Paris's Best Restaurant
 

OK I've read the posts - moderate restaurants, restaurants in the 7th, restaurants open Sundays, most romantic. But where would you go for that one experience to end all experiences - damn the cost? And what would you order there?

Ah Easy - Le Grand Vefour - the chef's tasting menu! The most wonderful food in a most beautiful and historic setting! Divine!

I know I said forget the cost - but what can I expect for two chef's tasting menu with appropriate wines?

ttt

If cost is truly no object, then there are several restaurants in Paris that will nearly break the average bank.

You can start with Alain Ducasse, considered by many to be the best French chef alive today. His Paris restaurante is located at 59, Avenue Raymond Poincaré, in the 16th. It could easily set you back 300 to 400 euros per person, without wine, and it could go much higher depending on what's on the menu today.

La Tour D'argent, in the 5th, is another one of your top rated dining experiences. The address is 15-17, Quai de la Tournelle.

Another great experience can be found at Guy Savoy in the 17th at 18, Rue Troyon.

Then there is the Plaza Athenee, with 3 Michelin stars in the 18th at 25, Avenue Montaigne. And then there is Apicius in the 17th with only two stars. And the list goes on, depending on your taste and your sense of adventure.

I had lunch at Le Grand Vefour and was not impressed. While the service, cheese and chocolate were amazing the food(appet and entree) was very dissapointing. Our appetizer rabbit served three ways was served cold, my husband's 'seared' tuna was cooked all the way through and our white wine was served way too cold (though they graciously replaced it). I realize this seems harsh but for the prices and rating I expected perfection. I would strongly recommend Hiramatsu - our favorite meal in Paris. While some say that this restuarant has a modern decor, I would categorize it as warm and elegant, the service was amazing and the food unbelievable!

Without even the slightest hesitation I'd say Taillevent. While a few may be more well regarded for their haute cuisine, Taillevent is simply the perfect combination of food, wine, and ambiance.

The comparison I'd make is to dining in a small private club, where you are a familiar and well know patron. The staff at Taillevent seemingly treats every guest like a "regular" and provides exceptional service without the slightest hint of arrogance. As one review I read prior to my first meal there said, "they do everything for you except cut your food."

Compared to La Tour D'Argent and Jules Verne, it wasn't even close.

I haven't dined at Le Grand Vefour, so I can't compare it to where I have been.

Ryan,
Unlike robjame, we do care about costs,but are interested Taillevent.Can you give us a clue as to what an average dinner runs? Also my husband loves sweetbreads can you reccommend any restaurant where these are served?
We leave tomorrow the 27th for Paris.

Thanks

After forty-plus years of traveling in France, we have come to the following conclusion: It is best not to approach ANY meal as the “dining experience of a lifetime”, especially if the projected cost of that meal leads you to believe that is should be that “ultimate” experience!

Many of the dining experiences that you will remember as you get older are memorable because they came as a surprise. Much will also depend on the dining experiences you have already had.
If you have eaten at some really fine French restaurants in New York, you may not find three star Paris dining that much more sensational then what you have experienced here (in the U.S.).
If you live in a small town in the mid-west, you will probably find most of the better restaurants in Paris memorable and different.

Part of what makes a dining experience memorable is the company you are with, your mood,your reaction to the décor of the place, the people who are seated around you, what you order, how hungry you are, and the attitude of the particular person/persons waiting on you. Probably last but not least is who is actually doing the cooking in the kitchen.

We were disappointed in Taillevent. We were seated in an area where the people around us were all either Asian or American. It is “clubby”, but we were clearly not part of the French club. We found the service and the food very good, but we expected much more
than “very good”. Maybe men prefer this place because it has a “men’s club” feel, and it is a big “business lunch” destination for the French.

Apicius, where we have eaten several times, was outstanding the first time, but considerably less “outstanding” on several occasions thereafter, though it was still good. It is not particularly elegant or dressy.

We found Grand Vefour considerably better in the décor department than the food department, and Tour D’Argent really a tourist destination, though maybe it has improved since we were there many years ago. The tasting menu at Guy Savoy was interesting, but we found it too “nouvelle” for our tastes.

