Of course there are many restaurants in Paris serving good beef, but if you’re looking for the one go-to point for your sudden fix of meat, then La Maison de l’Aubrac certainly should be high on your list, since it also is the one such place that is open any time a day for the entire week.
And somehow you feel like there’s a special kind of vibe in this place, which isn’t far from the Champs-Elysées. There seems to be a mix of testosterone and beef vapors in the air and a common spirit of meat-greed that unifies all patrons.
The restaurant specializes in meat from Aubrac cattle coming from the owner Christian Valette‘s own organic breeding in Laguiole. The different cuts are being matured for up to 7 weeks in a transparent dry-aging cabin inside the restaurant.
The hallmark-cuts are of course the “Côtes de boeuf”, whole beef ribs which are matured for up to 7 weeks as well. Price starts at 84 Euro (for 2) for the younger specimens and goes up to 105 Euro for the 5-week rib. Special ribs, marinated in Cognac and covered with white or black truffles are available as well, but naturally come at even higher prices.
In order to experience the effects of maturation, we decided to share one 5 week Côte de Boeuf, rare, of course. It comes with Aligot, a type of mashed potatoes mixed with cheese, a specialty from the Aubrac region, as well as some salad, for illusory health reasons I suppose. But with this dish in front of you, there’s no way you care about your calories intake, all you care about is the intake of meat deliciousness! It is indeed very flavorful meat,with fibres having mellowed through the aging but it is still also juicy enough. Meat-heaven!
Our wine-pick was an excellent bottle of 2009 Côte de Nuits villages by Emilie Geantet, a more full-bodied Pinot, still with the slightest oak aromas, but foremost with rich berry fruit. It has the kind of boldness to match the intense flavor of the Aubrac beef, but at the same time the fruit and charm that we love so much in Burgundy wines.
One last look at the restaurant’s centerpiece!
La Maison de l’Aubrac 37 rue Marbeuf
75008 Paris
Phone: 01 43 59 05 14