Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry, I did not dine out in 2021. Consequently, this time, I could not make a list of “the best restaurants, best food, best dishes of 2021”. Hopefully, the dining scene will fully get back on track in 2022.
As it is customary at the beginning of every new year, I am sharing with you the previous year’s Top 7 Most Viewed Posts according to your hits:
1.The post “A tale of 2 World Class Burgers – New York City“ (click here to get to that post) was viewed by 12.65 % of all of you. In 2021, NYC did dominate most of your hits on this blog, consequently, as you will see in the notes below, the majority of the top 7 Most Viewed Posts are related to New York. As for this specific write-up, the reviewed two hamburgers were highly satisfying (Emily’s — picture in top left corner — being 100% pure fun, the unsung mistress, for the analogy…although Emily’s Burger is not “unsung” at all. It is actually of the “celebrated” sort. Very much so. Red Hook Tavern’s —— picture in top right corner —, the flawless “hottie” ) and it would have been hard to imagine how they could have been improved.
2.The review of Gallagher’s Steakhouse, New York City (12.52 % of all your hits). For me, the G is currently the best steakhouse of NYC, plain and simple. They grill a world-class steak on hickory coals (using hickory coals is a rarity at a steakhouse in NYC). There’s nothing as exciting as the appetizing aroma of meat grilled on hickory coals. And there is not just their steak that is good under their roof. Folks, sometimes, your hits are high on some posts of eateries that are not good, and I am like “what the heck are you guys doing…“. Yeah, believe it or not, it happens, Lol. But your numerous hits on the G’s review, in 2021, this one, I can dig it! It was not always like that: in its first year, this review was largely ignored by all of you, which I could not understand as my reviews on lesser restaurants were attracting a considerable number of hits. Better late than never as, this time, it was a good call from you.
3.Sushi Noz, New York City (11.89 % of all your hits). What a world-class sushi restaurant outside of Japan! Few sushi restaurants can match the quality of service and overall dining experience found at Sushi Noz. I will run back there way before thinking about going back to plenty of restaurants that I did rate higher than Sushi Noz. Sushi Noz has been a favourite of hordes of sushi fans in NYC for a long time, and it was easy to see why.
4.Rezdôra Osteria Emiliana, New York (11.73 % of all your hits). Rezdôra was a charm, as detailed in my review. It is a restaurant that is managed by people who think “outside the box” in a way that is refreshingly appealing. Some people think out of the box and that can be off-putting. In the case of Rezdôra, it is enchanting. No wonder they are so popular! Given how popular Rezdôra is, I was surprised that this post was not in the top 7 Most Viewed Posts according to your hits in 2020. But in 2021, it gained traction among you. And that made perfect sense.
5.The River Café, Brooklyn, NY ( 11.21 % of all your hits). Within a few months, a restaurant can change a lot, for better or worse. Therefore I have no clue if The River Café is still as great as it was during that visit. It is with caution that I assess The River Café because it is a legendary romantic dining destination and sometimes, such restaurants tend to “rest on their laurels”. I can only talk about that specific dinner, obviously, of which both the Missus and myself had nothing but praises for the flawless savoury dishes we were served and we both thought that they certainly did not rest on their laurels (the general vibe pertains to a world-class romantic dining destination, indeed). And Yes, that view is … splendid! But it is pricey, as you might expect from a special occasion type of place.
6.Pierre Gagnaire, Paris is the sole entry that is not related to NYC to feature in the top 7 Most Viewed Posts in 2021. Gagnaire is one of the most celebrated chefs in the world. His flagship and eponymous restaurant, in Paris, just 8 minutes walk from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées is the restaurant I did review (here) and that was the target of 10.59 % of all your hits in 2021. When a Chef runs an empire of restaurants around the world (PG has restaurants in Tokyo, Paris, Dubai, Seoul, Las Vegas, London, etc ), I am a bit worried about the potential “lack of soul” of his offering, but in the case of Pierre Gagnaire Paris, fortunately, my worries were unfounded: this is, indeed, the world-class dining destination that plenty of gastronomes have long praised.
7. Keen’s Steakhouse , New York (10.47% of all your hits). Another steakhouse grabbed your attention…- Why am I not surprised? Lol. I will never understand the popularity of steakhouses (it is just meat that is grilled or broiled, no elaborate cooking … ) but I have to respect what the most are attracted to. So, here comes Keen’s at 7th position, a steakhouse that opened in 1885 (yeah, two centuries ago…) and that has enjoyed legendary status in NYC for quite some time. The experts of the steakhouses in NYC continue to hold Keen’s in high regard. I certainly do, too.
If I may extend this to the top 15 of the Most Viewed Posts according to your hits, at 8th position the review on L’Arpège (Paris), Torishin (NYC) ‘s at 9th position, Les Prés d’Eugénie Michel Guérard (Eugénie-les-Bains) ‘s at 10th position, Oiji (NYC)’s at 11th position, L’Ambroisie (Paris)’s at 12th position, Quality Meats (NYC)’s at 13th position, Le Coucou (NYC)’s at 14th position and Sushi Azabu (NYC)’s at 15th.
In other news, La Liste 2022 was published recently. La Liste takes the majority of the online restaurant reviews/assessments, and then ranks restaurants based on that. Therefore if you take issue with it, you are taking issue with every single restaurant review / assessment that you happen to see online and that includes yours, too. I gather that there is no perfect restaurant ranking guide, obviously (since it is a subjective matter), but this is the only system that is basically taking into account the bulk of the online restaurant reviews / assessments and not just doing its own ranking based on its own way of appreciating a restaurant. So, in a nutshell, your own voice feeds La Liste. Now, I have always found people criticizing restaurant ranking sites to be unrealistic (unless, of course, it is to “serve an agenda” – as an example, a fan of Michelin criticizing San pellegrino’s World’s Best Restaurants and vice versa, things like that) ..I mean, what are you criticizing? The subjective opinion of someone else? Lol…- It is subjective..as in personal taste..personal preference. So what..exactly..are you criticizing? Do not get me wrong: I am not against criticizing. It is part of normal life. Sometimes, we need it in order to prosper. But there should be a rationale behind that. In other words, you need to know what you are doing. Or else, that is just criticizing for the pleasure of opening your mouth. So when La liste came up, guess what…some people still found a way to shoot down la liste, meaning… their very own opinions. Lol. No one needs to stoop this low. Listen, I could see why someone would criticize the tyre (Michelin) or the sparkling water (San Pellegrino for their World’s best restaurant listing) companies, even though it remains utterly subjective. I could still tolerate that. After all, one performer’s legion of friends will naturally clash with his competitor’s fans. But your own opinion? Shooting down a forum that takes your own opinion into account? Really…? The point I am somewhat agitated about is, what were you doing there, in the first place? … Rfaol!.. – As for La Liste, they continue to publish a listing that seems perfectly in sync with what you would build if you were seriously interested to go through every single online source of restaurant reviews / assessments about Fine dining around the globe. It may not please a person who is tired of France’s presence on the world’s culinary landscape to see Guy Savoy as the #1 favoured restaurant by the sum of all related online accounts, but that is his own personal problem and that has nothing to do with what most diners still prefer. Whether he likes it or not, most diners around the globe still prefer French fine dining. The trending pattern is to change that (hence the ferocious efforts to smash down everything that comes from France’s Michelin Guide, etc) , but until that happens, the current reality is that most people will act as if they are sucked into the hype of some random exotic sounding non French Fine dining destination when..in facts…behind closed doors…they are booking a table at … Guy Savoy, Rfaol!!! Exactly as the dude who is praising his trophy chick, when in reality the bulk of his fun is coming from his unsung mistress. So let’s cut the bull….. – And hey, just in case you think that I am a “fanboy” of those restaurant ranking systems: if you are familiar with this blog, I railed against Michelin and San Pellegrino when that was justified (those restaurant ranking systems and I do not always see eye to eye, so to speak, BUT … if you have the opportunity to be really neutral, which happens to be my case, then you should be able to say when things are right or wrong when they really are…NOT just because they SHOULD BE … for whatever stupid reasons…), but I do not criticize La Liste because it is my own voice / your own voice. I just haven’t figured out a way of vomiting on my own voice. I think that is what happens when you genuinely value what comes out from your own mind and mouth …
Last but not least, some of you have asked me (via emails) for recommendations of FREE online video material to master classic French cooking (which is one of the cuisines that I know the best and that I have covered the most on this blog). The ideal scenario would be some kind of FREE online educational material by one of the better Chefs of France, but I am afraid that is not a reality so far. For sure, they were not going to do that for .. FREE, RFAOL! Anyways, for now, I believe that what gets close to what you have been asking for is YouTube’s Ina Les Recettes Vintage ( https://www.youtube.com/@InaLesRecettesVintage ), French Cooking Academy – to be found here. You have several FREE educational videos on French cooking on that channel. I would also recommend Gourmandises TV, and Chef Vivien as well. There is also Chef Philippe Etchebest‘s Youtube channel, which, with more content, can be a potentially future great source. Aside from those, most of the relevant online video sources I found, up to now, are missing something, somehow, for me to feel comfortable recommending them. Hope that helps.
I have two dream projects that are (1)spend an entire year in Naples, Italy to perfect the Neapolitan Pizza, which is my preferred type of pizza and (2)spend several years in the best oyster farms of the globe learning how to perfect the art of oyster farming. Yeah, oysters…believe it or not, are one of my greatest lifelong passions. But, for now, the Covid-19 pandemic is slowing me down in materializing both projects.
I am looking forward to resuming the great dining adventures in 2022.
It will be interesting to see how the restaurant world will bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the industry.
Furthermore, let’s see how tourists and traveling foodies will cope with the mandatory covid-19 tests (you book your airline ticket, you book your hotel, you book your restaurants … you may still have to cancel all of that if your last minute covid-19 test is positive…. – Yay !! Youpi!! …).
Wishing you all a new year of scrumptious dining adventures!
Le Dôme (108 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, Phone: 01 43 35 25 81), opened in 1897, is an upscale historical brasseriein Paris.
Saumon mariné à l’aneth (dill marinated salmon) was fine enough, but it would not be hard to fine better versions of that, at plenty of restaurants in Paris 6/10
I came here for the oysters. It is actually Huitrerie Garnier that I wanted to revisit. Huitrerie Garnier is one of my go to places for oysters in Paris, but it is closed till September (From Sept to Dec, oysters are as fresh as it gets and Huitrerie Garnier operates only when oysters are at their best). As I was walking nearby Le Dôme, I remembered that they have quite a variety of interesting oysters and decided to push open their door. The raising and maturation of oysters, in France, is taken to a level rarely seen elsewhere around the globe***. Many regions of France have first-rate oysters. My favourite have been the fines de claires and spéciales de claires of Yves Papin (Marennes Oléron in Charente Maritime), Roumegous (Charente maritime), the Isigny, Saint-Vaast (Normandie), Gruissan (Aude), and many more. This time, I focused on Brittany. In France, oysters are offered by weight. Numbers 0 to 5 are assigned to oysters. The higher is the number, the smaller is the oyster (that is explained here). I ordered 3 types of oysters: the cupped oysters boudeuse de bretagne (Cote Des Menhirs) and tsarskaya no2 (Parcs Saint Kerber) as well as the flat oysters Plate de Cancale no.000 from that same Parcs Saint Kerber.
The oysters matched what their marketing do suggest:
the hint of sweetness, the meaty texture for the tsarskaya. There is a lot of marketing / buzz behind the tsarkaya, but although a great oyster, I am not particularly enamoured with it in a way that some other oysters of France have impressed me.
Plates de Cancale had their typical light nutty flavour in evidence
And the boudeuse had a concentrated flavor and it was fleshy as expected from an oyster “that refused to grow”.
And of course, the nice fresh iodine flavor that every single oyster of this globe has to come with, was there, in every single bite.
Le Dôme served perfectly well shucked oysters of fine quality with a flawless mignonette. I still prefer Huitre Garnier for oysters in Paris, and Paris has plenty of stellar oysters to feast on, anyways.
Mousse au chocolat, marmelade d’oranges, sorbet passion – classic French kitchen brigades are what you are looking for when it comes to a fine mousse of chocolate. The chocolate was of fine quality, its thick consistency tolerable, but there were many rivers to cross between the finer mousse of chocolate of France and this one (just not as dazzling on the palate). 6/10
Mille-feuille ” Napoléon” parfumé au rhum et à la vanille – Rhum and vanilla flavored Millefeuille came with a spectacular rustic flaky look that some generations of French may have flirted with, at some point in their life, but it was not as memorable on the palate nor to the smell as the finer Millefeuille that those same generations have known. Still, this was tolerable, just not as enjoyable as it should have been. 5/10
Bottom line: Le Dôme is ideal for a piece of restaurant history in Paris. It has couple of historical companions in the vicinity. Last time I was here, it was 25 years ago and I am glad that such historic restaurants is still open. Couple of metro stations away, at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, restaurant history goes on with café de flore, brasserie Lipp. On the culinary front, well, the best of classic French cooking in Paris will not come from here. It is neither good, nor bad. Overall rating (Categ: French Brasserie): Food (6/10 Yes, the oysters are well sourced, BUT such classic French brasserie needs to offer better renditions of basic classic French desserts such as a chocolate mousse or a Mille-feuille), Service (7/10 Classic old world masculine service ), Ambience: 8/10 (civilized).
#Pray for Paris. I am currently in the city of lights, Paris and was dining out with close relatives and watching France-Germany soccer match when the phones started ringing informing us about the sad events of the Paris attacks that were taking place just 2 miles away. Paris is currently extremely quiet with a heavy military presence, especially around the 10th/11th arrondissements. Pray for Paris.
With the recent addition of Manresa, California has now 5 triple Michelin starred restaurants (Benu in San Francisco, The French Laundry in Yountville, Manresa in Los Gatos, The Restaurant at Meadowood in St Helena as well as Saison in San Francisco), which makes it the most triple- starred Michelin state in the US. With its exceptional wines, superb weather and enviable terroir , SF keeps positioning itself as a true, not just marketed as such (hein Montreal?), world class foodie destination. Here is a list of Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco (quite impressive, I have to say).
