A transcendent, once-in-a-lifetime dinner -- the purest expression of vegetables and technique I have ever experienced. Dining at L'Arpège is stepping into the mind and soul of Alain Passard -- a chef who doesn't cook food so much as he conducts an orchestra made entirely of vegetables, fire, intuition, and emotion. This is not a restaurant that tries to impress with extravagance; it impresses by stripping everything down to its essence and revealing how extraordinary simplicity can be. The Philosophy & Atmosphere The room is understated, almost quiet in its elegance, which allows the food to speak with complete clarity. Nothing distracts you. Every detail feels intentional: the pacing, the warmth of the service team, the sense of calm. Passard's influence is everywhere, but never overwhelming -- it's the presence of someone who has nothing left to prove. The Food -- A Masterclass in Purity and Restraint Passard's relationship with vegetables is unlike anything else in haute cuisine. When the first dish arrives, you immediately understand why he famously left meat behind for years: the vegetables alone are powerful enough to carry an entire tasting menu. * Flavors are incredibly clean, vivid, and honest. * The precision of cooking is surreal -- the difference of a few seconds transforms the dish. * Broths, emulsions, and reductions taste alive, full of depth yet feather-light. * Textures are elevated to an art form: a single carrot can feel as important as a piece of wagyu. Every plate is a reminder that luxury is not about caviar or truffles -- it's about mastery. Signature Moments The famous roses of thinly shaved vegetables in a warm vinaigrette, the garden ravioli, the buttery vegetable consommés, and the egg with maple syrup are not just dishes; they are culinary statements. They showcase an incredible sensitivity and confidence -- the kind that only decades of devotion can create. Service & Wine Pairing The service is quintessentially Parisian fine dining: formal but deeply human. The team is knowledgeable, gentle, and perfectly synchronized. The wine program is exceptional, with pairings that highlight finesse rather than power -- Burgundy lovers, especially, will be in heaven. Overall L'Arpège is not just one of the great restaurants of Paris -- it is one of the great restaurants of the world. It challenges you, comforts you, and ultimately humbles you. Alain Passard cooks with a clarity and vision that very few chefs ever achieve. This was one of the most memorable, meaningful meals of my life. A true pilgrimage for anyone who loves cuisine as art. read more

Incredible. I had the pleasure of dining here 3 weeks ago, chef Alain is amazing. I'm not a vegetarian, yet this was the best Michelin star restaurant I've ever dined at. The freshness of the ingredients reminded me of when I was a little kid and grew up on a farm. Each dish became more and more complex, the chef was telling a story by introducing a new blend of flavors. The staff were super friendly, the ambiance is very relaxed. We even met chef Alain and got to spend time in his art studio. 5/5 experience! I can't wait to go back. read more

L'Arpège - French Near Me - Paris, 75

Absolutely wild experience. Feels like maybe there was a hidden camera and we'll see ourselves on French TV at some point. I have been vegetarian since the 1990s and I feel like I had better meals made by stoned idiots at my college vegan food co-op. I agree with others that the underground room seems to be where they hide the foreigners. Everyone in our room was English speaking and the lack of music and weird acoustics meant we knew all their business by the end of the night. Our waitress was doing her best and clearly hero worshipped the chef. But man. They didn't even serve butter with the bread. The courses mostly blend together in my mind. There were a few that were nice (every single table audibly commented on a simple salad with a really delicious almond praline dressing, I suspect because everyone wanted to be able to say SOMETHING nice) but most of it was just a cavalcade of purees, cold soups, piles of chard, piles of beet - food that might have felt innovative in California in the early seventies but at this point the rest of the world has figured out vegetarian cooking that's satisfying and delicious and it's wild France is apparently so far behind. One of the desserts tasted like they just forgot to add any sugar. Just truly not even sweet. The chef seems like a nice guy and I respect that he's not resting on his laurels and keeps changing it up. I give him a second star for audacity. But I will never go back here. I hope we just caught them on an off night. I just really regret I used one of my few nights in Paris on this dud of a dining experience. read more

This has truly been an experience I cannot forget! My boyfriend and I were seeking out fine dining establishments in Paris (-cough- Michelin 3* -cough-), but he dislikes most seafood dishes. Because almost all Michelin 3* restaurants feature seafood to one extent or another, we had to rule them out. We learned of Arpege after I introduced him to Chef's Table - Paris on Netflix. We became aware of the vegetable-only lunch menu, which actually worked spectacularly for both of us. We booked our reservation for 12 pm for the Salle (upper level seating) 2 months in advance, and off we went! First off, we learned that this experience can take at least 3 hours, and we were prepared for that. If you come here expecting an expedited dining experience, you'll be greatly disappointed. All in all, we had a total of 14 courses, and in between courses, they provided generous amounts of their homemade bread and butter (which honestly, I couldn't keep my hands off of - I could eat that all day if I could!) The amuse bouche all the way to desserts was an absolute delight to the senses! To be able to create such intricate and delicious dishes in the absence of meat is such a difficult feat to obtain since they lack the proteins and fats that meats naturally contain. Each dish came out every 10-15 mins, which was a nice pacing and allowed us to really appreciate the dish. The service was impeccable, from seating to serving to everything in between. They spoke some English, so it helped when we couldn't mention something in French. To top off the experience, Chef Alain Passard came out and spoke with us and the others in the restaurant! We even got a picture with him, which was so nice of him to allow! For our first intro to 3* Michelin dining, we couldn't have asked for a more memorable experience! read more

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Beautiful restaurant. The food on the plate was presented like art. So many layers of delicious flavor... celebrating the natural flavors of the vegetables. Also Best butter and bread I have ever eaten in my life. The Staff have a clear understanding of high end hospitality, with a perfect balance of warmth and care. Chef Passard is kind, down to earth and Handsome. This experience was like a dream read more

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A meal for a lifetime. The Langoustine Carpaccio was easily one of the best dishes I've ever had. The Dover Sole was also exquisite. Florian and Simon took great care of me. They even shared Chef Passard's book with dish recipes. Brittany butter and champagne definitely add to the experience. I'd recommend perhaps going a la carte with those two dishes although the lunch tasting was pretty extensive. So grateful for the experience! read more

