So before we embarked on our Paris trip, I spent way too much time looking up restaurants at which to eat. The reservation system in Paris is somewhat archaic. Most places of substance have mediocre websites and require phone reservations. Not wanting to spend time speaking bad French or setting up the Skype to call long distance, I chose not to pursue some gastronomic avenues. Note to self: next time, be a man.
Anyways, I was looking for a a couple fancy pants, Michelin star dinners and happened upon this random post on a random website called Quora (http://www.quora.com/Paris/What-are-the-best-value-Michelin-starred-restaurants-in-Paris). It happenstanced to be a fantastic reference. Checking out some of those "best values," I became intrigued about Il Vino. And yes, it helped that the place had a great website and allowed reservations by email.
The selling point was the concept. At Il Vino, you order the wine. And they bring you the food. The restaurant was established by Enrico Bernardo, and if you read the website, he's a world-class sommelier. After eating here, I dont' disagree: Il Vino's wines were the best we had on our entire trip.
The restaurant is white linen with suit-jacket waiters, but it's not overtly formal. Dressy attire will suffice: coats and slacks not needed. Service was very good and quite friendly, and waiters spoke English.
As mentioned, the menu is quite simplistic (see the picture). There are a few selections for entrees, main plates, and dessert. A four-course tasting menu runs about 100 Euro, and the fancy five-course for 150. Not incredibly hungry or that budget-free, we opted for a la carte.
We started with a champagne aperitif, which was accompanied by both an amuse bouche (a gelee) and a starter (some delicious beef ravioli). Ordering a la carte was exceptionally fun. Wines are shown, but of course we knew precious little. Instead, we scouted what other people were ordering, and when the sister-in-law's eyes were transfixed on a lobster plate, she was hooked. She dared be so bold as to ask our waiter which wine went with that dish, and he laughingly obliged.
A few picks later, and we ended with two whites and two reds. Like I said, they were impossibly good. Somewhat surprisingly, the food was on par with the quality of the wine. I was head over heels with a perfectly "cooked two ways" lamb that was divine with a Cornas - Les Vielles Vignes (per Google, a syrah). By the by, plating was impeccable; it came with some button-cute cauliflower things.
The aforementioned lobster, which came with a refreshing Pauillac - Lynch Bages was also fantastic. We rounded out the meal with an Italian red complemented by a white truffle pasta and another fantastic white with fish.
Dessert was equally good. A simple, elegant mango cake fit well with a sweet Riesling, a wine my wife is an absolute sucker for. And (since it's Paris, after all!) a cheese plate took the cake, especially with the dry Spanish red.
In terms of sheer fun at a Michelin-starred restaurant, I'm not sure you could do any better than Il Vino. Close by the Eiffel Tower, we took a stroll down to the Champ de Mars to walk off the pounds and soak in the Paris ambiance. read more