The hotel interior is quite striking – modern architecture gives way to country touches. The corridor to the rooms is dark with aggressive modern painting lining the walls. The room was full of odd angles and matte colors contrasting with amber wood and the striking view.

Upon dinner, we were driven 2-3 blocks to the restaurant.

The restaurant interior is rather striking – the modernity of the hotel rooms is amplified, but still calmed w/ the amber wood touches. All tables look out into the countryside where the grass is lit at night to give it a slightly fluorescent look. The tables are large and spaced comfortably as most are in French 3*** restaurants.

(Note: my tasting notes were lost so i’m going from memory. It’s really too bad because some of the flavors were rather complex and I may not capture some nuances; likewise, I know I’m forgetting some of the important ingredients.)

Two tasting menus were offered and we choose the Spring Menu (~6 courses for 150 euros.)

1. Amuses
They served us a few amuses (lost notes) but none were particularly impressive. We had slightly worried looks as the amuses should set the tone of the meal. Good.

2. Langostine served atop Bed of Mushrooms
The langostine was slightly overcooked, just a tad mushy, but it was plump and full of flavor. The mushrooms underneath (various sorts) had the right amount of bite – they were delicious. The herb-infused, creamy, mushroom broth was very refined and satisfying. Very Good.

3. Asparagus w/ Morels, Mushroom Sauce, & Porcini Dust
The asparagus were some of the better examples we’ve had on the trip, but the morels… the best. They were as plump as those at L’Astrance but they were bursting with even more flavor. There was also not a grit of sand to be found. The sauce was divine – it had an *intense* mushroom flavor. All of the individual ingredients were perfect, but combine them all together w/ that sauce and you get a vegetable dish that would hold its own against L’Arpege. Excellent.

4. Lobster w/ Morels in Potato Mousse
The lobster was perfectly cooked, sweet and juicy; the morels excellent; and the potato mousse (for lack of a better word) was creamy but light. Excellent.

5. Mushroom Consumme
A simple glass of mushroom consumme infused with an herb. This was marvelous – the taste rolled on your tongue, building in intensity with the mushroom essence, and then slowly disintegrated leaving the herb flavor. Excellent.

6. Lamb w/ Porcini Crust, Sweetbreads, “Ball of Lamb” & Assorted Vegetables
The final meat dish and, unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the greatness of the earlier courses. The lamb was cooked fine but it lacked the flavor of the Paulliac lamb at Lameloise a few days earlier. The crust was a bit too sweet. It’s worth mentioning the baby carrot in this dish was phenomenol – soft on the outside, slightly sweet, and bursting with carrot flavor in the middle. Good.

7. Fromage Blanc Ice Cream
A miscommunication landed us with an ice cream cheese course, instead of a regular cheese course. The ice cream was creamy, the cheese taste had that slight tang, but I’ve had better examples. Very Good.

8. The Endless Parade of Desserts
Here are some of the desserts we had. Photographs of 2-3 others are missing. None were spectacular but the first picture was interesting – bananas, caramel, candied morels, and some other mushroom flavoring. All Good to Very Good.

Overall – if you love mushrooms, this is a must visit. This meal was probably our 3rd best meal of the trip – it was focused and refined. Most of the ingredients were of a higher quality. The cooking was also more consistent than most other restaurants – the veggies & meats were mostly cooked perfectly; and, if not, near perfect.

Leave Paris around noon, arrive by 6pm, and wait 2 hours for mushroom madness. This is destination dining.

- chuck

Jacques Decoret has the reputation of a culinary rogue – off in his own little city concocting his own brand of cuisine. It’s not quite molecular gastronomy but it is post-modern; it can be playful, self-referencing, and packed full of culinary pop-culture references. In a country seemingly filled with traditionalists who prefer to tweak, Decoret tries to push and redefine culinary boundaries.

Artists can have such lofty ambitions.

The Stunner
Literally, the stunner. Our palette cleanser before dessert was a small flower attached to the positive and negative termainals of a rather large 4.5V battery. We were instructed to place it in our mouths. Holy S&$#*#?!?!?! I need to do some research on this but the flower apparently stored electrons – it shocked our mouths.

And it lasted. Our tongues were buzzing for a good 5 minutes. Mission accomplished – pallette erased.

And now the regular meal :

1. Microwave Tray “Platter”
Dried smelt, dried vegetable chips, potatoes 2 ways, and a spoon of tuna & radish; all served on a styrofoam microwave tray akin to a TV dinner. Considering the reputation of the restaurant, I thought they’d go for the jugular w/ the amuses; instead, all were fairly basic and, while good, plain. The tray was obviously some statement on culinary importance – the same post-modern argument that attributes as much relevancy to folk and popular art as it does “proper” art found in museums and history books. Good.

2. Parmesan Asparagus Milkshake
A small shot glass with parmesan at the bottom, asparagus, and the foam on top. This was good but it didn’t have an ethereal quality it could have had. The flavors were sharp instead of essences; they belied their medium. Very Good.

3. Foie w/ Bacon, Cabbage Puree, & Cabbage Gelee
The foie was a tad on the watery/flan-like side (seemingly very common in France and Spain), but it worked pretty well when combined with all of the elements. The bacon, while a tad greasy, helped carry the flavor of the foie. The cabbage puree & gelee helped cut the (obvious) richness of the dish. Good.

