Les Oeillets

Industry Hot Spot: Maxime & Solal’s new natural wine bar is a delicious, joyful VIBE.Maxime Dardeau & Solal Martin-Grondard’s new Les Oeillets wine bar - is actually the former Chambre Noire where they used to work. During their tenure, they paid attention and learned how to run one of the most popular new openings in the 11th. They took over the corner spot, gave it a fresh coat of paint, amped up the natural wine list and injected some serious high-level energy into the corner neighborhood spot. Every night it’s packed with a young exuberant crowd packed in around tiny tables to eat, drink and socialize on the terrace and indoor dining room. Although it is a GREAT time (and Max's physical comedy could rival Chaplin), it is not all party-party … a series of top-notch resident chefs rotate through the open kitchen at the zinc bar creating delicious sharing plates. Current Chef Paul Alexis’s menu starts with house pulled-pork rillettes with Basque peppers, Gorgonzola with chilis followed by (my all-time favourite) large crispy hash brown squares dressed with tangy tarama-caviar creme, limequat and grated Gouda cheese, Paimpol white beans with bacon fat croutons & chili oil or the delicious warm shallot tart with fresh raw cream. They are serious about their natural wines too - currently in love with German & Hungarian wines and who I’ll always be eternally grateful for turning me on to the Brand Brothers in Germany. It is a VIBE and the guys are full of SO, MUCH, JOY.