The collective wisdom of the board was very helpful in planning our recent honeymoon to France foodwise (as well as a perfectly timed birthday gift of Guide Michelin France 2017 from my wife) so I thought I’d share my experiences.
Jules Verne
Alain Ducasse’s restaurant in the Eiffel Tower. The dinner was excellent, particularly the pigeon, and asparagus, service was excellent, and you can’t beat the view. We scored a table by the window, and got to see the sun set over Paris. The only negatives were a loud table having a discussion about their daughter’s? eating disorder which was awkward and the price; it was our most expensive meal by a fair margin. Worth doing once.
Arpege
Arpege was on my bucket list and the first restaurant I booked once our flights were determined. We went for lunch as we couldn’t quite justify dinner. Our reservation was at 2:00pm, and we sat in the ‘grotto’ downstairs. I think we were the last sitting. I chose the time because I didn’t want a long lunch to start at noon, and some had suggested here the restaurant can get kind of casual and more free toward the end of service. I say all this because the meal was a bit of Jekyll and Hyde. The food was outstanding. Surprisingly simple at times but satisfying and perfectly executed, not at all fussy, in some ways one would not even think 3*. The oeuf chaud-froid was outstanding. However, the service was poor. They do the French thing where your wine is inaccessible at a sideboard. I had to ask the waiter, who then summoned the sommelier to pour our wine twice. As time went on, we had to ask for water, for everything, which was kind of a turn off for the price paid. We had the tasting menu and said we wanted the chaud-froid if it wasn’t on the menu, as a supplement or replacement. I don’t know if it was because of that or something else but we didn’t get mignardises though all the other tables did, and a different desert (which was the worst dish though not bad).
Anyway, I’m eager to go back, my wife may need convincing, as frankly it was the service that put a negative filter on the lunch for us, not the food.
Toutain
We had dinner the next night, and had the best experience of the trip. Every dish was outstanding, very creative and playful. I have no doubt David Toutain has a great sense of humour. The service was fantastic, attentive, and friendly. We had the wine pairings which overall were very successful. Since it was our honeymoon, they added a little congratulatory plate, which was very thoughtful. More than anything, what made the dinner special was that Restaurant David Toutain really made us feel they appreciated we chose to dine there. There is a great sincerity we felt.
Daniel et Denise
An authentic bouchon Lyonnaise, the food was excellent, particularly the Bresse chicken. They were understaffed so service was slow and it was quite warm that night so we finished the evening outside on the patio.
Les Terrasses de Lyon
Fantastic restaurant worthy of its star. The view of Lyon is utterly breathtaking. We went for lunch. The food was creative, though still classic, service attentive and relaxed. I enjoyed a Jacques Puffeney Chardonnay.
Saveurs de Py
Japanese influenced classic bistro fare. One of the best value meals we had, it was a little out of the way, but a ton of craft went into each dish. Wine list was pretty good, had a really nice bottle of Chave St Joseph 2013.
Le Rolancy’s
Fish focus, and a great meal, very inventive dishes with intriguing use of sugar in the main dish. The veal used a bitter caramel sauce which somehow wasn’t sweet but rich, and deeply flavoured and a great complement to the veal. It was a bit surreal, we were the only ones in the restaurant the whole night. Luckily their bistro next door was busy.