Bu Pun Su

My 2 cents ... Gagnaire - It can be said that he and Bras carry the burden for the future of French cuisine, they still improve and put some "fight" with the ®evolution of Spanish and German fine dining, so I think it's impossible and insane to drop it to 2* Ducasse - It may not be the most fascination, but the ingredients freshness and luxury are almost second to none. With about 1 chef per 2-3 diners as well as high precision in execution ... putting ADPA at the same level as Adour or Ducasse Dorchester will be somewhat ridiculous Ledoyen - The place where the chef is simply getting better day by day. I barely read any bad reviews from foodies here. With that, it will be sad if its the case, but I doubt it ... So the 3 places above should stay as they are. Talking about Champs-Elysses place, though not exactly, I think if there is one demotion ... not easy choice, but Guy Savoy (having dining in all these places) would make more sense than Gagnaire, Ducasse or LeSquer IMHO

My life has been quite busy near the end of the year, and somewhat lazy to be honest. Anyway, I'm back with my review from my Eurotrip last fall. Many people are skeptic with the experiement style of Pierre Gagnaire, contrary to them ... I somewhat am fascinated with his cooking. I had the long tasting menu a year ago and this time, following may foodies review, a la carte is the way to go here. On top of that, I choose the unusual menu ... some more both Gagnaire and Nave (chef de cuisine) were not around. So, it's almost like a culinary gambling Food (and wine) - 96/100 Instead of ordering the classic and safe dishes such as: langoustine, turbot or lambs, I had "flavor of the earth" for the entree and French beef for the main course. The appetizer consist of arugula ravioli "soup" which is very earthy and delicious - the star. The rests - I also like the small piece of sweet veal as well as the "clear Chinese herbs" soup that is suitable given the cold weather - hot and spicy. The mushroom cream is too one sided, I could hardly taste the vegetables underneath while the stem lettuce sorbet is so so. For the main course ... I had a fantastic roast beef - a perfect dish for me! It's prepared medium, with a few layers of fat. The meat is melt a bit, but at the same time I could still chew and feel its texture. With such good dish, I didn't mind not having the rest of the side dishes :-) The bone marrow is OK, but I've never been a fan of it, while the beef stew is tasty except the carrot sauce is too sweet. The beef "tartare" and thin potato chips are decent. I like the beef muzzle the least here Also for the desserts ... instead of the famous parade of 9-10 desserts, I chose the ginger chocolate instead. The ginger is pretty much overtaken by the intense, strong and high quality of chocolate. The souffle was smooth, served differently on a plate and a bit crisp at the top. The chocolate cream and powder were yummy. Some more it's intensified with the Pedro Ximenez dessert wine. But at the same time, to bring down the cloying taste if any ... the dessert included kirsch at the side. For the wines, I had a glass of white - 2006 Chateau Revelette Le Grand Blanc and a glass of red - 2004 Domaine Gauby Cotes du Roussillon. Oh, I noticed that during my 2 visits, the restaurant never charged me for the mineral water. The food this time was almost as good as my 1st visit ... only 1 pts lower, but I'm still very satisfied and would be very happy to return here anytime I have a chance. I gave 96/100 (a solid 2 3/4*) Service (and ambiance) - 94/100 The service is consistent here, equally good if not slightly better since I was no longer a 1st timer. Except the manager, many of them could comfortably communicate in English. They're professional, attentive and friendly without being obstrusive. The decor of the restaurant ... I noticed no changes, just the ambiance was a bit more formal in the evening as expected. The restaurant is 80% full and more than half of them are foreigners. Chef Gagnaire was in Korea if not mistaken opening his latest expansion. Overall, I would give this place 95.5/100 (2 3/4*, with a side note as probably the most interesting restaurant in the world). A more detailed review, is here Gagnaire review And if you only care about the picture, click this link Gagnaire pictures fall 08

