Max y Jeremy is a tapas bistro in the Haut Marais district of Paris. Caroline and Anne-Sophie welcome you with smiles in this red and black stone and wood den, with high tables and a long, long bar featuring a gigantic vat of clerico (sangria with rosé wine). Large slates display the colors and flavors. As for cocktails, L’Exquise (Grey Goose, pear, vanilla, lime) is, needless to say, exquisite, Besito del diablo (Caïpi, strawberry) lives up to its name and you can dive into Piscine Russe (Deutz champagne, vodka, violet) without needing a lifebuoy, at least for the first glass. As for tapas, they’re all homemade on the (good) advice of chef Gilles Choukroun, who for the past six months has been creating the menu for these sunny finger foods. You’ll find it hard to make up your mind: croquetas de Bellota (fried dumplings with bechamel sauce and Bellota ham) are ultra-soft and fragrant; Txistorra (spicy Basque sausages) are tasty and spicy just right; clams from Mont Saint Michel with a flick of fennel or tortilla from a Basque granny’s recipe – that’s all we’re telling you. It’s delicious and unpretentious, the music goes on and on, and the atmosphere goes wild.
Max y Jeremy
www.maxyjeremy.com
La Mère Denis is a former washerwoman, emblematic of the 70s (and Vedette washing machines), embodying roundness, generosity and love of a job well done. It’s no coincidence that Max, Jérémy and their partner in this new adventure, Camille, have named their restaurant after her. It’s the story of a former soulless kebab shop that was bought up, washed, sanded, bricked and given a floor-to-ceiling makeover to become this vast, welcoming place open seven days a week, from breakfast to dinner, with Sunday brunch. Quite a job, and a fine one at that: wide strip parquet flirts with old ceramic tiles, exposed stone and brick highlight a tiled wall and its nods to the 50’s, banquettes, wooden tables, antique chandelier, no fuss, comfort, charm and that little je ne sais quoi that makes you feel expected. And don’t forget the spacious terrace, open all day long (and packed at aperitif time!). Regulars come back again and again for the half-cooked tuna steak, the Pata Negra pork chop or the beef tartar with knife and home fries (2-cooked, of course!). Egg mayo or Royan ravioli as starters, chocolate mi-cuit or apple-rhubarb crumble for dessert confirm the quality of this bistro cuisine, based on fresh, seasonal produce. At dinner, the lights dim, the music plays and the atmosphere warms up… So, on an evening when your stomach’s in knots, it’s worth not leaving the privilege of this fine establishment to the neighborhood’s regulars.
La Mère Denis,
75, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis
Paris 10th
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