Le Verre Volé

Perhaps my favorite wine bar in Paris these days is the dauntingly popular Le Verre Volé, tucked away on a side street near the charming Canal Saint Martin in the 10th arrondissement. Since the small dining room was expanded several years ago it’s a little easier to get a table, and one way or another it’s more than worth the effort, since this place attracts a great crowd, pours terrific wines, and has a talented chef, Delphine Zampetti, who has a real affinity for comfort food.

Among the dishes I’ve delighted in on recent visits were a superb lamb-and-fig terrine; a salad of sliced oranges, flaked salt cod, croutons and black olives; Thai style green papaya and beef salad; finely sliced veal carpaccio with shavings of mimolette cheese—all starters—and main courses including roasted duck breast with baby turnips and grilled saucisse de Toulouse with potato purée and a side salad of mixed baby organic greens and herbs. There’s also an outstanding selection of well-aged cheeses (look for the Abbaye de Cîteaux from Burgundy), and home-style desserts like apple-and-pear crumble are perfect with a last few sips of wine. All told, the Verre Volé (Stolen Glass) is a real corker, but the good news in Paris these days is that there doesn’t seem to be a single arrondissement in the city that doesn’t have at least a couple of grand cru wine bars where the food is as good as the nectar in the bottles.

Le Verre Volé 67 rue de Lancry, 10th, 01.48.03.17.34. €40 per person

Originally published in the November 2011 issue of France Today

Alexander Lobrano’s book Hungry for Paris is published by Random House. website

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