Parisian Haute Cuisine: A Newly Diverse Dining Lanscape
For centuries, Paris's highest and most purely “French” culinary scene has been defined by haute cuisine, with a very specific kind of ingredients, tone, and approach–and served solely for those who could afford the elite pricing.“ Over 20 years ago in France, restaurants were somewhere to celebrate special events, not to go to daily,” notes Sarah Michielsen, owner of the new restaurant Parcelles. It wasn’t until the ‘90s when chef Yves Camdeborde introduced what food critic Sébastien Demorand defined as bistronomy, a movement that combined “bistro” and “gastronomy,” that French haute cuisine became accessible, affordable, casual, and democratic. “With bistronomy and cheaper menus, but almost the same quality of products, people started to go out more often,” adds Michielsen." Young couples earning money replaced cooking with eating out.
While bistronomy is still beloved today, with classics like Camdeborde’s own Le Comptoir du Relais, as well as other favorites including Aux Deux Amis and Le Chateaubriand, locals, travelers, and even the highest echelon of epicures are traveling to Paris for a taste of a new breed of French fare. A proliferation of hospitality experts and chefs returning from their travels with a deeper knowledge of international cuisine is creating a more diverse space for dining. “Paris cuisine opens at last to the true mix of different cultures that France is made of,” adds Michielsen—which impacts not only the food but also the style and method of service. From rotating chefs and weekly menus to sharing plates in casual atmospheres to innovative takes on international street food, Paris’s culinary landscape has a fresh new look. Here, we discuss the evolution with some of our favorite restaurateurs at the center of this moment.
French-born Camille Machet Sostarić and Victor Vautier opened their neighborhood wine bar, Early June, in 2019 as a place where creative, seasonal food paired with good wines could be enjoyed in a relaxed setting. The pair opened with a resident chef who stayed over a year while hosting events where out-of-town chefs would come to cook regularly.
After seeing the way the community was brought together, the pair decided that these events would determine the flow at early June. “We started inviting chefs who wanted to cook in Paris,” says Camille. “We love hosting people who aren’t from Paris or France, because they bring their energy, ideas, and culture. It feeds us spiritually and intellectually and adds an element of connection to the dining experience.”
Camille and Victor’s favorite spots: Paul Bert, Le Baratin, Le VerreVolé, Le Servan, Café les deux Gares, Sur Mer, and Clown Bar.
Sarah Michielsen, Parcelles
After 10 years working in haute cuisine, Nice-born Sarah Michielsen was ready to free herself from the constraints of Michelin expectations and sought to return to the basics. The restaurateur was inspired by the changing of the tides, in which a new generation of chefs returning from their travels, as well as foreign chefs settling down in Paris, are bringing a new approach to Parisian hospitality. From street food to easy, less expensive, quality offerings, Michielsen sees this evolution as more suitable for today market. Confirmation of this new awakening in French hospitality is her simple, but precise, Parcelles, a 1936 bistro she reopened in May 2021 alongside sommelier Bastien Fidelin and chef Julien Chevallier. “[Parcelles has] a French identity, but more. Old bistro from 1936, but more. Simple cuisine, but more. Simple service, but more,” she says.
Parcelles has received critical acclaim for innovative bistro comfort food served with high-quality ingredients, resulting in a hybrid of French cuisine with international influences. But Michielsen wants to be clear: Parcelles is a far cry from bistronomy, which still feels limited and pricey: “Parcelles is just a restaurant, not a concept or a chef bistro. Parcelles is somewhere free; somewhere unafraid to do veal head carpaccio or a form of vegan sweetbread. I think we all want to do what we enjoy, what we miss, what gives us a thrill—from the kitchen to the wine list, [we’re] unafraid to be politically incorrect."
Sarah’s favorite spots: Le Baratin, Soces, Clamato, Quinsou, Clown Bar, and Cuisine.
Omar Koreitem and Moko Hirayama, Mokonuts
New York transplants by way of Lebanon and Japan, respectively, Omar Koreitem and Moko Hirayama of Mokonuts spent their late 30s working in different kitchens throughout New York, London, and Paris, and always knew that when the time came to open their own restaurant, it wouldn’t be a fine dining establishment—at least not in the traditional sense. “It’s the reason why Mokonuts is the way it is today: a small, casual mom-and-pop joint run by the two of us,” says Koreitem, who says that for the first two years, the couple did everything themselves until their first hire in 2017.
Despite their growing team and rising popularity, Mokonuts still feels like a neighborhood place, where Koreitem and Hirayama are spotted behind the counter tending to patrons themselves, just before closing up shop to pick up their kids from school. What you’ll find on the plate is a lot less casual. While at face value, you feel you’re in the comfort of your own home being served a home-cooked meal, the contents of Mokonuts’ rotating menu are very clearly fine dining—but at an affordable price. It’s not inventive comfort food like in the many buzzy new restaurants throughout Paris, Koreitem explains; it’s highly technical Haute cuisine where unpredictable dishes will blow your mind, like the veal tartare with anchovy dressing and caper leaves, grilled octopus Panzanella, and labne cheesecake.
Omar and Moko’s favorite spots: Maison, Cuisine, Passerini, Racines, Abri, and Le Rigmarole.
