Last April, Michelin-starred chef Alain Dutournier bowed out and announced the closure of his Parisian restaurant, Au Trou Gascon. But history is always beginning anew, and a new page is being written within the walls of this institution opened in 1973, under the fresh impetus of restaurateur Grégory Reibenberg, his partner Jean-Félix Frichot in the dining room and Sarah Chougnet-Strudel behind the stoves.
To bridge the gap between past and present, the restaurant was completely redesigned by interior designers Clémentine Nguyen of Studio Élémentaire and Pierre Van de Wiel, bringing it into the contemporary era - parquet flooring, high chairs along the marble counter, velvet banquettes, open kitchen - while retaining the bistro codes - white tablecloths, silverware, Art Deco style mirrors.
After graduating top of her class at Ferrandi and working with Pascal Barbot's L'Astrance, then with France's two most starred chefs, Anne-Sophie Pic at La Dame de Pic in the Four Seasons and Hélène Darroze at the Connaught, the chef was spotted by Grégory Reibenberg at his Regain restaurant in Marseille, which opened three years ago.
At Trou Gascon, the Parisian chef has brought her knives, of course, but also, and above all, a contemporary vision of Parisian bistro and bourgeois cuisine, calling on vegetables, spices, sauces and condiments from the four corners of the globe, as well as cutting-edge sourcing that honors the South-West - just as the restaurant was under Alain Dutournier.
The fish comes from Saint-Jean de Luz, the black pork from Bigorre and the duck from the Gers, all of which are sourced in short circuits. Fruit, vegetables and herbs are sourced in season from market gardeners and pickers in the Paris region.
On the plate: braised endives with Mornay sauce and delicately smoked scamorza; Bouchot mussels with Madras curry; risotto-like spelt with roasted pumpkin and black garlic;pig's loin with prunes; and for the sweet note, sticky toffee pudding and tagetes cream. If Sarah Chougnet-Strudel is as sweet as she is savory, as passionate about cooking as she is about pastry, either way, she's got creativity and comfort in spades!
In the glass, Jean-Félix Frichot, room manager, mixologist and sommelier, is in charge of the selection. Drawing on his experience with the Expérimental and Le Perchoir groups, he offers sound advice on his cocktails (13€-15€) and the sixty or so references of natural, organic and biodynamic wines he has selected.
But we haven't told you the best part yet: count €24 for a starter/main course or main course/dessert lunch menu, €29 for a starter/main course/dessert menu. A renaissance as successful as it is refreshing.
Location
Au Trou Gascon
40 Rue Taine
75012 Paris 12
Official website
autrougasconparis.fr