German food is usually identical with (frankfurter) sausages, in a similar way American is known for its hamburger and/or ribs. So, it’s kinda interesting if of all countries in Europe, Germany has the most 3-star establishments after France. Out of curiosity, at Fall this year, I was travelling to Cologne and tried fine dining restaurants around the area. And the most famous and, perhaps also one of the best tables in Germany is Restaurant Vendome under the guidance of a talented chef – Joachim Wissler. Food (and wine) - 96/100 They have 2 tasting menu (the classic French as well as modern menu with exotic ingredients/dishes, such as: calf head, porky ear/tail or foie gras ice cream). Actually, the a la carte here is quite reasonable in price; nevertheless I decide to try their classical degustation menu. Some of the memorable dishes will be great quality of scallop carpaccio with rich foie gras, the mascarpone raviolis with chanterelle mushrooms are both interesting and technically outstanding. Lobster is (almost) always good and so was this time. The sweet bread is mildly sweet whereas the other main course … duck tasting are mostly intense. The chef skill is indeed incredible, yet I do not always like all of them. For instance, the green beans jelly at my red mullet did not help much for the overall taste of the dish rather than wow diners technique-wise. The dessert is fine, focusing on the contrasts like sweet (ice cream) versus bitter/sour (grape fruits). The bread selection is extensive and probably one of the best I had during my Europe trip this time. I had 2 glasses of wine: 2006 Dorsheimer Burgberg Riesling (mineral and fruity) and a quite strong Italian red wine, 2001 Le Braci Negro Amaro. I find that the female sommelier, Ms. Echensperger is very capable of helping diners for their wine selection. The cooking of Chef Wissler is indeed magnificent – each dish served with excellent presentation of fresh ingredients. I would give this place 96/100 for the food rating (2 ¾*, very close 3-star – equivalent to my Meurice and Calandre experiences) Service (and ambiance) - 94/100 The newly refurbished (modern) dining room provides comfortable and soothing ambiance. The restaurant is located in the ground floor of the famous German’s palace hotel – Schloss Bensberg. The service, under the manager Mr. Miguel is very professional and thoughtful. In many occasions, the servant wearing white gloves when serving the customers. The napkin was replaced regularly when you leave the table. The overall experience here (95/100 aka 2 ¾*) can be said very memorable for me. I’m very satisfied in many aspects of my meal here, in particular the food. When people talk about the best French restaurants outside France (include Monaco), I think restaurant Vendome should be in top 5. Perhaps, I should explore more of German’s gastronomy places in the future. Here are the pictures of the dishes Vendome 08

I don't know where to put this and am too lazy to start a new thread, so I decide to post it here. Hopefully, it's ok One of the unique parts about French fine dining is that there are many establishments which have been there for 2 generations or more. Troisgros and Auberge del’ Ill (Haeberlin) are the most notable ones. This time, I had a chance to visit another legendary restaurant owned by the Lorain’s family in the Burgundy area … it’s no other than Cote St. Jacques Food (and wine) - 94/100 The menu’s content is quite varied – there are at least 5 items each at the appetizers, fish/seafood, meat and desserts. The price is not as bad as Paris of course. I decided to have the menu gourmand. I tasted their classic entrees like blood sausage and oyster terrine, but to keen of them. In fact, I like their current dishes like the escargot wrapped in fried onion served with garlic & buttery foam. The lobster is tasty with good texture with licorice foam. The lamb loan is perhaps my best dish for lunch; it’s scrumptious and juicy reminding me of the one in Troisgros. I also loved my tete de moine – firm & milky. The desserts are not bad, but nothing special either. The napoleon was wonderful for the 1st byte, but then a bit too sweet for my taste. Located in Burgundy area, as expected I’m supposed to enjoy the Burgundy wine too. I had a glass of 2006 Chablis domaine laroche and 2005 Harvey-Chambertin domaine denis mortet. I like my meal in general, though it’s certainly not the best I’ve had. At least it’s about as good as Hof Van Cleve and slightly above Les Ambassadeurs. I gave it 94 pts (solid 2 1/2* by Michelin standard). I’m not sure whether it could do better should Jean-Michel himself was in the kitchen. Service (and ambiance) - 92/100 It was such a nice day at that time – sunny with a bit of breeze. The hotel/restaurant actually overlooks the beautiful and peaceful Yonne River. The dining room itself is fine, but nothing is really outstanding. The brown-black leather chair is comfortable. The restaurant was relatively quiet. Only 1 dining room was filled, even that there were only 10 people for that day. The staffs are professional, but not really enthusiastic. They seemed to be a bit down cause there’re not that many guests. They’re trying, but it cannot be hidden that it’s not from their heart. No mistakes though and no one was unfriendly. My overall experience here is 93 pts (2 ½* ), the same experience at Le Bristol with a slight better food. All the pictures are here - cote st jacques

