Oriental Express Cocktail Adventures: Wagon Bleu

Wagon Bleu
7 rue Boursault
75017 Paris
01 45 22 35 25

In the course of 52 Martinis research, I frequent a lot of bars that get good buzz. But sometimes I like to try a wild card in hopes I'll find an undiscovered treasure. I hadn't heard anything drinks-wise about the Wagon Bleu. In fact, I hadn't heard anything about it at all. But, when I stumbled across it online, two things drew me to it: 1. It's partially housed in a restored train car from the Orient Express circa 1925. 2. It boasts the 'longest happy hour in Paris!

It turns out that the romantic train car portion is tucked away in the back of the establishment for dinner only. So Matt, Vio, Mel and I settled into the pretty standard cafe/bar front area where Hall & Oates music sets the mood. So, the closest we got to experiencing train-themed drinking was feeling the rumble through the floor of trains passing by on the tracks situated just below the bar/restaurant.

The drinks menu features 11 uninspired "classics" that put me in broken-record mode ["caipis, mojitos, cosmos, sex on the beach, etc., etc.] as well as 5 "specials" that are mojito riffs with a lone Long Island icetea to break up the monotony. Each section features a mystery drink with the Crazy Wagon, which is whatever the barman feels like, and L'Omerta with its claims that "you'll never know" what's in it - and with a name like that might just be a subtle nod to the Corsican slant to their menu. Cocktails range from 8 to 9.50 Euros and they also feature a selection of rhum and vodka arrange at 4 Euros a shot or for the bargain price of 35 Euros for 10.

There is no dry vermouth behind the bar, so I went straight for a margarita instead of the usual. Notwithstanding the gummy-gator garnish, it was better than I expected. For the rest of the evening, we ordered up tapas of tapanade and buglidicci (fried bits of corsican cheese, brocciu) and dabbled with the happy hour menu. From 16h00 to 21h00, prices drop to 4.80€ for a pint of blonde, 5,80€ for a pint of Abbaye and 5€ for a mojito, caipirinha or ti-punch. While nothing exciting, all were acceptable for the price and fueled a fun few hours of over fried cheese.

For the time we spent there, the place started buzzing with local regulars who chatted with the friendly staff. So, while there were no undiscovered treasures in the cocktails or food, the happy hour could be interesting for those in the neighborhood looking to throw back some reasonably priced pints over a lengthy happy hour.

Wednesday Cocktail Adventure: Hotel Concorde Lafayette

Hotel Concorde Lafayette
3 Place du General Koenig
75017 Paris

La la, la la la la, la la la, la la.

10 points to anyone who guesses what I'm singing right now! Who knows what those points go to, but if you're competitive like I am, you'll give it a try anyway. I'll get into why I'm singing that later.

t’s Christmas time – I want fun and festive and fancy! So, this week we decided to visit the panoramic lounge of the hotel Concorde Lafayette hoping that might fit the bill. Sure, I couldn’t exactly see all the Christmas lights strung up throughout the city from the 33^rd floor of this hotel, but I could see Paris twinkling beneath me.

I arrived to find Matt already ensconced in one of the cozy seats in this surprisingly busy bar. Every row of banquette style seating facing the window wall was full of Eiffel tower-watchers. Incidentally, the new light show for the tower isn’t very interesting. (Melanie pointed out that perhaps we were getting the backside of the show?) Démodé décor aside, I liked the private feel of the undulating long booths. Everyone gets their own little curve in which to congregate. And, in a different mindset I might have totally dug the cheesy feel of the 70’s style of this hopping hotel lounge.

Matt had already started on a so-so sidecar and after a glance at the menu, I took my usual. My Bombay Sapphire martini was very light on the vermouth and came with a twist in an icy glass. I was slightly suspicious at first, but pleased enough by it. I pretty much singlehandedly ate all of the mixed nuts and marinated olives that came with our drinks.

We had a good turnout of newbies, regulars and occasional visitors all coming for holiday wishes and pre-vacation check-ins. That means we got to sample several things off of the cocktail menu, which run about 14.50 Euros a drink.

But here’s the problem: all the drinks pretty much seem the same to me. They’re served in the same glasses with the same garnishes and the same colors. Violaine started with a Princesse (rum, coconut milk, banana juice, grapefruit and red Curaçao.) I won’t even bother describing the rest of the drinks ordered because they all tasted like a riff on that.