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For lunch my guest and I ordered the délices du jardin, which comprised many courses (see below), which the seraver described as he served them. They followed in a well-paced succession. As it was lunch and we wanted clear heads for the afternoon, we ordered kombuchas, which came in different flavors (e.g., pear, elderberry). It went well with the vegetarian meal. The flavor of each course was both complex but clear, as there was no added meat stock or cream to confuse the palate. The service was very good, comme il faut. The ambiance was quaint and informal. The walls were covered in cloth embroidered with vegetables (see attached pictures). The tables were a little close together, as our neighbors overheard our conversation and entered into it discreetly. On leaving we felt satisfied, not stuffed--repus, pas gavés. The courses: Small cucumber drinks Tartlets Wild celery soup or wonton soup Egg a la coque w/ maple syrup Crudités Vegetables in orange sauce Vegetable sushi Beetroot/"hamburger" Strawberries with elderflower sauce and sorbet Tomato confit with mint ice cream Petits fours Coffee read more

L'Arpège - French Near Me - Paris, 75

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Wow this was an experience. We did not die the chefs menu we picked our own and they gave us many side freebies. This is mostly veggies for everything although we had fish and lamb. The experience is fantastic , dress up bring a date and enjoy every bit . Get great wine as well ! read more

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One of the best experiences of my life! Fantastic food, wine and service! And the room was so inviting and set the stage for the meal. Angel greeted us and wrapped up our evening with such grace and style - set the mood right out of the gate! Arnaud and Florian were exceptional! Everything they suggested, including the wine was truly amazing and a great pairing! And Moose's delivery of the fish - not only was it a great presentation but such a wonderful meal! And then at the end of the night after all the amazing food, wine, service and atmosphere the chef came out to meet us, ask us about our dinner and thank us for coming. Such a special night - highly recommend this amazing one of a kind place! A special thanks to Chef Alain Passard! Truly fantastic! 5 Stars!!!! read more

L'Arpège - A big thanks to Chef Alain Passard - a night! We will be back to Paris for this! - French Near Me - Paris, 75

What a charming place. We went for lunch and did the vegetarian menu, and it was delightful. We added a fish dish at the end that did not disappoint. The champagne served is now my new favorite. The ambiance is so clean cut, Parisian, yet still true to their farm to table them. A lovely bright room with natural light and minimal art. Service is attentive and professional, what you'd expect from a 3 Michelin establishment. Every dish was creative in its own way, never in a million years could I imagine vegetarian dishes to be so simple yet so fascinating. Both my fiancé and I were extremely pleased. One of our favorites was the beetroot sushi, which my fiancé with all honestly said it was the 'best sushi' he has ever had. Everything is obviously seasonal, and fresh picked from their own gardens, so each time will be a different tasting. If I lived in France, I'd come for every season just to discover what Chef Passard has in store for us. This was an experience we enjoyed tremendously and will be back soon. Hopefully this next time I won't have to thank Chef Passard awkwardly wearing masks and we can actually see each others smiles and gratitude. read more

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While in Europe, you have to go to L'Arpege. I guess it should be while in France, but we really wanted to try this three Michelin star vegetarian restaurant! Especially in France, where meat reigns supreme, there is a vegetarian restaurant with three Michelin stars? A definite must try. We did the vegetarian set menu, and I got the sweetbread as an addition. While the sweetbread was the best I ever had, the addition was a mistake. There was simply too much food! The sweetbread was expertly fried, and the accompaniments really cut down on the fattiness of the sweetbreads. We also had a half portion of the 36 mo aged Comte, which was so rich in flavor and so well balanced with its saltiness. All the other dishes were highlights of Chef Passard's most famous creations. They were all delicious and interesting, which is a eatery even with Michelin starred restaurants. My palate was delighted and surprised with each contrasting temperature, texture, and flavor. So many fun things that Chef Passard played with an balanced with subtlety and skill. Unfortunately Chef Passard was away frolicking in his Normandy gardens, so we were not able to meet him. However, the hostess and server made us feel very welcome in the basement room. The decor of the room was embroidery filled with all the vegetables that are stars of the show, except for the tarte aux pomme which we thought were cinnamon rolls for a while! A very enjoyable lunch, and we were full for days afterwards. read more

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We decided to have a special lunch while we were here celebrating my birthday. If you want to celebrate something special, lunch at Arpège is an excellent option. We'll get to the food in a moment, but first I must compliment the ambiance. The dining room is gorgeous--the walls are decorated with lovely embroidered images of a garden, and windows fill the space with light. Conveniently located just across from les Invalides and down the block from the Rodin Museum, the restaurant is close to things you want to see. Reservations are essential, and you should absolutely plan for a leisurely experience. This is not a quick-bite-to-eat place but an enjoy and immerse yourself in a gustatory adventure place. The full experience will last you a few hours. The service was impeccable--everyone speaks both English and French and is of course highly knowledgeable. They delight in sharing information about the menu and the ingredients. Be sure to mention any allergies or dislikes--even if you get the vegetable tasting menus, you may run j to a few non-vegetarian ingredients. We chose the vegetarian lunch menu, full of beautiful spring vegetables from the Chef's own gardens. We each enjoyed a glass of champagne from the (extensive) wine list (which is actually a book). Our meal began with an amuse-bouche of crudités (baby carrots, tiny squash, and radishes) sprinkled with beetroot fleur du sel. After that, we had a beautiful clear broth with delicious, tender ravioli. This dish featured fennel, celery, carrot, and rosemary and was truly exquisite, with sweet, savory and salty came together with a lovely herbaceousness. After that came a gorgeous asparagus sushi that was presented with a velvety tapenade and olive oil. The white asparagus was perfectly tender and was set off beautifully by a hidden layer of mustard. Next, we received a stuffed cabbage leaf. The cabbage leaf was a deep indigo, which looked beautiful against the bright herb and Parmesan emulsion. The cabbage, onions, carrots, fennel, and fresh herbs exploded with flavor, and the emulsion added richness, salt, and a bit of umami. The fourth dish was a stuffed zucchini blossom (still on the end of a gorgeous baby zucchini). There was a bit of turmeric in the stuffing, which added an unexpected and delicious perfume and flavor. The dill added brightness and the onion and bay leaf emulsion was buttery and beautiful. Next came radish carpaccio topped with other shaved vegetables (more asparagus!), fresh greens, minced herbs, beet fleur du sel, and roe. Following that was a celery and fennel soup topped with bay leaf chantilly that melted into a delicious, rich, savory froth in the soup. We then had the beet tartare, a beautiful trope l'œil of a traditional tartare (the "egg" was made of cream and a slice of pickled carrot) served with a mustardy purée that played beautifully with the beets thanks in part to the complementary earthiness of the turmeric. The beets were held together with a tasty white sauce that Next we're spring vegetables en croute--the vegetables were all cooked to perfection, and the crust was the perfect balance of crisp and tender. The vegetables offered the best of spring--fresh, bright, and tender. This one tasted like a secret picnic that you have as you walk through your favorite park. After that was our first dessert--a profiterole filled with light-as-air hay ice cream and topped with a beautiful warm salted caramel sauce. The ice cream tasted like a spring morning--the honey-like flavor of dewy grasses warming in the sun filling your nostrils. Our second desert was a rhubarb tart served with verbena ice cream and a warm sauce that was flavored with angelica and verbena. Any description would not do it justice, so I'll just say that it's sell-your-soul good. Our final course was a plate of treats to share. There was a tuile cookie flavored with , a mint truffle containing a hazelnut, and a caramel. We enjoyed this with coffee, which was dark and rich without a hint of bitterness. We also had a non-gustatory delight when Chef emerged to say hello. He's a charmer! read more