Slowly but surely, many of the palace-like restaurants in Paris have been demoted from their 3 macarons standard (le grand vefour was the last victim). One of the 2 that still at the top of the game is Le Meurice. In less than half-decade at the helm of the hotel’s signature restaurant, Yannick Alleno brought Le Meurice to the summit last year. Food (and wine) - 96/100 Like what I expected, restaurant backed-up by the elite institution will have abundant resources. The menu here is very extensive (including the wine list), but incredibly expensive. The tasting menu, on the other hand, is more “friendly” to my pocket. So, I chose it and changed the main course to Bresse Chicken. The menu consisted of 3 appetizers, 1 sea food and meat main course each, cheese and 2 desserts priced about the same level as Le Cinq and Les Ambassadeurs. None of the dish here is less than good for me, the highlights (and surprised) are the humble zucchini with fried onions curry and raisins, crispy red mullet deliciously served with clam juice and squid. The chicken is in 2 serving – the breast meat (a bit dry to my likeness) served with its crispy skin flavored by sautéed girolle and generous serving of chanterelle mushrooms. The 2nd serving is more interesting – dry leg meat with foie gras and bacon toast, an eye opening experience. The cheese is a course by itself and it’s very good … “echourgnac” cheese with cepe salad and vin jaune rum baba. The dessert – The 1st one is one of the best during this trip, very pleasant coconut milk with refreshing pineapple and olive “madeleines” and lime sorbet. The last dessert is exotic – figs glazed prepared with blackcurrant juice (highly skilled preparation). The black figs is too much for me, never a big fan of it – just give it a try, the earthy galangal sorbet is not bad at all. The wine pairing at $130 for 8 glasses … I think it’s quite fair, but for me 1 glass of white and red wine each is sufficient. I had 2006 Chassagne-Montrachet and 2002 J.M. Boillot Pommard Jarolieres. The food here is classical yet contemporary … look in more details, and you won’t be bored. I wrote 96/100 in my note for the food here (The same level as Astrance, but different characteristics) Service (and ambiance) - 96/100 The décor of the dining room, modeled after Salon de la Paix at Versailles, is luxurious and shameless. After the refurbishment by Philippe Starck, all the opulence elements work hand-in-hand from the mirrors, gilding and chandeliers. Honestly, I’m very comfortable dining here. Both the ambiance and service are not stuffy at all. Similar to Le Louis XV, Le Meurice also under utilized its spaces for the comfort of the guests. Maybe only 45 diners are allowed at one point in time. My maitre d’hotel is very friendly, nice and helpful. The rest of the teams never forget to refill my water, change my napkin etc. The toilet itself is at 5-star level as well (The Plaza Athenee and Crillon public restrooms are very normal), the staff will show you the toilet all the way, just to make sure you’re not lost – a high class service indeed. Moreover, they’re not too picky when I asked to adjust the tasting menu i.e. Bresse chicken in 2 service replaced the Lozere lamb. So far, Hof Van Cleve is my best nominee when people ask where to have their 1st 3-star experience due to nice food, great service, comfortable ambiance and the price is not on the high side among the other establishments. But, the place is not very accessible, in the middle of nowhere literally. And now, after dining at Le Meurice, I delightfully recommend this place for 1st timer in the gastronomic world. Luxury ambiance yet down-to-earth service, abundant food and wine yet the tasting menu is a good way to start and savor many different ways of cooking in Europe’s (if not the world’s) best restaurants. The whole experience is graded 96/100 (high 2 ¾* standard – very closed to Pierre Gagnaire, except no roller coaster) All the pictures are here - Le Meurice Fall 08

Just curious ... how's the food there? The wines collection, I believe to be fantastic does it pair well with the dish? How's it compare to wine pairing, say like Troisgros?