I was feeling a bit adventurous, so instead of sticking with another martini, which was not bad, or trying something I know I would like for my 2nd round, I decided to go with one of the “Concorde Cocktails” which seemed to be a mélange of whatever wasn’t selling behind the bar.

My “Hello Paris” arrived (with further nut and olive reinforcements) and I was immediately in love with the colors: but for fun, not for drinking. This mix of rum, banana liqueur, coconut liqueur, banana juice, grapefruit juice, strawberry syrup, and blue Curaçao was about as bad as it sounds. We decided the way to go would be to mix this crazy rainbow up.

The finished product was an extremely blue drink with a layer of red at the bottom. It looked like someone had taken Papa Smurf, thrown him in a blender, put a pineapple slice on the mix and served it to me. (Hint: here’s where the “la la” comes in). Matt tasted it and said “I can’t believe you’re drinking that disgusting drink!” And, I’m much pickier than Matt when it comes to drinks.

We were all happy to see each other and I was happy with my martini, but for the rest, we were all somewhat non-plussed. Melanie was the winner with her order of the Chicago 1934 (cognac, grand marnier, lemon juice and ginger ale) Even the view is a bit obscured by the lights reflecting off the window panes.

Maybe stop in for a martini if you’re in the area and dying for a view (or just missed your bus to Beauvais, which I’ve been known to do). But, otherwise, skip it for serious cocktails. So, next week, I’m letting Matt (who has been my longest standing partner in crime for Wednesday drinks) choose the bar. It couldn’t get much worse. I just drank a Smurf.

Wednesday Cocktail Adventure: Flute

Flute
19, Rue de l'étoile
75017 Paris
Tel : 01 45 72 10 14

I have very few guiding life principles. Aside from general stuff, you know like being a nice person, blah, blah, blah, I can think of three things that I hold as personal self-evident truths: 1. Never turn down a chance to go to Italy. 2. Never turn down a chance to get on a boat. 3. Always make time for good friends. I've been a bit too busy these days. Too much work, too many projects, too much laundry. Since most of my fellow testers are on holiday right now, I almost cancelled Wednesday Cocktail Adventures this week to try and find some extra time to get my life in order. But at the request of some very good friends to accompany them to Flute, I decided that catching up with my friends was more important than catching up with my laundry. So, off I went....

I have already reviewed Flute on eGullet when it first opened. So, while not a new destination for me, it was good to return to suss out the current situation. Flute is primarily a champagne bar, with a wide range of bubbly at reasonable prices. The Paris Flute has been open for a couple of years – the two other Flutes in New York have been open for 10+ years. The tiny downstairs area holds no more than a handful of people pressed up against the bar, so the larger upstairs area is where most of the clients install themselves. Previously they suggested reserving for drinks, but I think the place has become a bit more casual these days.

I was particularly taken by Flute on my first visit and it even held a spot on my top five list for some time. That bartender has since moved on and been replaced by handsome & accommodating Antonio. I'll skip the details about how great it was in the beginning because things have changed a bit. You can still see the work of the prior barman in the house creations listed on the menu, which are tasty, balanced and interesting. However, Antonio's strong point is super friendly service & attention to recipes. This was evidenced by my completely warm martini (no shaking, no stirring, no nothing) which was not something on the already established menu. I asked him to put it back in the shaker and stir it, which he did with no problem or defensiveness. He asked me a few questions about martinis in general and was sincerely curious and inquisitive. I give him an A+ for effort, but I can't really give him high marks for his own cocktail making skills.

Still, I believe the bar is an interesting stop for a cocktail - or even better some champagne. They don't have a lot of stock, but what they have is nice. The champagne cocktails are refreshing and well-made.

Live jazz music entertains on some evenings and Sundays is "American Night" when their New York staff who are in Paris for the moment get behind the bar. (I wonder how that might change the cocktail options.) They're boastful of their mojitos & will be having a tasting with a large variety of of rums at the end of August. They still have their Tuesday happy hour with a 2nd drink offered, which is a good deal considering the regular prices at 12 - 14 Euros.

If you're in the area, stop in with some good friends and have Antonio make you something off the already established menu and he'll do it to right. Just don't expect him to freestyle anything.