Tasting menu at Le Meurice

[cegray]

My Michelin trip to Paris this week included several stops at restaurants that can easily provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences. First on our “eating schedule” - the degustation menu, with wine pairings, at three-star Le Meurice.

(To see this report in more detail with photos, go to http://caroundtheworld.com/2010/03/18...

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Before our official tasting began, we were served not one, not two but FIVE amuse bouche.

1st course - Prawns and Sea Urchin Coral Uncooked (wine: Trabener Krauterhaus Riesling Spatlese Trocken, 2008, Weingut Trossen)

Our first course, uncooked shrimp served with crispy tails, sea urchin gelee and Yuzu jelly, was a visual stunner. From what I’ve read, Alleno is a master at seafood gelee, so this dish is designed to start the meal with a bang through both aesthetics and taste.

2nd course: Breaded Big Aspargus from the South (wine: Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes Vieilles Vignes 2007, Domaine Gauby)
After the first course, I was a little relieved to see something simpler for the second. The asparagus, which Alleno chose from the south of France, came drizzled with a fermented cream sauce. It was here that we realized the excellence of our sommelier, Estelle Touzet. A younger woman, she approached each pairing with passion, explaining in detail why each wine would work with the dish and soliciting our feedback. Here, the flinty white burgundy balanced well with asparagus, which is notoriously hard to pair.

3rd course - Duck Foie Gras iodized in Sugar Crust (wine: Vovray Demi Sec Le Haut-Lieu 2007, Domaine G. Huet)
I had read about this signature presentation of foie gras and was excited to see it in person. Just as many Asian cuisines salt-bake fish, Alleno sugar-bakes his foie gras, wrapping it in seaweed first. Servers bring the foie gras sugar brick to the table, where they ceremonially crack it. Once the sugar crust is opened, you can see the seaweed-wrapped foie gras inside. The waiters take it back to the kitchen for plating.

4th course - Poached Turbot in Aromatic Milk (wine: Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Chaumees” 2005, Domaine J-N Gagnard

5th course - Steamed Fillet of Milk-Fed Lamb (wine: Hermitage 2006, Domaine Y. Chave)

Our plate of lamb offered cuts from nearly every part of the animal, including pickled blood sausage. As with all of the dishes, the servers presented this course in timed unison that had some playfulness to it. Overall, I felt Le Meurice did a good job of making haute cuisine accessible: the servers were knowledgable and open, instead of snobby and formal; and questions about dishes were encouraged. American tourists who might be intimidated by the idea of a Parisian 3-star won’t need to worry at Le Meurice

6th course - Saint-Maure Cheese with Yogurt Crystals and Lemon Cream (wine: Jurancon Sec Cuvee Marie 2007, Domaine C. Hours)
Our cheese course arrived as a set dish instead of a selection from the cart. The tangy goat cheese provided a good transition into our desserts, which once they started, kept on coming

There was also a pre-dessert plate of sweets before the two final dessert courses.

Total cost per person for the dinner: 240 euros, with an extra 140 euros for the wine pairings

While interesting on an intellectual level, the meal didn’t blow me away, taste-wise, as some degustation menus that I’ve had. It wasn’t necessarily a “meal of a lifetime” for me.

But the incredible setting and the impeccable yet unfussy service did set Le Meurice apart. At times you could imagine you were on a movie set, and I’ve never eaten in a room so beautiful. The restaurant does have a 100 euro multi-course lunch that might be a more accessible way to experience Alleno’s cooking and Le Meurice’s atmosphere without killing your budget.

[souphie]

The lunch deal is sub-par compared to regular Alléno cooking, which itself, as you noticed, is not mind-blowing. I couldn't agree more that superlative service sets the Meurice apart. Over time, this means they know what you like and, as their kitchen can do anything, they will blow you away if you can afford to be a regular.

You don't say a word about desserts, yet they are, in my view, the only place where le Meurice's food is truly exceptional.

[John Talbott]

Not having Soup's budget, I have no comparison, but I think Alléno at lunch is quite OK.

John Talbott's Paris

[souphie]

Not starting a fight, but I'm pretty sure your budget, that has bistrot every day, is very superior to mine, that has fine dining once or twice a month.

[cegray]

souphie, I have some info about the desserts on my blog. At a certain point, I got tired of cutting and pasting.

I just finished my report on the dinner at Guy Savoy, which WAS a truly mind-blowing meal. It's at this link, but I will post parts of it here later today. http://caroundtheworld.com/2010/03/23...