduating pastry school in the fall of 2012. Every moment was spent eating and one post wasn’t enough. It’s now a short novel. Kidding. I hope.

On this trip, I was looking for an authentic French dining experience, some real protein to offset my subsistence on baguette and beurre. I consistently read that Chez Dumonet in the 6th arrondisement was the place to go. So I decided to start my trip right and made a reservation for my first full day in the city.

Grand Marnier Soufflé

 

On a cold fall Wednesday evening I stepped into the cozy bistro for the first seating at 7:30pm. There is a main dining area and a smaller area behind that next to the kitchen that I had read was meant for the tourists. Here is my carefully planned, perhaps overdone trip research coming back to bite me. I’m sure if I didn’t know that bit ahead of time, I wouldn’t have felt slighted. Nevertheless off to the back I went, deciding that the food will be the judge.

To start the evening, I was brought a petite pot of soup. About 2″ in diameter, this little bowl held was one of the most satisfying soups I have ever had.  It was a leek and mushroom soup that was velvety and smooth. I immediately regretted the American idea of large portions engrained in my mind because all I wanted was a Cheesecake Factory-size bowl of it.

For the appetizer, I ordered the scallops, a special for the evening. The scallops were nice-sized, though difficult to see in the photo. They were fresh and perfectly cooked, sitting on a bed of spinach, the most green I would see the whole trip.  Beneath that was a lovely white wine broth. Really a nice, light dish in which I could appreciate all the elements.

My main course was the duck confit with roasted potatoes. Now this was truly Cheesecake Factory sized. The restaurant has many dishes that you can order half portions of, unfortunately this was not one of them. The duck was just okay. It was a tad dry. I pick duck often when I am dining out so this was not spectacularly better than other versions I’ve had. The potatoes were your standard roast potatoes. The sea salt finish was nice.

The other traditional dish that they are known for is their boeuf bourgignon which my friend had ordered a half portion of, plenty really for two people. Thank goodness for this bubbly pot of French food at it’s best. It truly made me feel welcome in the city.

Tender bites of meat that really absorbed all of the deep caramel brown stew.

I decided to take advantage of my location and periodically watched the chefs at work in the kitchen.

To finish, the largest Grand Marnier soufflé I’ve ever had, served in a porcelain lions head soup bowl. It was served with a little goblet of Grand Marnier which silly me, I was confused by. I thought I was supposed to sip it. I only had one sip. The souffle itself is very strong and I can’t imagine now putting that whole goblet in. Besides the liquor, the souffle itself was a nice golden brown and fluffy on the inside.

So many glasses and yet the one I most frequently sipped was the water. As much of a foodie as I am, wine a taste I have not acquired as much as I try. The complimentary white wine they gave us to start was decent though. It was light, fruity and not dry which is the closest to good as it can be for my taste.

Overall a good experience. I would absolutely go back for the boeuf bourgignon. I’d also get the millefeuille for dessert instead of the soufflé. That is the other popular item.

Joséphine Chez Dumonet
117 rue du Cherche-Midi
75006 Paris
Open Monday-Friday (closed weekends)

I made my reservation one week in advance. I suggest doing the same especially when they are only open for dinner on weekdays.