Visiting Rome and Sicily – As with any popular foodie destinations, Italy has its shares of misses and hits when it comes to food. Do some search, lots of it ..or else, you may end up …like me….with your share of really ordinary (just Ok) meals.
Rome – In ancient times, the saying “all roads lead to Rome” basically meant that whatever you do, only the Roman way mattered. Rome may not be the so-called “centre of the world” that it was once dubbed, but its glorious past still resonates nowadays in the hearts of the impressive mass of tourists that it keeps attracting even in November, a period when tourism frequentation is at its lowest level anywhere else around the world. One of this globe’s most touristicky cities, as one would expect, and deservedly so….though, for the food, I am not fully sold about Rome’s position among world’s best foodie destinations. Perhaps I should have done better searches, perhaps…but I recall that cities lile Tokyo or San Sebastian dazzled more with no specific planning. I have to say, I am frustrated by the level of the food in Rome. Of course it is a good food city, but its better food is as tasty as any fine Italian food eaten in America. The food here is victim of something called GLOBALIZATION…and between you and me…it is a shame because what you generally eat in Rome could have been served to you in New York…and the difference is not that huge anymore.On Rome, during this visit, Vecchia Roma led the pack of the eateries I have tried. I also ate at: Ciampini, Baia Chia, L’Angelo Ai Musei. Just make sure that you are really familiar with Roman cuisine and do enjoy it, or else I can foresee some serious inaccurate opinions.
Palermo, Sicily, was no love at first sight for me. But the more I got to wander in its streets, the better it fared. Quattro Canti, the Norman palace, their beautiful old town, the unique blend of Christian and Muslim architectures and arts…Palermo kept fighting back. In the end, I had no other choice but to surrender: yes, some parts of Palermo was destroyed during the second world war and little of that was renovated since then, but this city has way more to offer than its first impressions, which is not a surprise when you start digging in its past: Phoenicians, Greeks, Normans, Romans, Arabs…where else can you find such ecclectic influence?? Outside of Palermo, I had time to visit Monreale (sorry, I did not get the fuss.Yes, they have a beautiful church and a nice view over Palermo, but I had nothing more to bite into) and the very pretty seaside city of Cefalu. An island with such varied historical and cultural richness (few places in the world did themselves proud by proving to the world that Muslims and Christians can coexist together in such harmony…no wonder Palermo, their capital city, is a UNESCO world heritage city) needs to be taken seriously (5 days in just Palermo, Monreale and Cefalu is clearly not enough). On the aspect of the food, with the surrounding Mediterranean sea in the picture, I was expecting the usual dazzling seafood I came to expect from well, … the Mediterannea. But nah, that was not going to happen. Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera, which I visited two years ago, offered seafood and vegetables of far better quality than what I kept sampling in Sicily.
L’Oxygene (Paris) – is an African restaurant in Bois Colombes, with a Senegalese young Chef at the helm. To some, going to Paris is the opportunity to eat French food and that is obviously what I would recommend to the most. But the best African cooking outside of Africa is in Paris. As I “breath”/eat/cook French classic food since age 6, it goes without saying that I do not need to eat solely French food in Paris. Given my familiarity with African cuisines, I do also eat at African restaurants whenever in Paris. On a first visit, I had the braised chicken which was as flawless as it could have been as well as their braised bass – nicely braised, but I was annoyed by the fact that the fish was not marinated for a long time. Furthermore, I ordered the braised fish for take out and it was mixed with a brunoise of tomatoes which diminished the flavor of the fish. All dishes (there are just 4 or 5 items from what I recall) cost eur 15. (My verdict: Very good>Good>Ok>Bad ): Good. The best Senegalese restaurants in Montreal get nowhere near what you will find here. Even though I still prefer how ppl from the Carribean and the Indian Ocean do marinate and grill their fish (marinated longer, the seasoning a bit more elaborate ) —normal, as one tends to prefer the flavors he grew up with — , what you need to know is that the Senegalese do it a bit differently so consider than when reading the aforementioned account. As for the brunoise of tomatoes altering the flavor of the fish..well, just ask to have your brunoise served separately / not mixed with the fish, if you order it for takeout. At the end of the day, regardless of my personal taste, their talented young Senegalese Chef is cooking good food. Restaurant L’Oxyene, Addr: 241 Avenue d’Argenteuil 92270 Bois-Colombes Phone: 06 06 57 85 86
Pierre Gagnaire, Paris – As explained elsewhere, on this blog, I am not a fan of visiting plenty of high end restaurants. Most upscale restaurants have kitchen brigades capable of offering a good standard of food, but no more. At the high end dining level, it is rare, nowadays, to eat food that tastes “personal” in the way the food of Chefs like Jacques Maximin or even, on my last meal at L’Ambroisie, Bernard Pacaud, to name those two Chefs, could taste like (certainly food that could only come from an “artisan Chef”). In other words, most upscale restaurants cook food that can be easily replicated by many kitchen brigades because their food just taste “impersonal”. Impersonal cooking is obviously the best way to run a restaurant successfully, nowadays, and I can certainly see why, but I am not moved by such evidence. PG is a big business, but at least it can’t be accused of playing it safe. The review of my meal at 3 star Michelin Pierre Gagnaire can be found here.
Event : Lunch at Pierre Gagnaire, Paris
When: Wednesday November 11th 2015, 12:00
Michelin stars: 3
Addr: 6,rue Balzac, 75008 Paris
URL: http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com/
Phone: +33 1 58 36 12 50
Type of cuisine: French (classically French at its core, mostly contemporary in its presentation, at times cosmopolitan in its work of the flavors, using many exotical ingredients , though, as it is generally the case with most 3 star Michelin restaurants in Paris, the kitchen at PG puts the finest produce from France in the forefront of their cooking).
Rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7) Overall food rating: 9.5/10 Creative French cooking of the highest level. Perhaps the cooking of ex Chefs like Jacques Maximin/Olivier Roellinger, or (more recently) Bernard Pacaud / Alain Passard do fit a bit more with what I’d feel comfortable to rate with a 10/10 at this level of French cuisine as I think that Roellinger, Maximin, Pacaud or Passard would have delivered far more exciting versions of the brunoise of vegetables as well as the cucumber soup —– , and although the “ghocchi” and “Cèpes confits, noix, blette paquet” were excellent at what the kitchen was trying to convey (see their respective reviews below), my gut feeling is that the aforementioned Chefs would have replaced them by food items of assertive flavors pertaining to traditional French cuisine – especially Pacaud and Maximin – which, for my taste, is the only way that this meal at PG could have been bettered .
Regardless, that is just a personal impression. What you need to know is that PG kitchen brigade’s is one of world class quality. There were certainly many exceptional dishes as you’ll see in the account below.
What you need to know is that PG kitchen brigade’s is one of world class quality. There were certainly many exceptional dishes as you’ll see in the account below. Indeed, a Top-tier French 3 star Michelin anywhere across the globe.
I am seizing the opportunity of a short trip to Paris to eat at a 3 star Michelin table that I haven’t tried for over a decade, Pierre Gagnaire.
There is a considerable number of food items served at Pierre Gagnaire. For example, my starter (untitled AUTOMNE) will come in a series of starters. The same applies to the main course and dessert.
The meal started with two series of nibbles (calamari of superb quality marinated in soya, a brunoise of vegetables in a cold soup of cucumber, the brunoise as well as the cold soup were Ok…but I was disappointed that a kitchen brigade of this quality could not deliver a better version of that amuse bouche – , some cuttlefish ink’s gelée of spectacular maritime fragrance and a texture designed by the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, because it was so pretty to espy, a superlative lemon paste, an excellent bisque of crab, and many more items – all of great standard at the exception of the brunoise of vegetables in a cold soup of cucumber). The lemon paste, in particular, had a dazzling taste which exciting mouthfeel is hard to imagine even at this dining level. All in all, 8/10 for the nibbles. Serious stuff.
My starter was:
AUTOMNE Cocotte d’aromatiques dans laquelle on fume quelques instants un gros gnocchi au Laguiole – velouté Vert d’automne, graines et pousses de moutarde – Gnocchi on a bed of vegetables. the gnocchi having the texture of tofu…but in this case, that is not a bad thing at all. Rather a beautiful touch of creativity. I suspect that it is with items like this that some may perceive such meal as uneven (made of ups and downs) since this is certainly not an item designed to wow, but then that would be a complete misunderstanding of what should be expected here: this is a perfectly well conceived twist on a piece of gnocchi served with some steamed vegetables underneath and it was not of the boring kind (both the vegetables and the special sort of gnocchi had vibrant textures and tasted of what they should). 8/10 Noix de ris de veau laquée d’un suc de carotte à l’argouse, pulpe de reine-claude au tamarin – Caramelized sweetbreads that were a world away from their tired looking versions, the meaty consistency successful (just the right moist consistency, not mushy) , the overall taken to an even higher level of amazement due to the addition of the tamarind. A dish that could turn into a flop in the hands of many kitchen brigades (from the perspective of someone who has cooked with exotical ingredients while understanding the fundamentals of French cuisine, this is actually a combination that is logical , but it is also very easy to misjudge the proper quantity of tamarind needed to make such combination exciting) even at this level, but here it was a demonstration of what a benchmark example of tamarind mixed with sweetbreads can look, smell and taste like. An excellent way of updating a French classic dish. 10/10 Terrine d’anguille au pavot bleu, céleri. Gelée de pain de seigle – Quality eel was succesfully paired with celery and a jelly of rye bread. One of those items which intent is not to dazzle. The intent behind this dish is to combine ingredients that most people would not think successful as a whole (eel, celeri, rye bread). I have no problem with this philosophy but in the hands of the majority of cooks it is either a recipe for disaster or an annoying assembly of ingredients. Here, you taste that dish and realize that what you just had is a set of matching elements that simply work really well against all odds.
Infusion de navet daïkon au vin jaune du Jura, écrevisses pattes rouges, oxalis et feuilles de capucine – Crawfish(boiled), daikon radish, white wine, oxalis, nasturtium leaves. Dazzling contrast of flavors (sweet/sour/salty) that is technically hard to get this right even at this level. 10/10
Cèpes confits, noix, blette paquet – I have oftently read that PG takes risks that do sometimes not pay off. This is one of those dishes that could easily be perceived as unsuccessful. Well, as mentioned elsewhere, I do not agree with the suggestion that PG’s cooking is sometimes off. It may not be to one’s taste, but it is certainly not what I would categorize as occasionally faulty. Take this dish: its effect is basically similar to what you’ll get with a juxtaposition of a layer of custard, mushrooms and nuts. All of great quality, for sure, but potentially boring too…?? Now, what about this being a take on the Japanese Chawanmushi? Not that boring anymore,hein? lol. There are different versions of the Chawanmushi and this one was extremely subtle flavor-wise (some people may even find it bland, but is is not bland…just full of very subtle umami flavors) – a take on a perfectly legit example of the the Chawanmushi.
Carré d’agneau de l’Aveyron frotté d’origan – the lamb from Aveyron is known for its quality, and this Carré d’agneau did justice to its reputation. Excellent on all fronts: taste, texture, seasoning. A flawless Carré d’agneau. 9/10
Papillons Noirs, datte medjoul, kinjiso – pasta made of black pudding was shaped as butterflies and was served with a mixture similar to chilli paste but without the distracting piquancy. Date palm was added to the dish. This, for my taste, was sensational (complex middle eastern flavors, the date palm blending excitingly well with the aforementioned chilli paste-alike mixture). It takes a Chef with an incredible palate to create dishes of this sort. 10/10
Selle en crépine, carpaccio de betterave rouge, betterave blanche au Roquefort. – The exceptional lamb from Aveyron made a second appearance. It was paired with a carpaccio of superlative beets. 10/10
Crumble vert, ails roses sablés, chorizo, cébette – sauteed cabbage, garlic, chorizo was a classic dish but not of the tired sort,- extremely flavorful. Another exciting dish. 9/10
Soufflé à la vanille de Tahiti, crème glacée – Finished my meal with a benchmark vanilla soufflé which depth of flavor can only come from eggs and milk of exceptional quality. 10/10
I was less impressed with the Soufflé of chocolate – , which although generously portioned and tasting of top quality chocolate was not as exciting as other Soufflé of chocolate I had at lesser restaurants. 7/10
The mignardises at Pierre Gagnaire were also of great standard.
PROS: They master the fundamentals of French cooking in a way that few can pretend to, even by the finest 3 star Michelin French cooking standards. Exciting flavors when they cook or reinterpret French classics (Soufflé à la vanille, Crumble Vert/ails roses sablés/chorizo/cébette, Selle en crépine/carpaccio de betterave rouge/betterave blanche au Roquefort). Then, at times, it is possible that you’ll travel to places where the flavors are subtle (the case of Japan, during this meal), but that does not mean the cooking is off. The journey around the globe took me to the Middle East, too and it was a stopover not to forget (Papillons Noirs, datte medjoul, kinjiso).
CONS: The brunoise of vegetables / soup of cucumber was ordinary –the quality of the produce was great, for sure, but a brunoise of vegetables should dazzle at this level, a cold soup of cucumber too — and that surprised me given the overall fabulous journey.
Bottom line: The kitchen here is helmed by Chef Michel Nave, a 2004 MOF. As most MOFs from the 1990s/2000s, Chef Nave cooking is deeply rooted in Classic French cuisine (meaning the flavors are generally intense/rich, the meal marked by the expected consommé/veloutés/mousseline/meringue/marmelade), with, of course, its own twists (twists that obviously make their French food look and feel contemporary) . Here at PG, the creativity they are talking about covers non conventional ingredient combination (by French cooking standards, although, in France, nowadays, this is is not as unusual as it used to be ), executed with a very high level of technique, top notch ingredients and an exceptional sense of combining unlikely textures/flavors/ingredients (many kitchen brigades do try to blend unlikely textures/flavors…but they are generally just basically assembling ingredients with little interraction between each other).