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We were so excited to go to a high-end, well rated French restaurant in Paris. Maybe our expectations were too high and thus the meal was more perceived as good but not exceptional. read more

Don't enjoy writing this review, but our experience here was the worst start to our recent trip to Paris. For what many would consider a bucket list restaurant, the meal was extremely underwhelming, and I would not recommend it unless you have an unlimited budget and the patience of a monk. TL:DR Food 4/5 Value 2/5 Service 3/5 Ambiance 1/5 Overall, the food was pretty good. We opted for the garden menu for two reasons: time constraints (our captain mentioned the extended menu would take 2/3 hours), and due to the chef's philosophy on vegetables and local, fresh sourcing. I think that this menu, absent of any service mistakes, is priced fairly and gives diners a taste of some of the best vegetables around, highlighting their flavors with clean presentations. Food details The egg dish is fun. The onion gratinee is delicious. The beet tartare is a standout - creative, dialed in, delicious, drawing many parallels with the traditional French dish served with beef. The root vegetables served with an insanely addicting sweet and sour sauce are amazing. We added on a lobster with white truffles - a beautiful dish, but this was by far the most expensive entree I've ever ordered (more than the cost of most tasting menus I've been to). And the captain neglected to mention that we could order a half portion (my husband doesn't like lobster so I ate most of his), and couldn't tell me the amount of truffles that would be included (which, for 150 euro for about 15 thin shavings was the biggest markup I've ever encountered for alba truffles). But others are more miss - the trio of dumplings are interesting, but none truly stand out. One course consisted of a mound of blanched spinach, candied lemon and a purée - a dish I would think many could replicate at home. Sitting at home, months later, I'm still wondering how this made the menu (it was also a very visually off-putting dish). Beet sushi is mostly a disappointing shari with some olive tapenade in the wrong proportions. No complaints on dessert. They were tasty, but we barely touched them as we were ready to leave well before they arrived. Even got the mignardises boxed to go. My issues with L'Arpege - the meal started off on the wrong foot, the door was locked up until our reservation time, so we stood outside wondering if they would still open (there is no waiting room). Next, we were escorted downstairs into a dungeon dining room. It is small, hot, there is no air circulation, no cell service, and the wifi does not reach down there. Not a fun place for an extremely lengthy lunch and you aren't given the opportunity to stretch your legs at all, it's miserable. Also whisper quiet, I was unable to escape every other tables' conversations. We told the captain (when we chose our menu) that we like a faster pacing for courses and wanted a shorter meal, which we assumed would be quicker than the 2.5-3 hours he quoted for the full tasting, but our meal ended up being 4 hours long. I'm now thinking that lots of our conversation with him was lost in translation due to a few mishaps throughout the meal and him using the same descriptions or expressions for every table, not being able to respond to questions on ingredients or preparations. Also nothing changed when we told him during the meal that we wanted to leave and asked multiple times to speed up the remaining courses (my husband almost walked out during the entrees). When transitioning to the dessert portion of the meal, all of the captains seemed to disappear, only one was left to care for us and the 3 other tables in the dungeon, who all looked equally miserable and asked for their bills when we requested ours. Maybe a sign that the service is way too slow and the restaurant is understaffed. The pacing was ridiculous - there was a 40 minute wait between courses for our lobster entree, and 20 minutes for both rounds of desserts (this is after we told them we were ready to leave). One was a profiterole - I assume that is prepared before service and easy to quickly assemble, so why does it take 20 minutes? The wines were underwhelming, and they do not stock many liquors or offer cocktails (could not make a negroni - 3 main ingredients). Sorry Arpege, but this was an extremely disappointing and expensive way to spend 4 hours of my time, I have 0 desire to return ever. read more

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Our family of 4, grandma and our 10 year old son enjoyed a wonderful lunch here. We tried the chefs lunch menu, which worked out to 18 courses. The food was fantastic, inventive and was some of the best "vegetarian" food I have eaten. I put "vegetarian" in quotes because the menu included fish and for the diners eating the full (540 Euro) menu, they had chicken and lamb. Our 8 course menu ended up being 18 in total. Apple celery carrot sage juice Radish plate with celery root puree Egg hot and cold 3 types dumpling in consommé Scallop over leeks Beet sushi Mashed potato Lobster with leeks and apple Baked onions with pear and salad Butternut squash soup with sage butter cream Celery root stuffed with apple and leek with black truffle sauce Sweet and sour vegetables Salt dome fish with smoked butter sauce Desert choux pastry hazelnut purée Apple pie with quince sauce and apple sorbet Finger deserts Fantastic meal, can't wait to go back and try other seasons. Oh, and did I mention the bread and Normandy butter. read more

