Since opening in April 2009, top press and in-the-know locals have flocked regularly to the tiny eatery where Chef-Owner Gregory Marchand (his first big job with Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, and second, with Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern) shops the neighborhood rue Montorgeuil for inspiration. The space might be small and reservations hard-to-get, but the modern weekly changing market menu is big on flavor and continues to be one of the best values in the city.
Seen via the pass through window – Greg used to work alone in his modest kitchen – but these days he has students in training from Ferrandi, two sommeliers, a sous chef and a wine bar across the street. It’s been nice to see Greg out of the kitchen now, mingling with his guests in both Frenchie and the wine bar, meeting and shaking the hands of the very people he’s waking up every day to please.
He’s never totally absent from the kitchen though – his body and face still lean in mere inches above each plate to add finishing touches, a subtle but revealing nuance of the kind of focus and detail he puts in each dish. When I tell him (quite often) that his food “rocks”, he blushes and is quick to credit the quality of the products he uses.
The prix fixe menu is composed of two choices for the starter and the entree, with three choices for dessert.
Last year, my house-smoked Mackerel with beet root and wasabi caused my dining companion (a noted US food critic) to let out an uncharacteristically loud “WOW!” to which I raised a selfish eyebrow, put my fork in the back of his hand and motioned for an additional serving ASAP. The smoked fish has become his signature as a starter on every menu of every day – changing the fish and accompanying seasonal ingredients.
We followed the first act by performing mental cartwheels over the pork belly with cloves, nutmeg and ginger – teamed with coco de Paimpol (creamy white beans from Brittany). His own review later said, “Like the mackerel, it’s (the pork belly) the kind of dish that can leave you conflicted: On the one hand, you want everyone at the table to taste it; on the other; each bite you give to someone else is one less for you.” Amen brother.
Two of the dishes I couldn’t stop thinking about last year were the lamb ragu with black olive and lemon – and the ravioli wrapped poached egg with morilles, green asparagus and tangy shaved Parmesan cheese. What I wouldn’t give to come home to that bubbling on the stove after a long day of work.
Desserts always begin with a cheese like this gorgeous black cherry and blue cheese followed by sweets such as the favorite salted butter caramel tart.
The laid-back vibe and chic urban space (on an alley north of Les Halles) is refreshingly unpretentious. A no-fuss no-frills approach allows diners to relax and the chef-server-sommelier team can serve up great food and a good time.
“FX” (François Xavier) the adorable server and Laura Vidal sommelier extraordinaire are the front of house team – and fascinating to watch … effortlessly opening bottles, politely turning away hopeful diners sans reservations, answering questions and the phone, and writing bookings in the livre rouge all while flying under the radar, refilling wine glasses and handling plates without detection.
Laura scours the continent to meet small producers first-hand to develop an international list that she finds interesting, expressive and a great value for their clients (natural, biodynamic and straight-forward wines). Small producers means that there isn’t much wine love to go around for long with limited production, so she’s relentless in finding some some real gems to keep the list updated and fresh like the Sicilian red aged in terra cotta amphorae, Cavarodes Cotes du Jura and Pffiferling Tracassier.
The steady stream of press has kept Frenchie mentioned in every major food magazine and newspaper you can imagine. Thinking that all the media attention has changed things? Not a chance.
I asked Greg how he might explain this overnight success, especially since he is a French chef who has never owned nor worked in a restaurant in France until he opened his own place. “We are lucky, you know, we work hard, focus on the best products and try to create a place where people can feel at home.” That kind of response is so “Greg” – a warm slice of humble pie.
As usual, I make another reservation before leaving. While writing, he pauses, “When people make a reservation before they leave, this, is the ultimate compliment.”
An additional compliment and testament to Greg’s talent and friendship in the kitchen is when his former NYC and London colleagues roll up their shirt sleeves to work side-by-side on holiday visits just to cook with their pal in Paris.
However, don’t let the “hard-to-get-reservation” status send expectations sky high as some do with the Mona Lisa upon first glance (“the painting is so much smaller than I imagined!”) Frenchie is a simple but rare jewel – it is just a tiny local place that wins folks over with the superbly prepared imaginative cooking along the lines of generous soul food. The “hard to get” is that there are 300 people an hour calling for 24 seats. They’re doing their best to keep up but demand far outweighs the number of chairs.
The first night I left the restaurant back then, I looked up and swore the Michelin star made an arc in the sky over the rue de Nils. Friendly, delicious, casual and affordable? No wonder this is only one of two restaurants in Paris that I keep future reservations on hand throughout the year.
Frenchie
What to Expect: Off the beat location,vegetarian friendly, informal, busy, market-driven, natural and organic wines, close quarters & sometimes slow service in exchange for price-friendly and exceptional food and wine.
What Not to Expect: A quiet or intimate date night, pretention, haute cuisine, someone to answer the phone on the first try.
Address and Metro: 5 rue du Nil, 2nd arrondissement, 2nd, Metro: Sentier.
Télephone: 01-40-39-96-19
Hours and Prices: Open for dinner only, Closed Saturday and Sunday. 32-36 euro prix fixe menus.
SUMMER HOURS: Restaurant is closed July 22nd- August 23rd. Wine Bar is closed July 29 – August 23rd.
View Hot Tables in a larger map