What I think days later: A true world class food destination with superb French gourmet food to match. As with plenty of high end French restaurants, nowadays, PG also explores non French flavors, so ensure you are familiar and do appreciate such flavors too.
Restaurant L’Arpège
Type of Cuisine: French (Alain Passard’s own interpreted classic French cuisine)
Michelin Stars: 3
Event: Lunch on Tuesday September 17th 2013, 12:30
Addr: 84 Rue de Varenne 75007 Paris, France
Phone: 01 47 05 09 06
URL: http://www.alain-passard.com
Overall Food rating: 10/10 This was the 2nd time in two decades that I did try L’Arpège (the first time was in 1998, 15 years prior). On both occasions, there were some few food items that I did not care for (not that they were bad. Not at all. Just not what I liked). But it did not matter. What mattered is that my final impression has always been the same: in a contest for the most eventful food among the elite fine dining ventures of this globe, Passard’s kitchen brigade, at its best (meaning, on the back of the better food items they can cook), carries the day. Service: 10/10 You have the energy of the youth (mostly young staff) with the expected high class professionalism. Overall Dining experience: 10/10 Classy but relaxed.
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7)
This meal at L’Arpège could be perceived as a crash or a triumph depending on who you are as a diner. A crash if you think of a restaurant as that robot that’s supposed to read in your mind and feed you with the exact bites you want, which I think would be a naïve approach to dining. A triumph if you understand that a meal needs to be judged on the back of the heights it can reach, not in terms of this is good, that is less good and that is a bit better. Then, there’s also this important observation to make: there’s a reason some restaurants deserve their rank as a 3 star Michelin (needless to stress that this is a strong 3 star when it ‘’touches the sky’’’ as it did — with the better food items — on that meal. Thinking otherwise would reveal a deep lack in the understanding of what cooking should really be about). And that reason is the same that makes a Porsche, a Lamborghini or a Ferrari all well praised cars: the details! You can love or hate them, but it does not matter, as at the end of the day …they are effortlessly capable of heights, here and there, that their peers can only dream of (a compliment that I am more than happy to extend to L’Arpège …and knowing how skeptical I am about those celebrated restaurants and their inflated prices, that is anything but a light feature) ! In the case of L’Arpège, it is IMPORTANT to stress that a distracted mind will easily fall into the trap of thinking that such simple looking food cannot be that stellar, but those in the know…those REALLY…in the KNOW..will…oh well…they will know how genuinely …GREAT.. L’Arpège’s higher highs can be. The problem, here, the real problem, for the most, as with any luxury, is the $$$. In French, my mother tongue, my post on L’Arpège (click here for that write-up) has a bit more in regard to what I had to convey (it is brief but succint).
ADDED few years after this meal: In this video, Alain says at some point “tout ce que j’ai fait dans ma vie, je l’ai fait avec le coeur. J’ai toujours regardé devant moi” (I always follow my heart). As professionals of the food industry, they always say that. Naturally, Lol. The difference is that Alain walks the talk!
Paris remains one of world’s REAL finest gourmand destinations, indeed – With the incredible exciting gourmand destinations like San Sebastian, Barcelona, San Francisco, Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, stunning non upscale food that can be found in Ecuador, Taiwan, Malaysia, I was starting to fear that my dear Paris just could not handle a candle anymore to its world gourmand competitors. But the 4 recent visits here is re-assuring: for sure, if you do no search at all and simply push open the door of whatever eatery you find on your way, you will inevitably be disappointed. Do not forget: this is one of the most visited cities of the globe, so fake cooks abound to grab their share of the cake. On the other hand, Paris finest eateries easily justify the position of Paris as still a REAL world gourmet destination, and I’ll name a few that have absolutely seduced me recently, on my 2,3 recent visits to Paris: La Table D’Aki (Chef Aki was the fish cook at 3 star Michelin L’Ambroisie for the past 20 years. He now has his own fish-centric bistrot where the technique remains 3 stars for anyone seriously familiar with the matter, the setting is of the bistrot type and I find the price reasonable given both the quality of the produce and skills . This, for me, along with Bistrot La Marine in Cagnes sur Mer, is currently the idea of what I have of a #1 seafood French classic bistrot anywhere around the globe), Officina Schenatti (one of the finest Italian bistrots outside of Italy. No surprise here: Chef Ivan Schenatti has been, for a long time, the mastermind behind Emporio Armani’s haute dining. He now has has his own little bistrot with bona fide skills oozing where it should: in the plates. To continue with the theme of the great Chefs who are enoughly humble and respect their customers (they are the few remaining GREAT ones who are found where they are expected: in their kitchen instead of showing off huge ego by delegating their incapacity to work seriously to name bearers), I’ll drop a word on the very popular L’Ami Jean: there is nothing like this anyhwhere else around the globe. YES, it is full of tourists, barely no locals. But who cares?? It is the food, ….! Rfaol! I love Chef Stéphane Jégo rustic food, because when his rustic rich French basque-inspire food is in its prime (not always, based on my experiences there) , it is divinely delicious. That is all that counts for me. The hordes of tourists have obviously got it. And locals do not flock here because it is a bit too $$$ for most French. I am no exception: it is $$ for me too, but I’d rather wait and spare a bit of money, eat a great rustic bistrot meal here, once in a long while, rather than attending several laughable attempts at what a bistrot might be. L’Ami Jean has its drawbacks and they need to be repeated to anyone that does not know this: it is cramped, it is noisy, it is not the best place for a romantic meal. But I love it! Another keepers: Restaurant Kei as well as Le Sergent recruteur . I should not hijack this article on L’Arpège to those findings, but to be brief, other findings that make of Paris one of world’s very best: Sola (A 1 star Michelin that would be 2 or 3 anywhere else; needless to add more. But what a gem of world class Japanese/French cooking and there is more to this place), the Pithivier of Eric Briffard at Le Cinq (Le Cinq is a real 3 star Michelin that has officially just 2 stars) , the Lièvre à la royale of Pierre Gagnaire/Senderens (remember: the best of French classic food being rich by nature, it shines in its full glory during game season). Nah, you won’t find anything close to those anywhere else. Last but not least, one of world’s current most talent Chefs, David Toutain, seem to be interested by a return on the food scene.
Re-visiting L’Arpège (4th visit only in 15 years), as well as another 3 star Michelin place that was reviewed later, le Louis XV.
The importance of the ‘gesture’ (IOTG) in cooking has long been pioneered by Chef Alain Passard (no need to introduce Chef Passard, which second grand passions are music and arts/ just google his name and you’ll have plenty of infos on one of France’s most celebrated Chef, whose restaurant L’Arpège – named after the musical technique called arpeggio — has kept its 3 Michelin stars since 1996). What passes as pure BS for plenty of lesser cooks, often because they just can’t bother understanding its deep meaning, is actually one of the most important concepts in cooking: like it or not, the eye, the touch, the feel, the smell set apart the better Chefs from the lesser ones. Many will tell you that they know all of that, alas few do really have the right eye/feel/smell and touch (which obviously explains why most restaurants have average cooks) and it’s easy, given that you are interested in such details (which I hope you do if you decided to take a chance on such pricey meals) , to perceive a developed sense of those matters: the end result will always end up as inspired (or not) as the care and deep ability of its creator to feel/touch/smell her/his produce. Fan or not of Alain Passard, there’s one thing you can’t reproach him: he is one of the few who genuinely walked the walk when it comes to the subject of the ‘importance of the gesture’ (The IOTG).
Chef Passard, with whom my interractions have always been limited to a simply ‘hello Chef’ when he tours the dining room, is a Chef that I have read a lot about. But if I was a journalist, I would have some interesting material to cover with him. His genuine passion for vegetables is not just another refrain recited by yet another Chef. But it’s his views on the IOTG that has always caught my attention. Of course, parts of his views on the IOTG can be better understood by himself only: as an example, the way he moves his hands, the importance of the notion of distance in his movements, those are elements no one else than himself can really apply. But the IOTG is behind everything you want to do properly: take a tennis player for example. The way he/she moves his/her legs, the way he/she moves her/his arms, therefore the gesture, plays a significant role in his/her attitude, therefore his/her game. Same logic applies to food: the way you cut your meat, carefully or nervously, the way you pick that carrot, carefully or carelessly, the way you cook your food, patiently or hastily, will of course always affect the end result. There is a reason, in spite of nowadays need for speed, that I still insist on spending time with long hours of carefully slow cooking.
The IOTG goes beyond the ability of feeling/smelling and having a great eye (essential for a real Chef) for your produce. You need, of course, to also understand the interaction between nature and the produce, you need to deeply understand how one specific ingredient reacts to an array of cooking techniques and temperatures. You need to understand the steps of the evolution of each single vegetable and fruit. You need to do the samething with meats, poultry, fish, etc. You need, and that is essential, to have memory of the flavors that were created before you. Or else, what are you really carrying on? What are you really improving upon? What can you be proud of if there’s nothing you can refer to ? All things that everyone seems to take for granted, but how many have REALLY proven to be capable of mastering those. How many cooks have bothered spending their time understanding and mastering the tastes of yesterday? How many really know, master and can reproduce the various traditional versions of a Lièvre à la Royale? How many are actually..real CHEFS, present for real in their kitchen? REAL great Chefs are rare nowadays and we obviously see why.
The reason of the previous paragraphs is to explain why I keep going back to L’Arpège. Alain Passard is there in his restaurant, away from the syndrome of the fake cooks parading on TV. And he did and still do something simply amazing (again, my admiration for Chef passard has nothing to do with my appreciation of my meals here. I had great as well as less impressive meals here, as anyone can have great and less impressive ones at their favourite restaurants) : applying himself to transmit the real taste of yesterday to his brigade, then building — on that memory of taste – the creations of today. And they are doing it in an unusual way, their own way. Passard calling it his ‘cuisine légumière’ (they focus more on their work of the veggies than the average restaurants, with the veggies often the star, veggies that come directly from his own farms, the poultry or the seafood their equal, in contrast of the big majority of tables where the veggie is usually an afterthought, its presence serving as an accoutrement . Others have called it peasant food (for its mostly bold presentations and pure unfussy flavors) . Call it the way you want, but it is a ‘cuisine d’auteur’ in which the brigade tries its best to interpret Alain Passard’s soulful vision of classic French cuisine. My admiration for Chef Passard has of course nothing to do with the appreciation of his food (Passard or not, if I value a food item as great or bad, I’ll point it out regardless of who cooked it), it has more to do with the fact that he is among those very few Chefs who are excelling at bridging the past with the present. They have that incredible ability to communicate the ‘uncommunicable”: memory of taste. Last summer, in Milan, I stumble upon another great Chef of this standing: Chef Aimo Moroni. I was impressed to see how Chef Moroni managed to embark his younger Chefs in a genuine mastery of the flavors of ‘yestergenerations’. Which inevitably allows a cuisine that transcends time. There are less and less of them, those real great Chefs, and they are the last chance for the next generation of cooks to become REAL great Chefs.
THE MEAL –
Before the usual vegetable tartlets, the kitchen served a feuilleté of vegetables. A feuilleté with superb airy texture and sublime buttery taste. Carrots,thyme and peppers were the star veggies (their superlative quality, even by the lofty standards of this dining level, would be a dream for a demanding farmer) of that feuilleté. 10/10
Then sushi legumier (sushi of beet ). If you are going to make sushi crumbles easily like this, better do something else.
The serving of amuse bouches continued: Coquetier liqueur d’érable (a tiny egg shell filled with a creamy mix of Xérès vinegar, egg yolk, maple liquor) sounds way more interesting than what it tasted since It was dominated by a vinegary taste that overpowered the best component of that amuse, the egg yolk. Fresh egg yolk of stunning quality does not need the distraction of superfluous strong vinegar taste. Maple liquor..why not? but the kitchen took no advantage of that component neither, the liquor adding nothing discernible here.
Seems like the amuse-bouches had no intent to amuse on this lunch: the celebrated vegetable tartlets (filling of mousses of various seasonal vegetables) looking big on photos, but disappointingly minuscule in reality (I appreciate delicate creations…but not to the point of not being able to discern anything) , so tiny (about the size of our Canadian penny, no more than 20mm in diameter) that it was hard to properly enjoy their taste and make an opinion about them. Even upon deploying tremendous efforts to focus on whatever discernible flavor that was left, they tasted nothing special as far as I am concerned. The level of those amuse-bouches we were sampling on this lunch was weak (an overall 4/10 for the sushi legumier, coquetier liqueur d’érable and vegetable tartlets on this specific meal. And I am being nice here. )
Then carpaccio of tomato/ huile de sureau. Finally a dish showcasing Passard’s cooking philosophy, the one that appealed to me for its ability to extract the most out of the least. This dish did just that: stellar tomato taste with exciting seasoning (huile de sureau). 9/10
Gazpacho de tomate, creme glacée moutarde is an example of creativity (rework of the gazpacho) paired with amazing deliciousness. Not many great kitchens can extract this much excitement from a gazpacho. The mustard ice cream adding incredible depth of flavour, but what amazed me with this dish is that many can copy it, but I doubt that the perfected textures and work of the taste can be reproduced even by the most skilled brigades. For what it is (a creative gazpacho), this dish is of benchmark material. 10/10
Then, their legendary fines ravioles potageres. I read about comparisons with Chinese wonton soups, but If you cook both versions (Passard’s recipe is easy to find online) you will quickly realize that they have nothing in common apart the fact that they are boiled pastas. The ultra refined al dente pasta (another thing that you’ll realize when trying to replicate this recipe is the amount of patience and long practice that is needed, even by professional cooks, to get to this level of precise refinement of both the stock and the texture of the pasta ) is a work of world class precision, and again that is what I call fabulous creativity (not many kitchen brigades would think about proposing ravioles the way they are doing it). The pastas were stuffed with seasonal vegetables, the one with beets tasting really of beets…but the others we were trying could have been whatever vegetable we would want them to be and it would not matter because they had no distinct taste. Furthermore, the taste of the broth (parfum de Melisse, on this instance) was one of such aggressive minerality (like a tisane high on mineral aromas, which means not a pleasant tisane) that I found this dish hard to enjoy. 5/10 (Still, keep in mind that this broth and the content of the ravioles varies a lot depending on the seasons, so there are chances you’ll stumble upon far more enjoyable ones).
