{"id":1516,"date":"2014-08-05T09:24:01","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T16:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.talkinggrid.com\/?p=1516"},"modified":"2014-08-11T20:54:43","modified_gmt":"2014-08-12T03:54:43","slug":"je-unforgettable-evening-jacky-larsonneur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/je-unforgettable-evening-jacky-larsonneur\/","title":{"rendered":"Je th\u00e9… Me, Taste Paris, with Jacky Larsonneur"},"content":{"rendered":"

We were early, the first customers of the evening at Je th\u00e9… me<\/a>, a romantic restaurant known for its good food. We crossed the thick curtain covering the door and into a comfortably furnished, tight, dining room. The host, Jacky Larsonneur, tall and erect, is standing at the center of the room, his mischievous blue eyes sparkling. \u00a0He pounces on us with the grace of a well fed tiger! \u00a0We were to be his willing prey for the evening. \u00a0We loved being the center of his sage and savvy attention. \u00a0\"IMG_3618\"<\/a>
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He ushered us to our padded seats and fully welcomed us to his<\/em> place, with a touch of formality which would be soon brushed away, he instantly signaled that the ancient rules of hospitality were in effect. \u00a0We had arrived into the care of Je th\u00e9… me, a space where we could put our guard down and swallow the delicious fact that we had entered a restaurant unlike any other. \u00a0Larsonneur has deftly owned and operated the enchanting restaurant for almost three decades. The space is a home away from home, a well polished jewel of romantic corner kitchens, an absolutely perfect, quintessentially French spot. I\u2019ve quietly dreamt of such places my whole life. In New York, we attempt recreate the energy of such spaces… perhaps Balthazar\u2019s succeeds. The shelves are filled with books, tea pots, and other \u201ccomforts of home.\u201d The warmly furnished room is acutely inviting, a place to melt away stress and enjoy a fine meal. The Germans call this feeling, \u201cGem\u00fctlichkeit<\/a>,\u201d which loosely translates to, \u201ccosy,\u201d or \u201cwarm and familiar.\u201d It is a complex word, really… yet it fits perfectly in thinking of the warm embrace of the space, the restaurant, Je th\u00e9… me…<\/a> such a sensual name… such an excellent evening, about to unfold.
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\"Le<\/a>
Le Vin, the wine, cements a new friendship at Je th\u00e9… me in Paris, France.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cEnglish?\u201d He asks after a few pleasantries in French. He introduces us to his menu. It was poetry in food, just delightful. \u00a0Salivating over the options, we allowed him to guide us, making recommendations, choosing which wine we drank. At ease in the roll of Culinary Guide, he takes us on a marvelous trip into a familiar yet new world of flavor. \u00a0We eat and drink with silent reverence. Other guests arrive. First a man with two beautiful Asian women, who sound 100% California. They are seated on the other side of the attractive room. Later, they come to appear flabbergasted, mouths open, eyes bulging, at the wealth of attention we receive from our talented host. Shortly after an older woman and her (likely) granddaughter appear and are seated. Finally, a young blond couple from Denmark take the table next to us, where they proceeded to make-out passionately for two hours. Did they eat food? I don\u2019t know. I was busy scarfing DOWN my entire plate, making every morsel vanish, worshiping drops of reduction sauces, expertly prepared.<\/p>\n

\"Fondr\u00e9che<\/a>
Fondr\u00e9che 2012, Ventoux<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am transported to a purely sensual zone. Ms. Crane, The Muse, sits next to me on the bench, laughing, making funny comments about the cast of characters around us, the universe, and beyond. Hours slip by, we don’t fret. \u00a0This is a time reserved for eating, drinking, and conversation. \u00a0My adoring Big German Scientist husband, enjoys the view, across from us and documenting our good time without being intrusive. Speaking of welcome intrusion… did I mention that Jacky planted his laptop on our table and sang to us, old French songs? He did. He sang to us! \u00a0He serenaded our table! (How’s that<\/em> for entertainment?) He has a marvelous voice. \u00a0He popped his laptop on our table and shared with us a video of him, on youtube singing in a choir as a young boy.\u00a0He was an angel. He sang solo, brilliantly! \u00a0The camera loved his blond boy beauty. Oh, Jacky! \u00a0You are a restaurant man beyond compare! \u00a0What talent! \u00a0Pure charm! Je th\u00e9… me.<\/p>\n