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We had been waiting for a few years to come to Paris and try this place, and last night, we finally did. It was a disappointing experience to say the least, not least of which, was our expectations before coming here. The combination of lack of attention to detail, uncoordinated service and lack of innovation in the cuisine, made for an average evening. I always inform restaurants of eating preferences and allergies beforehand and ensure they have enough lead time for it all. Despite informing them with the booking no one mentioned the preferences or were aware of them. Despite writing about no beetroot for one person, the juice on arrival had beetroot with no alternatives and one of her courses was served with beetroot. There are a lot of staff here so, that is not the issue. The fact that we had empty glasses many times through the evening, is. I felt the sommelier could have been more forthcoming with recommendations and perhaps it's a language thing, maybe making more recommendations etc. At this level of restaurant I expect perfection in service and this was not. The staff are very nice and friendly but the attention to detail was lacking. The first time in a posh restaurant ever, i did not tip. Some of the food was lovely and, we all loved the focus on vegetable. All of us chose the full tasting menu which has about 12-15 courses. However the flavors on some of the courses left a lot to be desired. Also some of the dishes were presented with little attention to the presentation. I loved the egg, veloute, leek risotto and the pre dessert of choux pastry. The lobster was nice but lacked finesse, some of the dishes just lacked flavour like the scallop tartare. The macaron dessert to end the meal was truly disappointing, something I never dream of in France. We have been to tons of Michelin starred restaurants around the world so this was not the first time. If I were to compare this to many of the others the service was truly disappointing and food was average. Not a place I would come back to again. For what you pay here and for the level of stars, I expect perfection. read more

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We had high hopes for a 3 Michelin star mostly vegetarian meal. We expected exceptional service and inventive and creative dishes. We were disappointed from the moment we were seated. A man walked up to us once we were sat and said "do you want an aperitif?" And we said yes. He then says "what do you want?" We were thrown off by this comment. We had the tasting menu at 470 euro/person. A few dishes were great but others were just okay. 3 dishes were asparagus as the main ingredient! The service was not that of a 3 Michelin star. Glasses stayed empty for awhile. Table full of crumbs. Dry bread slices without flavor were served. No one server but rather 6 different people serving us throughout the night. We made no connection to anyone at the restaurant which was unfortunate. We believe the value is not here for the price point or the accolades of 3 Michelin stars. read more

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J'aimerais décrire cet endroit extravagant comme un restaurant végétarien qui sert également quelques plats de viande et de poisson, pour les clients "allergiques" aux légumes. Mais ces assiettes de légumes sont si bonnes que vous vous demandez ce que tout le monde fait de mal. J'ai particulièrement apprécié la "ratatouille" avec légumes grillés et purée d'aubergines et de tomates. Et le Mille feuille était également excellent, en deux parties : pêche et cantaloup, avec glace à la feuille de vigne. Je dois revenir dès que possible. 2022 09 02. M3. read more

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Some things don't change & this is a very good thing in the case of L'Arpège.........there has indeed been a major change since we first visited in the fact they are now offering meaty dishes but for us vegetarians, the menu is as great as it ever was Opted for the 11 course vegetarian tasting menu this latest visit and we got to see some favorites like the egg and cream dish but also got to discover some new to us favorites like the gazpacho with celery ice cream and the vegetable couscous Everything is picked fresh from their gardens in Normandy region and brought to Paris every day so you're having the freshest, farm to table experience Bravo L'Arpège for staying true to dining perfection! read more

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I am writing this half a year after my lunch at L'Arpège. Looking back, puzzlement is the best descriptor. How could my experience be so far from what this vegetable-focused Paris institution, Michelin three star (since 1996!), and World's 50 Best Restaurant would imply? The food I had was mediocre, and the service so surprisingly amateur that I lacked motivation to write. I also opted for the Gardener's Lunch Menu instead of the full Earth & Sea Menu. At 420€ (~$480) for food alone, the full menu would have placed L'Arpège solidly in the most expensive meal ever category. The lunch menu at 175€ (~$200) seemed, in comparison, like a steal. The bread was extremely dense and flat, with inconsistent crumb. The meats were dry, bland, and overcooked. The veggies were the best, as expected, but I was missing the technicality and/or innovation expected from a three star spot. I noticed a server use the bread tongs to grab leftover crusts from my plate, then use the same tongs to serve others new bread! Napkins were not replaced or folded when we left the table, crumbs were not removed, and they even served the petit fours course when my husband wasn't at the table. The servers were clueless about process, and the sommelier was completely clueless about the food being served. At a standard restaurant, these things wouldn't be a big deal. At three Michelin stars and a total lunch tab of 300€ per person, this was unacceptable. The ingredients used were almost insultingly cheap given the lofty tasting menu prices. Given the reputation, I had expected much more. read more

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As I stepped into the elegant confines of L'Arpège, situated in the heart of Paris, I knew I was about to partake in a culinary experience that could only be described as a symphony of flavors. The maestro orchestrating this magnificent opus is the renowned Chef Alain Passard, whose passion for fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and his devotion to vegetables have earned him a rightful place amongst the culinary greats. My gastronomic journey began with the amuse-bouche: a playful marriage of radish and beetroot, presented with a delightful dollop of whipped feta. The flavors danced gracefully on my palate, harmonizing in a way that only a master like Passard could achieve. It was an overture that set the tone for the rest of the evening. The first movement continued with the famous "Chaud-Froid" egg dish, a velvety egg yolk enveloped in a delicate sherry vinegar foam. The combination of warm yolk and cool foam struck a balance that was both unexpected and sublime, challenging my preconceptions of what eggs could be. The crescendo of the symphony was undoubtedly Passard's signature vegetable-centric dishes. Each course sang with the flavors of the season, showcasing the humble vegetable in ways I had never imagined. The melodic notes of asparagus and morels, the staccato bursts of artichoke and truffle, and the lush, lingering refrain of roasted beetroot and shallots were all expertly woven together, highlighting Passard's commitment to celebrating the earth's bounty. But let us not forget the accompaniments: the tender, flavorful roasted guinea fowl, and the catch of the day, both so fresh and masterfully prepared that they served as the perfect supporting cast to the vegetable stars of the show. The grand finale of this edible symphony was a symphony in itself: a deconstructed tarte Tatin that seemed to defy gravity with its floating layers of caramelized apples and flaky pastry, underpinned by a dulcet vanilla ice cream. It was a fitting end to a meal that had taken me on a thrilling culinary journey. The service, as expected, was attentive, unobtrusive, and knowledgeable. The sommelier's pairing suggestions were spot-on, with each wine playing in harmony with its corresponding dish. read more

