David, I too was intrigued by PW's review of Tante Paulette. Any restaurant compared to L' Ami Louis piques my interest. So about five or six years ago my wife and I, along with one of my employees took the 9:00am TGV from Paris in search of Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. We had telephoned in advance for a table at 12:30. We arrived in Lyon (I had never been there before) and walked around town for about an hour, touring the market next to the river and the main square in town. Finally (it seemed like forever) it was lunchtime. Rue Merciere is a bistro filled street that runs parallel to the river. On this saturday it was quiet. We tried to find the restaurant but we were having trouble. I remember walking up and back to no avail. Finally we asked someone and he pointed it out to us. It was so tiny that we been walking past it without noticing. When we walked in we were greeted by a man. The restaurant only had 5 tables. The room you entered had a small bar with one table and the main dining room had 4 tables. He seated us in the main room. The person who greeted us did not speak english but he held his hand up to his ear to let us know he knew we had called from Paris. He asked us what we wanted to eat and we told him poulet. He disappeared down a flight of stairs. After we ordered a man and a women sat down nearby. Fortunately they spoke a little english. They told us that Paulette had retired and our host had purchased the restaurant from her (he had since returned with a large bowl of salad and was standing there beaming). They assured us that the recipes used were exactly the same and that Paulette came by on occasion to check on the place. Well I must say we were disappointed not meeting the legendary Paulette and were concerned about the quality of the food. Well let me tell you it was fabulous. It was so warm and delicious. The vinegar in the recipe took the edge off the garlic and made it soft and mellow like shallots that have been sauteeing for a long time on low heat. This was followed by a huge bowl of incredible chocalate mousse. We left the restaurant about 3:00pm and wandered around Lyon until our 5:00pm TGV stopping for coffee at Cafe de Negocients which was as bustling a cafe as I had ever been to. I understand that the restaurant has since closed. Gary (that's my employee) has been back to Lyon and reported the news. Even though we didn't get to eat with Paulette, our meal was so delicious that it satisfied my years of yearning when reading about it in P. Wells. Occasionally when the three of us are together, one of us remembers what a perfect day we had and reminds the others. Thanks for being the one that did the reminding this time. I know I've gone on and on but as long as you have your P. Wells out, we had a similar ethereal experience having lunch at Au Grand Veneur in Barbizon. Bon Apetite David H. wrote in article ... > Est-ce que quelqu'un connait ce bistro dans la rue Chavanne? A present, > la "proprietaire" Marie-Louise Auteli doit avoir plus que 80 ans, et je > me demande si elle travait encore. Merci. > > Is anyone familiar with this bistro in Lyons, France? Patricia Wells > wrote about it in her "Food Lover's Guide to France". The owner must be > well over 80 by now and I was wondering whether she is still working. > Thanks. > >
France