One of the things we've always heard about France, and especially Paris, was how much of foodie destination it is. So after we visited the Eiffel Tower, we decided to give it a try and eat at Mokus L'Écureuil. Sadly, it was not our favorite meal.
Location:
116 Av. Kléber; 75116 Paris; France
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere was casual and would have been relaxed but tables were crammed really close together - so much so that it was hard to get in and out of our seats without bumping the other diners around us. Because of this, the restaurant felt very loud and it was hard to talk amongst ourselves. There were some booths that might have been better, but overall, we didn't care for it very much.
Our Meals:
Admittedly, we visited this restaurant within the first week of being in France, and we hadn't quite gotten the hang of French food. While my husband and oldest daughter are not picky eaters, my youngest is extremely picky, and I'm also not overly adventerous when it comes to eating. Also, I feel like we started out dining in Paris by picking "comfort foods" from back home and then comparing them to those plates in the US. It didn't take long to understand that this isn't fair to do as not only is France a different culture but food quality and tastes are quite different in most cases.
Now that we're past that, here's what we ordered and our thoughts:
- My 16-year old:
She ordered the mac and cheese: A bechamel sauce with cheddar, gouda, and parmesan.
When it first arrived to the table, I have to say that it looked pretty good. But once she tasted it, she was very disappointed. She said that it wasn't as cheesy at it first appeared (she said it was actually very dry), and that it was bland as well. She wouldn't order it again
Her rating: 1/10
2. My youngest daughter:
She had a taste for a dinner salad and settled on the Caeser Salad: romaine lettace, crispy chicken, parmesan cheese, caeser salad, and croutons.
Full disclosure - She's never had caeser dressing before, and that could have been the reason for her not liking this salad. She did say the chicken without the dressing was good, but overall, she did not like this meal.
Her rating: 1/10
My husband:
Basilico Meatball pizza: Mozzerella, braised beef, egg, red onion, basil
The pizza didn't look bad when it arrived to the table, but it wasn't what he was expecting (again, very possibly because we're used to American pizza). He said there wasn't any sauce, too much cheese, very little meat, and didn't like the egg on the pizza.
His rating: 1/10
I ordered:
BLT salad: romaine lettace, crispy bacon, hard-boiled egg, tomatoes, cucumber, ranch dressing
I've been feigning for a good salad for a while now, but one thing I've learned here in France (among many others) is that American salad dressing is VERY different from French salad dressing. I've tried the ranch (which I'm honestly not a big fan of in the States with a ffew exceptions), and some vinigerette, but so far, I haven't found one I'm crazy about. This salad wasn't the worst thing in the world, and if there had been a little more chicken, I think I would have rated my order a higher. And since dressing can make or break a salad, I'm afraid, like my daughter, I didn't love my dinner salad though it had potentional to be really good.
Our rating: 4/10
Pricing:
Each dish was 17-18 euros, which was pretty high for the food we ordered. But we were right by the Eiffel Tower in the tourist area, not the best area to be if you're trying to eat on a budget.
Service:
Again, not great. We sat for a very long time waiting for our check, and he forgot to bring my daughter's Fanta.
I think it's fair to say we wouldn't try this restaurant again. And again, this meal may have very well suffered from our own, American expectations which we eventually learned to let go of. Did we suffer from culture shock? I'm not so sure about that because we truly didn't find it too difficult in many ways (although the language barrier is real), but food was one of our biggest struggles. I do wish, though, that we had found a different restaurant to try for our first venture, and our next experience with food was a fair improvement.
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Our Experience
Fifteen minutes or so from where we are staying is this awesome chateau ruin. Called Château de l'Ebaupinay, it's not one of the famous ones. In fact, right now, you can't even tour it as it's under a massive restoration effort. But when we passed it on the road, we had to follow the sign and grab some pictures. Luckily enough, the man who currently owns the property was kind enough to let us take some pictures (but only from outside the property fence). Judging from the condition, I can only guess it's not currently safe enough to explore, but, oh, I would so love to.
The Story
Château de l'Ebaupinay was originally a medieval mansion in the 14th and 15th centuries that was later made a stronghold in 1458 by King Charles VII. It originally had both a moat and a courtyard, although it is difficult to see those features now as it remains fenced off. The chateau was inhabited until the beginning of the French Revolution and later burnt out during the Vendee Civil War (1793-1796).
These ruins are all that currently remain, although there is an effort by both the current owners and local communities to restore this piece of history. I'll return if they do. It truly was fantastic.
We didn't spend more than ten minutes taking pictures from a distance, and I can't tell you how much I wish I could have walked around inside and explore what remains of what must have been a beautiful building at one time. Plus, exploring ruins is just cool. I also would've loved to know more about it's past and more of the stories that must have taken place inside those walls, but it was still very much worth stopping by on our way to explore other sites.
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