Prunier

Prunier is run by a mother-son team. The son cooks and the mother runs the front of the house, exuding a certain warmth and care that’s hard to find in larger restaurants, or in any restaurant these days for that matter. The service was very good.

So was the food. Seeing a menu where escargots a la Bourgignonne and frogs legs are still served made me nostalgic for the most recent trip I took to Paris two years ago with my lovely daughter, who actually did try a snail and a princely sauteed frog leg. We didn’t at Prunier last week, but there was plenty more that we did.

I had to slurp a hot spoonful of classic French onion soup, with its deep, earthy flavor and irresistible melted gruyere. It made me think of the charms of onions so much that it inspired today’s recipe piece, too. The soup was a tiny bit on the salty side but delicious. The salmon tartar was also very well executed. It came with a spicy remoulade and small bits of toast. A green salad was generous and properly dressed, with a variety of fresh seasonal salad greens and a balanced sauce.

One of us had the monkfish, which was simply but perfectly grilled (a little over cooked) and served with an equally simple but just right combination of poached carrots, broccoli, zucchini and cauliflower. There was a fillet to be sampled, which was tender and served forth with a classic Bearnaise and a chicken “teriyaki,” as a nod to contemporary tastes. It was good. But the finale was my plate: steak Tartare, which I usually dare not eat anymore because raw meat is, well, questionable. It was delicious, just spicy enough, every spoonful a blend of sharp spice and soft comfort.

Dessert came: candied quince with ice cream, which was really good—a combination of sauteed quince and preserved quince over vanilla ice cream, and a classic, well-made panacotta with chocolate sauce.

It was nice to be in a setting so civilized and low-profile, where the service is attentive, the food classic and steady, and prices a little on the expensive side, at around 60 euro each (we did go through three bottles of wine). When you consider that so many restaurants that serve forth pre-made schlock will run you about 40-45 euro a person, Prunier with all its finesse seems almost like a bargain.

Cuisine: traditional French fare
Athens Area: downtown, Kolonaki, near Syntagma 

Atmosphere: civilized, cozy, low-profile

Service: attentive

Wine list: very good range

Prices: 45-60 euro a person

Address: 63, Ipsilantou str., Kolonaki, tel. 2107227379