L’Art Source

A work of L’Art: Pélissier’s cheese and charcuterie boards.

L’Art Source
6, rue Marie Stuart, in the 2nd Arrondissement.
09 82 55 00 49. Tues–Sat, 6:30 p.m.–2 a.m.
(Closed annually Aug 12–Sept 3.)

While I sometimes think there are too many restaurants in Paris, not all of them worthy, I can’t say there are too many wine bars in Paris. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing. You need one for every mood. Sometimes you’d like to spend the evening sampling different food and wine pairings. Sometimes you just want to meet for a drink and a snack before a late dinner. And sometimes you don’t want the night to end, and you need a place for casual after-dinner drinks. I’ve just discovered a new wine bar to fit my every mood: L’Art Source.
Frenchman Martin Pélissier has spent the last six years between Argentina, Switzerland and the US, and his wine menu at L’Art Source reflects his travels as well as his aspiration to serve accessible wines from all over the world. Open since last fall, L’Art Source has several tables on the terrace, bar seating, and a few sleek high-top tables overlooking the patio.

Domaine Auchère Sancerre. 

Our group walked in open to drinking anything, and after we gave the friendly and outgoing Martin a few preferences, he chose some new-to-us wines that suited our palates and paired well with our food. The white grape was a marsanne—a 2011 St.-Péray Les Pins from the Domaine Bernard Gripa. It was full bodied with a dash of light honeysuckle. The red was a lighter pinot noir from Sancerre at 30 euros (Domaine Auchère). Both were unique, slightly off-the-beaten-wine-path choices that I likely wouldn’t have selected myself but will order again soon.
We arrived just as they were opening and weren’t able to get hot food for another hour, so we started with generous cheese and charcuterie boards. Pélissier gets most of his cured meats from Spain, with some coming from France and Italy as well, along with a nice selection of cow and goat cheeses. It was a great opener.
Once the Spanish chef arrived, we slipped in a few orders from the tapas-style menu. The traditional Spanish tortilla was dense, warm and crisp on the outside, served with a bed of soft greens, making for a satisfying meal in itself. We also had chunks of smoked salmon beautifully arranged on bits of celery, dressed with a smattering of zesty vinaigrette. The vegetable plate—which can be a difficult commodity to come by in Paris—was a vibrant bowl of charred colors and flavors, including grilled summer squash, tomatoes, zucchini and pocket-size aubergines.
It was a fun and relaxing evening of good food and wine that somehow suited all of our moods. 

In a nutshell: L’Art Source is a great Paris wine bar where you can start your evening or enjoy an entire night of tapas and wine pairings.
Price check: Small and larger plates served tapas-style, from 6–22 euros each.
If you like the sound of L’Art Source, you might also like Ô Chateau.
Ô Chateau
68, rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in the 1st.
01 44 73 97 80.
Related Links
L’Art Source
Ô Chateau
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