Dining in Paris - "From Paris With Love"

Roving 

Global Around Town

Senior Travel Correspondent

Doug Wingate

just got back from a 

calorie filled visit

to Paris.

Here's his report:

For my short 4 day stay, I decided to try several Michelin starred, upmarket places (all at lunch time; I took the evenings "off," choosing a simple baguette sandwich instead), including dining at 2 of the 3 current Parisian offerings of uberchef Joel Robuchon (currently the chef with the most Michelin stars worldwide to his name). The first JR spot I dined at, on my 3rd day in town, was my return to the original "L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon"in the 7th Arr. http://www.restaurants-joel-robuchon.com/modele.php?resto=2&ville=Paris&rub=pratique&image=1&langue=eng

L'Atelier de JR was everything I could have hoped for, and as good as I had remembered it. It was just one faaaaaaantastic mouth orgasm after another, esp. as I opted for the 9 course tasting menu. I also let the sommelier choose a complementary wine-by-the-glass for each of the many courses (including a customary coupe du champagne upon being seated, mais oui). None of this came cheaply of course. With the rotten Euro to Dollar exchange, I ended up dropping over USD$300! But ... it was worth every penny (or Euro, to be precise)!!

The first day I arrived, I dined at a more modestly priced place, but with a nonpareil pedigree as well. I dined at "L'Atelier Maitre Albert" in the Rive Gauche 5th Arr.. http://www.ateliermaitrealbert.com/  It's a beautifully modern interpretation of a rustic rotisserie restaurant, created by Chef Guy Savoy (whose eponymous Parisian flagship is a Michelin 3 star joint too of course). I had a special lunchtime set menu of 3 courses that was a relative bargain: I chose a fancy crabe millefeuille starter, followed by a superb free-range roast chicken with heavenly whipped potatoes, finished by an extraordinarily delicious and unique pamplemousse terrine dessert, which was the perfect light ending to an otherwise hearty meal. All of this, plus the wine, for "only" about USD$70. Again however, the price-to-quality ratio exceeded expectations. 

On my 2nd day in town, I tried New York uberchef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's first foray into the Paris market, with a "casual but trendy" spot in the fancy schmancy 8th Arr., called simply "Market." See http://www.jean-georges.com/ Mr. Vongerichten, who has 3 Michelin stars for his eponymous Manhattan flagship, Jean Georges, was the only one who disappointed me at all (too bad for him as he's a lousy ambassador for the USA to France!). His expensive chicken dish was not even as good as the chicken stuffed with foie gras that they served me in my upgraded Business class seat on my return American Airlines flight!!! Shame on Jean Georges! Don't bother (In fairness, the starting butternut soup was very good, but the main chicken dish was genuinely virtually inedible! I did NOT bother with a dessert there, but instead rolled around the corner to the Champs-Elysees, to stop at one of the many cafes).

I chose a cafe called Le Deauville ( http://www.myparistrips.com/pariscafes.html , near the George V metro stop) mostly because they advertised that they serve Paris's justly famed Berthillon ice creams! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berthillon  A couple of "boules of Berthillon glace" and a very good double espresso made for a superb dessert, and almost erased my bad memory of MARKET.

On my final full day, I tried Joel Robuchon's 16th Arr. entry, "La Table de Joel Robuchon," introduced after his success with L'Atelier. http://www.restaurants-joel-robuchon.com/modele.php?resto=1&ville=Paris&rub=pratique&image=1&langue=eng  Things didn't begin well there, as they called me in the morning to ask me to come at 1:45 PM instead of my original res. of 1:30. No biggie of course. But, when I got there at 1:45, they had no table yet, and sadly they have no bar area either. So, I had to wait in a small vestibule, next to the coat check for about 45 minutes more. However ... Chef Robuchon's staff knows how to "make good" for a problem like having an earlier party NOT vacate their table. After I'd been standing there about 10 minutes, they offered me a complimentary coupe du champagne (a 25 Euro tab at L'Atelier!!), then they brought out a chair for me to sit upon, and also offered me a platter of their best Iberian ham, one of their specialites de la maison (de rigeur in Barcelona, but all the rage in Paris right now too).  And finally when I was seated, they happily were perfection. They also had a special lunchtime-only "Menu 'Club'" that offered an hors d'oeuvre, main dish, cheese course, dessert, coffee and a demi bottle of wine, all for "only" Euro 59 (around USD$80)!!! As my meal was again just superb, and they had already "comped" me over 40 Euro worth of food and wine while I had waited, I was most content! VIVE LE CHEF ROBUCHON!!!

Many thanks 

to Doug 

for keeping us abreast 

of 

The Culinary World in Paris.

Dining in Hong Kong

This just in from Global Around Town Senior Travel Correspondent Doug Wingate in Hong Kong:

Got to lunch at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon on Thursday, before we headed to the mainland for Harbin's New Year's festivities over the weekend. It was dee-lish. We had a set menu, that began with a swell amuse bouche of a parmigiana flan presented in a ceramic egg shell. Our starter was a seared scallop and bacon skewer that was rich and light simultaneously. Then, we enjoyed a unique duck confit presentation as our main, that was like an haute shepherd's pie, with a small pot with a bottom layer of duck confit, topped with truffled mashed potatoes, and then finished with a broiled layer of parmigiana. Ohmigod-- I died and went to heaven then and there, but first they gave me angel wings with a dessert of petit profiteroles in which  the chocolate sauce had been traded for a salted caramel sauce. Then coffee, finished by house made macarons and fruit gelees. EXQUISITE all!

Yesterday, Chinese New Year's Day in Hong Kong, we were looking for an open restaurant, and serendipitously wandered into a new little place on trendy Hollywood Rd. (the Design District), which forms the northern border of also trendy SoHo, on the western edge of Central, and just east of the famous Man Mo Buddhist Temple. It is called DUO, and is run by a Lebanese fellow who grew up in Paris, by the name of Marwan Cabbabe, who is fluent in French and English (and probably whatever else is spoken in Lebanon). His very chic new bistro offers an eclectic mix of cuisine, from burgers for the homesick American expats to Duck confit and profiteroles for the French missing their Gallic homeland. Everything we tasted was first-rate, from the confit of roast chicken with roasted root vegetables (gorgeous and cooked to perfection), to a pumpkin risotto, to a light but rich housemade chocolate cake with fresh whipped cream. (In fact, everything in the place is housemade, from the tapenade served on toasted bread as you sit down, to a unique dessert of housemade jams with various breads, that could also be a breakfast with tea or coffee). The French couple sitting next to us finished off with glee their risotto and gnochi and finished with excellent-looking profiteroles. The wine list is well chosen, and Marwan the host/owner couldn't be more gracious. My HoKo house hosts were flabbergasted at the find; they couldn't believe something so good had opened up so close to their mid-Levels home. Anyway, this is THE spot, in my humble foodie opinion, for a GREAT, comforting, stylish meal for the western palate (with a Gallic foundation) with prices, although not cheap, that are a veritable bargain compared to the Michelin-two-starred wonderful L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (DUO is equally  satisfying, in its own way, as L'Atelier). Here's wishing Marwan every success -- it is well deserved.

DUO Restaurant + Cafe

G/F 118, Hollywood Rd

Central, Hong Kong

Tel-852 6338 3991

www.duo.com.hk