Starters
Rillettes du Mans
9 €Pork shoulder slow-cooked in its own fat until it pulls apart in threads, packed into a ramekin, served cold with cornichons and a heel of yesterday's bread. Mireille's grandmother's recipe, more or less.
Sunday 19 July· le plat du jour
A neighbourhood bistro in the 11th, since 2006
Le Petit Timbaud
A neighbourhood place. Five mains chalked on the board each morning, depending on what was at Rungis. The wine list runs to about thirty bottles and the cook has been making the rillettes the same way for nineteen years.
We do lunch Tuesday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
On the board
A few things, today.
Mains
Steak frites
24 €Bavette, seared hard in a black pan, sliced against the grain. Frites cut in the kitchen each morning, twice-cooked. Béarnaise on the side. Order it bleu and you'll get it nearly raw - say medium-rare unless you're sure.
Cheese
Cheese plate
14 €Three cheeses: a young Comté, a Roquefort that bites back, and an oozing Saint-Marcellin. Walnuts and quince paste on the side.
Dessert
Apple tarte Tatin
9 €Apples caramelised in the pan first, the pastry laid over the top and baked, then flipped. Served warm with a spoon of crème fraîche. The kitchen will not split a slice.
Wine
Loire Cabernet Franc
7 €Bourgueil from a small grower near Chinon. Light, peppery, a little wild. By the glass or carafe.
La maison
“One menu, one cook, no specials nobody can pronounce. Reserve a table if you want one held; walk in if you’d rather chance it. Either way we’ll pour you a glass at the bar across the street if we’re busy when you arrive.”