Business trips to Paris are always a lot of fun for me: I get the trip without the business. D’s schedule generally dictates in which arrondissement we stay and on our most recent stay we’d found a nice hotel in the 14th. To my knowledge, there isn’t anything in this part of Paris. At least, that’s what I thought until we had to make dinner plans.
We had spied Restaurant Monteleone when we were parking the car on avenue Jean Moulin. As the restaurant was just steps from our hotel — and from the street it looked inviting enough — we decided that we would stop by and take a look at the menu.
Restaurant Monteleone, if the name doesn’t already give it away, is an Italian restaurant. In fact, the restaurant gets its name from a village in Sardinia. The menu featured the usual suspects: antipasti, fresh and dried pasta dishes, meats and fish, and a nice selection of desserts. I was sold on two things on the menu — the cannoli and the zabaglione — and immediately said to D “yup, this is my pick for dinner tonight.”
There’s nothing worse than being tempted by a restaurant’s menu then entering the restaurant to a chilly reception. And there’s not a lot that is better than being tempted and then being received as though you’re a favoured guest. Happily, our reception fell into the second category.
D and I reviewed the menu and decided to share the prosciutto crudo di Parma stagionato e mozzarella di latte di bufala campana (Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella). The saltiness of the ham paired with the creaminess of the cheese made a simple starter and was a pleasure to eat.
D opted for the risottino Carnaroli mantecato alle zucchine, annaffiato alla Vernaccia di Oristano (carnaroli risotto with zucchini, watered in Vernaccia di Oristano, a typical Sardinian white wine).
I decided to choose the tortelli rossi al ragu’ bianco di vitello e agrumi, emulsione di burro e semi di papavero (meat red tortelli pasta with citrus fruit, poppy-seed and butter dressing), flavours I’d never considered for a pasta dish. What a treat for my taste buds!
And since we were treating ourselves to a little visit to the Mediterranean we stayed local and paired our meal with a rosé wine from Sardinia.
For dessert, without hesitation I picked the cannoli di ricotta e cioccolato tipici della terra di Sicilia (cannoli made with ricotta and chocolate). D decided on gelato. Of course, to close we ended with coffee.
And perhaps there’s something to eating as they do in Sardinia. According to Wikipedia, Sardinia — along with Okinawa, Japan — has the highest rate of centenarians in the world (22 centenarians per 100,000 inhabitants).
Non faeddo su sardu but I do speak good food and great service, both of which I found at Restaurant Monteleone.
Monteleone
Ristorante Italiano
68bis Av. Jean Moulin
01.45.42.02.02
Do you have a favourite restaurant? If so, let me know via a comment below. Or, you can tweet your reply to @tanyaintransit or post a comment on my Facebook page.
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My mouth is watering..Thanks for the tip! It is not so easy to find authentic italian restaurants…
I agree with you Cristina. We enjoyed dining at this restaurant. The lunch prix fixe menu is good too; you won’t blow your budget but you’ll still eat well.
That risotto is calling my name!
D loved it and I admit I was really tempted by it too!