7 Best Restaurants in Side Trips from Paris, France

Worldwide chef sensation Gordon Ramsay brings his conversation-worthy cuisine to this Versailles berth. Picture exemplary entrées like ravioli of langoustines and lobster cooked in a Riesling bisque with Petrossian caviar and lime consommé, or Périgord foie gras done "2 ways," roasted with a beetroot tart and pressed with green apple and Sauternes, all available on an expensive five-course tasting menu at dinner. The Trianon's more casual, 60-seat Véranda restaurant (open for lunch and dinner) is also under Ramsay's sway, and in its black-and-white contemporary setting you can opt for his "light, modern take" on bistro novelties like radicchio and Parmesan risotto with chorizo oil. Teatime provides a delightful (and more reasonable) restorative for weary château-goers, with a French twist on high tea: scones, madeleines, and heavenly macarons.

With a Michelin star in his pocket, rising chef Jean-Baptiste Lavergne-Morazzani has answered the city's dire need for top-quality and well-priced dining at La Table du 11. A small menu features the freshest market dishes: maybe line-caught daurade with candied citrus, Argentine beef with roasted pumpkin and velvety burratina cheese, and a spectacular cheese plate for pre-dessert. The chic and pleasingly sparse dining room is bright in the day and elegant but cozy at dinnertime. The three- to seven-dish prix-fixe menus are fairly reasonable for this level of quality.

If you want to make your visit or stay in Chartres a memorable one, this stellar hotel restaurant is the place to go. Excellent by any standards, the elegant dining room, impeccable service, and refined gastronomic menu from chef Thomas Parnaud, who breathed new life into the restaurant when he took the helm in mid-2018, make this dining room a standout in Chartres and the entire region.

Owner and chef David Gallienne brings all his considerable expertise to bear in the beautiful dining room at this hotel restaurant, where the menu focuses on the bounty of the Norman seaside. A destination unto itself, the restaurant and hotel are favorites of Giverny visitors seeking a dining "experience," so be sure to reserve in advance for both lunch and dinner. Prices are on the higher side, but for cuisine of this quality that's to be expected.

Three km (2 miles) from Rambouillet near the small town of Gazeran, this ivy-clad 18th-century home is a romantic setting for an elegant gastronomic meal. Dishes like roasted cod in beef reduction with black-truffle risotto or fillet of venison with parsnip mousse are made with the freshest ingredients—many from the kitchen garden—and can be followed by a copious cheese plate or tempting seasonal desserts. A beautiful garden terrace is delightful in the summer. Three-course prix-fixe menus at both lunch and dinner are an excellent value.

Young Japanese chef Kunihisa Goto has finally brought Fontainebleau's dining scene a Michelin star. The sleek contemporary dining room is the perfect setting for his refined cuisine that draws from the natural bounty of the lush Fontainebleau region, both wild and cultivated. The menu is small, all the better to highlight luxury ingredients like sea urchin, caviar, truffles, and langoustine served with more prosaic riches like caramelized local tomatoes, puree of chervil root, or a velvety buckwheat sauce (prix-fixe menus are available for both lunch and dinner).

A pleasing mix of ancient and modern, this colorful, light-filled restaurant, with high-beamed ceilings and limestone walls hung with contemporary art and "candeliers," was once a farmstead on the grounds of the nearby Château de Vaux-le-Pénil. But Isabelle and Fabrice Vitu's warm welcome and Michelin-starred cuisine are the real draws; locals and Parisians alike appreciate the refined menu that includes surprising twists on French classics and plenty of delicacies from the sea. Savor scallops on a bed of Puy lentils, crisp veal foot in a smoked-eel emulsion, or succulent John Dory with truffles—but be sure to save room for the warm Grand Marnier soufflé, a house specialty. The three-course menu is the best value.