Autumn foods? Game, white truffles and ceps.

[JJS]

Hi! I am planning to take my father to a couple of very nice meals in Paris in the Autumn. He is particularly fond of game, white truffles and mushrooms and I want to make sure we go at a time when these are still good and available. However it seems unlikely we will be able to go before about November sometime – maybe late October but more likely to be mid-November sometime. Is this too late? Or will these things still be around? I know that technically white truffles survive until December and game too, but I want to go when these things are at their best and if this means changing all my plans, then I am willing to do it.

Also I would appreciate a bit of advice on how to get bookings at the 3-star places. In particular I am interested in Pierre Gagnaire, Le Grand Vefour or L’Ambroisie. Tried phoning the month before, faxing early, getting good concierges to try and so far have had little luck. Do certain hotels have more pull than others? I like to stay in smaller hotels such as the Balzac or the De Vigny but if a larger one would help guarantee a place then I am willing to try it. Also which one of these places do you think would be best for the game and white truffles etc? Already planning to go to Guy Savoy where I had a tremendous meal in October last year full of game and mushrooms and white truffles. But would appreciate suggestions on where else offers a very seasonal selection and how to book it.

All suggestions and advice will be very gratefully received!

[Steve Plotnicki]

White truffles in Paris? It's possible but I've never seen them. White truffles come from, and are ordinarily served in Italy. Black truffles come from and are served in France and the season starts in mid-December. But of course that doesn't mean Guy Savoy didn't serve them to you. But game season is during the winter. So the later you go, the better off you are. If you are looking for a bistro that specializes in game, go to Le Petit Marguery in the 13th. And the restaurant Gerard Besson is one that specializes in mushrooms. Also the Vigny is better than the Balzac which was run down the last time I stayed there. It is more of a businessman's hotel then the Vigny. But if you want a hotel in that category try the Montalembert or the Bel Ami. The atmosphere in the left bank hotels is much more casual than places businessmen ordinarily stay at.

[Bux]

I pretty much agree with Steve on this. French truffles are, by and large, black truffles. That includes those from Provence and the Perigord. With the common market developing as it has and the appearance of the euro to facilitate exchange, I would not be surprised to see white truffles in Paris, that's not the tradition. I thought the season for game starts in the fall, but would agree that late in the fall is better than September.

I am surprised that a good concierge can't get good dinner reservations. If memory serves, Gagnaire is in the Balzac and that and the de Vigny have the same owner. I would think a room in either would get you a reservation at Gagnaire. I'd make it a condition of booking. I also prefer the left bank, but casual is not what everyone prefers. I have a friend from the UK who stays at the de Vigny. I've also never seem him not wearing a coat and tie, even when we meet at casual bistros.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Bux - While Gagnaire is physically in the Balzac, the hotel has no connection to the restaurant. But I should add to this thread for others who might be reading, both the Balzac and the Vigny are around the corner from the McDonald's on the Champ's Elysee so are a great place to stay with children when in Paris. There's nothing like McDonald's and then MTV in French, while mommy and daddy are supping at Gagnaire.

[JJS]

Apologies to Steve and Bux! I think I explained myself badly. I am not trying to get French white truffles (if they existed which I think they do not).

I know white truffles are from Piemonte and that French truffles are the more common black truffle from Perigord but I generally prefer the way that French restaurants use the white truffle than the Italians. Therefore I usually go to Paris in October for the white truffles rather than Italy but just wanted to make sure that if I went in late November they would still be available in the restaurants. Thanks for the information on game, I did not know the season continued through into winter. What about the wild mushrooms that come around in the fall? How long does that season last?

The information on hotel is great - so would somewhere like the Montalembert be able to get reservations at L'Ambroisie if I gave them a month's notice?

Looks like November is going to work which is great news!

[magnolia]

"The information on hotel is great - so would somewhere like the Montalembert be able to get reservations at L'Ambroisie if I gave them a month's notice?"

If L'Ambroisie is a must for you, then get the hotel to reserve, but keep after them. L'Ambroisie says their policy is to take reservations only a month ahead to the day, but last year when I called exactly a month ahead (after having verified the policy) they said they had already started taking bookings a few days earlier for the day I wanted, so the policy is rather arbitrary... (I had a French person call and he had the same experience). He then made a fuss and talked them into putting us on a waiting list - from which we eventually got a reservation - but this is the only restaurant in France where I've ever had such an experience, and I wouldn't have bothered after my first call, except I'd had such a wonderful meal there many years before, and this time, I was going with a bunch of people who *really* wanted to go.

I think I posted about this last year - the food was spectacular, faultless in fact - but the atmosphere cold and stiff. BYO fun.

PS I'd highly recommend La Regalade - much discussed on this board - a really fun, lively place specialising in Southwestern cuisine - which should be doing amazing things with game about that time of year. And if you and your dad are not impervious to the charm of Paris from high above the rooftops, I suggest Le Ciel de Paris - see other post for description (Paris in August).

[Bux]

While Gagnaire is physically in the Balzac, the hotel has no connection to the restaurant.

Are you sure? I could be very wrong on this, but I seem to recall the story that after Gagnaire went bankrupt in St. Etienne, the owner of the Hotel Balzac, a friend of Gagnaire, invited him to set up shop in his hotel in Paris. The space, as I understood, was occupied by Bice. I don't know it their lease was expiring or if it was bought out. I seem to recall that Gaganire, after bankruptcy, didn't even own the rights to his own name, and that the owner of the hotel owned the new Gaganire, although his intent was to let Gagnaire have a totally free hand. Both the de Vigny and the Balzac appear to have the same owner, but I can't verify what I heard several years ago. It's even possible that the Hotel owned the restaurant then, but does not now.

[Patrice]

I was in Paris in mid november last year and a lots of 3 stars were offering white truffles dishes: Ducasse had a complete menu around them. At the beginning of the meal, a server stopped at our table to open a small wood chest he was olding. Inside, the 2 biggest and most beautiful white truffles I had ever saw...

Alain Passard also served us these white diamonds at his restaurant, L'Arpège.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Bux - A friend of mine who works at the front desk at the Balzac told me as much. But it is possible the owner of the hotel has an interest in the restaurant, seperate and apart from the hotel renting the restaurant space.

[robert brown]

JJS, white Piemonte truffles are at their peak in early December as they take about five weeks to go from germnation to maturity. The colder the weather the better they do, which is why a truffle season that gets bad marks in October can rally by the time November and December roll around. You should be there at a good time for them. The game season in France starts in late September, though I can only guess that it varies from bird and animal to bird and animal in various regions. I believe, for example, that one can shoot deer in Alsace in the summer. I am not as informed about Paris restaurants as before or as some of the other posters in the France forum. I can only concur from a meal in July that La Regalade gives a good bang for the buck, to put it in hunting terms.

As for booking at three-stars, I have a hunch that getting into any of them will be a lot easier than last year, and any song and dance about booking only under certain conditions could be posturing although it is foolhardy to be playing those kind of games. But these are the French. It has to be that way since Americans are staying away in droves from these restaurants, and they accounted for a healthy percentage of the clientele.