We came in for a 9pm reservation and were promptly seated. The restaurant seats about 30 something with a few seats downstairs as well. Ambiance is intimate and formal, but not required to wear a jacket. I wore a collared long sleeve with slacks and it was fine. Service here was consistently perfect. Food came out at the right time. Never too fast or too slow. Sommelier did a fantastic job tonight. A huge bonus was that Alain Passard personally came out to greet all the diners tonight. A sweet surprise for all of us. I ordered the land and sea tasting and my friend ordered the seasonal menu that was vegetarian along with the wine tasting. I thought this was brilliant because most of the dishes were different except for a few staples. Great way to maximize all the dishes we can try. Amuse-bouche consisted of asparagus, celery, beet - Little bites of wonder. Pure in flavor. Beet sushi - amazing. Texture wise like a sushi. Expected a tougher/crispier texture, but the beet just melts in your mouth. Beet is served on top of Japanese rice. Poached egg - soft and lucious. Served in the egg shell. White wine - Jurancon sec souche. Would recommend finishing this pairing before the dumplings. Salad - chives, parmesan cheese, hazelnut. Everything is finely grounded and spread evenly through the salad. White wine goes well with this salad and accentuates the flavors Strawberry salad - feta cheese and cucumber. Sweetness of strawberries cancel the sourness of the feta cheese. Cucumber is refreshing. Asparagus consume Turnip, Cabbage, Freshmint dumplings Green dumpling is amazing. Cabbage is soft Turnip has a nice crunch to it. Lobster - covered in pickled white radish. Comes with with a good amount of lobster. Lobster texture is tougher, but the nice thing about this dish is that the lobster flavor is pure. Nothing to mask or blemish the taste. Goes really well with the Chardonnay. Cabbage leaf stuffed with olive parmesan rose imulsion - flavor really comes out with the wine. White aspagarus - Smoke Challots beet roots , verbana, rhubarb. This dish is amazing. I swear it's the best I've ever had. My mind is completely blown by how good this is. The sauce was spectacular by itself. The white asparagus was not stringy at all. The rhubarb adds a sweetness to it that pairs really well with the wine. The wine brings out the sweetness of the rhubarb. Spring potatoes, zucchini, turbot - same as the vegetarian version but without the fish. The skin was so good. Thin layer of fat with the skin. Couldn't help but finish the foam. Baked potatoes are really soft. Red wine - Cabernet franc. "Eolithe" Spinach and netell, garlic cream Minestrone soup with clams - clams are exquisite. Not too chewy and pops in your mouth of broth. Broth is a must drink. Langoustine with saffron sauce - best langoustine ever. The broth is so flavor and pairs really well with the red wine. the tails are soooo soft and long. Red beet tartar, cucumber, elderflower - tastes like a meat like umami experience. so good. Pigeon and hibiscus sauce - hibiscus sauce overpowered the pidgeon. Pidgeon by itself is really really good and not gamey at all. Tastes almost like duck.. skin was so good by itself Couscous olive oil semolina - amazing. So well balanced. light. Suasage is vegeterian. Tastes very similar to meat. Dessert wine - sauternes. Delightfully dry/sweet Hay ice cream with honey - slightly sweet with an interesting taste. Strawberries hibiscus flower juice - strong hibiscus taste by itself. The strawberries are fairly sweet with the wine. Macaron Candied rhubarb, Angelica flour Napolean - Candied rhubarb. Incredible thin and flaky layers. Rhubarb is really sweet read more

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Long overdue but had a fantastic dinner here. We were at their downstairs dinning room that only had 4 tables for 2, intimate and quiet! Service was impeccable and our host know everything about the food and ingredients despite her being new to the restaurant. We will for sure come back and have lunch here and also see if we can catch chef Alain he was in Normandy with his family for the holidays when we were here. read more