Aiguillette de homard bleu nuit acidulé au miel nouveau, transparence de navet globe au romarin – For my taste, most boiled lobsters (this one was boiled), as great as they might be, can’t hold a candle to the finest grilled ones (for palatable impact) and sweetness (the lobster was slightly honey-flavored) to seafood dish is just another road block on my way to enjoy the marine freshness of the lobster. It was cooked right, as evidenced by the tender flesh of the lobster, but exciting this was not 6/10
Sole poached in vin jaune was delicious and its cooking without reproach, the accompanying pieces of octopus not startling, but properly tenderized. 7/10 for the fish (it came with nicely smoked potatoes, chives and cabbage)
Corn risotto/parsley emulsion is the kind of dish that many ambitious tables will take for granted because it looks simple and sounds easy to create, but the reality might tell a different story: the stunning corn flavor was enhanced by a balanced and addictive creamy-ness that you can’t just provoke by adding cream to corn. I love this kind of dish since it lures into believing that you can replicate it. Yes, anyone can re-create this recipe, but few will be able to replicate the exact depth of eventful flavors of this dish. Inspired! 10/10
Robe des champs Arlequin à l’huile d’argan, merguez légumière, aubergine d’autrefois, courgette ronde de Nice, carotte white satin is a creatively constructed dish of semolina, vegetables (beets, tomatoes,carrots), vegetable sausage…. but I was disappointed by a dry vegetable sausage that was oddly sweet and salty in a non appetizing way. The bitterness of the rest of that dish was the other major problem. Not a pleasant dish at all.
Things then took the direction of the finer dishes of this meal: T-bone d’agneau de Lozère aux feuilles de figuier, aubergine à la flamme (roasted T-bone of lamb — the image on the left or above, depending on your web browser’s display settings) would be a crowd pleaser at a world class steakhouse (fabulous taste) and the piece of pigeon/cardamom was a benchmark beautifully rosy (ideal doneness) bird with exciting taste. 8/10 for the lamb, 10/10 for the pigeon, but scores will never be high enough to convey the real great pleasure that I was having with both the lamb and pigeon. Exciting. Also, ppl talk a lot about the beautiful dishes at l’Arpege, and I was eyeing at an example of just that: the way those two dishes were constructed was of unusual supreme visual appeal (hard to tell when looking at that pic, but definitely easy on the eyes in reality).
The pigeon came with white beans that had such an amazing mid eastern flavour profile.
Red pepper velouté was another benchmark offering of its kind, with superb creamy texture, joyous mouthfeel, the feast went on with the exciting combination of an addictive speck cream. A lesson in the art of taking a familiar dish and turn it into something profoundly inspiring. 10/10
To end the meal, a well kept aged Comte from Maitre affineur Bernard Anthony and a superb piece of moelleux du revard.
Then their millefeuille (blackberry ,thyme) which is indeed light and an enjoyable alternative to its classic version (7/10), and a rework of the classic ile flottante that showcased a creative mind but which, for me, suffered from strong coffee flavour (6/10). The classic ile flottante fared better. I personally do not mind this creative take, but it was just difficult to cope with the strong coffee taste.
A plate of mignardises comprised of vegetable-flavoured macarons (not as bad as I had anticipated), the nougat truly delicious, the apple tart shaped like a rose having nice buttery pastry with joyous apple flavour (8/10)
Pros: the young and dynamic sommeliere from the Czech republic. Her wine suggestions by the glass were so inspired (2)The superlative delicious pigeon/lamb/corn risotto, benchmark creative takes on the gazpacho/red pepper velouté. All items that many will pretend to be able to easily deliver, but few will really reach out to the depth and deliciousness of those. Usually, when there are lesser impressive items in a meal, my overall impression is affected, but not in this case. Here my overall impression had just the finest dishes in mind (3)the very approachable and genuine Maitre D’ Helene Cousin.
Cons: the Arlequin robe des champs, lobster, ravioles potageres, vegetable tartlets (though, for the sake of accuracy, it is important to remind that they do offer different versions of those, so you may be luckier than I was). Also, the gentleman who served most of our meal needs to explain the dishes a bit more, exactly like what Maitre D’ Helène Cousin did when she served the red pepper velouté
The wine service: A section that I add to my reviews when I am very impressed by the wine service at a restaurant. The behaviour of the sommeliere from the Czech republic was admirable in all possible aspects: being able to listen, share, never contradicting while making her point whenever necessary, etc. But all of that was done way better than what passes as the norm for great hospitality standards (Helene Cousin also excels at that, but in the different role of the Maitre D’). Right upon perusing the wine menu I knew I’d pick the 2008 Meursault ”Tessons, Clos de Mon Plaisir” from the domaine Roulot. She had other choices in mind for me as she pointed to amazing little gems that were less expensive and indeed of great quality. But I went with what I had in mind for the most part of this meal, and she never interfered. A first great classy act from her part. This Meursault is a type of Bourgogne blanc wine that I highly enjoy for its balanced acidity/minerality, enticing nose of ripe fruits, great level of intensity/complexity. It will continue to age well, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s already a top flight flacon). Me chosing that Meursault was also a trap: was my sommelière going to be passive and not flag wine/dish pairings that made no sense (it is surprising how many sommelier/e/s even at highly regarded restaurants do fall into that trap)? NO she never fell into that trap! She is a very present/focused/competent sommelière as she tactfully intervened whenever necessary. The way she did that and the suggestions she had is about the difference between a great sommelière (which she is) Vs a standard sommelier-e. For me, a great wine pairing has nothing to do with showing off pricey wines. It should be about finding, even among the more affordable ones, the wines that turn into true gems because their pairing to a specific dish is flawless. It’s exactly what she did. A world class sommeliere.
Service/Ambience: Professional. The younger waiters and waitresses looking very serious, though their youth and energy makes the whole effect not heavy (as in way too serious). Maitre D’ Helene Cousin truly embodying the concept of L’Arpège — which is the theme of a ‘maison de cuisine’, a house imagined by Alain Passard where he receives his guests in a cosy environment (which explains why you do not have the huge space between the tables / grand luxury, etc…of most of the grand restaurants of Paris) — with cordial and yet professional demeanour. I like this approach of being genuine/approachable (The sommelière from the Czech Republic also followed this approach faithfully) since it reminds us that, after all, the most important is that the customer is there to have fun. The only suggestion I would have is that the gentleman who served most of our meal needs to be a tad more chatty in his description of his dishes. All in all, they are French, I am French, so communication was naturally flawless.
Decor: The interior decor is regularly described as understated. But this place is all about details, so the idea, as Chef Passard has widely explained to numerous medias, is to replicate the ambience of a house. Thus, no grand formal luxury, but the apparent understated warmth of the art-deco inspired home that Passard has imagined for his guests: pear tree wood panels (designed by Jean-Christophe Plantrou) sparsely adorned with few of his paintings, some glass etching works, some retro style chrome-armed chairs, ebene de macassar material (this material is elementary in classifying L’Arpège interior deco as Art deco). Passard replacing the usual flowers on the tables, by vegetables.
Overall food rating (by the highest Classic French 3 star Michelin standards): 8/10** I was immensely impressed with the best dishes of this meal which were so inspired and had such high impact (on my palate) that the lesser items were long forgiven (though, not forgotten…which is the sole reason I am not giving a 10/10 to this meal. Trust me, I am tempted to give that 10, Lol.. but have opted to remain rational)! There are always restaurant meals which finest dishes are impressive, but this one was something else. The heights of this meal, for their benchmark joyous flavors and superb creativity, will rarely be paralleled. As with any restaurant meal that impresses, I do not know if L’Arpège can do this all the time. All I know is that the best dishes of this meal I just had, are …. true benchmarks, by any top dining standards and will be remembered as long as my memory serves me right. It is rare that an 8/10 meal delivers dishes far superior to a 10/10 meal (i.e., a flawless high level meal but with no particular heights) and this was one of those rare cases. Soul satisfaction ***Two months after this meal, I raised the score of my lunch at L’Arpège to a 10/10. It might sound controversial to assign a perfect score to a meal where many items triggered indifference from my part (the amuse bouches, the ravioles potagères, just to name a few), but at the end of the round, and with hindsight, I was left with a much more important reflection: even among world’s very best, few Chefs have the exceptional palate found behind the finest dishes of that meal (referring to the incredible heights of deliciousness of the better dishes that they’ve cooked. And where many would reproduce those simple looking food presentations only to end up with items of ordinary effect (which happens a lot because many kitchen brigades/cooks simply can’t make the difference between ORDINARY……….. vs SIMPLE), L’Arpège offers plenty of inspired touches to admire for those with an eye and…a palate …….for details. If such heights would have been the norm I’d play it rough (referring to the lesser dishes), but is is not. It is not the norm. It is NOT! What I like the most with L’Arpège is that they have opted to be different (from the conventional fla fla of luxury dining), NOT for the sake of just being different because it’s trendy, BUT because they truly are.
Conclusion: I prefer a table that does not rests on its laurels like this one, rather than places where everything is uniformly done well but without soul/inspiration. The better dishes of this meal were true moments of divine ‘gourmand’ enjoyment. I’ll also add this: for me, being creative is doing things the way few are thinking about doing them. The way they have thought their ravioles (that level of finesse in creating those ravioles and the thought they did put in working its taste – the fact that I did not like it substracts nothing from the true creativity of that dish — ) has nothing to do with what most ambitious kitchen brigades would think about doing with a bowl/some pasta/some vegetable and water in their hands. The gazpacho, the corn risotto, the red pepper etc..same thing: easy sounding creations that tons of kitchen brigades can do, BUT rarely with this level of utter refinement, attention to details, and superlative work of the taste.
For something safe all the way, which is not my thang, this meal (I judge meals, not restaurants) was obviously not perfect. But if for you, the higher highs can potentially …potentially, I wrote…rise to benchmark levels (the case of this lunch), then this would be a standard bearing one. I think that when your higher highs are far better than restaurants of your rank (which was the case on this lunch), then you deserve a 10/10….but way too many items left me wanting for more on this lunch (lobster, ravioles potageres, arlequin Robe des Champs), which in the end leaves me with the 8/10 as a fair overall score (update November 2013: a score that has NOT stood the test of time – SEE my addendum, written in red, to the overall score section ) . More importantly, L’Arpège continues to rank among the stronger 3 star Michelin destinations around the globe, one of my few favourite.
Added in October 2013 – What I think a month later : I purposely add this section to all my reviews because there’s of course different stages of the appreciation of a meal. There is the ‘right-off the bat’ stage which is obviously the freshest impressions you have, then of course what you think about it later on. Some people think that you should always wait before unveiling your thoughts about a meal, which to me is akin to manipulating reality. It’s one thing to think for a while before making an important decision, but if talking about the appreciation of your meal does require some second thoughts, then I am afraid you are just sharing a portion of the reality. What you’ve read before was my fresh impressions. What you’ll read next is where I stand a month later: that meal at L’Arpège could be perceived as a crash or a triumph depending on who you are as a diner. A crash if you think of a restaurant as that robot who’s supposed to read in your mind and feed you with the exact bites you want, which I think would be a naïve approach to dining. A triumph if you understand that a meal needs to be judged on the back of the heights it can reach, not in terms of this is good, that is less good and that is a bit better. Then, there’s also this important observation to make: there’s a reason some restaurants deserve their 3 star Michelin rank (needless to stress that for me, this is a strong 3 star when it ‘’touches the sky’’’ as it did on that meal). And that reason is the same that makes a Porsche, a Lamborghini or a Ferrari all well praised cars: the details! If for you a Porsche is simply an assemblage or metal, nothing more, then do not bother with it! You are losing your time. Same thing for this meal at L’Arpège: if for you that Arlequin of legumes is just a take on the couscous, or those ravioles are just interpretations of wonton soups, please do yourself a favor: stick to the numerous canteens you won’t fail to find on your way. Leave those to people who can appreciate the details / thoughts that were invested in those dishes. I do not mean to sound rude by saying so, just pragmatic as you’d want to constructively tell to anyone who can’t properly appreciate a great song in its full nuances to simply stay away from it. Despite how easy as it sounds (upon reading many reports about their cooking), what I was sampling takes, in facts, a lot of training, efforts and skills (it’s one thing you not like a dish, it is another thing to trim it down to what it is not) . When this brigade at L’Arpège performs like it did on this meal (referring to the finest dishes of this meal, obviously), the analogy I’ll consider is one related to sports, the 100 metres race: this brigade powered through the finish line when many of its peers are still at the starting blocks.
Le Casse Noix
56 rue de la Fédération – 75015 Paris
Phone: +33 1 45 66 09 01
French Bistrot (Classic French with a twist)
URL: https://www.le-cassenoix.fr/en/
Le Casse Noix is the bistrot of Chef Pierre Olivier Lenormand who has spent years alongside legendary 3 star Michelin Chef Christian Constant at l’Hôtel de Crillon (Chef Constant is no more active as a Chef, but now owns several restaurants in Paris such as les Cocottes de Christian Constant, Café Constant, Le violon d’Ingres ) , then alongside another legend, Chef Alain Solivérès (who has now 2 stars with restaurant Tailevent). He also worked at the very popular La Régalade.
