I’d like to preface my report with a thanks to to the many contributors who have offered their invaluable insights on this site, and to those of you who replied back and offered suggestions to the post I made many months ago. While I would certainly not advocate for, nor normally cram an undertaking of 8 meals in 4 days of the caliber and length that I managed on my trip, it is not only not impossible to do, but entirely feasible to have a sufficient appetite for each with ample walking on a daily basis. The constellation of restaurants in different parts of the city, coupled with a daily average of 10 miles (16km) covered on foot, kept me prepared and hungry for each, while also enabling me to take in so many unique neighborhoods, wonderful human interactions, art / museums / architecture along the way. Lastly, while I am not one to photograph food as I dine, and thus offer no visual supplements, I did attempt to take notes after each meal to recount everything for you here…
Baillotte - This very cute little restaurant with an incredibly warm and friendly team used consistently well sourced, seasonal ingredients. Some busy plating and oddly more muted flavor profiles on select entrees of poached lobster with peas and strawberries, mackerel with shiso and cucumber (maybe from just having flown a long way?) at times impacted my overall impression, however, the freshness of my pollock with broad beans and zucchini, along with a very nice poached apricot with almond cake to finish more than compensated. While it wound up falling short of some similarly positioned restaurants on this jaunt, it’s certainly a place to which I’d return if in the neighborhood.
Semilla - The conundrum of where to dine on a Sunday night, while wishing to remain close to my home base on my first evening in Paris, was satisfied by a return visit to Semilla, which I dined at a number of years ago. It remains a solid local spot. A starter of marinated, braised cabbage topped with hazelnut vinaigrette was an early winner, as was the artfully pan seared red mullet with grilled octopus, potato and fennel in a light reduction. The latter compensated for the forgettable red tuna ribbon with pepper dashi that served as a bridge between the two. The highlight of the evening was a tender veal loin wrapped in a paper thin round of pork belly, finished with a delicious veal jus and tarragon-mayonnaise emulsion. Desserts were merely passable. Despite some unevenness, it’s certainly a table worth booking if you’re in this neighborhood and / or seeking a Sunday dining option.
Jeanne-Aimee - This was my first truly consistent meal from start to finish, and was equally enjoyed by my dining partners, who both opted for the alternate dishes from me for each of their 3 courses on the lunch menu. The team here was extremely friendly and down to earth, the space bright and casual. I was informed that they switched chefs just a couple of months ago, and that he had previously been at F.I.E.F. A starter of a chilled baby clam salad with kohlrabi, dill, and raspberry-rose vinaigrette had just the right balance of salinity, sweetness and acidity to get things started. Of equal success was the gently steamed brill with grilled eggplant, rainbow chard, citron and a smoked kombucha reduction. My companions similarly enjoyed the grilled poularde, nestled with grilled chives, roasted carrots, beurre blanc sauce, and “strong jus,” a reduction from the bird. Both main courses brought together in great harmony two perfectly prepared proteins with vegetables of the moment. Two desserts - fresh strawberries with Sichuan sauce, hibiscus sorbet, and orange blossom whipped cream, and apricot in 3 ways (fresh, poached, sorbet) with almond cake, fresh almonds and whipped cream, solidified further the team’s commitment to seasonality, and ability to churn out great results. At 42 euro for 3 courses, it is also a true value proposition. This is a restaurant at which I’d be a weekly regular if I lived in the area.
Alliance - I am sorry and surprised to say that this was one of the more disappointing meal in my journey, relative to all expectations going in. I will begin with the positives; the staff was absolutely wonderful in their genuine warmth and hospitality, and the chef did manage to defy some of the less successful courses with a deftly crafted gnocchi with caviar and cream in a butter sauce. A classic. All too often I was otherwise struck by a meal that lacked range, with multiple savory courses each going to the same well of heavy cream, without any great flavor profile contrast in their respective compositions. There was an equal lack seasonality, notwithstanding the appearance of artichoke in a cream sauce, and blackberries with cream to end the meal. A very expertly prepared chicken with vin jaune was the other bright moment in an otherwise lackluster affair. I will trust all of my fellow posters and their past positive experiences to presume that I happened to go on an off night, or at a time when the menu is for whatever reason feeling staid.
Hemicycle - Lunch at Hemicycle immediately reinvigorated me in a major way. This was yet another restaurant that had an incredibly affable and engaging team (you could feel the enthusiasm and pride they have in their chef), in a buzzy (in the right way) room. The chef’s approach here was very much in my wheelhouse, as he reached for unique flavor compositions, interweaving notes of spicy, earthy, floral, and acidic throughout the meal. Amuse bites of a green tempura chip with coriander mayonnaise, and a baby clam swimming in an equally vibrant green sauce set the tone, segwaying into a robust oyster mushroom, rounded and cased to approximate a sausage, filled with a rich cured beef-mushroom filling, complete with a mushroom reduction and mayonnaise foam. Of equal merit was the perfectly seared, rare duck breast, accompanied by rhubarb and lavender scented duck jus, and tempered by celtuce to cut through the palate. Further sensory overload was achieved with the rhubarb “ravioli,” served with caper panna cotta, dark chocolate cream and rhubarb granita. An extremely satisfying end came in the form of a warm, oven fresh brioche-like pastry, with an almond-Marsala cream served as an accompaniment. I would be doing their pastry chef a disservice if I did not also note the exceptional bread service (and butter). This is a restaurant that’s willing to play around with bold flavors in an effort to create memorable, iconoclastic dishes, and should not be missed. I look forward to returning to Paris and trying an elongated menu at their dinner service.