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I was eager to come here after seeing the Chef's Table episode on Alain Passard and have to admit I was thoroughly disappointed with the experience despite my, or perhaps because of my, high expectations. Passard is an amazing man, no doubt and I'd still watch the episode any day. The storyline was compelling: passionate French chef running a three-star (in the great / Michelin sense) rotisserie turns against meat, goes 100% vegetarian, farm-to-table decades before anyone else does, and manages to hold onto his three Michelin stars. Amazing tale. Here's where it gets squirly: I was under the impression that he'd come back to a more centered place: yes, heavy on the vegetables and doing amazing things with them, but interspersed with some fish or meat. We had the tasting menu last night and of what I'm guessing were around 10 courses, the only non-vegetable I could find was about 3 ounces of monkfish. The amuse bouche was just little pieces of vegetables on plate with some salt. The white asparagus (around 130 Euros if order as a main) was, on the tasting menu, one piece of white asparagus wrapped in paper-thin rubarb. The raviolis were three, filled with diced vegetables (not, e.g., meat or a mixed of ground meat and vegetables), on a weak consomme made from vegetables. Turns out even a three-star chef can't make a strong consomme only from vegetables. And I was surprised he'd even try. Unless on the meat vegetarian continuum you're landing at 1-2 out of ten instead of the more 5-6 that I'd expected. (On this scale pure vegetarian being 0 and a rotisserie being 10.) Let's be clear, it wasn't mostly vegetarian, it was all vegetarian except for one lump of monkfish (and arguably some egg depending on vegetarian status). Perhaps my fault, but I thought I knew the story well. And why no pasta, even? Another odd one: zuchini sushi. A ball of rice (that didn't even hold together like sushi rice) with three razor-thin slices of zuchini atop emulating sushi. It was actually pretty tasty, but it's rice with 1/16th of a zuchini atop. They couldn't afford to give us perhaps two. I think this place may have the best gross margins in history because they are vertically integrated (they own their farms), they serve largely vegetables, and I think they can serve like 5 people with one piece of zuchini. Oh, and the prices: 500 Euros per head for the tasting menu. We got some moderate wine and our total bill was 700 Euros per head. That's expensive by any measure. Very. Unanticipated consequence: don't drink red wine here as virtually nothing goes with it, and don't drink much white either because you'll be doing in on a largely empty stomach and end up looped. Then they tortured us for a bit. They put a cheese tray in the center of our area, even though cheese was nowhere to be found on either the tasting menu or the a la carte menu. They offered cheese to the table behind us. We were getting psyched for some cheese and boom, it was never offered to us. (Perhaps those other folks were dining a la carte but it sure didn't look like it.) Your money is not good enough to buy cheese at Arpeges unless you know to order it "animal style" on the secret undocumented menu like In N Out Burger. Then things went from "bad choice by us" to "bad service by them." Right about the cheese incident the service just died. What had been dining in frenetic environment with multiple servers in literally constant motion and an empty glass of wine would sit on the table no more than 10 seconds, it went dead. No more activity. I think what happened was they serve on wing at a time and our wing went into background mode. My guest thought that were weren't visibly enjoying the food enough, bowing to the emperor, etc., and they wrote us off for dead. I don't know what it happened. But I know what happened and it was unacceptable. Couldn't find a server. It look literally 20 minutes to get the check in a place where you can theoretically place a fork on the floor and it will be picked up in a minute. We had to ask twice. Literally, the bottom fell out of the service as we entered the dessert phase and it never came back. We asked for tea at the end and got, in an emperor's new clothes experience similar to the amuse bouche, had a bunch of herb and spice fresh leaves from the garden jammed into a teapot of hot water. An infusion. Problem is, we got to pick the leaves and had no idea what we were doing (despite seeking help) and second, it really didn't taste like much. Looks wise, well, it looked like hot water. All in all, not recommended and I will certainly never be back. If I had rich vegetarian friend who had simply too much money and they wanted to see what a three-star chef can do with vegetables, I'd say maybe they should come. Maybe. Frankly, Indian vegetarian food is way tastier. So three stars? Yes. But three out of five. read more

Finally updating my travels through my F&B journey through Europe. I am blessed to have experienced this incredible restaurant. We chose the vegetarian menu, the beautiful spring vegetables from the Chef's own gardens blew us away. Enjoyed champagnes from the bible of wines. We began with an Amuse-Aouche of crudités dusted with beetroot fleur du sel. Than, we had a beautiful consommé, plump ravioli. It featured fennel, celery, carrot, and rosemary and was truly exquisite, with sweet, savory and salty came together with a finesse of herbaceousness. The entire experience is worth having on your own. read more

Hoping to try the most authentic French cuisine, I made reservation at L'Arpège three months in advance before my Paris trip. The presentation of the dishes were colorful. However, They were just mediocre and tasteless. I was surprised regarding the price and services as followed: Price: €420 per person! This was the most expensive Michelin 3 stars restaurants that I have been to! I really DO NOT MIND if the food are good. However, they were just mediocre. My fiancée and I ended up spending €1200 for this meal! Services: The server noted we had bread crumbs on our table, yet she didn't help us clean until I mentioned. I have dined at many Michelin 3 stars restaurants such as Gordon Ramsay and French Laundry. The servers consistently assisted us in cleaning table and checking on us without even asking. What made this dinning experience better was meeting Chef Alain Passard at the end of the meal. read more

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It might have been the 42 degree weather souring the mood, but L'Arpege was kind of disappointing. We had the chef special tasting menu and then the full meat menu. This was an incredibly expensive meal.... and I didn't feel like it was worth that much. By the end of the meal, we were so full because there were 10 courses (with pretty hefty portions). I'm not complaining about more food, but I would rather have more intricately made dishes of less food. In addition, the service was extremely slow. Our meal took 4 hours!!!!!!!!! We waited a while between every dish and there were 10 dishes. Would definitely recommend the set menu. Do not get the crazy expensive regular menu... it's not worth it. Aside from the extra lobster, the ingredients and taste was not any more special than the lunch special set. Don't waste your money. Overall, the service was good, the food was good. Average for this type of restaurant I would say... nothing too exceptional. I would probably rather spend my money elsewhere. read more

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worst food and service i've ever had. the chef was not even in the kitchen and this is clearly a tourist trap.

We went for dinner a couple of weeks ago. I was looking forward to this one for months. I knew the restaurant was polarizing from the reviews, but that did not lessen my excitement. I should have known better. It is hard to separate expectations from reality, but in this case it doesn't really matter too much, for a 3 star, top-25 world ranked, very pricey tasting menu this one is a real puzzler. I will briefly touch on the service: It was OK at best. Our main server was robotic and seemed annoyed and borderline rude the entire evening. I would chalk this up to us being Americans and just a standard level of Parisian disdain, except we had several very positive dining experiences as our time in Paris went on. The most lasting example of this is when we told our server that we had just gotten engaged and her direct reply was verbatim "Do you want some bread?" I wasn't expecting cartwheels, but come on. I will say the wine guy (not a somm) was very nice and charismatic, which only made the shadow cast over the whole meal by our main server's overt attitude even darker. Now to the food: The amuse bouche was a bit of green juice. It was fine. The first three dishes actually started out very promising. There was an egg custard with maple syrup, an "hummus" with peas and pesto and a gazpacho with a mustard and tarragon savory ice cream. All were actually pretty tasty. Then it started to fall apart: The "sushi" dish was some dry rice with a few raw slivers of squash on top. There was a tiny bit of tasty tapenade. But a very minimal and lackluster couple of bites. The next dish was the most baffling of the evening. It was a plate of red onions with some herbs on them. They were steamed maybe? I'm not sure. Probably not. But they were barely seasoned and completely lifeless. It was really confusing. The dumplings were fine but a bit bland. The fricassee at least had a touch of creativity pairing strawberries and beans in a savory dish. Then there was a fricassee, a "fondue" the fish course and a couple of desserts. Honestly they're not worth going into detail about. Overall, the entire meal was lacking flavor, creativity or anything that would indicate that you were eating a high level, not to even mention "world class" meal. Believe me. I wanted to love it. I tried. I kept waiting for something to happen. For one dish to get dropped that made me stop and say "wow!" That never happened. And as our time in Paris went on, meals that we had at random cafes had more flavor and were more memorable. I'm astounded by the accolades this restaurant receives. read more

