Paris, France — We immediately liked the location, just a few minutes walk to the Luxembourg Gardens, the French Senate and one of our favorite museums, the Cluny, devoted to the arts, objects and lifestyle of the Middle Ages. Inside La Ferrandaise turned out to be one of those great French eating experiences with a generous cuisine, an affable owner and excellent restauranteur, Gilles Lamiot (awarded the coveted Master Restauranteur label by the French government), and an excellent wine, aperitif and spirits offering was on hand, as well. The restaurant is committed to supporting small local producers and suppliers, organic products and works with an association to defend a rare cattle breed from the Auvergne, La Ferrandaise. La Ferrandaise (the restaurant) features thoroughly French fare, hearty, with an accent on the gastronomically rich region of the Auvergne in central France. We started off with the classical French aperitif, a Kir, but not made with the traditional blackcurrant liqueur, but a local chestnut apple-based liqueur from the Auvergne, Birlou which originated in the Cantal. It was late February so oysters were in full season and Mr. Lamiot had some organic oysters from the seas around the Oléron Island off the coast of Brittany on the menu which changes regularly with the seasons and product availability.  Some home-made terrine was also on hand beautifully spiced up with onion and Andalusian sherry jam and serve with crisp pickles.

Then things started getting even more serious with very tender pressed oxtail served in a pungent vinaigrette and a sea trout and red mullet terrine with a beet vinegar sauce, a second round of two appetizers that we shared although given the portions we should have just shared one, but it all sounded so good, we couldn’t well, you know, exactly be reasonable. But there is no reason to be reasonable in this great restaurant with its inviting old stone walls and beamed ceiling and a 17th century vaulted cellar. For the main courses we went with a meat dish, veal shank served up in a pouch of tasty pastry  known as an aumonière served with its succulent cooking juices and parsnips which are becoming more readily available on restaurant menus in France. Seared scallops were also on the agenda, perfectly cooked so as not to be spongy, served with seaweed flavored butter and celery mousseline. Mr. Lamiot who is particularly well-versed in wines suggested the wine of the day, a Côtes de Couchois from Burgundy, a 2022 crisp white that stood up with both the fish and meat dishes. There are plenty of additional offerings on hand like a potée Auvergne-style, a hearty stew of meats, sausages, cabbage and potatoes or the house’s famous prime rib. 

Auvergne being one of the great cheese-producing regions of France meant that the cheese course was a must and a selection of cheeses from the farms of Puy-de-Dôme region of this once volcanic region of France were remarkable. There was a local blue cheese Fourme d’Ambert, and a nice Tomme de Roquefort, both cheeses are produced exclusively in the Auvergne. The cheese course came with some refreshing yet full-bodied Brouilly, a Côte de Brouilly, Christophe Pacalet, 2021. We had a small portion of the house’s homemade chestnut cream mousse and an unctuous chocolate cake. Prix-Fixe wise it’s one of the best bets in Paris, with the appetizer, main course and dessert priced most reasonably at US$46 (42 euros). But à la carte is excellent value as well. The house also does a lunch special for US$ 22 (20 euros) including a main course and dessert that changes weekly. 

La Ferrandaise is a restaurant (rapidly becoming one of our favorites), named for a rare breed of cattle from the Auvergne, a region known for its produce, excellent livestock, volcanoes, glorious cheeses and total authenticity. The Ferrandaise bovine breed is conserved and protected by an association of the same name and it hails from the mountainous regions of Auvergne’s Puy-de-Dôme. In 1990, its numbers had dwindled to 151 females and by 3,823, had increased to 2022. The hardy breed produces both milk and meat and its milk is at the origin of the great cheeses of Auvergne, like the Saint-Nectaire and the Fourme de Rochefort and the Fourme d’Ambert, all served at the Parisian restaurant, La Ferrandaise. Its meat is considered to be particularly savory and it is known for the high-quality of its veal. ©Trish Valicenti for The Gourmet Gazette. La Ferrandaise, 8 rue de Vaugirard 75006 Paris, tel: +33 (0) 143 26 36 36. Closed Sundays and Mondays and Saturdays for lunch. http://www.laferrandaise.com/english/home.html