Unauthorized

This is one of my favorite spots for cassoulet in Paris. I began eating here over 25 years ago, but after the original owner died, it was closed for several years. It was then acquired by a young couple from Lyon who has resurrected all the specialties of this moderately priced bistro. Their salade frisé is as good as it gets, filled with chunks of wonderfully crisp, smoky bacon. Their selection of "house" charcuterie is great as well. However, cassoulet is the real deal. Filled with confit, chunks of ham, sausages, and delicious beans, it looks good, smells good, and tastes good with fabulously earthy flavors and an extravagant richness.

The wines included the wonderful 1996 Dom Pérignon Champagne, which will finally be released in magnum later this year, and a colossal magnum of Ermitage from Chapoutier's famed ancient Syrah vineyard, Le Pavillon. This remarkable wine is much softer and more concentrated than usual, with low acidity as well as amazing silkiness. Will it behave like some of the legendary vintages of the past, such as 1929, 1949, and 1961? It will last for 30-40 years.