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This is the much anticipated restaurant I have wanted to try, and I was not disappointed at all. Our group was greeted by really warm and friendly staffs welcoming our arrival. They took our coats in and gave up stools to place our personal belongings. Some of us are allergic to different types of food such as dairy, gluten, apple and spices, and the restaurant was extremely accommodating. The surprise dishes with the adjustment was not just an afterthought. They were clearly thought out and nothing was felt like missing. The surprise menu consisted a wide range of carefully constructed vegetarian dishes with a great balance of the natural sweetness of the restaurant self grown vegetables. They really are taking the farm to table concepts to the next level. All the servers spoke really good English and made us feel at home. For me, the highlight was the beet tartare. The surprising earthiness and sweetness from the beet with the perfectly cut beet size to mimic the beef tartare texture topped with the carrot-horseradish cream to resemble egg yolk. This dish was just spectacular and really well thought out. The perfectly light coffee green cardamom icecream in freshly scoped quenelle was just magnificent. It was creamy, light and refreshing all at the same time. The great Chef Alain Passard came and greet us and talk to us for a bit was just a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. It was definitely three star Michelin worthy and an experience in a lifetime. read more

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First and most important, this is a Michelin 3-star restaurant meaning it should be one of THE best dining experiences of your life. At $350 for a set menu, everything better be to your liking, right? Wrong. Let me say that the staff and chef, Alain Passard, were very very nice! They took my jacket and scarf and asked us what we liked and didn't like and promised to take care of us. Unfortunately, that promise was not kept. When asked, my wife said she didn't like lamb, and I mentioned that I don't like seafood. Then why did they bring her a leg of lamb, and me, a dish with oyster sauce? That tells me there is a lack of communication with the kitchen. Should that happen at a restaurant of this calibre? I didn't like many of the dishes that were brought to me, and as a result, the server brought plate after plate of mine, back to the kitchen with 3/4 of the food still on them. At a 3 Michelin star place, I expected a little more concern on their part as to why the food wasn't eaten. Earlier in the day, I ate an amazing mortadella sandwich that I cobbled together with ingredients from the neighborhood for less than $10, that was 60 times better than the meal I spent over $600 for. That's not right. When the chef/owner, Alain Passard, came to the table to ask how the meal was, I had a choice to make...should I be honest or nice? I chose honest, and he was sincerely disappointed that I was disappointed, which was extremely nice. As a result, they took about $40 off the bill and gave me a gift of Mr. Passard's book, which was very thoughtful. Even as we left, my 'good luck' continued as they forgot to give me my cashmere scarf. When I asked about it, they told me it was in the sleeve of my jacket, which was amusing, since I was wearing the jacket which already fit snugly--no scarf. They eventually retrieved it from the back room yet I suspect it probably had fallen on the floor. Once again...I know I'm sounding like a complainer, but when you fork down more than $600 for two (not even counting alcohol) you should be treated like a king...instead of craving Burger King. read more

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From beginning to end of this experience, everything was amazing. The ambiance, busy and Parisian, chatter all about. AND air conditioning, which helped because it was so hot/humid outside. If you are into farm to table, Arpège is THE place. All the vegetables and fruits are picked from their farm, very early that morning, and brought into Paris for preparation, and are served that same day. We go to Arpège at lunch, and have never been for dinner. We like the ambiance at lunch, the natural light coming in from the windows. The menus have great options, AND it costs a lot less then dinner there. SO we think that lunch is a win win! Also MAKE RESERVATIONS. The cuisine is not only stunning to look at, but divine to the palette. It pleases every taste bud. I usually have the 7 course, chefs choice tasting menu, and I leave, still feeling not so heavy and full, because of the lightness of the vegetable fare. (Well, depending on how much bread and butter I consume there. They have the BEST bread and butter on the planet!) Great wine list of course, but with very high prices IMO. There are some great, not so expensive wines on the list too, just discuss your budget with the sommelier, to search out the hidden deals. After lunch I recommend going to the Musee' Rodin, just down the street. It's beautiful grounds are a welcome walk, after a large and delicious lunch at Arpège. And the Musee' itself is beautiful, peaceful, and intriguing. I have included some detailed food photos from my meal at Arpège, I hope you enjoy them! read more

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Incredible flavors, extraordinary produce in creative cuisine. My must go to restaurant when in Paris, and when not in Paris I dream of going back for more. read more

When a dear friend told me he wanted to treat me to a special meal in Paris I went immediately to an all knowing Parisienne for guidance. As I'm infinitely more interested in inventive takes on super fresh produce than anything in the molecular gastronomy realm, she told me vegetable focused L'Arpège was where I needed to dine. Many months later, it remains one of the single best meals of my life (only dinner at French Laundry could hold a candle to it). The smell of butter browning hits your nose immediately upon entering the spare space. The aroma is inviting - like going to someone's house on Thanksgiving - and the atmosphere is unstuffy. Our lunch began with glasses of bubbly from Billecart-Salmon (which made me think I ought to be drinking champagne more often during the middle of the day). Don't try ordering one flight of wine if your mastery of French is subpar. We tried, politely, to explain that we'd share the wine pairing between us. Two full flights appeared instead. Needless to say, we went with it. Our first dish incorporated onions and pears with Parmesan. Almost like wine, it hit the palette with Parmesan first, continued on to onion and had a pleasing pear finish. The flavors seemed to float on top of one another and yet still stand alone, distinct. Next came the beetroot horseradish sushi which was probably the prettiest of all the plates. It managed to have the essence of fish whilst containing no seafood at all. The soy sauce was delicate but nearly unnecessary because the sushi arrived perfectly seasoned. Our sweet sommelier seemed to enjoy our iPhone photos and helped hold up the bottles so we could capture them and left another behind so we could snap it. Service overall was surprisingly light hearted for a restaurant of such a high caliber. We continued with celeriac so finely diced that it danced on your tongue and afterwards came carrot soup so rich in colour it looked like paint (and I mean that in the best way possible). Were I to give a theme to the meal it would be light and ethereal. So much haute cuisine relies on meat (L'Arpège serves none) which makes it all the more amazing what's done with vegetables at this three Michelin starred restaurant. Other highlights of the meal included a veggie blood sausage, an otherworldly vintage Comté from 2007 and an inhumanely light pear mille-feuille. Shockingly (though I think he does this often) chef Alain Passard came out into the dining room and happily posed for photos with his diners, including us! This verdant and precious lunch is one I won't soon forget. If you're contemplating multiple dining destinations in Paris and can only choose one, I'd highly recommend you pick L'Arpège. read more

