ParadouReviews

The Key to a Chocolate Truffle Kingdom
Florence Fabricant, New York Times
January 2, 2002

PARADOU, a pocket-size French cafe new to the meatpacking district, is a lovely spot for a glass of wine and a sandwich of duck rillettes, a salad of beets and chèvre, assorted sweet and savory crepes and plates of cheese.

But it pays to save room for a treat: the intriguingly flavored chocolate truffles made by Joël Durand in St.-Rémy in Provence. The dark chocolate truffles are numbered, and Paradou has a key describing each of the 32 fillings, including some with tea or coffee, herbs like thyme, and other flavorings like violet and caraway.

25 AND UNDER: A Neighborhood Wine Bar With a Provençal Accent
Eric Asimov, New York Times
January 23, 2002

THE full-scale arrival of Italian wine-and-panini shops in the last few years has been a great thing, especially for the neighborhoods lucky enough to get a good one. The combination of salads and sandwiches made with simple, fresh ingredients, along with wines available by the glass, make these the perfect informal hangouts, whether by day when the rest of the world is either at work or at Starbucks or for the after-hours crowd.

It stands to reason, then, that entrepreneurs would seek to extend the brand, so to speak. Voilà Paradou, a panini shop born of a different Mediterranean coast where the specialty is ''sandwichs grillés,'' as they would say in Provence.

If the concept is lost on anyone, it is reinforced at every opportunity. The menu, for example, translates ''petites tartines'' the French phrase for little open-faced sandwiches, not into English but as ''bruschetta Française.''

While trend followers may appreciate the little joke, Paradou, named for a Provençal bistro, excels where it counts, with a delicious range of sandwiches, some distinctly French, and some -- well, we'll just call them Mediterranean. A tartine topped with pistou and pine nuts ($7) is no more than pesto -- good, garlic-laden pesto at that. You might find white anchovies ($7), mashed into a tangy heap, from the Italian side of the border, as well as sweet fennel-onion jam ($6.50). But creamy, hearty duck rillettes ($9) taste like Arles to me. The sampler of five tartines for $10 is the best deal.

The owner of Paradou, Vadim Ponorovsky, is neither French nor Italian, but an American software executive who describes himself as a ''huge Francophile.'' He has imbued the little high-ceilinged dining room with the sunny white and yellow colors of Provence. Tables and the bar are constructed of shellacked wine crates. The room is comfortable if at times loud and smoky.

The larger grilled sandwiches, served on pressed, toasted baguettes with a small green salad, make surprisingly substantial meals. The duck rillettes reappear, this time with shallots, capers and roasted tomatoes ($15), an excellent combination, as are smoky andouille sausage with mushrooms, roasted garlic and Manchego cheese ($11), and slices of tart apple with the fennel-onion jam and Brie ($9).

Heartier classic dishes vary from day to day. I loved a stew of lentils and salt pork topped with four kinds of sausage ($17); it was just the thing on a blustery winter night.

While Paradou strives for a relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere, waiters at times strike haughty Parisian poses. The wine policy, too, seems overly rigid. Wine is sold by the bottle and by the half- or quarter-liter, which is enough for two glasses. What if you want just one glass?

In its dessert selection, though, Paradou is more flexible, offering an opportunity to taste the wonderful flavored chocolates of Joël Durand, a Provençal chocolatier. A menu lists 32 choices, including combinations like milk chocolate with salted caramel, dark chocolate with thyme, and milk chocolate with lavender. They are expensive, four for $9, but a few are satisfying.

Otherwise, the menu includes classic crepes like Nutella and banana ($6) and citrus ($5), along with the occasional oddity, like sweetened tapenade with apples and hazelnuts ($7), which is still too olivey for dessert.

In the summer, Paradou plans to open a sunny garden, complete with a pétanque court, boccie by any other name.

NYToday Pick
Alexandra Lynch, New York Times

The French aren't big baseball fans, but they can hit café-style home runs with the best of them. This wine bar tucked in the meatpacking district has a simple, magical feel. First, the oversized wooden doors, painted a soothing country blue that feels almost illicit in this once-gritty part of New York. Inside, the enveloping warmth of white painted brick walls and globe lamps that throw the perfect light on hushed and intimate guests.

The bar's rustic charm is helped along by an impressive list of French wines -- watch as the bartender uses the cherrypicker, like those used at delis to grab toilet paper from the top shelf, to nab similarly out-of-reach bottles. The food menu is heavy on tartines, sandwiches and salads, but rotating specials include items like savory crêpes and cassoulet (all in the $10-$15 range).

What finally puts this bar into the major leagues, however, is the menu of the chocolate truffles. This is the first time that Joel Durand's Provençal confections have been available in the States, and they are heart-stoppingly good, with flavors like Earl Grey, coffee and lemon and cloves (4 pieces for $9). A dessert that befits the bar's name (Paradou means paradise in Provençal): the truffles are delicious and, due to their tiny size, not too filling.

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