A Tie Between 2 Two Star Restaurants

[robyn]

We dined at many different levels of restaurants in Paris. I do not recommend the Drouant outpost at the auto show - or the place we ate at in La Defense (everyone here was right - the food/service at La Defense is terrible) - but every place elsewhere was fine (although once or twice not up to expected standards). We dined at 2 two star restaurants - Le Cinq and Senderens. My husband and I were trying to decide which was better. We went course by course - and decided it was basically a tie (some courses were better at one - some better at the other). No question both are up to 2 star standards in terms of food - service - and ambience - and we enjoyed both meals a lot.

Le Cinq is by far the more opulent of the 2 in terms of decor - and dinner was about 450 euros. One reason was our wine selections - and the presence of a champagne trolley (I am always a sucker for a champagne trolley). Senderens was a touch under 300 euros - seemingly a better buy - but I think a lot of the price difference had to do with what we drank - and how much we ate. Note that Senderens looks a lot better in person than it does in the publicity photos - which make it look like a weird spaceship. The designers did a good job of integrating some modern design into the old Lucas Carton space. But - unlike Le Cinq - where every table is very nice - Senderens has some "mother-in-law" tables on the way to the bathrooms which one should try to avoid. I actually enjoyed our meal at Senderens better than prior meals at l'Archestrate and Lucas Carton. It was just a more inviting friendlier place to dine than its ancestors.

A suggestion for each restaurant. At Lucas Carton - ask for Pierre Jung - the Maitre d'. He is quite excellent - and will help to guide you through the menu. When we left - he asked us to send our friends over for dinner. So feel free to mention my name if you make a reservation . At Le Cinq - we had the fixed price menu - and found that the restaurant was flexible in terms of substituting some courses (like the cheese trolley for the cheese course - which didn't appeal to me). So ask about substitutions if the starter and main courses on the fixed menu appeal to you - but perhaps the cheese and/or dessert courses do not.

Another recommendation for Le Cinq. This was the first time we had been at the George V since its renovation a couple of decades ago. The bar is still excellent - but much reduced in size - and ridiculously small for the hotel. It is a wonderful place to have a cocktail before dinner - but do make a separate reservation for the bar if you plan to have a drink there and would like to be seated in a nice area. The martinis are 24 euros - but they are worth it compared to other places which charge perhaps a few euros less (great pours with nice little snacks on the side).

I have left out all the specific courses we had because all people are different in terms of what they like/dislike. And also - because in the case of Le Cinq - the menu changed on 10/8 from the summer to the fall menu. So if you dine there now - your choices will be totally different than ours were.

Finally - I have seen some questions here about dress in higher end restaurants in Paris. Paris is a big city - and people tend to dress formally. Suits and ties for men are the norm. Similar dress for women. Unless you are a movie star or model (under 40 - over 6 feet tall - and can carry less dressy outfits with a great deal of style) - wear traditional business clothing.

Anyway - I don't think you will be disappointed with either of these restaurants unless you are looking for a dish "cooked" with liquid nitrogen . Robyn