21 "Best" Dishes

[lizziee]

After 28 posts on 30 different restaurants, I thought it would be interesting to compile a list of the "best" 21 dishes of the trip. This is purely subjective and personal. It is not meant to mean anything more than those dishes that I thought were exceptional in taste, execution and the number one criteria "Something, I would eat again in a minute."

They are presented in the order in which they were eaten i.e. they are not ranked. Also, as we ate at some restaurants three times and were able to sample many more dishes, there will be more dishes on the list from that particular restaurant.

1. Salpicon de rouget de roche and capres la wicchia, lard blanc colonnata, feuille de bar de linge mi-fume, deux variete de carottes -smoked bar underneath red mullet with bacon and carrot sauce (Gagnaire)

2. Oeuf coque a la puree de truffes - soft boiled egg topped by dark truffle mousse (Faugeron)

3. Frogs legs done beignet style on top of a parsley/garlic potato puree with garlic chips (Ledoyen)

4. Poularde de Bresse cuitre en croute de gros sel "selon Alexandre" - Bresse roasted chicken encased in a pastry shell (Georges Blanc)

5. Boeuf Charolaise Chateau au vin Fleurie et la moelle, pommes de terre a la forezienne- Charolais beef topped with beef marrow, red wine reduction sauce (Troisgros)

6. Canette de challans epicee et pickles d'eechalotes, pomme soufflees- Roast duckling, roasted shallots, "puffed" potatoes (Troisgros)

7. Lentil ragout with various vegetables with a slightly smoked poached egg surrounded by black truffles(Marcon)

8. La Brochette "Margaridou" - Croquette filled with lamb sweetbreads, morels and ham with black truffle sauce (Marcon)

9. Lamb cooked in bread dough with a small casserole of potatoes and cepes (Marcon)

10. Langoustine tempura with madras curry sauce and chutney (Rochat)

11. Rabbit cutlets served with haricot verts in a garden herb vinagrette (Rochat)

12. La Mousseline de Grenouilles - Mousse of pike filled with frogs leg meat, spinach, fine herbs in a butter cream sauce (Haeberlin)

13. Supreme of pigeon with truffles, foie gras, cabbage encased in pastry (Haeberlin)

14. Mille-feuille croquant de bricelets et d'oeuf poche sur un tartare de saumon mi-marine mi fume aux oeufs de harengs fume- a layered dish of salmon tartar, creme fraiche, a crisp, poached egg, herring eggs, a crisp (Haeberlin)

15. Mashed potatoes topped with black truffle slices (L'Arnsbourg)

16. Schniederspaetle et cuisses de grenouille oelees- frogs leg drummettes in a parsley, garlic sauce (Buerehiesel)

17. Roasted wild duck with a galette of potatoes layered with giblets (Boyer)

18. La Fameuse Truffle en Croute, avec la sauce Perigueux - a black truffle topped by foie gras encased in pastry with Perigord sauce (Boyer)

19. Filets of Rouget with cepes- crispy skin rouget with cepes duxelles mixed with a liquid mayonnaise sauce (Pacard - L'Ambrosie)

20. Lentils with black Truffles (Guy Savoy)

21. 1/2 Lobster served in its shell with vanilla sauce and black trumpet mushrooms (Passard - Arpege)

[southern girl]

WOW...The ones that stuck in my mind as I read your posts were: the frogs legs, the whole truffle, the soft boiled egg with truffle mousse and the supreme of pigeon!!

[jakubc]

Lizziee,

Scanning your list, I do not see mention of the langoustines and caviar dish that you ate at ADP. Your review made very favorable mention of it. Obviously, with so many great meals, there were bound to be many fantastic dishes that did not make the "a-list".

In a related question that has been brought up many times here before, how connected are great dishes with great meals? Would the absence of any supremely memorable dishes be a deterring factor from eating at a restaurant again.

[lizziee]

Lizziee,

   Scanning your list, I do not see mention of the langoustines and caviar dish that you ate at ADP.  Your review made very favorable mention of it.  Obviously, with so many great meals, there were bound to be many fantastic dishes that did not make the "a-list".

    In a related question that has been brought up many times here before, how connected are great dishes with great meals?  Would the absence of any supremely memorable dishes be a deterring factor from eating at a restaurant again.

jakubc,

Excellent questions.

Maybe, the great dish makes the meal more memorable, but I don't think I would avoid going back to a restaurant just because there wasn't that one extraordinary dish. So much of what makes a meal memorable is more than just food or that one extraordinary dish. For me, it is a whole package of service, atmosphere, ambiance, treatment and the "dance between the staff and the diner.

This time, our 2 meals at Gagnaire, other than the one dish I mentioned, did not provide the ultimate "food experience." But I certainly would go back because I enjoy the exploration of Gagnaire's cuisine. (By the way, this is the first time, we have not been blown away which probably influences my opinion.)

Another example, even though it wasn't on the menu this time at L'Ambrosie, I would go back to L'Ambrosie just for their eggs mollet. It is a dish that I think is one of the finest I have ever eaten.

I loved the langoustine at ADP, but I didn't find it transcendent. It was excellent, well-prepared, using the finest ingredients, but it was not memorable in that "Oh my God, how does he do it, am I really eating this, this is just wonderful" way.

Also, I ended up comparing one dish to another. For example, until I ate Boyer's version of the encased black truffle, I thought that Haeberlin's black truffle dish was wonderful. But tasting Boyer's, I realized just how much better Boyer's execution was. We had a number of lamb dishes, but Marcon's lamb was just that much better; it was more succulent and perfectly seasoned - we were full but ate the full two services. The same can be said of Blanc's Bresse chicken - no one did it better. Yet Blanc's frogs legs didn't compare to the ingenuity of the frogs legs at Ledoyen or the richness, wonderful "mouth feel" of Haeberlin's dish or the "give me more" feeling derived from Buerehiesel's frogs legs.

Even though I loved the frogs leg dish at Buerehiesel, I would not go back as the total package was lacking. Also, the rest of the food we had was poor to ordinary.

I would be interested in other members feelings regarding what makes a meal memorable for them. Is it a total package? Is it that one "must eat" dish? Are there dishes from different chefs where one preparation excites you and another just falls flat?

[Lesley C]

Lizziee, did you make it to Le Grand Vefour?

[lizziee]

Lizziee, did you make it to Le Grand Vefour?

Lesley,

We had gone to Grand Vefour the year before. If you like, I can search for my notes.

[Lesley C]

Just a thumbs up/thumbs down would be greatly appreciated. I have one night in Paris coming up and for the life of me can't decide where to go. Bistro? Three-star? Can't decide.

I've always been intrigued by LGV's history and setting.

[cabrales]

Thumbs up, at least at the less-than-80-euro prix fixe *lunch* price. At GV evening prices, I'd prefer Ledoyen, among others.

[lizziee]

Lizziee, did you make it to Le Grand Vefour?

Lesley,

I can't find extensive notes on Grand Vefour. We went shortly after they received their 3rd star and they seemed overwhelmed. What I do remember clearly is that the room was jam packed with French couples for lunch which is unusual in Paris. The room is exquisite, but I did not find the food extraordinary. I would agree with Cabrales that over-all for food as well as historical ambiance, Ledoyen is a better choice.

Lucas Carton also has a well-priced fix menu at lunch.