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IL \u00c9TAIT UNE FOIS, 2012<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The food was divine. Yet, I refuse to divulge the details of what I ate. \u00a0Eat bite was a discovery, an explosion of flavor in my mouth. \u00a0No, I won\u2019t write a laundry list of ingredients. \u00a0No. \u00a0Exactly what I ate doesn\u2019t concern others… \u00a0Unless, of course, they man-up NOW and venture beyond the barnyard gate, to Je th\u00e9 me… in Paris! \u00a0Once there, I can imagine, a parade of pilgrims, FRANCO-FOODIES by the herd, hereby and henceforth, respectfully paying homage to Larsonneur’s impeccable hospitality, good wine, and super-fresh French food with bus tours (god forbid) and other (less tacky) fanfare. \u00a0I will just say: that if one does not live to visit Jacky Larsonneur at Je th\u00e9… me, is simply<\/em> missing out on enjoying living, breathing, singing history in action.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Je_Th\u00e9_Me.m4v<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

There is no television in the historically preserved room. By and large, French restaurants do not bombard you with advertising while you are eating. French food is to be taken s l o w l y, quietly or boisterously depending on the mood. The music, wine, and incredible quality of the food all collaborate to take you to sacred heights within yourself and in communion with tradition. French food is famous, of course, but when you actually sit and eat food that deserves this degree of reverence it changes you.<\/p>\n

I will never again be the same woman. I have changed from the inside out, a part of me, my heart… I think… is now\u2013\u2013forever\u2013\u2013 French. I do not know IF the Potato Eaters at the other tables felt the same AWE over the delicate, fresh, innovative, yet totally traditional FRENCH cuisine, prepared sensitively, and served with intimate flair.<\/p>\n

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At our table, Ms. Crane, Hartmuth and I were swaying in a whirl of FOODIE JOY beyond general comprehension. It was a secular, intensely sensual, culinary-come-religious-experience. In this mood, of beyond bliss, the hours passed and we continued eating. Finally, we begged Jacky to pick our desserts. He brought one for each and each was pure perfection with the entree, eaten. WE had NEVER had such a meal, such service! The wine… ah… it was sublime. I shall never recover from this re-introduction to what food can be. Food is a potential space-ship with direct shuttles to heavenly JOY! Now, from the shelf, tumbled one of the encyclopedias on France. (OK, I admit, that I could not resist pulling one of the books off the shelf and perusing it, while the ice wine was being retrieved.) The book popped open, before us and there was Jacky, turning the pages to his Chateau… really<\/em>? Yes, he pointed to a picture in the book and said that this was his family\u2019s country property. Oh… now my American mind wrapped itself around very foreign concept. His Chateau… WOW!<\/p>\n

That our host \u00a0enjoyed our company was demonstrated in that he invited us to stay with him for a few more bottles of wine. \u00a0We were out till the earliest hours of the next morning, sitting, conversing, laughing like lunatics well past midnight, playing, and dancing with Jacky. \u00a0The Muse, Hartmuth, and I Frau Kolb… this evening could be the stuff of legend and myth.\u00a0We were early, the first customers of the evening for Je th\u00e9… me. We crossed the curtain and into the room and found ourselves in a new relationship with the world, with life. We were welcome, ever so welcome, so we stayed and renovated our selves, with intensive healing doses of hilarity, studied frivolity, and unfiltered joy expressed in hearty appetites.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Muse, Jacky Larsonneur, Hartmuth, and Frau Kolb at Je th\u00e9… me in Paris, France. Summer, 2014!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the ether of fantasy and wishful thinking, surrounding Paris and The Muse, that which prompted this life-altering trip to a new return destination, a NEW cultural base for Frau Kolb & The Talkinggrid from which to learn and grow, the health and happiness of yours truly and those that truly crave a slice of a very good way of life, the French Way. \u00a0I will return again and again to now beloved Paris, France and specifically to see Jacky Larsonneur and \u00a0the most romantic of restaurants, where we feel in love, not just with the food, the wine, the host, but also with Paris, Je th\u00e9… me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We were early, the first customers of the evening at Je th\u00e9… me, a romantic restaurant known for its good food. We crossed the thick curtain covering the door and into a comfortably furnished, tight, dining room. The host, Jacky Larsonneur, tall and erect, is standing at the center of the room, his mischievous blue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,31,42,26,67,5,27,7],"tags":[64,66,65,32,63,301,68,39,51,62,61,40,47,44],"class_list":["post-1516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebration-party-time","category-france","category-friendship","category-health-spiritual-fitness","category-restaurants-dining-out","category-reviews","category-travel","category-world","tag-cusine","tag-falling-in-love-with-paris","tag-foodie","tag-frau-kolb","tag-french-food","tag-friendship","tag-gemutlichkeit","tag-hartmuth-kolb","tag-hc-kolb","tag-jacky-larsonneur","tag-je-the-me","tag-ms-crane","tag-the-muse","tag-tourists-in-paris"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/IMG_3700.jpg?fit=3264%2C2448&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1516"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1582,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1516\/revisions\/1582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/talkinggrid.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}