traditional | From your Parisian

The wet and cloudy weather is back in Paris, making me long for some tasty and warm home cooking. As I unfortunately do not have a nice French family to cook for me, I have had to look for other alternatives and La Cave de L’Os à Moelle is definitely a winner. Located in the middle of nowhere (or to be more exact, in the South of Paris by Métro station Balard!) and therefore undiscovered by most Parisians and tourists, this cozy wine bar/restaurant gives you a taste of simple French country cooking in a welcoming hideaway. The dining experience offered here is very unique, and when I was first introduced to the place with friends over four years ago I was pretty blown away. It consists of an all you can eat buffet of entrées, main courses and desserts for only 25 euros! Have I got your attention yet?The brick walled room is small with only a few large wooden tables at the back and walls of crockery and bottles of wine proudly displayed for all to admire. The table is set when you arrive and already covered with various bowls of salads and terrines (or patés) along with crusty loaves of bread. These large dishes can be passed around your table and are often traded between tables, which makes it all the more fun. As soon as I sat down I immediately started loading my plate with a grated carrot and beetroot salad seasoned with a light mustard dressing. I’m not a big fan of patés but I tried a little of the terrine de campagne (country paté made from pork with onions and various herbs) before my other friends grabbed it away from me.Next we moved on to the old fashioned stove top at the very back of the room where casseroles and cast iron pots filled with tasty dishes are kept warm. The menu changes every night but this time included a shepherd’s pie made with tender pork, a vegetable pot-au-feu (stew), roasted baby potatoes, pork cheeks and tripe! As you can see, they are rather rustic traditional recipes that you don’t often encounter in other Parisian restaurants and, apart from the tripe which I didn’t try (sorry, it’s just not my thing), everything was very nice.My favorite part of dinner, however, involves the long dessert bar that literally stretches the entire length of the room. This dessert buffet features many comforting favorites such as creamy rice pudding (took a big scoop of that), homemade apple sauce (yes please), warm apple crumble (love it), various cakes (added a thick slice of chocolate cake to my plate) and île flottante (or floating island, which is basically meringue floating on a sea of custard). There is also what looks like a little chicken cage filled with various French cheeses that you can also add to your plate. At this point, although you start to feel full, the urge to return and get seconds is just too strong. Your mind says no but your tummy says yes…or atleast that’s how it went for me!So if you want to gather around a rustic table with family and friends and enjoy some simple French cooking then this is your place! It’s definitely not classy fine dining, but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming and they have an amazing (i.e. huge) selection of wine…something you probably wouldn’t find at your Auntie Hugette’s place! I should mention that just across the street there is L’Os à Moelle, their more elegant restaurant serving fancier dishes (I’ve never been, but I’m sure it is good). For La Cave à l’Os à Moelle, I suggest making a reservation, especially for large groups, as once you are settled you can spend the entire evening there with whoever you may call family.