One of the best three meals of my life (French Laundry, Yountville, California and Chateau de la Chevre D'Or in Eze, France ). Tasteful and subdued decor -- really liked the loveseat-style seating around the center of the room where service occurs ... fun to watch staff prepare food for delivery and sommeliers decant wine. Also really liked the abstract oil paintings on the walls.
Started with the most divine gougeres (cheese puffs) and champagne (I had Taillevant rose (produced by Deutz) and my husband has Taittinger).
I ordered the langoustines from Brittany with braised artichokes poivrade with cilantro and citrus sauce. Hands down the best langoustines I've eaten - so fresh and perfectly cooked (most I've had were not as fresh and were overcooked). Each of the langoustines had a perfect piece of cilantro on it -- quartered artichoke hearts had been poached a citrus infused liquid and each had a small square of grapefruit. The citrus sauce was light and flavorful, not too syrupy or heavy (remarkably didn't seem to have much butter in it).
My husband started with the foie gras (pate-style) with jambon de Jabugo (Iberico ham) and quince jelly. The jambon de Jabugo was in the middle of 2 layers (each about an inch thick) of foie gras and added a salty-sweet component to the foie. Served with toasted brown bread. Among the best foie gras of that type (as opposed to the raw foie gras which is typically pan seared).
With our first course, I had a glass of the Taittinger champagne and my husband had a glass of Jurançon (a sauternes-like wine (something about a King of France being baptized with this wine ... Henry IX??)).
I then had the very best lamb I've had -- along one side of the plate was a medley of what seemed to be butter poached petit vegetables (pearl onions, tiny carrots, tiny potatoes) arranged on a nano-thin rectangle of what looked to be a veal stock gelee. The heart of lamb tenderloin was cooked sous vide, then rolled in fresh mint and cilantro, then wrapped in phyllo dough and sauteed in butter until crispy and heated through. The roll is then cut into 2 pieces and presented like a spring roll with just a hint of lamb jus or veal stock under the rolls (enough for flavor but not enough to soak the crispy dough). The most delicate, tender, yet flavorful lamb I've eaten and I really liked the added textural element of the filo crunch. Cooked perfectly to medium-rare as I had ordered it.
My husband raved about his filet of beef with Bordelaise sauce and pan-fried potatoes. The beef was pan-seared to medium-rare as ordered and tender, juicy and flavorful. The potatoes were cut into 2 inch high "plugs," then hollowed out and stuffed with what seemed to be pulled braised beef and then finally pan-fried in butter. The Bordelaise sauce is made with veal stock they make daily with roasted veal bones and bone marrow - so the sauce is rich and unctuous.
With our meat course we enjoyed a divine 1996 Chateau Ausone from St. Emilion in Bordeaux. It had great structure, lots of black current and black cherry, some tobacco, minerals and graphite.
Then ... we had cheeses! I was asked whether I preferred mild, medium or strong and I meekly said mild to medium ... a mistake ... while my cheeses were all delicious, my husband's plate of medium to strong cheeses was much more appealing. In particular, I am now very fond of Vacherin Mont D'or cheese (of course, a rare, highly seasonal cheese from Switzerland near the border of France).
If that wasn't enough, we ordered the Crepes Suzette - the best I've had -- sufficient lemon in the underlying sauce to balance out the sweetness of reduced orange sauce. Crepes were light and just slightly chewy, as they should be.
Then, cappucinos -- foam was a bit sudsy, but the underlying espresso was dark and flavorful but not bitter (much better than at the Galerie du George V (Four Seasons)).
Then, the same nice genlteman who took 10 or so photos of us (we asked for 1) arrived with 2 glasses and a bottle of Taillevent Cognac and said, in a stoic manner, "C'est necessaire ..." Of course it's necesary to follow an eating extravaganza with some Cognac (gratis, I should add).
The food preparation and presentation were all clean and elegant and not contrived in the least. The service throughout was exquisite and not stuffy. In fact, we had a lot of fun conversing in broken French and English with many of the staff.
To help alleviate the cetacean (whale-like) feeling following such a meal, we walked back to our apartment -- a cautionary note .... don't go shopping after drinking that much at lunch ... I ended up buying my husband a very expensive crocodile belt with a sterling silver lion buckle at Gianfranco Ferre!
Will return the next time we are in Paris. read more