Le Meating - Paris

French Steakhouse Fail
Back in grammar school, the unlucky ate the cafeteria food.  A few of us carried our lunch from home in a  brown bag.  Without imagination, I'd attack in order: first the carrot sticks or apples, then the sandwich and finally the dessert.  One day I noticed a kid who was eating his dessert first.  I asked him why.  He looked at me as if I'd asked to pee on his shoes.  "In case I get full, at least I've had my dessert!"  This kid was clearly brilliant - he probably grew up to be an astronaut.  At Meating, had I been able to start with dessert and go backwards, I would've been much happier.

The rice pudding was really well done.  Perfect texture and not overly sweet.  It luxuriated in a caramel bath and was topped with popcorn and nuts.  In my fantasy reordering, everything else that followed went downhill.  Case in point, the "Thai-spiced" steak tartare.  It peered out from beneath a jumbled crown of julienned vegetables and was neither Thai nor spiced.  It was an insult to Thailand, a country I happen to love.

Even more of a letdown were these chicken parts.  This photo lies to you in your face.  These were not succulent, not juicy, not tasty. 

The beef carpaccio was not a complete loss but neither was it memorable.  Overdressed in my humble opinion, not enough taste of meat.

I won't complain about the wine, nor the conversation.  Along with the dessert, these saved the lunch.  Steer clear folks, there is much better to be had in this fine city.

122 Avenue de Villiers
17th Arondissement
Paris

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