The Clown Bar

I make mistakes so you don't have to, but what would YOU drink?

 Back in 2014 when Sven Chartier and Ewen Lemoigne (who brought us the now defunct Saturne) took over this spot on Rue Amelot could do no wrong and often was just sublime. And when Sota Atsumi was cooking? Wow.

And that wine list? Extraordinary. As time went on it bloomed with plenty of old stuff at great prices. The last time I took lunch there was the winter of 2020, right before the big pandemic hit. I ordered a 2014 Ramaz Nikoladze for €50, divine. And so on my one and only night in Paris a few weeks ago, I  ran towards a reservation with friends with anticipation. What finds would we find?

Blame it on the last few days before La Rentrée? Maybe it was just an off night. But damn. It was off. 

First the food. Full disclosure: I believe that vanilla belongs in dessert. Not on perfectly ripe, summer heirloom tomatoes. Misguided. The panisses were a little soggy but still lovely. The celery root amuse? Perfect!

Beautiful as always but no beautiful tomatoes need vanilla- or figs. I’m trying to figure out

What to eat? We were two vegetarians and one pescatarian. Our waiter said something like this, "Our chef is usually hostile to vegetarians, but tonight's chef will know how to treat you." I should have taken this as a warning. The "vegetable plate" was scrawny and, hostile. I used to call things like that, gently cooked vegetables—even if organic and pretty— a vegetarian’s nightmare.

But the wine.

The wine guy in charge, was an affable guy. We had been considering three Jurassic reds. Declaring there were some hidden gems in the cellar that were left over single bottles, the sommelier asked for our permission to allow him to ensure our happiness. But first he inquired about our price point.

€150 for something delicious with age.

While he was gone I lamented how diminished and unimaginative the wine list seemed. Or perhaps all of the interesting wines had gone over to their wine shop?

The sommelier returned with three choices. All whites from the Jura and one from Languedoc grapes. Interesting? Sure. Hadn’t we been looking for reds? Where was his emotional intelligence? (I’ve linked to the sommelier survey. One of the most important qualities of a somm? Emotional intelligence. To suss out what a customer wants and deliver a sublime experience).

Back to the wine list we went, our trust in our sommelier busted. We chose the 2017 Clos de Vigne du Mayne Auguste for about €90. (If you haven’t had the Cuvée 910, correct that). The bottled arrived late, well after we'd finished nine-tenths of the food. At a wine restaurant, no wine with the meal? Poor form. In addition, the bottle felt too warm—I worried about storage. (While we were paying the bill it was confirmed they’d been having temperature troubles and too warm of a basement.)

Finally with the last morsels of food, the bottle was chilled, opened, poured. our wine person asked how the bottle was —he hadn’t tasted it and didn’t want to. I mentioned it had more than a healthy amount of volatile acidity. "I love volatile!" he declared and walked away.

Well, the wine quickly segued to mouse.

Back to the real matter at hand. What to drink!

You’re there. These pages are in your hand. What would you do?

By the glass? I went with the Madloba. I mostly love the wines of Domaine Miquettes and was curious how it aged. The answer? Simply. Refreshing but too simple.

What would you do?

Sorry that there’s only one pages here. But let’s just go with it—even if thw wine I would have gone with was on a page not exhibited here. The 2015 Sylvan Bock’s “Neck” — I think it was on the list for €50(?) I bet it outperformed its price and reputation. Bock’s wines are usually affordable and delicious.

From the above? I’d have gone with the Pacalet N. Rhone. At €113, it’s really not a bad price and I would welcome the chance to revisit this wine I rarely see around.

But, what would you do?

By the way, completely unsatisfied we ran around the corner to Aux Deux Amis. And the night was saved. No prevention. Just delicious wine and some good nibble. What could be better!

If you have a better recent experience with Le Clown, please let us know!