Pirouette Paris

Pirouette Paris

This is the twenty-first post in the Around the World Birthday Extravaganza Series. Please scroll to the bottom to see all the other posts in this series.

Pirouette is the type of restaurant I would return to over and over again if I lived in the neighborhood. The menu changes constantly, the food is creative and delicious, and the prices are a bargain for the quality.

Pirouette opened in 2012 in the area just north of Les Halles, an up and coming neighborhood. Bryan and I enjoyed exploring the area, which consisted of several blocks of walkable streets filled with all sorts of shops.

The menu changes constantly, and always consists of many different options. The beauty of Pirouette is that you essentially design your own tasting menu. You can get a 2-course lunch for only €20, a three course dinner for €42, or a six-course dinner for €62.

We had a delightful meal there. The food was great, the ambiance was warm, and the service was friendly. We opted for the 6-course, which we thought was a great value.

We started with salumi made with jamon Iberico de bellota (yum!) topped with flavorful breadcrumbs.

Our next course was an artistically plated assortment of tiny bites of veal head terrine interspersed with thin slices of radish with mustard and smoked anchovies. I loved the texture of the veal head terrine, and the vinegary mustard sauce was delicious, perfectly cutting the richness of the rest of the dish. This was an excellent course overall.

Our next course was a "risotto" made with spelt, a chewy grain, with Parmesan, ham, and beautiful slices of black Perigeaux truffles. I loved the chewy texture of the spelt, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rich, mushroom-filled umami of the risotto.

The next course was a lightly cooked trout filet served with a spinach puree, charred scallion, paper-thin sheets of button mushrooms, and a shellfish sauce. It was very good.

Our next course was a "Francilin" pork loin served with rutabaga and chestnuts, topped with a Parmesan crisp and tiny greens. I sort of wished the pork was just a little less "well done." Nevertheless, the flavors were quite nice and overall the dish was still enjoyable.

Our cheese course looks like a dessert doesn't it? In fact, it was a sheep's milk cheese slice artfully layered with black cherry jam and tiny dollops of pepper, jam, and even an adorable heart-shaped leaf stuck onto the plate with another dollop of jam. The cheese was nice and creamy, and balanced nicely with the jam. It was very good!

For dessert we enjoyed a Speculoos Cookie with caramel ice cream. It was solid and perfectly tasty, but it did not blow we away like the other courses.

It was a great meal, especially for only €62 per person (remember, in France this includes tip and tax). The ambiance is charming, the food is really good, and it's a great value. My only complaint is that the space was a bit cold, so we ended up wearing our down vests throughout the meal. Ha ha, at least there was good red wine to keep us warm!

I would highly recommend eating here. Come on a night when you want a pleasant yet laid back environment. The menu is written on a chalkboard, so I wouldn't be surprised if it changes often. Like I said, if I lived in the area, I could totally see myself coming here pretty frequently as a regular.