Thank you for the report and pictures Julot Bocuse indeed never changes The soup part ... actually some restaurants in Asia "copy" Bocuse VGE soup - meaning the soup required 30-40 min to make with very hot pastry on top and some mix of vegetables and a few beef cubes, they make it creamier. Of course not as good as the master's version Do you actually like the dessert selections? I did not really like it I tried about 3/4 of them, but nothing to be very good except gateau bernachon Oh I also saw cool pictures in your picasa ... inside the Arpege's kitchen Do you mind sharing the experiece? Perhaps in the Arpege's forum I hope you also ate there and how's the food? Thanks

Chocolate raspberry desert? I think ADPA also has it, doesn't it? I'm very happy with all 3 of my desserts. How about the tiramisu? The service? Well, the overall is well done (helpful, never forget to fill in my water, ask me to the kitchen etc.). It's just that after being to many top restaurants ... the small details make the differences. You don't think Courtiade's and his team is slightly better than Lang's brigade? Oh by the way, the aquarium in Paris looks more comfortable than the one in Monaco ... I do love the lunch time in Le Louis XV, with some brezze while sitting down facing the giant window over looking place du casino. Have you visited Ducasse Dorchester? Any fav. seasons at Le Louis XV? Any differences when it's under Cerutti vs now (with Bardet as the head chef)? Thanks

My meal at ADNY by late Fall '05 can be said as my first official meal at 3-star restaurant. It was excellent ... yet many people encouraged me to try Ducasse's restaurants in Europe because they're even better. For almost a year later, I tasted ADPA and true enough ... it's even better than the one in NY. And again ... some said, the pinnacle of Ducasse food is Le Louis XV where it's all started. It's always been my dream to dine there and this dream ultimately became a reality when almost 2 months ago I visited Monte Carlo. Food (and wine) - 97/100 The menu here is very abundant ... there are almost 20 dishes (excluding the desserts). I almost want to try all of them, but of course it's impossible. Luckily, there are 2 tasting menu here (the normal and the vegetarian version) consist of 2 appetizers, 1 fish course, 1 meat course, cheese and desserts. I hardly come to Monaco and not sure when else I would come back here, so I decided that I need to dine here twice and I did not regret that. I ordered the degustation menu for both occassions and some of the memorable dishes include the sweet gamberi, green pasta with chantrelle mushrooms and almond cream. Having been many top Ducasse places (including Beige and Mix), I find that the fish courses is very weak. Fortunately, under the leadership of Franck Cerutti ... things change. My seabass (loup) was superb, almost as good as Gagnaire's. The limousin veal was also very good, juicy and tender. The slightly weak point was for instance ... the lamb - though delectable and a bit firm (I prefer when it's tender), the fat attached to the meat is a bit too much. The riso dish was slightly too salty for my taste, nevertheless they're still no less than good. The cheese varieties are incredible, and relatively good. I was a bit sad about the comte ... sligthly below par to Arpege's, but then later I found out that it's from Alleosse. The desserts collection at Le Louis XV is probably the best in the world. I skipped the cheese course on the 2nd day, so that I could have 2 desserts. The legendary crispy praline is rich and sophisticated. Good combination of chocolate ganache and crispy hazelnut & dough below. On par with Ambroisie's chocolate tart. Even simple wild strawberries and mascarpone sorbet taste amazingly sweet and refreshing in your mouth. Rhum baba? Enough said, as good as what many have claimed. The wine collection is extensive, but many of them are for show off only. I tried both normal and rose champagne - they're nice to open the meal here. The rests I just ordered by the glass. So how's it? The products are top notch, the cooking is very good even under the new chef de cuisine, Pascal Bardet. Better than ADPA? It's indeed tough call. The langoustine caviar and Bresse chicken with sea food I had 2 years ago were better than any of the dishes here. But the rests, Le Louis XV won especially the sea dishes ... the desserts are out of questions. I put 97/100 (3 *) for food only, equivalent to my meal at L'Ambroisie and Gagnaire Paris Service (and ambiance) - 95/100 Staffs here are abundant and professionals. The service is impeccable and unobstrussive. Despite the formal dining room, they want to make sure that each guest will not be intimidated. The only slight weak point was that there were a couple occassions where nobody saw me as I raised my hand and asked for something. Other than that, the service standard is very high. For the palace-like restaurants with excess staffs, only ADPA's doin' a better job than here. In ADPA, the service flow is more fluid and the staff is more attentive while speaking almost perfect english. The dining room here is the most extravagant I've ever known - most things are covered in gold, even the ceiling is painted in details as if you're in the museum.The dining room itself is maybe worth a visit. My overall meal here will be a high 96/100 (deserving 3*) and it becomes my top 3 restaurants in the world. For much more details review - le louis xv fall 08 All the pictures are here - pictures le louis xv