A serving of lamb was full of delicious meat flavor, the cooking, doneness (medium rare as requested) and seasoning spot on. Exciting on the palate, the quality of the lamb surprisingly high given the low prices (3 courses for eur 33) 8/10
Beef was ordinary. I’d prefer my beef either grilled or braised since the ‘éffiloché’ technique they have used, in this instance, did mute the expected full beefy flavorful character of the meat (The effect, in mouth, was reminiscent of corned beef, an effect that I do not dislike but that I definitely find inferior to what’s expressed by braised/grilled meats). 5/10
I took a riz au lait (rice pudding) and an île flottante (floating island) as desserts. The version of those 2 classic French desserts we had on that day would have been effortlessly described as “an exceptionally arresting performance” by a serious connoisseur of Classic French desserts. They were that great. A long time ago, at any great French cooking school as well as on the great Classic tables of France, this is this kind of perfected joyous and fresh rich riz au laitand île flottante that they were all looking for. Only, here, the kitchen brigade did avoid the boring old fashion textures making those great classics vibrant in texture, outstandingly divine in taste:
Riz au lait (French rice pudding) came with a superlative fresh milky taste and creamy texture that hordes of restaurants in France and abroad have long …….. lost touch with. The quality of the milk that is used is to be praised. It is an easy recipe, indeed, but as it is usually the case with anything that is supposedly easy, well..it is generally easy to get right, for sure….. just hard to get a benchmark rendition of it, Lol. And Yeah, this was top-flight rice pudding. Not many kitchen brigades (even in France) can deliver such classic this … right (often, they need to add extraneous touches to hide their inability to deliver a decent version of what passes as something that is supposedly … easy to do. Here, well, nothing … extraneous. Just the basic ingredients of this classic recipe, using the finest ingredients they could get as well as tried and trusted techniques of the highest order). Among the finest riz au lait in Paris (I also like the one at Chez L’Ami Jean, but this one took the cake!). 10/10
Île flottante (floating island) expressed remarkable festive flavor, the execution of the Crème anglaise custard as well as the texture of the light as air meringue were flawless..in a way that many kitchen brigades will, of course, get them right (they are basic techniques for desserts, after all ), just not regularly …this right (and I am eyeing most ambitious Classic French classic kitchen brigades, in France, or abroad)! Prime eggs are always ” half the battle ” with such recipe, obviously, and the quality of the eggs were of the top of the line sort. Ironically, even at some tables widely known by French people for their Ile flottante, few came close to the amazement delivered by the Île flottante I was sampling on that lunch. An excellent Ile Flottante (sadly, these days, you do not see that one done this well as often as it used to be, across France …. ) that I’ll remember for a long time. 9/10
Service was a charm (we were served by a young woman and gentleman), with the right amount of warmth and professionalism. Very efficient (no exaggerated slowness). If you hear anyone complaining about poor service in Paris, send them to Le Casse Noix so that they can enjoy the other type of service they can also get in Paris
Overall score for the food performance on this lunch (Categ: French bistrot) 7.5/10 (but the desserts were world-class creations that would not be out of place at a serious Classic French 3 star Michelin in France). As with any fine restaurant, you’ll eventually stumble upon one or two dishes you might perceive as weaker than others, depending on your personal taste, but in general the level of the cooking here is high for a bistrot, the technique reliable, the work of taste excellent (the dishes are generally flavour-forward). They take some classical French dishes and revisit them with pep.
All in all, a fine bistrot with great service, a charming “refreshed” take on an old-fashioned French bistro interior design, some delicious food at reasonable prices (they have an affordable menu at 33 euros for starter/main/dessert) and it is located near the Eiffel tower. What’s not to like?
Event: Lunch at restaurant L’Ambroisie, Paris
When: Friday March 25th 2011 12:30
Michelin stars: 3
Addr: 9, pl des Vosges Paris, France (4e arrondissement)
URL: https://www.ambroisie-paris.com/
Phone: Phone: 01-42-78-51-45
Type of cuisine: Classic french
Overall Food rating: 10/10 Superlative flavours, benchmark textures. Service: 10/10 As “perfected” as their food and overall dining experience. Overall Dining experience: 10/10 Everything, on this lunch, was of superior 3 star Michelin standards
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7)
To quote the late il Maestro Gualtiero Marchesi, one of my top favourite Chefs around the world: ”’A melody is composed only of the necessary notes’. L’Ambroisie, on this lunch was profoundly melodious. Our lives are defined by moments. This was a moment. A moment of two hours and a half , transcendent and memorable. For those in the know, it would not be hard to understand anyone who would argue that this is, right now, the best French 3 star Michelin in the globe. Of this meal, I can certainly submit that even though perfection is a relative word, “perfected” is how I would qualify this meal I had under their roof. Perfected in a way that is rare, even at such high level of dining, I meant.
I will, for this review on L’Ambroisie, seize the opportunity to elaborate a bit on my expectations, experiences and views on French cuisine in general, 3* Michelin Fine dining and the Michelin guide in particular. I hope this will be useful to the readers of the current report.
As a long time admirer of French fine dining, I have naturally sacrificed a big portion of my hard earned money in what France offers on the upper scale of its restaurant scene. L’Ambroisie, along with Ledoyen, are the only Parisian 3* Michelin ventures that I had not visited yet as of today (Ledoyen was finally visited yesterday). You’ll find more about my experiences with France’s haute cuisine in the next sections of this review, but for now I’ll start with the motivation that lead to my consideration of the Michelin red book: for years, I have carefully followed all type of restaurant reviews. ALL! … only to end up with SOME supposedly serious food columnists (I wrote “some” since NOT ALL of them are concerned by my reservations) raving over restaurants where impressive pre-sold magic are never found in the plates but rather in the media buzz itself (I do not mind buzz. It is necessary as a business /marketing tool, but back your buzz by matching reality)! When you end up with supposedly serious professionals who themselves recognize that they are well known to those they are reviewing, you know it is about time to put an end to the circus. That reliability I was dearly seeking, I knew I had to find it elsewhere! That is how I started to trust Michelin. Not that it is a perfect system (there will never be a perfect system anyways), but at least it does what has to be done: anonymous reviews (instead of the friendly reviews of some) and a rigorous work of evaluating excellence in food and dining experience. Michelin may have its detractors (who doesn’t?) , but I prefer discretion and serious work over annoying quest for celebritism through restaurant reviewing.
Michelin being initially from France, I also tend to value its appreciations on … France’s restaurants. To some extent, its evaluations of French restaurants in general, whether they are in France or outside of France. I do not expect Michelin to be the specialist of non French restaurants. But that’s just my personal expectations of Bibendum’s works.
Many of the 3* Michelin France’s haute dining —- that I partook in — have delivered some moments of culinary amazement (Michel Bras, when he was regularly behind his stoves, that was a true defining experience of 3* dining excellence in my opinion. Thought the same about Michel Guérard, Olivier Roellinger, Gerard Besson, Georges Blanc when they are / were at their very best). Chef Bernard Loiseau (had couple of meals cooked by him in 1992, 1993, 1997) , who unfortunately took his own life, will always be remembered too as one giant who has never failed to serve me what still rank, years later, among the best moments of all my Michelin starred meals (for those who went recently dining at his restaurant, please send me an email with details of your own experience. I am curious to learn about the cooking of their current Chef, Monsieur Patrick Bertron).
Of course, I did also experience few other 3* events that did not seduce, of which I could easily identify the major problems: usually it was either a hasty interest in modernizing the cuisine or a lack of clear culinary identity (this often happens when the kitchen switches in between the hands of too many cooks or a Chef whose brigade is weak / lacking in leadership).
How do I choose a 3 Michelin star restaurant?
Most people I know won’t bother with careful long research on restaurants when it comes to dining out. They basically rely on opinions of who they think is enoughly reliable, even though this is clearly not a matter of reliability but of personal preferences as in the preeminent and realistic long formula “”food enjoyment = personal expectations + knowing what you like Vs what you do not + what your palate has bookmarked as previous references + misc personal encounters during your diner + the ability of remaining humble enough to avoid unnecessary pretention + how informed you were about the place you are dining at + what you have been eating before you head there + your state of mind + how open minded you are…and I’ll stop here, Lol! “””. I can’t blame them (there are certainly other interests that deserve much attention), but my choice for a dinner goes through an absurdly (yeah, I’ve got to admit this…although I will always maintain such diligence) extended process: I read ALL, absolutely ALL possible comments, inform myself a lot about the Chef’s philosophy/creations/ background/achievements + the type of restaurant, its history, its style. I do the same, whenever it is possible, with the authors whose opinions I read: enquiring about the style of dining he or she usually favors is one (among others) essential piece of intelligence.
This dinner at L’Ambroisie is the result of a two years long study on an impressive list of 3* Michelin tables around the world. Two years is time consuming, but I do not go to restaurants just for the sake of piling numbers (The number of restaurants you visit says nothing about the quality of the dining experience you accumulate). I go to a restaurant for the adding value I presume the restaurant can bring to my personal dining experience. Back to L’Ambroisie, it is interesting to note that I could have picked restaurants on which there seems to exist more favourable conscensus. In Paris, if you do not want to miss the boat on the upper 3* Michelin starred dining echelon, just pick Guy Savoy, L’arpège or Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée. They are great: their food is consistently good and they treat you like you are a king. Exactly what we all should expect from an expensive and haute dining experience. But what attracts me to a restaurant is a combination of very precise factors: (1) food that has a chance to set some kind of new reference to my personal gustatory repertoire, (2) food of a Chef mostly praised for that little touch that sets the truly talented cooks apart. And in the case of L’Ambroisie, there is also this reason: he –Bernard Pacaud – is one of the last chefs from the nouvelle cuisine movement. There is nothing ‘’nouvelle’’ anymore with that culinary movement , but this is one type of cuisine that suited well with my palate. Before Chefs like Pacaud retires (He is 64 yrs old ), I’d suggest anyone interested in French fine dining to try at least once in their life the cuisine of those last pioneers of the nouvelle cuisine.
I was lucky enough to fullfill this aim to sample the food of some of them: Michel Guérard (I sampled his food in 2005 and 2006 at Les prés d’Eugénie in Aquitaine. I hope it is still as great as it used to be since I never went back since ), Bocuse’s Auberge du Pont de Collonges in Lyon (2006,2007,2008 All three meals were admittedly not among the best I ate, but they all featured some dishes with character that still rank high among those I keep referring back to whenever I indulge in French haute dining), Alain Senderens whose food I tasted in 2004 and 2009, and of course the other Chefs that I mentioned previously.
The meal began ..NOT with their usual expected serving of classic French cheese based savory choux pastry from Burgundy (gougeres), BUT with
Langoustine, ananas, velouté de crustacés – The langoustine , in season and as fresh as it gets (which you have come to expect at this level of dining). It is rare that you will see me praising seafood at a high end restaurant as I grew up with the spectacular seafood of the Indian Ocean right in front of my door, therefore a fine dining restaurant, miles away from any sea or ocean, with its inflated cost …is hardly going to seduce me with its seafood offerings. I rarely order seafood at a high end restaurant as I know that it cannot match the seafood of my childhood both on the front of the quality as well as the price (this was an amuse-bouche , therefore not ordered from the menu ). It does not help that I have always found langoustine not as worthy of my attention as lobsters . Langoustines are members of the lobster family, but they are tinier than lobsters and (for my taste), not as flavourful (langoustine is …less flesh to put in your mouth, anyways, therefore less to ..savour, obviously). Alas, lobsters are no longer “trendy” at high end restaurants, langoustines are. That said, I can only trade in facts: although the precise cooking of that langoustine (perfectly firm and meaty, moist as it should) is to be expected, L’Ambroisie managed to make the point that I was eating at a 3 star Michelin restaurant by never allowing that offering to leave a “mundane” impression: a little ‘brunoise‘ of carefully handpicked prime pineapple (mixed with dices of green, red peppers) as well as a superlative velouté (exciting crustacean flavours) were benchmark examples of what they should feel, taste and look like even by the very high standards of this level of dining. 10/10
Chaud froid d’oeuf mollet au cresson , asperges vertes, caviar oscietre gold– The oeuf mollet (poached egg – the egg is successfully half cooked as it should) was covered with a layer of watercress sauce (I enjoyed the interesting kick brought by the sourness of the watercress to the egg) and served along asparagus (they have mastered the doneness of the vegetable pretty well) and caviar (typical oscietra thin flavor, a rich quality salty fish roe as I expect at such heavy price). A dish that has been perfected to deliver memorable deliciousness. 10/10
On the side, I was served with their:
Oeuf en coque: Many high end French restaurants have their version of the “boiled egg” appetizer. Since it is seemingly easy to do (a boiled egg, right?), they tend to overwork it with ridiculous flavour combinations. Chef Pacaud’s “Oeuf en coque” managed to be a sublime take on the “Oeuf en coque” by relying on spectacular sourcing (it is rare that you will find an egg of such spectacular quality even at the best 3 star Michelin restaurants) and an unusually “gifted palate” — so to speak — (even, by the highest standards of fine dining that this restaurant is competing…you will rarely get to the conclusion that “wow…whoever has cooked my food has an exceptional palate”. That does not happen as often as you may think…). It may sound surreal to be impressed by some boiled egg, but few, even at this level of dining, are capable of an exciting “Oeuf en coque” (you had all the essence of an Oeuf en coque, boosted with the simplicity of fresh chives, nothing else, but delivered with an emphasis on bold, fresh delicious and memorable flavours) 10/10
Sea bass and artichoke atop a caviar (Ocietra gold from Iran) white butter sauce – Sea bass has always been one of my favorite fish (especially the Chilean sea bass, with pan roasting being my #1 cooking method for fish). The seabass was nicely cooked (perfect moist interior) and tasted great (it is amazing how this ugly fish can taste good ;p). The butter sauce had great textural quality, balance between its ingredients (shallots, white wine), and enough acidity (coming from the sauce’s white wine) to control its richness . The mild flavor of the artichokes (sliced artichoke hearts) paired well with the sauce and the quality of the sturgeon’s processed salted roe was at its finest. Overall, a dish that is technically without reproach (you can see that each step of the preparation of that fish was well-timed) and more importantly delicious. 8/10.
