Thursday night, I joined my French foodie sister Raphaele for dinner at Le BAT (Bar à Tartares at lunch and Bar à Tapas at dinner). Located in the 9th, they offer seasonal, creative tapas from head chef Amine Chraïbia (l’Astrance, Senderens & KGB alumn). It has a big open kitchen, so a counter seat is the perfect place to watch all the plating happen right before your eyes. Dinner and a show, as far as I’m concerned.

They asked the magic question, “Would you like us to choose for you?”, to which the obvious answer is yes. What is more fun than not knowing what’s coming up next?

“Are you hungry?” Blank stares. Look at each other. Look back. Are we hungry? Are you a chef? Is Paris cloudy in winter? If eating was a profession, we would be in the top echelon.

“How hungry are you?” Such silly, irrelevant questions. It’s never really about hunger. We trust you, do your thing. And do his thing he did.

Duck & foie gras croquettes with sweet chile sauce

Shrimp in a sweet chili peanut sauce with kale

Charred avocado with salmon roe and tahini horseradish

Beef tataki with peanut satay and chestnut puree – My favorite dish of the evening.

Marinated mackerel with spinach, piquillo peppers & bergamot orange

Sea bass tartare on lemongrass & coconut milk taramasalata with botargo (salted cured fish roe)

Roasted baby lamb with winter vegetables

Grilled pollack in spicy white miso sauce

Candied butternut, pistachio ice cream, buttery pumpkin seed wafers, and a crispy thin sheet of caramel

Roasted pear, cocoa crumble, & white chocolate tonka bean ice cream

A good mix of fish, meat, raw, cooked. Loved the use of peanuts in both the shrimp and beef dishes. I look forward to seeing what they do with some fresh spring veggies in a month or so here.

As a side note, if you’re in the market for a private chef or a great dinner party, they offer an option to reserve one of the chefs from le BAT to come cook chez vous, for a 40 or 55 euros per person. My next visit will have to be lunch for the ceviches, and, as I hear, the vegetable tempura. Then maybe I’ll hire the chef.

le BAT
16 Boulevard Montmartre, 75009 Paris
+33 1.42.46.14.25
Open Monday through Saturday – 12-11:30pm