Sethd, How's chef Ducasse as a person? Is he as friendly as say ... Barbot or Passard? Or he's more like Pacaud who try to minimise the conversation with guests? Did they cook special food for you (aka off the menu)? What did you have?

It's sad news indeed Was there any indication before that he's going to do this? I was lucky enough to eat at his 3-star place before ... once He's a very kind and friendly chef, even among the top chefs - he shines brighter Julot, any comments on this? I think Roellinger is your favorite chef, right? Many great French chefs gave up their top accolades Robuchon, Senderens, Westermann, and now Roellinger Why isn't there such trends at other countries? Lighter pressure from Michelin?

Thank you for sharing the nice pictures Dave Is there any Guy Savoy celebration again last August (i.e. its 2 year old restaurant)?

I think it's the anchovie ... it did not do much to the monkfish The tasting menu is more than CHF 300 I think (slightly above the degustation menu price at Le Meurice). Maybe it's on the high side for Switzerland's dining but still not (yet) like Savoy or Ducasse

As promised, here is the wild hare I had at hotel de ville lievre a la royale For the more comprehensive review, I put it at here I am not a big fan of this dish after I had it for the 1st time at Caprice HK. It's just not for me I think ... But then, Philippe Rochat changed it. His sauce is intense, yet not too rich ... the hare's meat is slightly tamed with the "brown" crust. A glass of red wine balancing this dish make it sublime

