Gram e basta, the new Italian restaurant in Lyon 3rd – Exit Mag
The new Italian restaurant in the 3rd which replaces La Balançoire is a little brother to the neighborhood restaurant Gram & Grum. Yum.
The place was called the Swing. Apparently someone pushed her too hard… She’s gone! She is premature Gram and basta. The restaurant arises as an Italian ending of Grum & Gram, a nice neighborhood bistro where you eat very well. Gram é basta could have been called pasta é pizza as the two stereotypical elements dominate the menu. Before rebelling against the Caesar salad, it should be noted that everything else we tasted was good. This Caesar salad, which deserved to be called Brutus, was the rock in the shoe of this “Italian bistro”. The Caesar salad was born, according to a controversial story, in Mexico in 1924. It belongs to the romantic world of “what’s left in the fridge, houlala, I have to cook something at the last minute to an important customer” which includes mayonnaise and the club sandwich. There’s a base of broad leaf romaine lettuce, croutons and parmesan cheese. Jurisprudence permits the addition of chicken pieces. The sauce made with lemon vinegar and olive oil must have character and a funny little taste. The secret comes from an addition of Worcestershire sauce, as in the Bloody Mary. We ended up with an anonymous salad with shredded leaves, spectral seasoning and above all soft croutons. The crouton must be crispy, otherwise you might as well do without. Especially since according to our deductions they had to be made of pizza dough.
Pizza and pasta
On the pizza side, on the other hand, the well-cooked, firm dough is crunchy as it should be. The tomato that covers it deep (like Mutti) and the mozzarella fondue bring a pleasant milky side. A little basil, a few cherry tomatoes to look pretty, and that’s enough to make a good Margherita. A bit of history: the Margherita was created on June 11, 1889, with the three colors of Italy, for the Queen Margaret of Savoy. So we don’t just eat pizza but a bit of history. Like linguine carbonara, symbols of the liberation of Italy by the Americans, with egg yolk, parmesan and guanciale (bacon in the day of the pig) and therefore especially not bacon and cream. Tomatoes (two varieties) mozza and pesto bombarded with arugula shots tasted great. As well as the pana cotta with apricot coulis, among the best on the local scene. The atmosphere and decor are very nice bistro. It would suffice to throw Caesar into the lion’s den and everything would be fine. FM
Gram and basta. 223 rue de Crequi, Lyon 3rd. 09 88 53 84 51. Closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday evening. Pizzas: between 11 and 15 euros. Pasta: between 12 and 15 euros. Panna cotta: 6 euros. Platter of Italian charcuterie to share: 14 euros. Tomato mozzarella: 10 euros. Photo: Susie Waroude.