DESSERT:
Tarte fine sablée au cacao amer, glace à la vanille bourbon – A chocolate” pie”, that is – to the contrary of what some online reviews have pointed out – not raw at all, its topping made of a powdery cocoa layer, its filling consisting of chocolate ganache and sabayon . The pie was served with a side of vanilla ice cream (which, as expected at this level, was not going to be of the run-of-the-mill sort. High grade fresh vanilla being used, the lactic fragrance coming straight from … a dairyman’s dream). Pacaud uses a dark rich chocolate from celebrated Master chocolatier Christian Constant. All in all, the pie showcased a great deal of technical skills (the super delicate consistency of that pie) and reaffirmed the recurrent strong focus —that was met all along this entire repast — on making food tasting genuinely delicious (the filling of chocolate ganache + sabayon is a great idea, indeed, as it added enticing layers of flavours) . 10/10
SERVICE: As “perfected” as their food and the overall dining experience. Madame Pacaud welcomes all her patrons, but even though many wives of Chefs do the same, at restaurants, what sets her apart is her exceptional ability to talk to you with a genuine warmth and expression of care you will rarely experience with her competition. What is impressive, based on what I could observe, during this lunch, is that she is able to do that with the same intensity whether you are a regular (a table nearby had regular diners) or someone she never saw before (me). Seems like the saying ‘‘just be yourself” works wonders in her case. Not always an easy thing to get right, even by the high standards of hospitality expected at high end restaurants, but she nails it. There was also Mr Pascal, the Maître d’Hôtel on this lunch, a classy gentleman and experienced professional who is easily among the very best at what he does. For sure, that is what one needs to expect at this dining level, but even by those lofty standards, he stands out from the pack.
DECOR:
If like me, you are fond of baroque style , then L’Ambroisie interior will appeal. I noticed the Aubusson tapestries that I kept hearing about when informing myself on L’Ambroisie (http://www.finehomecrafts.com/aubusson-tapestries.htm), the marble floors, paintings. It is not as grandiose as I had once anticipated, but extremely charming.
PROS: I think that Bernard Pacaud’s cooking (he was cooking on this lunch) is the finest haute French food that has ever blown away my taste buds since Joel Robuchon and Frédy Girardet have retired. To my taste, this overall dining experience on Friday March 25th at L’Ambroisie is exactly what reaches out to my own definition of the pinnacle of a 3 star Michelin dinner.
CONS: Nothing that comes to mind.
CONCLUSION: My definition of ‘’great food’’ turns around a combination of 80% from the natural talent of the Chef (the personal touch of an exceptionally skilled artisan, whatever magic his personal impulsive genius can generate, the s-o-u-l of the Chef!!) + 20% that will come from the quality of the ingredients. Basta! The rest (whatever philosophy, vision is great for both the Chef himself on a personal level and/or his marketing team) is theoretical.
There is an important distinction between talent and personal touch:
a Chef can be technically skilled (mastering various cooking methods, cooking at the correct temperature, with the right ingredient combinations, etc) but his food lacking in terms of soul (ever wonder why out of a team of highly talented chefs, cooking the exact same dish, with the exact same ingredients, there is always one or two who still manage to elevate the dish to some kind of gustatory reference?). Passion? It should already be part of the personality of a great Chef or else he has no business being a chef. Great ingredients? Absolutely, but in the hands of a non talented chef, they worth nothing.
Going there, I was looking for great cuisine that is taking no risks nor trying to be trendsetting (“dated” in not part of my vocabulary. Good or bad food are), but that is delectable and heartwarming. Going there, I was expecting Bernard Pacaud, a Chef widly praised for his exceptional talent, to make a good impression on me. Fortunately, I got all of of that at this restaurant.
The overall may boast an impressive price tag, which most (opinions over the web + among those close to me who are regulars of Paris haute dining ) have agreed on, but the most important was delivered: food that was superbly D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! Many Michelin 3-star dinings have pleased me, but I can count with the fingers of my hands the few remarkable moments when food was as savourish as on this one lunch. Now that I’ve visited all current Parisian 3 Michelin star establishments –Le Doyen and L’Ambroisie being the only two that I had not visited up to this day (luckily, there are not that many and no newer Parisian 3 star have emerged lately), I can confidently state that L’Ambroisie is — at this moment —- my personal choice for #1 best Parisian three Michelin star (for the record, L’Arpège used to be my personal #1 for a long time, in Paris) .
L’Ambroisie reaches out to my dining expectations and philosophy: I am not one interested in whatever theatrical or conceptual aspect of food. It is food and its main duty has to be fulfilled: it has to storm my palate for its superior savourishness. They did it with the highest mastery one might expect at this level of cooking, shining with equal excellence on both the savories and the desserts. But L’Ambroisie went way beyond that: this type of decor, the service (elegant, serious and focused) , the way the sommelier did his work (grace and efficiency), absolutely everything went in line with what I expect from the best 3-star michelin ventures.
If you came to me with such a statement as “””this is currently the best classic Haute french michelin 3 star in operation in the world”’, I’d reply that ”’I concur with you””! This one specific lunch was simply divine. The price? No..No..No..I won’t reveal it simply because as human beings, we tend to overwhelm excellence by material value. Which is not an issue when the experience is average (in which case, I see the $$$ in BOLD!! Rfaol!), but when it is exceptional — as it was with this one specific lunch at L’Ambroisie — I will never let numbers overshadow exceptional dining occurence!
There was, on this lunch, a feel of remarkable grace and profound commitment for ultimate delicious food that will mark my souvenirs for a long time.
Wishing you this same amazement!
WHAT I THINK MONTHS LATER: Bernard Pacaud was behind the stoves on that lunch, and I regret to have discovered him so late at a stage where he is close to retirement. Well, at least I had this priviledge because this is what I consider as a priviledge: skills so exceptional that they pertain to my top 5 all time favourite Chefs of the globe, alongside Joel Robuchon, Jacques Maximin, Constant, Girardet, Besson. Again, I never tried this place when Bernard Pacaud is not behind the wheels, so I can talk only for this one instance.
Event: Lunch at restaurant L’Ambroisie, Paris
When: Friday March 25th 2011 12:30
Michelin stars: 3
Addr: 9, pl des Vosges Paris, France (4e arrondissement)
URL: https://www.ambroisie-paris.com/
Phone: Phone: 01-42-78-51-45
Type of cuisine: Classic french
Overall Food rating: 10/10 Superlative flavours, benchmark textures. Service: 10/10 As “perfected” as their food and overall dining experience. Overall Dining experience: 10/10 Everything, on this lunch, was of superior 3 star Michelin standards
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7)
To quote the late il Maestro Gualtiero Marchesi, one of my top favourite Chefs around the world: ”’A melody is composed only of the necessary notes’. L’Ambroisie, on this lunch was profoundly melodious. Our lives are defined by moments. This was a moment. A moment of two hours and a half , transcendent and memorable. For those in the know, it would not be hard to understand anyone who would argue that this is, right now, the best French 3 star Michelin in the globe. Of this meal, I can certainly submit that even though perfection is a relative word, “perfected” is how I would qualify this meal I had under their roof. Perfected in a way that is rare, even at such high level of dining, I meant.
I will, for this review on L’Ambroisie, seize the opportunity to elaborate a bit on my expectations, experiences and views on French cuisine in general, 3* Michelin Fine dining and the Michelin guide in particular. I hope this will be useful to the readers of the current report.
As a long time admirer of French fine dining, I have naturally sacrificed a big portion of my hard earned money in what France offers on the upper scale of its restaurant scene. L’Ambroisie, along with Ledoyen, are the only Parisian 3* Michelin ventures that I had not visited yet as of today (Ledoyen was finally visited yesterday). You’ll find more about my experiences with France’s haute cuisine in the next sections of this review, but for now I’ll start with the motivation that lead to my consideration of the Michelin red book: for years, I have carefully followed all type of restaurant reviews. ALL! … only to end up with SOME supposedly serious food columnists (I wrote “some” since NOT ALL of them are concerned by my reservations) raving over restaurants where impressive pre-sold magic are never found in the plates but rather in the media buzz itself (I do not mind buzz. It is necessary as a business /marketing tool, but back your buzz by matching reality)! When you end up with supposedly serious professionals who themselves recognize that they are well known to those they are reviewing, you know it is about time to put an end to the circus. That reliability I was dearly seeking, I knew I had to find it elsewhere! That is how I started to trust Michelin. Not that it is a perfect system (there will never be a perfect system anyways), but at least it does what has to be done: anonymous reviews (instead of the friendly reviews of some) and a rigorous work of evaluating excellence in food and dining experience. Michelin may have its detractors (who doesn’t?) , but I prefer discretion and serious work over annoying quest for celebritism through restaurant reviewing.
Michelin being initially from France, I also tend to value its appreciations on … France’s restaurants. To some extent, its evaluations of French restaurants in general, whether they are in France or outside of France. I do not expect Michelin to be the specialist of non French restaurants. But that’s just my personal expectations of Bibendum’s works.
Many of the 3* Michelin France’s haute dining —- that I partook in — have delivered some moments of culinary amazement (Michel Bras, when he was regularly behind his stoves, that was a true defining experience of 3* dining excellence in my opinion. Thought the same about Michel Guérard, Olivier Roellinger, Gerard Besson, Georges Blanc when they are / were at their very best). Chef Bernard Loiseau (had couple of meals cooked by him in 1992, 1993, 1997) , who unfortunately took his own life, will always be remembered too as one giant who has never failed to serve me what still rank, years later, among the best moments of all my Michelin starred meals (for those who went recently dining at his restaurant, please send me an email with details of your own experience. I am curious to learn about the cooking of their current Chef, Monsieur Patrick Bertron).
Of course, I did also experience few other 3* events that did not seduce, of which I could easily identify the major problems: usually it was either a hasty interest in modernizing the cuisine or a lack of clear culinary identity (this oftently happens when the kitchen switches in between the hands of too many cooks or a Chef whose brigade is weak / lacking in leadership).
How do I choose a 3 Michelin star restaurant?
Most people I know won’t bother with careful long research on restaurants when it comes to dining out. They basically rely on opinions of who they think is enoughly reliable, even though this is clearly not a matter of reliability but of personal preferences as in the preeminent and realistic long formula “”food enjoyment = personal expectations + knowing what you like Vs what you do not + what your palate has bookmarked as previous references + misc personal encounters during your diner + the ability of remaining humble enough to avoid unnecessary pretention + how informed you were about the place you are dining at + what you have been eating before you head there + your state of mind + how open minded you are…and I’ll stop here, Lol! “””. I can’t blame them (there are certainly other interests that deserve much attention), but my choice for a dinner goes through an absurdly (yeah, I’ve got to admit this…although I will always maintain such diligence) extended process: I read ALL, absolutely ALL possible comments, inform myself a lot about the Chef’s philosophy/creations/ background/achievements + the type of restaurant, its history, its style. I do the same, whenever it is possible, with the authors whose opinions I read: enquiring about the style of dining he or she usually favors is one (among others) essential piece of intelligence.
This dinner at L’Ambroisie is the result of a two years long study on an impressive list of 3* Michelin tables around the world. Two years is time consuming, but I do not go to restaurants just for the sake of piling numbers (The number of restaurants you visit says nothing about the quality of the dining experience you accumulate). I go to a restaurant for the adding value I presume the restaurant can bring to my personal dining experience. Back to L’Ambroisie, it is interesting to note that I could have picked restaurants on which there seems to exist more favourable conscensus. In Paris, if you do not want to miss the boat on the upper 3* Michelin starred dining echelon, just pick Guy Savoy, L’arpège or Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée. They are great: their food is consistently good and they treat you like you are a king. Exactly what we all should expect from an expensive and haute dining experience. But what attracts me to a restaurant is a combination of very precise factors: (1) food that has a chance to set some kind of new reference to my personal gustatory repertoire, (2) food of a Chef mostly praised for that little touch that sets the truly talented cooks apart. And in the case of L’Ambroisie, there is also this reason: he –Bernard Pacaud – is one of the last chefs from the nouvelle cuisine movement. There is nothing ‘’nouvelle’’ anymore with that culinary movement , but this is one type of cuisine that suited well with my palate. Before Chefs like Pacaud retires (He is 64 yrs old ), I’d suggest anyone interested in French fine dining to try at least once in their life the cuisine of those last pioneers of the nouvelle cuisine.
I was lucky enough to fullfill this aim to sample the food of some of them: Michel Guérard (I sampled his food in 2005 and 2006 at Les prés d’Eugénie in Aquitaine. I hope it is still as great as it used to be since I never went back since ), Bocuse’s Auberge du Pont de Collonges in Lyon (2006,2007,2008 All three meals were admittedly not among the best I ate, but they all featured some dishes with character that still rank high among those I keep referring back to whenever I indulge in French haute dining), Alain Senderens whose food I tasted in 2004 and 2009, and of course the other Chefs that I mentioned previously.