Hi I'm new to the Switzerland dining forum French food has always been my favorite cuisine and I've been to quite a few 3-star in Europe, but none is outside France. Maison Rochat was the first one ... It's intriguing for me since the chef owner is the last true disciple of one of Gault Millau's chefs of the century - Freddy Girardet. Well, there's no way I could eat his cooking, but at least I can trace it through the creation of Phillipe Rochat. Food (and wine) - 95/100 I was fortunate enough the day I ate at Hotel de Ville was the 1st day the restaurant serve the alba white truffle and game season. I ordered the bigger version of the proposition menu. My meal opened with a fresh oyster with oscietre caviar - they're good except I did not quite like the light butter they put below. The white truffle dish was a pasta served with truffle's foam ... it's smoky and intense, love it. The quality of ingredients are very high, probably the best one can be found in the area (even outside Switzerland). For instance, the Erquy's scallop is sea fresh and tender, despite a strong sour taste from the citron "soup", the scallop was managed to shine. My top 2 fav dishes came towards the end b4 the cheese ... the 1st one is a pair of delicious langoustine's tail with slightly spicy green curry prepared a la Thai. The highlight was the mythical dish of French cuisine - lievre a la royale. I disliked it when I had it at Caprice, but this one is different. The sauce's incredibly intense, yet not cloying. The crisp "bread" brown crust tame/balance the hare's meat, and thus everything worked well in harmony. The cheese selection is extensive. The desserts here are not that strong ... the yoghurt-like pear and red fruits came at the right time after the wild hare and cheese dishes, but then I did not taste anything special for the Manjari chocolate cake accompanied with Arabica coffee ice cream. For the wine, I only drank 2 glasses - 96 Chablis chateau Grenouille and 97 Chinon cuvee marie lambert (the latter one matched well with the main course). The food here is simple and classical. The chef put focus on the good quality of ingredients (the resources seem to be very abundant here), moreover he believes each dish should have no more than 3 ingredients. The dishes' presentation could be said spectacular compared to many other 3-star establihments. The reviews that I often read about this place is bipolar - either you like it a lot or you hate it. For me, I really enjoyed the food here - not the best I've had nevertheless the standard is very high. I gave 95/100 for the food (2 3/4 *, about as good as my meal at Can Fabes) Service (and ambiance) - 93/100 The restaurant is located on the west side of Lausanne, the city of olympics. The village of Crissier is a quite neighborhood, not much happening except around the restaurant. The service is friendly and pleasant, but I've encountered better. This could be due to the fact that the restaurant was very busy (the private dining room across the main dining room was very crowded) and the staffs are not that abundant compared to Paris palace-like establishments. The white color dominate the oval-shaped dining room, there were a few modern paintings there. It's relatively comfortable but not too spacious. If you like food with high quality and inspired by French classic, this is one of the places you should try. If money is not an issue, try the abundant choices from the a la carte menu. In my note, the overall dining experience at this (formerly) municipal building will be 94/100 (a high 2 1/2 *, almost at the same level as my meal at Troisgros). The pictures, hotel de ville 08

I think whenever possible, Gagnaire will always be in his kitchen. After all, the restaurant in rue Balzac is the only fine dining place that Gagnaire himself owns whereas the rests of them (HK, Tokyo, Seoul etc.) he just acts as a consultant as far as I'm concerned

I was also surprised that the service was quite cold and unpleasant ... I could not imagine Mr. Rohat ran Arpege this way. The character/personality of chef Barbot reflects the casual and relaxed style of Arpege (in fact the restaurant is similar in many ways) except in service. Anyway, perhaps they're not in really good mood. L'Astrance is probably the "cheapest" among the current 3-star in Paris, so it's still worth the money. Other places I went ... be patient please yes, I did return to Arpege

Am I reading this correctly? ← Thank you for the correction. I just edit the post