L’Orangerie - A 3+ hour afternoon walk followed by some rest prepared me for what felt like it would be the impossible at this turn in the trip; a tasting menu at L’Orangerie. Thankfully their chef has a veggie and fish forward ethos, with an emphasis on lighter fare.
I’ll preface my feelings about the restaurant by getting my own biases and preferences out of the way first. I tend to prefer dining establishments that hit the sweet spot between exceptional food and warm service in a casual atmosphere over that which is the general atmosphere at the Four Seasons Hotel George V. A cursory glimpse of the clientele and a few interactions in / around the hotel had me thinking I was at a casting call for the next season of The White Lotus. But enough about that and onto the restaurant! L’Orangerie was not only an absolute gem, turning out inspired, soulful dishes rooted in the great French tradition of exceptional sauces to showcase outstanding produce and proteins, but their staff was also extremely lovely, in a genuine, human, not put-on manner. Much like Hemicycle, this is a chef who is willing and able to embed different, surprising ingredients together for memorable flavor bombs. Three delicious tone setting bites - a pea tartlet, a squid-tuna tartlet, and an onion tartlet - were subsequently complimented by a perfectly rendered baby prawn in clarified butter. Pure ingredient-showcasing simplicity at its finest. The first proper course up was a gently grilled squid, topped with a hint of aged Parmesan cheese, wilted spinach, and a matcha-watercress sauce, which offered a delightful smokey-salty-earthy-bitter profile in one dish. This continued with what was very likely, and surprisingly, the single best dish enjoyed during my four day tour; a white eggplant, braised then lightly fried, served with a lush creamy tarragon-cherry-turmeric sauce. The humble, neutral eggplant proved to be the ultimate vehicle for an absolutely explosive sauce. The dedication to ingredients of the highest order, coupled with artfully composed sauces, was accentuated further by the poached langostine, slipped into a razor thin buckwheat crepe, and topped with a burrata-sake-hoji-cha sauce. A beautifully grilled piece of sea bream stood up nicely to a cucumber-jalapeño sauce, that offered a peppery element without ever being overtly spicy. A stunning final savory course arrived in the form of blue lobster, expertly grilled, and heightened by a beet-horseradish-burnt onion sauce with grilled lettuces, again coaxing out a range of taste bud responses. To no surprise, desserts were as thoughtful and accomplished as the savory portion of the meal. A palette cleanser of cacao granita and cream, followed by poached rhubarb with almond milk ice cream, effectively readied the transition into an absolutely classic and magnificent vanilla bean vacherin with fresh strawberries, strawberry sorbet, poached strawberries, whipped vanilla cream, and a strawberry-kirsch sauce. A decadent chocolate cream puff and some petit fours followed to close out a wonderful gastronomic evening. Despite only a recently designated second star, this is a restaurant already operating at the highest possible caliber, and could stand among the ranks of any destination dining estsblishment in Paris or elsewhere. It certainly exceeded my expectations, and was a stronger meal than other three star meals on this trip (in Paris and other cities), and at many earlier turns in the road. I can only hope that they continue to stay the course of inventiveness and originality in their sauces as they receive further accolades.
Empreinte - Among the locations visited on this trip, I would rank Empreinte quite favorably among the lot, and would index my experience here as being most analogous to Jeanne-Aimee, as a casual, contemporary neighborhood gem, offering seasonal bistronomie fare. A trio of relatively indistinct amuses were anchored by a chick pea cone, pea mousse, and a chorizo madeline, the best of the grouping. From there the meal trended upward, with a first starter of cold mackerel, served with champagne jelly, cream foam, and rice crispies. Light, bright, briny, acidic and refreshing on a warm summer’s day. A second course of pan seared pollack with a cheese crust, locally sourced mushrooms, watercress and jus continued to elevate my perception of Empreinte. This was heightened further by absolutely delectable, thin slices of perfectly seared veal, plated with peas and a veal jus reduction. My dining companions had their sights set on the selection of local cheeses, which were thus tacked on as an add-on, and thoroughly enjoyed by all in the group. A competent creamsicle-like palate cleanser preceded a very lovely strawberries, biscuit and cream dessert, along with some delicious petit fours of rhubarb jelly, caramel, and a pumpkin-chocolate praline. At 39 euro for a 3-course or 59 euro for a 4-course, the ever-changing, seasonal offerings at Empreinte offer a really sensational value, and make it the type of neighborhood restaurant I’d dine at repeatedly if I was a local.