The meal began ..NOT with their usual expected serving of classic French cheese based savory choux pastry from Burgundy (gougeres), BUT with
Langoustine, ananas, velouté de crustacés – The langoustine , in season and as fresh as it gets (which you have come to expect at this level of dining). It is rare that you will see me praising seafood at a high end restaurant as I grew up with the spectacular seafood of the Indian Ocean right in front of my door, therefore a fine dining restaurant, miles away from any sea or ocean, with its inflated cost …is hardly going to seduce me with its seafood offerings. I rarely order seafood at a high end restaurant as I know that it cannot match the seafood of my childhood both on the front of the quality as well as the price (this was an amuse-bouche , therefore not ordered from the menu ). It does not help that I have always found langoustine not as worthy of my attention as lobsters . Langoustines are members of the lobster family, but they are tinier than lobsters and (for my taste), not as flavourful (langoustine is …less flesh to put in your mouth, anyways, therefore less to ..savour, obviously). Alas, lobsters are no longer “trendy” at high end restaurants, langoustines are. That said, I can only trade in facts: although the precise cooking of that langoustine (perfectly firm and meaty, moist as it should) is to be expected, L’Ambroisie managed to make the point that I was eating at a 3 star Michelin restaurant by never allowing that offering to leave a “mundane” impression: a little ‘brunoise‘ of carefully handpicked prime pineapple (mixed with dices of green, red peppers) as well as a superlative velouté (exciting crustacean flavours) were benchmark examples of what they should feel, taste and look like even by the very high standards of this level of dining. 10/10
Chaud froid d’oeuf mollet au cresson , asperges vertes, caviar oscietre gold– The oeuf mollet (poached egg – the egg is successfully half cooked as it should) was covered with a layer of watercress sauce (I enjoyed the interesting kick brought by the sourness of the watercress to the egg) and served along asparagus (they have mastered the doneness of the vegetable pretty well) and caviar (typical oscietra thin flavor, a rich quality salty fish roe as I expect at such heavy price). A dish that has been perfected to deliver memorable deliciousness. 10/10
On the side, I was served with their:
Oeuf en coque: Many high end French restaurants have their version of the “boiled egg” appetizer. Since it is seemingly easy to do (a boiled egg, right?), they tend to overwork it with ridiculous flavour combinations. Chef Pacaud’s “Oeuf en coque” managed to be a sublime take on the “Oeuf en coque” by relying on spectacular sourcing (it is rare that you will find an egg of such spectacular quality even at the best 3 star Michelin restaurants) and an unusually “gifted palate” — so to speak — (even, by the highest standards of fine dining that this restaurant is competing…you will rarely get to the conclusion that “wow…whoever has cooked my food has an exceptional palate”. That does not happen as often as you may think…). It may sound surreal to be impressed by some boiled egg, but few, even at this level of dining, are capable of an exciting “Oeuf en coque” (you had all the essence of an Oeuf en coque, boosted with the simplicity of fresh chives, nothing else, but delivered with an emphasis on bold, fresh delicious and memorable flavours) 10/10
Sea bass and artichoke atop a caviar (Ocietra gold from Iran) white butter sauce – Sea bass has always been one of my favorite fish (especially the Chilean sea bass, with pan roasting being my #1 cooking method for fish). The seabass was nicely cooked (perfect moist interior) and tasted great (it is amazing how this ugly fish can taste good ;p). The butter sauce had great textural quality, balance between its ingredients (shallots, white wine), and enough acidity (coming from the sauce’s white wine) to control its richness . The mild flavor of the artichokes (sliced artichoke hearts) paired well with the sauce and the quality of the sturgeon’s processed salted roe was at its finest. Overall, a dish that is technically without reproach (you can see that each step of the preparation of that fish was well-timed) and more importantly delicious. 8/10.
DESSERT:
Tarte fine sablée au cacao amer, glace à la vanille bourbon – A chocolate” pie”, that is – to the contrary of what some online reviews have pointed out – not raw at all, its topping made of a powdery cocoa layer, its filling consisting of chocolate ganache and sabayon . The pie was served with a side of vanilla ice cream (which, as expected at this level, was not going to be of the run-of-the-mill sort. High grade fresh vanilla being used, the lactic fragrance coming straight from … a dairyman’s dream). Pacaud uses a dark rich chocolate from celebrated Master chocolatier Christian Constant. All in all, the pie showcased a great deal of technical skills (the super delicate consistency of that pie) and reaffirmed the recurrent strong focus —that was met all along this entire repast — on making food tasting genuinely delicious (the filling of chocolate ganache + sabayon is a great idea, indeed, as it added enticing layers of flavours) . 10/10
SERVICE: As “perfected” as their food and the overall dining experience. Madame Pacaud welcomes all her patrons, but even though many wives of Chefs do the same, at restaurants, what sets her apart is her exceptional ability to talk to you with a genuine warmth and expression of care you will rarely experience with her competition. What is impressive, based on what I could observe, during this lunch, is that she is able to do that with the same intensity whether you are a regular (a table nearby had regular diners) or someone she never saw before (me). Seems like the saying ‘‘just be yourself” works wonders in her case. Not always an easy thing to get right, even by the high standards of hospitality expected at high end restaurants, but she nails it. There was also Mr Pascal, the Maître d’Hôtel on this lunch, a classy gentleman and experienced professional who is easily among the very best at what he does. For sure, that is what one needs to expect at this dining level, but even by those lofty standards, he stands out from the pack.
DECOR:
If like me, you are fond of baroque style , then L’Ambroisie interior will appeal. I noticed the Aubusson tapestries that I kept hearing about when informing myself on L’Ambroisie (http://www.finehomecrafts.com/aubusson-tapestries.htm), the marble floors, paintings. It is not as grandiose as I had once anticipated, but extremely charming.
PROS: I think that Bernard Pacaud’s cooking (he was cooking on this lunch) is the finest haute French food that has ever blown away my taste buds since Joel Robuchon and Frédy Girardet have retired. To my taste, this overall dining experience on Friday March 25th at L’Ambroisie is exactly what reaches out to my own definition of the pinnacle of a 3 star Michelin dinner.
CONS: Nothing that comes to mind.
CONCLUSION: My definition of ‘’great food’’ turns around a combination of 80% from the natural talent of the Chef (the personal touch of an exceptionally skilled artisan, whatever magic his personal impulsive genius can generate, the s-o-u-l of the Chef!!) + 20% that will come from the quality of the ingredients. Basta! The rest (whatever philosophy, vision is great for both the Chef himself on a personal level and/or his marketing team) is theoretical.
There is an important distinction between talent and personal touch:
a Chef can be technically skilled (mastering various cooking methods, cooking at the correct temperature, with the right ingredient combinations, etc) but his food lacking in terms of soul (ever wonder why out of a team of highly talented chefs, cooking the exact same dish, with the exact same ingredients, there is always one or two who still manage to elevate the dish to some kind of gustatory reference?). Passion? It should already be part of the personality of a great Chef or else he has no business being a chef. Great ingredients? Absolutely, but in the hands of a non talented chef, they worth nothing.
Going there, I was looking for great cuisine that is taking no risks nor trying to be trendsetting (“dated” in not part of my vocabulary. Good or bad food are), but that is delectable and heartwarming. Going there, I was expecting Bernard Pacaud, a Chef widly praised for his exceptional talent, to make a good impression on me. Fortunately, I got all of of that at this restaurant.
The overall may boast an impressive price tag, which most (opinions over the web + among those close to me who are regulars of Paris haute dining ) have agreed on, but the most important was delivered: food that was superbly D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! Many Michelin 3-star dinings have pleased me, but I can count with the fingers of my hands the few remarkable moments when food was as savourish as on this one lunch. Now that I’ve visited all current Parisian 3 Michelin star establishments –Le Doyen and L’Ambroisie being the only two that I had not visited up to this day (luckily, there are not that many and no newer Parisian 3 star have emerged lately), I can confidently state that L’Ambroisie is — at this moment —- my personal choice for #1 best Parisian three Michelin star (for the record, L’Arpège used to be my personal #1 for a long time, in Paris) .
L’Ambroisie reaches out to my dining expectations and philosophy: I am not one interested in whatever theatrical or conceptual aspect of food. It is food and its main duty has to be fulfilled: it has to storm my palate for its superior savourishness. They did it with the highest mastery one might expect at this level of cooking, shining with equal excellence on both the savories and the desserts. But L’Ambroisie went way beyond that: this type of decor, the service (elegant, serious and focused) , the way the sommelier did his work (grace and efficiency), absolutely everything went in line with what I expect from the best 3-star michelin ventures.
If you came to me with such a statement as “””this is currently the best classic Haute french michelin 3 star in operation in the world”’, I’d reply that ”’I concur with you””! This one specific lunch was simply divine. The price? No..No..No..I won’t reveal it simply because as human beings, we tend to overwhelm excellence by material value. Which is not an issue when the experience is average (in which case, I see the $$$ in BOLD!! Rfaol!), but when it is exceptional — as it was with this one specific lunch at L’Ambroisie — I will never let numbers overshadow exceptional dining occurence!
There was, on this lunch, a feel of remarkable grace and profound commitment for ultimate delicious food that will mark my souvenirs for a long time.
Wishing you this same amazement!
WHAT I THINK MONTHS LATER: Bernard Pacaud was behind the stoves on that lunch, and I regret to have discovered him so late at a stage where he is close to retirement. Well, at least I had this priviledge because this is what I consider as a priviledge: skills so exceptional that they pertain to my top 5 all time favourite Chefs of the globe, alongside Joel Robuchon, Jacques Maximin, Constant, Girardet, Besson. Again, I never tried this place when Bernard Pacaud is not behind the wheels, so I can talk only for this one instance.
Event: Lunch at Restaurant Ledoyen, Paris
When: March 24th 2011, 12:30
Michelin Star: 3
Type of cuisine: Haute French with a mix of classic and contemporary fares
Addr: 1 Avenue Dutuit, Carré des Champs Elysees
Arrondissement: 8th
Phone:+33 01 53 05 10 01
Metro: Champs Elysees-Clemenceau
Overall Food rating (Category: French 3 star Michelin): 6/10 would have rated this meal with a 5/10 based on the ordinary savoury dishes that I have sampled at this lunch, but the dessert and depth of refinement shown in the work of the nibbles showed impressive skills worth of an extra point on the aspect of the overall food rating. I felt as if I was eating at two different restaurants under the same roof, without moving from my chair: an ordinary 1 star Michelin for the savoury, then a genuine 3 star for the dessert and nibbles. Service: 10/10 Maitre D’ Bertrand Pagnet offered a highly accomodating service. Overall dining experience: 7/10 Even though the classic decor and classy service were of the sort that I am traditionally partial to, I did not find the overall dining experience to feature anything really particular on this lunch.
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7)
…when I pay the full price for a signature dish at a Michelin 3 star restaurant, I need to go past the “mundane” impression. This is where I was not happy at all with Christian Lesquer and his brigade. Here is a case where I do sometimes part ways with Michelin: how come Ledoyen, under Christian, kept its 3 stars with dishes that would be just Ok at a 1 star Michelin restaurant (by your very own standards, Mr Michelin!). That is a lack of respect ..not only to…me, the diner…but also to the other 3 star Michelin restaurants that work hard to be genuine 3 star Michelin restaurants, night and day, all year long….
We all dine at 3 Michelin star ventures for different personal reasons. Mine has nothing to do with its prestige, nothing to do neither with whatsoever gigantic expectations placed upon such dining events. For me, especially in Paris, it is the opportunity for enjoying ingredients I do not get to oftently enjoy like the “poulet de bresse”, the “canard de challans”, some exclusive cheese aged by Bernard Antony, the Poujauran’s bread and many more (France has a soil that is blessed: their produces are usually simply amazing, and this comes from someone who was born and raised on a land of stunning poultry, meats, seafood, greens and fruits). In the hands of a true 3* Chef, this can be worthy of high consideration. At the haute dining level, I have a personal yearly (or every 2 years if Paris is too far, depending on where I live) Parisian routine that does not cost that much (well, nothing compared to what you would pay for the menu degustation at those restaurants) and makes sense since it focuses on widly known strenghts o f those places I’ll mention next: I go to L’Arpège only for their ‘Canard de Challans à l’hibiscus’ (à la carte, with no wine; perhaps a starter and a dessert). I do the same at Plaza Athénée (Ducasse) for their ‘Poultry Albufera’ when it is available. Gerard Besson’s (now close) “tourte de gibiers et foie gras” used to attract me to Paris too, on my (bi)-yearly gourmand trip.
Picking a 3* in Paris is a nightmare for me: there is no doubt that I will eat well at most of them, but for the price I am afraid that the usual hype, sumptuous decor and nod to history won’t suffice to impress me. Keeping my feet planted firmly on the ground, I refuse to expect fireworks (it is food, not a Disney show) but food that needs to be deliciously superior. Whatever the reasons justifying a 3* dining experience, food at such level needs to come from a Chef who is capable of pushing the limits of deliciousness to heights that are not commonly experienced. This is not about delusional expectations: if you are lucky enough to get Michel Bras in person cooking for you at his stronghold of Laguiole, you will understand what I mean. It doesn’t need to be Michel Bras or a 3* Chef, it just need to come from a cook with that magical touch where somehow an exceptional talent, passion and love for savourish food are transferred into your plate: my lifetime most memorable meal was a simple spiny lobster grilled by an anonymous cook. When I told people how talented he was, most replied that grilling a lobster was no big deal and could not fail to be tasty. Years have passed, that cook became one of the most acclaimed Chefs of his country and many of World’s most respected Chefs have tried, albeit in vain, to attract him to the Western world. Years have passed and not one claw of lobster have been as impressive as that one…and I’ve tried them in all variations, at bistros or 3* tables, on the street or by the sea, in different geographical areas. The name of that Chef is irrelevant here. His magic touch
is. Could that magical touch be purely subjective? Part of it is of personal appreciation naturally, but the exceptional talent of one Chef never lies: some may like his food, others not, but if seeking for great food is a passion for you, you will notice the talent that’s behind the meal. That’s my only expectation for a 3* meal: that exceptional talent, that exceptional touch not aiming to impress but that pulls the most out of the least.
I grew up in Paris and have already visited almost all its current 3 Michelin star holders (PG, APDA, Arpege, Pré Catalan, L’Astrance, Guy Savoy, Le Bristol, Le Meurice, etc) except Ledoyen and L’Ambroisie. Ledoyen seemed to be a match with what I’ve always encouraged: a Chef, Christian Le Squer, mostly praised for his exceptional talent and who is found where he needs to shine: behind his stoves. The same applies to L’Ambroisie, although, in the case of the latest, the fact that it is one of the few last classic strongholds at the 3* dining level weighs a lot in the balance.