I am not sure how to review this place and do It justice. Basically one of the best meals of my life over the span of 4-41/2 hours. We were seated and few minutes passed and MR Passard welcomes us at the table. Food was fantastic just as expected... no complaints from a friend as well who opted for a full vegetarian menu. One thing could have been better... service or more precisely attitude of mater Dei. She seems but pissed off when one of our group person sent back anchovies. But all in all great and cost a pretty penny. read more

L'Arpège - French Near Me - Paris, 75

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One of the best meals of our lives. We've eaten at a decent number of super-highly-ranked places, and I thought this absolutely belonged in that top tier. We went all out and did one of each tasting menu -- one which is almost entirely vegetarian, and one that features meat and fish. If you can only choose one, I think I would cast an extremely soft vote for the vegetable one, but if you're 1) not a vegetarian; 2) in a group of at least two; and 3) don't mind spending the extra money, I think it would be crazy to not do both and share. Our favorite dishes were scattered pretty well across both menus, among them: the tomato carpaccio (probably my favorite -- simply a perfect combination of thin-sliced tomatoes with olive oil and salt, which I'll be thinking about for a long time), the lettuce salad with pistachio praline and parmiggiano reggiano (an incredibly simple-looking salad that jumped with flavor), ratatouille, veloute (a creamy corn/garlic thing that, again, looked like nothing and just explodes in your mouth, with a kick), their minestrone, and an amazing and beautiful-looking apple pie dish for dessert. I should also mention the bread and butter, which were so outstanding and refilled so many times during the meal that we really risked getting full off of it. It was very hard to resist. Overall, I thought the pacing was pretty well done, in the sense that we weren't quite uncomfortably full until the very end. It's a very long meal -- almost 3.5 hours start-to-finish -- but it's also a lot of food, and while at times it felt like they could have sped it up, it's hard to argue with the results. Also, Alain Passard is a lot of fun -- high energy, excited to see everybody, and extremely welcoming. It sounds like he's there almost every night, and I'd be sad for people who go when he's not. (It still would be an amazing experience, but it's really fun to be around someone who is at the top of his field and still seems to be enjoying the hell out of the process.) Can't recommend this place enough. read more

My boyfriend and I booked about 60 days in advance for the vegetarian lunch tasting menu. We weren't really celebrating anything, but it was my boyfriend's first time in Paris and we're big foodies, so we knew this was something we wanted to do. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience! The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. Ultimately, it was approximately 20 courses in total, including dessert -- I see some people commenting on the bread and I will admit, we definitely filled up on the delicious bread and butter too, but I say go for it. Just come super hungry and get ready to be stuffed by the time you lead! The dishes are truly ingenious with really complex and thoughtful pairings of various flavors and textures. We enjoyed every dish and all the little surprises throughout the meal -- we got to keep the engraved knife and even enjoyed a nice conversation with Chef Passard as well when he stopped by the table! He is truly a gentleman and was so genuinely interested in talking with us and learning about our trip. Overall, I would definitely recommend going for a special occasion or even just if you're visiting Paris. 10/10 all around. read more

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do yourself a favor and just relax, take your time to enjoy every single bite of the 12 course tasting menu. this has been the most amazing dining we have had the opportunity to experience. the staff was excellent, friendly and accommodating. i had the vegetarian tasting menu and my spouse had the other ( omnivore ) tasting menu. read more

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This is probably the most anticipated meal of our trip to Paris - found restaurant based on some negative review on Eater, but with Alain's resume, 3 Star Michelin since 1996 and that it made it to Top #11 restaurant in the world, I want to check it out. Tasting menu for dinner is absolutely a splurge at 399 Euro. We ended up saving a few dollars and did the a la carte. Service was top notch with a warm welcome from the chef what a treat. Our server walked us through the menu and translated for us. I did not feel that they were pushy to sell us the most expansive tasting. Instead, they were very accommodating and recommended us to split a few appetizers and entrees. The Beets tartare was definitely the stand out. It had the texture and the taste of a beef tartare but of course 100% vegetables from the very own garden. It is a A+ dish. Loved it. The meal was very enjoyable with the chef came several times to check on us. The restaurant is cozy (unlike Guy Savoy's restaurant that felt a little corporate). The service was not stuffy but attentive. 2 apps and 1 entree, a bottle of Chablis Premiere Cru ($100) and a glass of Gevrey Chamberlain later, the dinner was about $600. Not cheap but we had a wonderful meal. The chef's welcoming gesture made it another grand 3 M Stars dining experience for our trip to Paris. read more

Exceptional and worthy of its accolades. The menu may be mainly "just vegetables" but the clarity and precision with which they're cooked are super high, and the result is extreme deliciousness. The "chimere" takes a lot of skill to cook two meats nicely at the same time. Chef Passard is an artist and a great chef. Service was nice, from the start to the wine. Got a nice bottle of Jacques Selosse VO for a pretty good price! It doesn't need to rely on the traditional style of luxury ingredients for the dishes to be knockouts. The dishes may be seemingly simple at first but they are astonishing. This place is one of the very top for me. read more