black calavados

review and pictures by John Suarez

John is a fan from New Orleans who took the opportunity to have dinner at BC while on a trip to Paris...thanks to him for sharing his impressions of the meal!

See more photos and reviews here

I made reservations two months in advance in order to secure a spot at the restaurant that I have been dying to go see ever since I heard of its conception. An old Parisian hot spot that has been converted and revived by a group of investors...and one Chris Cornell.

Before actually getting to Paris I had thought that the restaurant had a single sign that simple said "BC" on it. Well, apparently, that sign is no more. All that the place has to let you know you are there is a menu posted on the wall of a building that is a few hundred yards from the glamorous Champs Elysées.

But that just goes for the restaurant portion of the place. There are actually two entrances: one for the food and one for the drink! The downstairs of BC is easily found by spotting a ominously large black metal door that is guarded by bouncers ready to size you up. Unfortunately for my girlfriend and I we were unable to even view the downstairs bar/discotheque because the entire thing was being rented out for a private party. Thanks Paris Fashion Week, thanks a ton!

But let's get back to what I did get to experience! As I said, I had a reservation. And man, was I glad! My girl and I were the second group in the restaurant and the time was 8:15pm. By 9:00pm the ENTIRE place was full! When you open the doors from the street level you are greeted with a 10-step stone staircase that leads you up to the greeter's desk and coat check. Walking up these stairs, in Fashion Week, dressed in a suit with my girl dressed to the nines...for all they knew we could have been reps for any one of the dozens of companies in town for the events. Little did they know that I honestly couldn't give a crud about Fashion Week!

As we made our ascent to the top we were met by an attractive, well dressed, younger woman who promptly asked if we had reservations (in English!). I didn't think we looked THAT American. But I later realized that it was normal at BC to assume the patrons spoke English. More on that later. After giving my name we were led 10 ft to our left to the entrance to the dining room.

Walking inside, it all looked very familiar. Ok ok, that is only because I had perused the BC website a dozen times in the week leading up to this arrangement. The first thing you notice is the clutter of small tables. Perhaps 70% of the seating is close-quarters tables for two. Then you have a few more larger tables, but not many! The decor is clearly modern but without the obnoxious flair that is soon to go out of style. Maybe a good way to describe it would be like the looks of a stealth fighter...with a fireplace.

So we walk a few more feet and are seated at one of the tables for two. Luckily ours was one of the few that was in a corner. Thank goodness for reservations! One of the pics I will post here shows the view from our table looking to my right.

First order of business? Why a celebratory drink, of course! We are handed a cocktail menu that has a list of the various libations available to tantalize anyone's pre-dinner delight. But like the American Express commercials say, don't leave home without it because these drinks were mucho $$$! The average cocktail price was 20Euros. Oh well, you only live once!

After we place our drink order we intently gaze at our surroundings trying to take it all in. A few minutes pass and soon enough a Kir Royal is placed in front of me and a martini is placed in front of my girlfriend. Cheers! I literally had flown all the way from New Orleans 24 hours earlier and was giving a big FU to sleep. Why sleep when you can dine at BC, right?

Looking over the full menu we realize we are in for a treat. It can also be found on the website for those who are interested. A nice touch is that my menu was exactly the same as the one given to my girl, save one minor detail. They purposely gave me the menu with the prices on it and her a menu that simply lists the dishes. Definitely a classy maneuver on the restaurant's part! I had already looked over the menu online several times, so I was pretty set on what I was going to order.

For starters my girl got the chestnut and pumpkin soup and I ordered the popcorn foie gras. Well let me tell you, these were not your typical ninny sized portions of food! I took a picture of the popcorn FG for everyone. It was divine! I didn't care for the gelatin vodka shot/things, so I let them be.

But those are simply to cleanse the palate, so it was no big deal whatsoever. And don't let me forget to mention that the soup was also very good.

But what could we do at this point since our aperitifs had long been consumed? Look at the wine list! We ordered a Bordeaux because we knew it would compliment our choices of entrees. The duck for my girlfriend and the Steak Tartare for moi! And yes, I took pics of these dishes as well. Trust me, in person the steak tartare looks MUCH better. Pictures do not capture these dishes very well.

The presentation was top notch and the service was definitely up to par with the best restaurants New Orleans has to offer. Toasting, drinking, eating...heck, even smoking a cigarette.

It was lived up to the max. The restaurant was buzzing with the social elite and oozing with energy. Nobody minds the noise because everyone is too wrapped up in enjoying the experiences offered in this place that is definitely a place to be seen and heard.

Stuffed, a few sheets to the wind, and exhausted from traveling, there was only one sensible move to make at this time...DESERT! We settled on pineapple sorbet to finish on a light note.

Glowing with the post gorge buzz, we took a deep breath and knew our time at BC was nearing an end. Asking for the check, I didn't care if it was $100 or $1000. Whatever the price, it was money well spent(but trust me, it was NOT $100) On a scale of 1-100 I would give BC a solid 93. But that is only off of one trip. I prefer to hold out comment on quality until I have had a few rounds under my belt! Anyone care to meet for a toast? I'll buy the first round!

Text and photos © John Suarez 2007

Chris Cornell Fan Page © Clare O'Brien 2007