Ledoyen (Paris, France) is one of those *grand* restaurants - think, russian oil tycoons, swiss diplomats, and all of the power-brokers of Europe. The food is highly polished, near-perfect conceptually, and very very expensive.
It is hidden in a park at the end of the Champ Elysses, across from the Place de la Concorde. The room is full of windows, overlooking the trees and park. The style of the room is not my preference - highly ornamental, a glimmer into the height of French decadence. But it is grand - it *feels* as impressive as the bill, where many of the great Parisian restaurants are tucked into much smaller, and less extravagent, rooms.
This meal for two below was 1400 euros w/ a cheap (200 euro) bottle of wine. My first Ledoyen meal was sensational, one of my all-time best, but this one suffered mostly from ordering too much. The perfect langoustine dish from my last meal was not so perfect this time; but I was too full to complain (when one complains legitimately in these types of restaurants, you will usually get 1-2 extra dishes and 1-2 extra desserts, all comped. I couldn't eat them so I didn't complain.)
If you want one of the last few remaining grand dining experiences, this is it.
Langoustine & Seaweed Lollipop
Quail egg encased with truffle, Beet & Smoked eel macaroon, Mozzerella "egg"
Saveurs “terre et riviere” - Land and river - smoked eel, eel tartar, and textures of beet
Foie Gras w/ Passionfruit
Grosses langoustines Bretonnes, croustillantes, emulsion d’agrumes a l’ huile d’olive - Langoustines, fried & a la plancha, with citrus & olive emulsion
When this is on, it is one of the top-5 dishes of all time and it, alone, is worth the price of admission.
Ris de veau en brochette de bois de citronelle, jus d’herbes
You can read about this particular meal here:
ChuckEats blog Ledoyen (Paris, France) - Regality is not without Faults
Highly recommended if you follow my ordering tips in the link above, and you have a taste for things like langoustines, uni, eel, etc.
My first spectacular meal:
ChuckEats blog Ledoyen (Paris) - The Harmony of Modernism
- chuck