This is a continuation from my Parisian vacation that took place in late May 2010.
Menu on the window
Monsieur Jacques Genin, how I have read so many good things about you. I have read you have ruined people after they ate your made-to-order millefeuilles and your exquisite caramels. Oh, the temptation…and I cannot resist delectable sweets. I made a pre-dinner (yet to be reviewed) stop during the late afternoon after extensive shopping with HC.
When you read books (like David Lebovitz’s memoir on his experiences in Paris) or talk to the French about where they shop for food, namely their daily baguette, they say stick within one’s arrondissment.
Taking that idea, I found out that HC and I were staying very close to Arnaud Delmontel and it was our quick breakfast destination for two days straight. What makes Demontel notable was the fact that they won 1st place for their baguette (La meilleure baguette de Paris) in 1997.
In NYC, I have my fair share of lavish dining: Eleven Madison Park, the lunch tasting menu at The Modern Dining Room, Jean Georges, and Marea. All were very good to excellent experiences but frankly, I’m getting bored with NYC fine dining. The restaurants that I’ve went to over the span of a few years pretty much kept the menu almost the same except configuring the flavors according to season. In other words, I’m a jaded New Yorker and the fine dining scene here is getting monotonous.
I’ve asked the good people of France Chowhound what three-star Michelin restaurant in Paris that serves a great lunch? I’ve made contact with a few friendly people who are familiar with the fine dining scene in Europe like Julien and Food Snob (via France Chowhound) and asked for input since I’m going to a city where there are many three-star Michelin restaurants than NYC. After much contemplation, I picked up the phone and called Ledoyen for a reservation.
Ledoyen
Walking off from the posh, busy boulevard off of Champs Elysses into Avenue Dutuit, HC and I felt like were slowly transported off to an isolated, peaceful place. First we encountered their small stretch of rose gardens that surround the restaurant on the side. When we walked up to the entrance, we’re welcomed by the doorman and welcomed again by the hostess.
When we arrived, it seems a bit too desolate that I almost thought we’re in the wrong restaurant. Admittedly, our dinner reservation is considered early for Parisians, as it was about 7:45 PM by the time we arrived but we went in and went up the hostess station and be seated.
Interiors and their napkin
The dark, wooden interior, a small bar to the left and the rest of the dining room were filled with tables that were elbow-to-elbow, barely allowing more than one person walking from the kitchen to the front of the house. Legs of ham, strings of espelette peppers (also known as piment d’Espelette in French) and heads of garlic were hanging from the ceiling, this looks like a carnivore’s dream.
Nudged in between two two-tops occupied by Asian couples, one Japanese and the other were Chinese-Americans, we’re slightly surprised how there’s not that many French people were present. Possibly because of the tanking Euro? I think so.
Chalkboard menu
Whilst reading down the chalkboard menu, we’ve noticed from one of our neighbor’s table was a basket full of gorgeous looking charcuterie. Sighing and regretting at the fact that we’re not starving enough to consume those sausages and more, we inquired each other to gauge how hungry we really are before we overdo it. (Doggy bagging food is not a typical thing in Paris.)
When my best friend HC and I were waiting at Newark for our flight out to Paris, we had the sudden interruption before flight that all the passengers in our flight are delayed there for the an additional three hours (on top of the 7.5 hour flight). Supposedly, there was a concern about the superficial dents on a portion of the plane’s belly that they had to get it repaired, tested, fill out paperwork and have approval from the control towers to get the green light to fly out of here. All of this crap takes three hours?
Frankly, I could care less about the plane. I haven’t eaten since noon when I had lunch at HC’s house and I’m getting cranky. After an hour after liftoff, the airline served us this. [Points down]
This is food…?
As you and I know, this doesn’t look like food. It looks questionably inedible. But as I paraphrase HC, this is for the sake of survival. I sucked up my food snobbish ways and tucked in, for better or worse. As long as I’m ok and have enough energy to get off the plane, haul my bags over to the center of Paris, I’ll deal with it.
Last week, La Maison du Chocolat kindly invited me to their chocolate tasting session called Paracours Initiatique: Tamanaco. It’s a nice, intimate setting in the back of their Upper East Side boutique’s café; adorned in handsome warm wood and a marble topped bar off to the right.
Also, the adorable jungle-themed Easter decorations add a bit of playful flair to the grown-up setting. It’s edible, by the way. It’s made of molded, colored white chocolate with milks and dark chocolates. Continue reading “La Maison du Chocolat’s Chocolate Tasting” »
I do admit I’m being terribly lazy but explaining every minute detail of my experience at Jean Georges might be a bit boring to you readers (since I wrote about them thrice already, not counting this post). I’ll let my photos to do the talking.
Most of the food was very good. The memorable dishes were crab and squash blossom beignet; not the beignet itself, I found the filling poorly made (use of finely shredded crab meat and waay too much mayo) but the salad component of the dish. I never loved cherry tomatoes and raspberry vinaigrette that much before, and the roasted sweetbreads and fragrant pickled peach because sweetbreads are delicious and it’s cooked perfectly. I also liked the acid component from the peaches. As for desserts, they were very good. I liked the strawberry tasting because of the delicate yet decadent cheesecake.
The petit fours pretty much stayed the same except for the macarons. Pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini supersized the wee little macarons that were the size of peas to the average macaron, about two to three inches in diameter. I still can’t love his macarons. I found the cookie tough and chewy but the mocha filling was ok. The chocolates are still sublime.
Service, as usual, was professional. The decor still remains the same; minimalist and modern with that large chandelier in the middle of the room. Continue reading “Lunch at Jean Georges” »
I felt compelled for a few years to try The Modern‘s tasting menu, after seeing Ulterior Epicure’s gorgeous photos of his experience and hearing it from a friend who did enjoy his dinner thoroughly for week before I went, I thought it’s about time to give it a whirl and go there.
In La Maison du Chocolat! You know, the French chocolate shop that I absolutely love? (They have the most consistently delicious French macarons and they have divine chocolates)
They told me that in they’re giving away free samples of their exclusive ganaches in their Rockefeller Center shop to partake in Fashion’s Night Out on Thursday, [...]
on his experiences in Paris) or talk to the French about where they shop for food, namely their daily baguette, they say stick within one’s arrondissment. 