Probably one of the best meals we’ve had in Paris in many years was at Lucas Carton, and it was lunch! Another memorable meal was at Alain Ducasse. The friends that we shared that meal with have recently eaten in his new restaurant in the Plaza Athenee and described the service as “over the top” pretentious ……white gloves, no less!

We just returned from a 9 day Paris trip to celebrate our marriage the day before we left. To commemorate the trip on our last night, we asked the concierge to get us a table at "one of the best restaurants in Paris that had great location, atmosphere and food". He immediately recommended Le Grande Cascade in the center of the Bois de Boulogne. (I had mentioned Tour d'Argent which he ignored.)

The service was impeccable; the setting in a small dining room (about 12 tables) of all windows overlooking a park-like, treed vista was as well (kind of reminded me of Tavern on the Green in Central Park...but more upscale, formal French). The food & wine (I had lamb, Deb had sole) were artful but not, in my opinion, terribly satisfying. The bill was 390 euros; approx. $510. All in all.....a do-over? I think not. (We also ate at a Guy Savoy rest. at 110 Ave. Kléber, also recommended by the concierge...which was nearly as good and 1/4 the price.) Next time we'll try La Tour d'Argent.

No meal I've had in Europe compares with the 3 best meals I've had so far, one at a rest. on Ave Kléber which is no longer (I'm pretty sure it was replaced with the Guy Savoy rest. mentioned above), one in a small unpretentious rest. in Siena, Italy and the best lunch I've ever had anywhere at a small restaurant in Amalfi, Italy. I still dream of these....but they've jaded my food expectations forever.

I'll have to agree with Ryan about Taillevent-- we had a meal there this past July that has become the yardstick against which all future dining experiences will be measured.

The food and wine there were superb, but what really made the meal stand out was the absolutely impeccable, warm, gracious service. We truly felt like valued, honored guests.

We've had dinner at Jules Verne before, too, and it was excellent, but Taillevent is a hard one to top.

My husband and I dined at Le Grand Vefour last July, and it was nothing short of outstanding. The service was impeccable, and the food was incredible. The cost for dinner (including aperitifs and wine) was close to 500 euro, but it was worth it!

Can anyone give me a ballpark figure on what I can realistically expect to spend on dinners at Ducasse's Plaza Athenee establishment and L'Arpege? My companion and I are willing to lay out the $$ when necessary but don't want to lose our minds. Thanks.

The wine you choose will be the variable, but figure at least 500 Euro.

I agree with Ryan and Marcy. Having just dined at Taillevent last Tuesday night, it was an incredible dining experience. It's not just the food, but the service and atmosphere that make this one of the best in Paris. Have eaten at Alain Ducasse, as well. It is also, needless to say, fantastic.

Bravo, LynFrance, for the best-chosen words about dining I've read in a few weeks of lurking in these parts! I will be more blunt: Travel as a "replication mission" is likely to disappoint.

I've dined at a few of the top ones mentioned here--not La Tour D'Argent or Taillevent--but my pick for most elegant (and expensive) dining in Paris is another Michelin three star: L'Ambroisie in Place des Vosge. There are lots of critiques of these restaurants if you to the Michelin website or Bonjour Paris, I believe. I hope never to pay so much for a meal, but my family will nonetheless remember the experience forever!

We dined at Arpege on our first trip to Paris back in 1998 and while everything was wonderfully done, the service was great and the place was quite elegant (in a blond wood/expense account way) it was not among the top meals we ever had...and not even the best of that 8-day trip! At that time, the chef was very much into sweetbreads, etc...but since he has gone through a vegan stage (although does offer some meat, I'm told). Cost wise -- back then, pre-Euro when the dollar was much stronger -- the dinner set up back a bit more than $400. (Partly as we had an expensive and very much worth it bottle of wine). Frankly, we've had many terrific experiences at restaurants that don't necessarily show up in guides (and not just in Paris but any city) so we don't try to pin our expectations on any one selection. (It was kind of funny, though, as after we paid the check at Arpege, we got a very fancy little book that included a number of very special restaurants all over the world -- assuming, I guess, that we had the means to visit them all :) I kept it as a "party favor" )