Historic Restaurants: Polidor And Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond

Among our restaurant choices during this year's Paris campaign were three "historical" restaurants: Polidor (1845), Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond (1832), and Procope (1686). The interest in historical restaurants stems in part from our ongoing interest in art nouveau restaurants. It is not so much about the food as being in a place that had stood the test of time and was of interest architecturally, artistically, historically, or from literature. The clear winner in all categories this year would have to be Procope, to which I'll devote a full post. We also ate at Le Grand Colbert, and, although Colbert once owned the site, the building is not that old and, as a restaurant, it is not old at all. Maybe in the out-takes.

Polidor was just a few blocks from our apartment; as seen in Midnight
in Paris

Famous regulars included Gide, Valery, Verlaine, Rimbaud, Ionesco, Joyce,
and Hemingway

My salmon rillette

Vicki's pasta something starter

My salt cod brabade...well, it sounded interesting, but proved to
be just mashed potatoes with a chemical trace of salt cod...I should
have known not to order a Spanish dish in Paris

Her boeuf bourgignon, a far wiser choice

Tarte tatin?

Dessert of the moment

Gil Pender was brought here by the Fitzgeralds and met Hemingway
here the first time; in Midnight in Paris

Now at Pharamond, over by Les Halles, my cuke
salade

We both had the steak frites

The street dining area was much larger than the restaurant

Old interior; convincingly old

The food was passable at Pharamond; and incredibly inexpensive;
five courses and wine set us back just over €40

My ile flottante

Her creme brulee