My Parisian friends who know both places well recommended that I start with Ledoyen.
”Save the pricier one for the last”, Jean-Luc commended to me. Not that it would make any difference: I already knew that Parisian 3* restaurants are no bargain. Anyways, I just need my food to be very delicious regardless of its price or creativity level. VERY delicious, I stressed! VERY DELICIOUS, was I assured.
Preparation is always the name of my game whenever I decide to dine at a 3* Michelin table. It has been like that the very first time I stepped foot in a 3* Michelin restaurant (1990, Alain Ducasse’s Louis XV); the pattern has not changed more than two decades later. Mine consisted of in depth intelligence about Christian Lesquer’s (my readers know how I value true artisans working for real behind their stoves over cooks who serve as name bearers for celebrity-entrepreneur-chefs. Christian is found where he should be: behind his stoves) strengths and weaknesses, type of cuisine, culinary philosophy. At such prices, at such level of dining, I may as well indulge in what he is best known for. Daniel — a close friend (of mine) who has followed Christian Lesquer’s career since Christian was working at Le Divellec — was my most prolific info provider on Ledoyen restaurant’s strong man. Daniel is an admirer of Lesquer but was very honest about the Brittany’s Chef. He ensured that I was not expecting some kind of techno-revolutionary cuisine but a highly skilled cuisine that is classic with enough modern inspiration in style and creativity to be worth of the highest accolades.
I first wanted to pick his five course ”spécialités‘ (signature dishes), but his prix fixe dejeuner menu is affordable. I chose the latest and added two ‘spécialités’: the lobster + Toasts brulés d’anguilles. If I had a second stomach, the sweetbreads skewer would be part of the plan. FOOD
Today, the menu déjeuner at Ledoyen consisted of a mise en bouche of “tartare de dorade à la tahitienne”, a first choice of veggies in an emulsion of radish/or some langoustines with its own jus, a second choice of chicken (supreme de volaille des Landes en croute de pain rassie), cheese, a choice of two desserts: one made of bananas (Transparence banane, fruits de la passion), the other from strawberries (Fraises “Gariguette” parfumées coriandre/Hibiscus).
Tartare de dorade à la tahitienne: great ingredient as expected (the fish was of superb freshness, same could be said of the thin slices of scallops disposed atop the tartare ), perfect balance in taste and seasonings. Objectively, a fine tartare, but at this level of dining, I need this tartare to shine a bit more in creativity or at least with surprising flavors. The apple-lemon gelée underneath was nice, but kept the tartare in a ‘pedestrian’ registry. Utterly “mundane” and not worth of my time when I am eating at a 3 star Michelin restaurant (a dish that would be standard at a 1 star Michelin…) . 6 /10
Jardins de légumes vert à l’émulsion de radis – peas (superb quality), green beans (good quality), onions, dried tomatoes in a radish emulsion. Cute like a bug, that dish…enjoyable too…but not a dish that I am expecting at this level of cuisine neither. Do not get me wrong: I am not expecting fireworks here. Just a touch of next-level daring-ness may it be in the taste or overall enjoyment of the course. Seems like the recurrent impression, during this meal is going to be the impression that their savoury recipes would be uniformly “mundane”… 6/10
Sole de petite cotière étuvée de petit pois – The sole was presented in the shape of a tube. Perfect moist consistency of the flesh. Fine enough taste, though not exciting. The green mini “rolls” were filled with a cream of peas and the truffle sauce, although not of memorable mention, retained a ‘smokey’ flavor that was Ok, nothing more. This lacked palatability (just not ….exciting in mouth, which, I gather, should be expected from the sole as it has a mild taste by nature and the cooking technique they had to use for this can hardly lift up the natural mild taste of the sole, BUT they still had the opportunity of the truffle sauce to make the point that I was eating at a restaurant which brigade can cook better food than at 1 star Michelin restaurant…exactly as what Pierre Gagnaire, L’Arpège, L’Ambroisie and many other 3 star Michelin — their category — are doing during lunch time ). Instead, the truffle sauce was underwhelming (it tasted of almost nothing, which, for the big fan of truffle sauce that I am, was hard to forgive). This is a proper 6/10 dish, as mundane in impression as the previous dishes.
As mentionned earlier on, I also ordered two of their signature dishes, just in case the “excuse” of the previous dishes is that they were part of a cheap lunch special…which should NOT be an “excuse” at a 3 star Michelin restaurant (you are top or you are not..you are a 3 star Michelin or you are not…Pierre Gagnaire, L’Arpège, L’Ambroisie and many other 3 star Michelin are using NO excuses ..during lunch time). Anyways, with their signature dishes I was hoping that I would finally get to know the real Ledoyen.
Grosses langoustines Bretonnes, émulsion d’agrumes:
Every time I try lobsters at a restaurant, it suffers from the inevitable comparison to the spiny lobster of the Indian Ocean, my all-time preferred marine crustacean. Even though I have spent years educating my palate to enjoy the various marine crustaceans that can be found across the globe, the spiny lobster of the Indian ocean (as well as its cousins of warm waters such as the Caribbean and the Mediterranean sea – I am a bit less taken by the lobster from cold waters) is the one that floats my boat. Langoustines are smaller with (to my palate), a more discrete flavour. Here, Chef Christian Lesquer added a middle eastern touch to his signature Langoustine-based dish: kadaif (vermicelli-like pastry) balls filled with the crustacean meat, fried, then set atop the langoustine tail. The citrus fruit emulsion, emulsified with the usual olive oil, which basically turned out to be a citrus/olive oil based mayonnaise that was properly executed , indeed …but as far as in-mouth enjoyment goes, it was surprisingly discrete (where is the punch, Chef? …). It is no surprise that a citrus flavored emulsified concoction is meant to pair naturally well with lobster (mayo pairs well with lobster meat, citrus flavors too, etc), BUT I have tasted better variations (read more flavorful, more exciting, more memorable ) of this dish before at casual restaurants. So, an Ok dish at a 1 star Michelin, an utterly unremarkable one at a 3 star Michelin ..I mean, this is a SIGNATURE DISH, at a 3 STAR MICHELIN restaurant and yet it still left me with a “mundane” impression…………………………………….. 6/10
Toast brûlé d’anguille, réduction de jus de raisin – A visual curiousity, that could pass as a cake. The dark base is made of bread. The violet-colored topping is eel reduced by grape juice and wine. The lustrous exterior inspired, obviously, by the lustrous texture of the skin of the eel. I guess all of that can pass as fun and creative for french fine dining, indeed, the “smoky” flavor of the toast standing as a logical complement to the taste of the eel, but truth be told…it looked better than it tasted, albeit tasty enough). What you see on the side is a cube of potato filled with “crème de raifort” , which was really nothing to write home about (I am a huge fan of both potatoes and raifort, but NOT when they are barely noticeable and could have been anything else, which was the case here ) – Again, hardly a dish that managed to showcase the level of superlative work of flavours and perfected textures you have come to expect from a signature dish at a 3 star Michelin 6.5/10
When I see written here and there that the pastry brigade at Ledoyen makes great desserts, all I can say is that this is an accurate statement:
Fraise “guariguette” parfumées coriandre/hibiscus – Excellent dessert where sublime taste and lots of creativity were on display. The parade of the superlative strawberry, coriander and hibiscus flavours in mouth was a true act of genius. What I kept waiting for (in terms of superb complementing — or even contrasting — flavors, textures and delicious taste) in the savoury recipes … was finally unleashed in this successful dessert. 10/10
They offer lots of extras:
Several “mises en bouche”
Many “mignardises” (excellent licorice macarons, hibiscus gelée, delicious chips of caramel butter, pina colada lollipops)
And they also brought chocolates, some Brittany’s pastries too.
The pastry team, during this lunch, was a genuine 3 star Michelin pastry team.
I know: the ratings of this specific meal are not what we might expect at a 3 star Michelin level. But still, at euros 88 (the menu dejeuner), and especially with the superb service I found on this lunch + all the extras that are offered to all patrons, I’d still highly recommend Ledoyen. It is a place where I truly felt good, and for once I’ll forgive the lack of gustatory amazement that was found — on this lunch — the exception being the dessert (to some extent, the “toast brulé” was also appreciated).
SERVICE
Maitre D’ Bertrand Pagnet is a sociable gentleman, professional and yet extremely caring. This man knows what ‘accomodation’ means and his open mind (he travelled a lot around the world and worked for top restaurants like those of Boulud’s in Vancouver — now closed) is refreshing. The entire service was in line with what you do expect at such high level of dining: courteous, attentive.
DECOR
The exterior is marked by Ancient Greece inspired neoclassical facades of blank walls, columns. The inside is in Second Empire style: ornamented, elegant surrounding moldings. As a non food related note, if – like me — you enjoy this style of architecture, pay a visit to Le Louvre and the Opera house.
LOCATION
Off Les Champs Élysées
PROS: The service on this lunch sets the bar for what hospitality should be about at this level of haute dining. And this type of classic decor appeals to me. Paris truly has an architectural charm that others will spend their life mimicking, just mimicking…
CONS: The food I had on this lunch lacked interest, in my assessment. Not bad, not great neither. And a signature dish needs to shine!
CONCLUSION – Their prix fixe Lunch menu is one ideal way to enjoy a 3 michelin star meal at reasonable cost in Paris. I was harsh, I shall concede, but that was ONLY in the context of comparing Ledoyen, side by side, to what its direct competition is delivering during lunch time. TO BE FAIR, its direct competition would probably offer to you the same mundane savoury recipes I have just talked about if you had to pay such a small price for a lunch special. My Problem is not there. My problem is that…when I pay the full price for a signature dish at a 3 star Michelin restaurant, I need to go past the “mundane” impression…
1.The post “A tale of 2 World Class Burgers – New York City“ (click here to get to that post) was viewed by 12.65 % of all of you. In 2021, NYC did dominate most of your hits on this blog, consequently, as you will see in the notes below, the majority of the top 7 Most Viewed Posts are related to New York. As for this specific write-up, the reviewed two hamburgers were highly satisfying (Emily’s — picture in top left corner — being 100% pure fun, the unsung mistress, for the analogy…although Emily’s Burger is not “unsung” at all. It is actually of the “celebrated” sort. Very much so. Red Hook Tavern’s —— picture in top right corner —, the flawless “hottie” ) and it would have been hard to imagine how they could have been improved.
2.The review of Gallagher’s Steakhouse, New York City (12.52 % of all your hits). For me, the G is currently the best steakhouse of NYC, plain and simple. They grill a world-class steak on hickory coals (using hickory coals is a rarity at a steakhouse in NYC). There’s nothing as exciting as the appetizing aroma of meat grilled on hickory coals. And there is not just their steak that is good under their roof. Folks, sometimes, your hits are high on some posts of eateries that are not good, and I am like “what the heck are you guys doing…“. Yeah, believe it or not, it happens, Lol. But your numerous hits on the G’s review, in 2021, this one, I can dig it! It was not always like that: in its first year, this review was largely ignored by all of you, which I could not understand as my reviews on lesser restaurants were attracting a considerable number of hits. Better late than never as, this time, it was a good call from you.
3.Sushi Noz, New York City (11.89 % of all your hits). What a world-class sushi restaurant outside of Japan! Few sushi restaurants can match the quality of service and overall dining experience found at Sushi Noz. I will run back there way before thinking about going back to plenty of restaurants that I did rate higher than Sushi Noz. Sushi Noz has been a favourite of hordes of sushi fans in NYC for a long time, and it was easy to see why.
4.Rezdôra Osteria Emiliana, New York (11.73 % of all your hits). Rezdôra was a charm, as detailed in my review. It is a restaurant that is managed by people who think “outside the box” in a way that is refreshingly appealing. Some people think out of the box and that can be off-putting. In the case of Rezdôra, it is enchanting. No wonder they are so popular! Given how popular Rezdôra is, I was surprised that this post was not in the top 7 Most Viewed Posts according to your hits in 2020. But in 2021, it gained traction among you. And that made perfect sense.
5.The River Café, Brooklyn, NY ( 11.21 % of all your hits). Within a few months, a restaurant can change a lot, for better or worse. Therefore I have no clue if The River Café is still as great as it was during that visit. It is with caution that I assess The River Café because it is a legendary romantic dining destination and sometimes, such restaurants tend to “rest on their laurels”. I can only talk about that specific dinner, obviously, of which both the Missus and myself had nothing but praises for the flawless savoury dishes we were served and we both thought that they certainly did not rest on their laurels (the general vibe pertains to a world-class romantic dining destination, indeed). And Yes, that view is … splendid! But it is pricey, as you might expect from a special occasion type of place.
6.Pierre Gagnaire, Paris is the sole entry that is not related to NYC to feature in the top 7 Most Viewed Posts in 2021. Gagnaire is one of the most celebrated chefs in the world. His flagship and eponymous restaurant, in Paris, just 8 minutes walk from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées is the restaurant I did review (here) and that was the target of 10.59 % of all your hits in 2021. When a Chef runs an empire of restaurants around the world (PG has restaurants in Tokyo, Paris, Dubai, Seoul, Las Vegas, London, etc ), I am a bit worried about the potential “lack of soul” of his offering, but in the case of Pierre Gagnaire Paris, fortunately, my worries were unfounded: this is, indeed, the world-class dining destination that plenty of gastronomes have long praised.
7. Keen’s Steakhouse , New York (10.47% of all your hits). Another steakhouse grabbed your attention…- Why am I not surprised? Lol. I will never understand the popularity of steakhouses (it is just meat that is grilled or broiled, no elaborate cooking … ) but I have to respect what the most are attracted to. So, here comes Keen’s at 7th position, a steakhouse that opened in 1885 (yeah, two centuries ago…) and that has enjoyed legendary status in NYC for quite some time. The experts of the steakhouses in NYC continue to hold Keen’s in high regard. I certainly do, too.
An anonymous Montrealer's Michelin Star dinners 
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