Le Gabriel - I was ready to title my trip report “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly,” but decided I would instead bury the reference at this point in my entry, for those of you who have made it this far. Let’s start off with the good. Le Gabriel is in an absolutely beautiful dining room, and its kitchen is anchored by a chef who is currently turning out some expertly rendered fare. At its best, it is turning out dishes that will be emblazoned in my memory for years to come, namely the squid tagliatelle with caviar in duck jus, and the suckling pig with tamarind jus and black rice. There is no “worst,” out of this kitchen, only that some dishes reach the uppermost echelons of excellence, while others are merely excellent, or perhaps not as great when indexing them against an even more impactful meal the prior night at L’Orangerie (one of the major trappings and issues with having so many luxe meals in a row). Ultimately, the chef and kitchen here are to be lauded for their efforts, as they turn out beautifully sourced, well-crafted dishes. And that is why the “bad and the ugly” are all the more jarring. I’ll begin this portion of my commentary by noting that the staff was wholly professional and approachable, albeit, our main server carried a bit of an air of “overly polished” in a certain phoned-in, fake fashion that has made me ambivalent about a particular type of fine dining establishment and environment in the past. Were this my only observational critique, I would not summon up “bad and ugly,” and would simply chalk it up to the trappings of Michelin 3 star culture. But this is where this meal took a bizarre and unfortunate turn, and for which I’m assigning that label. During the first hour or so of our meal, we could hear and see an occasional cough coming from one of the front of house staff members, who also happened to be handling all the utensil and glass swaps for diners, and serving dishes to various guests in the room as well. At that stage it was nothing significant, and didn’t really register or cause concern. However, by about the 90 minute mark of the meal, the staff member began coughing rather incessantly and uncontrollably, all the while continuing the same aforementioned work in front of team members and for guests. Heavy coughs into arms / hands, followed by immediate handling of utensils, glasses and plated food, with no effort to take a break, clean their hands, etc, nor any help or instruction from a fellow floor staff member with seniority to send this person home. It was enough to think that we were on candid camera being spoofed. It got to the point that I elected to very discreetly and as politely as possible ask our main server if his colleague was ok, and would they be sending the person home since they appeared sick, was coughing, and kept handling everything in the room. He acknowledged my query by saying that he was aware that one of his colleagues was unfortunately a bit sick and under the weather this evening, and then walked away. While the server must have instructed the colleague to not handle anything at our table any longer (as they never handled anything else for us that evening), the person proceeded to stay on the floor, coughing heavily throughout the night, while servicing all other guests. To say our appetites were compromised by this experience as it unfolded during the meal would be an afterthought. Suffice to say, we really didn’t know what to do, and we struggled and conversed under hushed tones amongst the table members through our final savory and dessert courses. We didn’t want to make a scene and get up and leave (nor did any other guests), but were also very turned off and didn’t feel much like finishing our meal. The awkwardness was palpable between our table and the staff at this point. One can deduce and assume whatever they want about workplace culture and environment for that to have unfolded without any care or concern for either the sick staff member to not go to work at all in the first place, or be sent home, or the welfare of the guests. I’m shocked that it happened at all, and more surprised that it was in such an establishment. I felt worst for the person working there to have been in that position. It felt like a basic social contract was broken on multiple fronts. It pains me to share this part of my experience, but it’s only fair for diners to know. File under bad, ugly, weird, and whatever else have you.
A final note on all of the above establishments: my main dining companion is a wine enthusiast, but I am not much of a drinker, so I do not have any direct feedback in that respect. She was extremely pleased across the board with her wines during this jaunt, and felt her best pours were at Hemicycle and L’Orangerie.
Parting thoughts / recap: Paris is such an incredible city, with a restaurant scene that remains vibrant and exciting. Jeanne-Aimee and Empreinte in particular offer up two high value proposition options, while Hemicycle is an outstanding restaurant at only a slightly higher price point than the two aforementioned, and is a must-visit address. L’Orangerie is currently working at a level of excellence that is difficult to surpass - in Paris or elsewhere - and should absolutely be considered for a special occasion or splurge meal. While Semilla and Baillotte were overshadowed by the likes of Jeanne-Aimee and Empreinte, they are both solid establishments and worth frequenting if you’re in or around their neighborhood. Although Alliance was a disappointment for me, it had a couple of strong moments, which, when coupled with past accolades heaped upon it by others, might be worthy of your consideration. As for Le Gabriel, if I could just put the blinders on to what went down that night (and would seemingly not be an everyday occurrence!), I would say that their chef is supremely talented and you’ll have a lovely meal there, but for the price point and finer dining category, my preference and favoritism in this round goes to L’Orangerie, irrespective of whatever else transpired.
I hope to return to Paris sooner than later, and if I do I will post another report. If anyone is also seeking any thoughts / recs from the three other legs of my trip - Lyon, San Sebastián / Basque region, Barcelona - feel free to ping me.
