L’Arrêt by The Grey, an American bistro in Paris

‘Country Captain’ chicken, at L’Arrêt by The Grey. LÉO BOURDIN

At 7:30 pm, a ray of golden evening light streamed through the corner window of L’Arrêt. The new bistro’s olive green façade, tucked between the Musée d’Orsay and Boulevard Saint-Germain, stood out against the classic Haussmannian buildings of Paris’s 7th arrondissement. Inside, brown leather booth seats and globe lamps created a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Clad in a T-shirt bearing the restaurant’s logo, a gray vest and a blue scarf, which she wore around her head, Mashama Bailey moved calmly between the tables and greeted the first guests. Near the counter, an American couple were taking their first bites. They, like her, hailed from Georgia. “You’re home, then,” the chef said playfully.

Their plates were heaped with Country Captain chicken, an iconic dish of the American South. The succulent chicken supreme rested on a thick slice of rustic-style bread, soaked in the chicken juices, and topped with a gently spiced tomato-based sauce, which had a subtle curry and almond flavor. It was served with Middlins broken rice, an adaptation of Savannah Red Rice (a kind of Jollof rice), which had been prepared with diced Morteau smoked sausage, shrimp and tarragon.

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