Safety Harbor
2/27/15
From the Green Book:
First Courses: Here we are, it's five to seven on a Friday, about to get our third course at Parts of Paris. I've been a fan of everything so far.... I started with a French 75 cocktail (Nice!), and French onion soup plus escargot (earthy!) plus the charcuterie. The later was all in house (no cheese, no sausage), and I thought it great. The duck liver pate' and a "country pate'" of livers and sweet potatoes and pork, and also a dried salmon with creme' fraiche and capers... yeah. Nice.
The French onion soup was a bit nontraditional, but both Mel and I loved it [and she is NOT typically a fan of deviation from tradition when it comes to F.O. soup!- M]. She actually said it was her favorite part of the meal, but then she didn't eat all the meats....
So...Mains: No, wait! Drinks! Besides the 75, I had a glass of Cote du Rhone that was terrific with my main, and another house special cocktail (Il Presidente!) for dessert. Nice.
Now, Mains: Anyway, I got the duck confit, and I was looking for that confit "magic trick"* and I mostly found it. Mostly. The best bites were amazing; the worst ones were still pretty good. Mel got mussels and frites, which I thought were a tiny bit underseasoned, but maybe they were going for a more subtle thing then, say, the Indy on Belgian Independence Day. The dessert she ordered was pretty great too, but she'll have to tell you about it.
Final Notes: The service (from the bartender, who seemed to be covering the entire place single handedly) was excellent, and the pacing was perfect. They absolutely know how to stage a meal. All it all, they really made me want to come back. I should get the Coq au Vin next time.
This is a tough one to rate. I'm going to sit on a 4.5/5 for now.
*The "duck confit magic trick" I referred to above, is the incredible way that the dish can be crackling-crisp on the outside, and yet tender and falling apart within. When it's done right, it's one of my very favorite things to eat- M.
From the Red Book:
Charcuterie: I'm not a fan of the dried salmon, however I can see why people would like it (personal preference). The pickles are house-made and are not too infused with vinegar, and they have an oregano finish. Although I generally don't go for pate', it was nice, although the bologna-like coloring was not pleasing to the eye.
Escargot: It was a nice touch to add gruyere, however it brought forth the taste of earthiness more than I am used to.
French Onion Soup: One word: Divine. I love French onion soup but a lot of people overdo the sherry and make it too sweet. Theirs is a minimal broth that gets absorbed almost completely by the French bread. Each spongy, decadent bite is perfectly flavored from beginning until end.
(Side Note: the bread was amazing and up to this point the service is pretty good.)
Moules Frites: Mussels and French fries. They were swimming in a cream sauce- Matt said he tasted anise or leek, however I did not. The mussels were great dipped into the cream sauce with the fries, however I was kind of bored with the dish. Too many mussels; I only ate half (not a bad thing, I just hate wasting the food).
Chocolate Espresso Tart: Wow. This had a great crumbly graham cracker crust with a beautiful ganache of chocolate and espresso finishing tones. Very filling, but delicious.
Coffee: Tasted fresh, like a French press. Supurb.
4 out of 5 from Mel.
We highly recommend Parts of Paris for those looking for French food, great service, cocktails, wine, and a romantic night out for two. Reservations are recommended (use the link above, and book with the OpenTable widget on their site).
You'll find them at:
146 4th Avenue N
Safety Harbor, FL 34695
Tel: 727 797 7979
Feel free, as always, to let us know what you think! Greenbookredbook@gmail.com
I'll add any good FB/FU below. Thanks for reading.