Reminet no more

Le Reminet used to be one of our favorite restaurants in Paris. It was owned by a nice couple from Normandy. The husband was the chef and seemed to put calvados is almost every dish. Everything we tasted was amazing…Until they sold the restaurant to the current owner.

A couple of years ago we went to Reminet for dinner and noticed that the food just wasn’t as good. We asked the waiter if the restaurant was under new ownership and when he recovered from his shock, he answered that yes, the restaurant had been sold a couple of months earlier.
 While the food that night wasn't horrible, it wasn’t anywhere near the level we were used to. So we stopped going back. I read a positive review on another blog, so the Brit and I decided to give it another try. Maybe they’d improved during the past couple of years. It turns out the opposite had happened. This time the food wasn’t good, it was pretty bad.


The Brit had stuffed courgette (zucchini) with grilled prawns. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t anything to write home about. I had filet au boeuf with mashed potatoes. I ordered the meat medium, but it was well done. So well done that the Brit had one bite and couldn’t eat any more (we usually share our meals). He suggested that I send it back, but I’m not one to make a fuss and even though it wasn’t very good, it was edible. Plus the quality of meat was disappointing (especially given the price) and I figured that having the same bad meat less cooked, wouldn’t make much different.


After we finished eating and the waiter cleared the plates, he asked if we enjoyed our meals. I pointed out that the meat was overcooked and his response was a cavalier equivalent of “oh yeah?” before walking off.

When we arrived, we planned on having a main course and dessert, but the main courses were so disappointing that we skipped dessert and made our way to Mariage Freres where we knew the sweets would not disappoint.


Overall, the best thing about our meal at Reminet was the wine. I won’t say that people shouldn’t go to Reminet. But I will say that if you want a good meal in Paris there are definitely better options.