Wine Bar: Legrand Filles et Fils
Walking through the signature narrow streets of Paris just behind the Palais Royal, you will find one of the charming little places that the City of Light keeps hidden to preserve its mystery.
From the rue des Petits Champs you turn right into one of Paris' famous "passages", Galerie Vivienne, which takes you from the dim streets into a luminous beige canopied arcade with a warming atmosphere that leaves you admiring the interior architecture. While you are sauntering through the Galerie Vivienne, a great place to stop is the wine bar, Legrand Filles et Fils.
I recommend sitting at one of the bar stools just outside the entrance. From there you get a view of the exquisite collection of the vintage bottles displayed in the window — from a white Chablis to red Saint-Emilion. Though a wine bar, Legrand Filles et Fils offers not only a broad selection of wines but also champagne, whiskey, Armagnac, and many other drinks.
A waitress will serve you a standard menu from which non-connoisseurs can order a glass from the standard menu. More discriminating wine connoisseurs can ask for the complete selection on their extensive wine list featuring vintages from various regions of France — Bordeaux, Rhône, and Burgundy.
I selected a glass of Bordeaux — a Haut-Médoc 2011 from the Château Sociando Mallet —after reading the short description and history of the wine on the menu. For me a glass of wine is a ritual in pleasure, so my friend and I decided to accompany the wine with a plate of something appropriate. We decided to try the foie gras served with toasted bread and homemade fig jam from the property of Réméjeanne. The combination of tastes was brilliant. The red wine leaves a bitter aftertaste leaving your mouth a bit dry accompanied by a smooth layer of foie gras on a warm, crisp toast with a touch of sweet fig jam to freshen up the taste of the wine.
Legrand Fille et Fils is great stop for a dégustation while on a walk in the 2nd arrondissement — unless of course you decide to stay for a longer lunch. Prices vary for a glass of wine range from about 10 to 25 euros while the selection of plates to accompany the wine varies from 15 to 30 euros.
Legrand Filles et Fils
1, rue de la Banque, 75002
Open Monday to Thursday 12h - 19h30
Friday & Saturday 12h - 20h30
