Reporting back from several days in Paris this month. More pics coming but a quick rundown for now.
Paris
Le Gabriel - I’ve been curious about Le Gabriel for a while. For some reason, I kept confusing it with Le Clarence, but since Le Gabriel got 3* and I learned that chef Jérôme Banctel cooked for 10 years at L’Ambroisie, we decided to go.
Lobster with sauce navarin-glazed potatoes and head juices was fantastic. Poached in seawater, the lobster was extremely juicy, and the smooth potatoes and full-bodied navarin sauce were excellent. This is an homage to the L’Ambroisie lobster.
Pigeon with Apicius spices and fermented turnip was one of the best pigeon dishes I’ve had. The cookery on it was perfect, but the balance of fermented turnip, spices, and pickled turnip took it to master level. I like these kinds of homage dishes - this one is based on the “Canard Apicius” by Alain Senderens, a nouvelle cuisine chef who trained Alain Passard (Arpege), Alain Solivérès (Le Taillevent), Christian Le Squer (Le Cinq), etc. Great dish.
Chef also does this interesting thing with some fruits / vegetables where he marinates them in limewater then cooks the inside to very soft. The outside has a membrane-like texture and I didn’t understand it fully but it sounds like he’s able to cook down the inside a lot to render a lot of sweetness without caramelizing the outside.
limestone-marinated fig (Violette de Solliès), purple shiso ice cream, anise seed
limestone-marinated kiwi, shiso ice cream, vanilla bean, and chartreuse cream, great balance
limestone-marinated carrot and ginger, filled with carrot mousse, with carrot-ginger and herb sauce, really bright and full of natural sweetness, nice with carrot pickles.
Great wine list, full of nice values like this bottle of Gaspard Brochet we picked up for less than American retail. It was hard to choose because there were so many gems available. The markup is sometimes quite low, but the flip side is that upon paying you’re faced with the tip screen of optional 10%, 15%, or 20% tip, something you only really see at a few establishments catering to tourists unfortunately. We left tip, but it just felt slightly weird as I don’t think I’ve ever encountered this at other 3-star Michelin rated restaurants in France. Nonetheless, the lobster and pigeon dishes will keep us coming back.
Epicure at Le Bristol - Really smooth experience. Great service and dining room, and my hare dish was a stunner. Chef Arnaud Faye took over last year since longtime chef Eric Frechon left, and it’s running great. No duds, just well-coordinated and an excellent meal.
Scallops, watercress gnocchi, caviar, smoked potato cream. Delicious with smoked potato especially.
Hare, beetroot, pickled centifolia rose, purple shiso, barberry.
“lièvre à la royale” with beetroot and civet sauce. ballotine with herbs. fantastic sauce.
Vanilla dessert, this reminds me a bit of Cedric Grolet’s style
Vanilla “caviar” in the pod, crispy crepes, roasted vanilla ice cream
Le Duc - Excellent seafood restaurant in Montparnasse since 1967. Rumored to be the first to serve raw fish in Paris. The sole meuniere was the best I’ve had. Not cheap (about $175) but perfect - the slightly toothsome texture against the red rice was very memorable. Apparently the waiters are fishermen so they know how to take care of the fish. Lovely place, highly recommended.
The famous seabass crudo with garlic and thyme toasts is a nice starter - the garlic isn’t as overpowering as one might think.
monkfish with lime butter and chives
john dory warmed in vodka butter with poppy seeds
Rouget warmed in bouillabaisse sauce
sole meuniere
half of it
they come around with a nice dessert trolley. we got the Il Flottante, excellent
decor wise, it looks like a ship
Chez L’Ami Louis - Classic old school bistro since 1924. It’s known probably for 4 things: 1) its roast chicken, 2) its large wine list, heavy in Burgundy, 3) its controversially high prices and clubby reputation, and 4) getting bought by LVMH in 2024 on its 100th anniversary. The prices are high but for the chicken it’s reasonable - the roast chicken that is ostensibly for 2 people could comfortably feed 3, I’d say 4 given you will order appetizers. Green salad is 35 eur, but it should be for 4-6 people.
The escargot was my favorite rendition; it arrived bubbling and very garlicky. The Bresse chicken is cooked in goose fat so it’s quite tender. I really liked the food and the old school charm. Clientelle seemed 75% American, British, or Chinese tourists who all seemed to get in through hotel concierges. The food is really satisfying and there are some gems on the wine list. We went for a simple Clerget volnay for the price one would pay in US retail.
