I’m in Love with Le Saint Sebastien

Have you ever discovered a restaurant so perfect you don’t really want to share it with anyone else?

I have.

I first visited le Saint-Sebastien about a week ago. I’ve been twice since, and I wouldn’t discount the possibility another trip before the end of the month. Add to this the fact that the restaurant has only been opened three weeks, and I guess you could say I’ve accidentally become a regular here, a status I don’t intend to give up any time soon.

And for as much as I’d really love to keep this spot to myself, I can’t bring myself to. It’s so good.

I want to share it.

I want it to be mine and mine alone.

It’s a conundrum.

I love it because of its product-driven mentality – the exquisite charcuterie and bread from Ten Belles are just the beginning. Everything on the menu is ingredient-driven but far from overly simple, with unique combinations and, above all, flavors that the French aren’t necessarily used to seeing.

I love it for its extensive natural wine list, compiled by knowledgeable and friendly sommelier Bastien, whose English was perfected over the course of a stint in Australia.

I don’t think I need to order wine here ever again; I just trust him implicitly.

I love it for breaking away from the small plates addiction that has existed throughout Paris for the past few years without resorting to heavy, too-copious dishes. (I also love it for this salsify with squid ink and a poached egg, which I’ve ordered twice already).

I love it for its nose-to-tail mindset: on my first visit, with duckling on the menu, this amuse gueule of duck heart skewers was sent out to a handful of tables, to make sure nothing went to waste.

I love it for the ease with which the menu features plant-based dishes: on my second visit, two each of the three appetizers and mains was veggie-driven. This dish of oyster mushrooms with mole sauce (which I ordered twice as well) neither purports to be meat nor is too self-aware of itself as a “veggie option.” It’s delicious all on its own: rich, flavorful, and beautiful.

I love the not-too-sweet desserts, like squash and hazelnut milk or candied beet and yogurt granita.

I love the way it feels like a secret: located beneath an ultra-simple hotel, piping in fantastic music, with smiling front-of-house staff and more than enough space to have a conversation with your dining companions without having the voice – or the elbow – of your neighbors in your face.

I love that this is at once a French restaurant and a restaurant with influences all its own: a Bolivian owner, a Mexican-American chef, and an Australian sous bring a veritable panoply of flavors together for an experience that’s truly memorable.

In fact, that’s the first thing I said to the owner when I had finished my meal: as someone who cooks at home, when I eat out, I seek to be surprised, to be challenged, to learn something.

And that’s perhaps most of all what I love about it.

So go. Go quickly. Go immediately.

But please… don’t go on a night I want to go – or if you do, save me a seat.

Le Saint-Sebastien - 42 Rue Saint-Sébastien, 75011