I haven’t been to Granite in months (it’s not the only game in town and too expensive for me to go often).
When making reservations, I always plead/ cajole/ charm my way into getting a table in the main dining room because, yes, an upstairs or downstairs is usually far less enjoyable. But I’m a French speaker and I usually make my bookings by phone rather than on-line. For foreigners, the on-line booking forms usually includes a “Demandes particulières”/ Special instructions section, and use it to indicate that you want to a table in the main dining room only because you have mobility problems/ “handicappé” and can’t use stairs. Ok, ok lying but the gods are not going to strike you dead because of it. And it will ensure no downstairs or upstairs without seeming to be a bully (very counterproductive in France). If challenged when there, just point to your knee and say “much better”.
I tend to ignore the odd negative review (and never even consider reviews in English). But if you are put off by this one review, just move on the next resto on your short list. As I say often, there are no unmissables in Paris and no use in anguishing about your choices.
There’s a new post about eating in Paris very recently and the poster had this to say about Granite-
Granite. This was our second time at this restaurant. When we were there last summer, both my husband and son were under the weather so we thought we should give it another try under better circumstances. On our recent visit, the food was beautifully presented and clearly made with care, but it felt like a tasting menu in the sense that we got one or two tastes of each dish and didn’t really feel like we got a portion of anything. Each dish was good but, I never had the sensation that it was so delicious that I couldn’t wait for the next bite. The service was lovely although they did charge us for a bottle of water that we didn’t receive; they quickly deleted it when we pointed it out. The price for the meal was extremely high and to some extent, if felt like we were paying for the fussiness, the Michelin star and the current “tendance” of the restaurant. I’ve now been twice and feel that there are many other restaurants that provide a better all-around experience for my taste.
While the experience of one diner is valid and authentic at the time, no one will ever have, at another time, the same meal that someone else had previously reviewed in restaurants like Granite. One, the menu changes way too often, sometimes even daily, often weekly. Two, the kitchen is not manned by programmed robots… a few successful or unsuccessful changes by the chef here and there, variations in the quality of the ingredients from day to day, maybe a key member the kitchen crew on sick leave that day.
In any case, not all taste buds and preferences are the same. As @CAMI pointed out in his/her excellent report-back, Granite just did not appeal to his/her individual tastes and style. It’s just a shame that CAMI had to pay big bucks to find out that Granite was not a good fit.
Reviews of trad restaurants are much more indicative. The menu stays the same month after month and the cooking is the culinary equivalent of paint-by-numbers in most cases.
As Parn said, everyone has a different experience and different tastes. In my 2 meals at Granite, it certainly wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t a peak experience and wasn’t worth the money for my taste.
My experience at this restaurant was that a simple request to eat upstairs was happily accommodated, no lying necessary (nor IMO an acceptable ploy). Yes, there are probably other restaurants that might not treat “foreigners” so well, but this restaurant is decidedly not one of those, in my experience.