After failing to get the reservation last summer, I'm glad that I manage to secure a table at Astrance this time. The restaurant is indeed very small (25-30 people at most). To get the most out of it, I ordered their biggest menu - menu Astrance. The meal here has "certain" pattern after reading others review ... that are - it always start with a glass of mousse/puree of something, 3 fishes/seafoods and in dessert including the sorbet of something as well as some fresh fruits. Food (and wine) - 96/100 The cooking style is indeed very similar to Barbot's mentor - Passard. I really like a simple and good home-style cooking ... nothing is very erratic or funny here. The famous raw mushrooms with marinated foie gras is still there - technically great and amazing (many people discuss about this already, so I will not elaborate further), but somehow I was not blown away, it's still good though. To me, Pascal cooks the main ingredients very2 well ... for instance the langoustine is sweet and tender, john dory is buttery and tasty and the duck meat is probably the best duck I've ever had. However, I don't find the side dish(es) accompanying the main star get along that well with the main ingredient, i.e. the new cabbages at the john dory is nice by itself, but as you eat them together with the fish, neither enhance the experience of the other. Also, the eggplant and black curry puree in the duck ... while giving some contrast, it will not hurt anything should these 2 items are not there. Oh ... the poached egg with cepe mushrooms and porcini powder on top is also one of my fav. The mashed potato with cheese and vanilla ice cream as pre-dessert is well done - sweet and creamy. The desserts are light (not that filling) and not mediocre at all. I love the "meringue" with green tea ice cream inside then followed by the citron and mango in the middle. Talking about lemon ... I notice that almost in all Barbot's cooking, one can taste some citron flavor in it. I think he really loves citron the way Passard like cooking with onion. I no longer drink too much wine at the fine dining restaurant anymore ... luckily the restaurant allowed me to have "half" wine pairing for the full degustatin menu. I agreed with most people that the wine-pairing here is incredible. Not much big names in the list, but the sommelier Jean did a great job. For instance, the 97 Reichsgraf Riesling work well with the foie gras, or the 00 L'Insolite Saumur add a little spicy flavor to the langoustine, and the round and smooth 04 Saint Joseph enhance the salmon dish. I really recommend the gourmand to have wine pairing at Astrance. In my book, the food here is worth 96 pts (aka 2 3/4*) about the level of Ledoyen and Oud Sluis Service (and ambiance) - 91/100 Unfortunately the great food and wine are not supported by good services. I was quite surprised that while the restaurant atmosphere is relaxed and informal, the service is kinda cold (including from Mr. Rohat, well he got better once the meal begins). Many of the staffs served without smile and at times give some condescending look as if they don't need me or I'm like a "rookie" in the world of gastronomy. This is about as uncomfortable as the formal service a Ambroisie (when you go there for the 1st time). However, the chef is really friendly. He went out of the kitchen at the end of the meal and patiently greet and entertain guests. No doubt the restaurant still is red hot ... during the weekday lunch, the place was fully occupied. The food here can be said very good, but the overall experience did not reflect a solid 3-star meal I had at the other establishments. So, the overall grade for the meal here will be 94/100 (aka 2 1/2*). Here are the pictures, Astrance 08

I think a good red wine is essential in eating Lievre a la royale I love the pairing with 97 Chinon val de loire when I had it at Maison Rochat, more details come sometimes in the future

ulterior epicure, it's kind of interesting when you mentioned that you would dine at 2-3 star places due to their great cheeses. This brought me to this question (to everyone), Would you go to the top restaurants in France (or Paris in this case) mainly because of their desserts? If yes, which restaurants, what desserts and why? For me, it's still the main courses and/or appetizers that will "drag" me to certain restaurants. Thanks

I think Alain Ducasse Plaza Athenee is actually the most expensive restaurant in Paris - referring to the collection menu which I recommended. I ate there about 2 years ago at the end of Spring, and now the inflation has brought the price up about 20%. But if you have to choose between ADPA and L'Arpege, I prefer the later one but Ducasse's high end always provide great overall experience. I guess I'm also one of a few people who consider ADNY (under Tony Esnault) to be exceptional - my best meal in US. L'Arpege has the best vegetables in the world, yet when I go there I always aim for the seafood (the chicken and lamb are also incredible) as the main highlight of my meal. Anyway, hope you have great experiences in the city of light.

Sorry for your bad experience Robert I've never been there before ... could one actually only drink 1-2 glasses of wine or it has to be the complete wine pairing? Did they still manage to charge the tasting menu below EUR 200? Did they give you the menu of what you eat at the end of the meal? Thanks

Lenski, thanks for the report. EUR 600/pax ... wow, is it the food or the wine? Did you order the full tasting menu only or combined with some a la carte/off the menu dishes? If you don't mind, you can scan as many pictures as possible for us to enjoy Could we see them somewhere online? Thanks

Sethd, did you try Bar and Boeuf? Is it over-rated or just nice? How about Spoon Byblos since you're, perhaps, the biggest fans of Alain Ducasse that I know of? Did you put the Le Louis XV dining report somewhere? What are you top 3 dishes there (the breakdown of fish, seafood and meat would be even better )? Is it Ducasse best establishment, surpassing the one in Paris for you? Thanks