You really need 3-4 persons at least to get the most out of it. Play for 3: escargot (dozen), Landes foie gras appetizer, roast chicken, wine. if we had 4, i’d consider adding a gibier like pheasant, partridge, etc.
The roast chicken is worth the hype. Take a pile of shostring fries and dump them in the sauce, eat with the skin and cress.
Rognon de veau with flambe mustard cream sauce
Le Griffonnier - A classic gem, where you hear mainly French spoken by businesspeople on lunch. Their oeufs mayonnaise won some best in the world award or something - I dunno, but it was delicious, and I normally hate this kind of dish. The tartare was my favorite rendition - nice knife-cut texture with a little bit of yield, nicely proportioned and seasoned with capers, shallots, etc. just bright enough, perfect with fries for a very satisfying lunch at one of the places in the 8th near Faubourg St. Honore and Place Vendome that still feels local. Nice wine list - scored a decent Dauvissat La Forest for a good price. A perfect afternoon if you’re nearby.
oeufs mayonnaise
excellent tartare, my favorite of the trip (I had at least 7)
Le Grand Cafe at Grand Palais - a beautiful new “cafe” (more like a brasserie) at the Grand Palais designed by celebrated interior designer Joseph Dirand. The decor and people here are beautiful and the menu is big. Nothing of interest on the wine list and the mains were good, not great, but the fruits de mer / shellfish tower were fantastic. Seriously good - clean shucked oysters, full of their liquor, really it makes Connie & Ted’s in LA seem a clear step lower. Sole meuniere actually quite good, but I’d come here at lunch for many, many oysters and probably a martini, skip their wine. Service was charming, though there is the tip screen at the end.
oysters - fine de claire, gillardeau, krystale, belon
beef tartare - smooth, a bit milder seasoning
Le Voltaire - a quintessential nice bistro and a nice address. They do everything quite well. Cote de veau with griolles was nicely cooked; filet au poivre was very good by Paris standards. Escargot very good product, slightly milder than L’Ami Louis’s. Recommended for a solid meal with sophisticated charm. Very good service. Clientele about 40% tourist, everyone being a New Yorker it seemed.
filet au poivre. very good, thick cut. my favorite is at Le Severo, but this is a very nice rendition and I can see why this is so beloved.
cote de veau with girolles, butter-sage sauce
foie gras salad with artichokes and green beans
berry pavlova, berthillon sorbets (passionfruit, pear)
Allard - I’ve been here before and it wasn’t my first choice (or second), but the concierge struck out on a few and we needed a bistro. Nice enough but as a Ducasse-purchased restaurant, it feels both authentic (to its 1935 roots) and a bit touristy - loud music of either Édith Piaf or Frank Sinatra, with 100% tourist clientele on the couple of times I”ve been. Wine not that exciting, as for the food, always pretty good but not really standout. I think the cooking is nice technically but the dishes are not quite my preferred style. Tip screen.
sweetbreads nicely cooked. pretty good with cauliflower puree and cabbage.
Masaikuta - a new restaurant by chef Masahide Ikuta, famous for making Les Enfants du Marche what it was and also for his experience at Table Bruno Verjus, Etxebarri, etc. Run by the excellent sommelier and server Tom, who really is the heartbeat of the restaurant. He makes the experience fun and illuminates the dishes and wines, which were well considered. As for the food, it reminds me of the better days at Les Enfants du Marche but also there are some creative dishes, whether blending the team’s backgrounds (French, Japanese, Spanish). Certainly a good and exciting new address in the 11th, recommended for sure if you want to try this kind of fun and freestyle cuisine, Japanese-French, not sure what to call it, that is very popular in Paris. 4, 6, or 8 course. Sade and Bob Marley on the speakers, comfortable and relaxed layout, where you can dine in several areas (counter to couch). There are good things ahead for them.
Seared tuna belly, with hibiscus tare. You may recognize a similar dish from Table Bruno Verjus, the ventreche de thon au poivre. But this one was easier to eat, and I preferred it, because the hibiscus’s brightness and the complexity of the tare, which also had the depth of a nicely rendered sauce Bordelaise / demi-glace sauce. Lots more great bites but I didn’t take notes. I remember the marinated sardine on soft churro and the thick-cut aged sea bream with finger lime, dill, chili, coastal herbs and a Vietnamese sauce was great
L’Ambroisie, Table by Bruno Verjus, and Sunday lunch at MAISON are our current plans for our first trip to Paris. Still deciding on further options so you trip report is very helpful. I did book a table at 
I am curious if the format/menu will change at L’Ambroisie post-renovation and if they will stray from classics more.