4. Ball of Escargot w/ Parsley & Goat Cheese
Escargot with goat cheese and parsley was tucked inside a breaded ball. The snail was cooked well, though not nearly as good as the Montrachet specimen a week ago. For me, there was too much breading, the inside was a tad greasy, and the 2nd snail was a bit rubbery. Good.

5. The Oyster Balloon
The chef has a cruel sense of humor – a balloon is filled with oyster cream, tied with a string. You are instructed to place the balloon in your mouth, bite down, and pull out the string. When you bite down, the balloon explodes in your mouth. I don’t have to tell you what this reminds one of. The reactions of people around the room were very much inline with said unmentioned act.

Did it work? The oyster cream was surprisingly good. I understand what he’s trying to accomplish w/ the delivery mechanism – the burst of oyster coating your mouth, not to mention a wicked little joke. For taste, I think he could improve on the mechanism – the bursting is not quite uniform. For theater, I wouldn’t want to give him any more ideas. Very Good.

6. Cornmeal-coated Mackeral w/ Miso-based Sauce
The fish was old, overcooked, and vile. We let this one slide and begrudgingly ate most of it. However, this is a perfectly good example of why people dislike mackeral. Not Good.

7. Sole w/ Ruby Red Grapefruit, Endives, and a Sauce of all 3
The sole was old, mushy, and the batter was greasy. I couldn’t get the combination of all 3 elements – the acidity of the grapefruit overpowered the fish (maybe that was the point considering its horrendous quality.) We could not eat this.

The waiters were stunned & perplexed; they took it back to the chef and he said this was good fish cooked correctly. We said no, let’s just move on (learning from our Pic experience.) The waiters apologized we weren’t happy.

8. Pigeon w/ Mushrooms
It was cooked perfectly but it lacked flavor. Good.

9. The Electric Palette Cleanser
Did he copy this from anywhere?

10. A Few Desserts

Once again, the fish courses marred a meal that was going ok. Before the fish, the meal felt like a less ambitious WD-50. After the fish, the meal felt like a less ambitious WD-50 on amateur hour. Both the quality and the preparedness of the fish were abysmal – if this is French fish cooking, they really need to get out of their country villages and see the world. With the exception of Gagnaire & L’Astrance, no one has come close to reproducing *average* fish dishes in the US. And I’m supposed to be dining at some of France’s best?

Without considering the fish dishes, Decoret is an average restaurant with a few tricks up its sleeves. He can cook, as demonstrated with the pigeon dish, but he’s more interested in surprising, impressing, and joking. When successful, it makes for a pleasant and jovial evening; but the fun and games are not worth the suffering that accompanies it.

When you add the feel of lingering death in the Vichy air, skip Decoret and head down to Bras after your Troisgros meal.

- chuck

The Hotel
Like most of the 3-star countryside French places, the restaurant is a hotel. Mind you, these hotels are generally spectacular – ultra-modern design, state-of-the-art facilities (no gyms though!), and impeccable service.

It all makes for an easy evening. You come down to dinner whenever you like (generally between 7-9pm); get seated in the lounge where you sip on champagne and figure out your menu; and then, about 45 minutes later, claim your table in the dining room. This is luxurious dining at your own pace – it’s nice. After dinner, you can retreat back to the lounge, finish your wine (or order more drinks), and smoke cigars if that’s your thing.

And you never see the bill. It magically appears on your hotel charges when you check out. Easy dining.

The Meal
We opted for the tasting menu, exchanging sole for the frog’s legs. Given the horrendous quality of fish in France, and this being a Sunday dinner, we thought we could outsmart the tasting menu.

1. Amuse – Mushroom Mousse w/ Slices of Mushroom
I didn’t catch the French so this is my best guess. The mousse was extremely light & airy but there was a small essence of shellfish that permeated it. The mousse would surround your mouth and disintegrate – a wonderful texture and sensation. There were also specs of red pepper on the plate. Excellent.

2. Asparagus 3 Ways (Sweet Pepper, Mint, & “Black”)
Niche1, an asparagus nazi, proclaimed them among the best asparagus he’s had – great ingredients, perfect cooking. Each sauce complemented the asparagus. The sweet pepper was a touch too sweet but still very good; the black, presumably squid ink, had a deeper, richer sea taste; and the mint was my favorite. If nothing else, I’ve learned to like very good asparagus on this trip. Excellent.

3. Foie w/ Grapefruit & Peas
The seared foie was watery and had a flan-like consistency; I’m unsure if this was on purpose but it tasted excellent. This seems to be “the way” they like to cook it in France and Spain right now. The grapefruit’s acidity and sweetness cut the fat. The peas were very good, as well as the small onions that accompanied the plate. Very Good.

4. Frog Legs Tempura w/ Tamarind & Lemon
6 frog legs, fried, with a generous amount of tamarind. Taste-wise, the tamarind overpowered the frog legs. Execution-wise, they were too greasy. Conceptually, this wasn’t even a 1-star dish. A satisfying dish, but not what I expected here. Not Good.

5. Lobster w/ Caramelized Juices
The lobster was overcooked; the caramelized bits, spruced up a bit w/ pepper, overpowered the meat. Not Good.

6. Lamb & Brulee
A solid piece of lamb that was a touch overcooked on the edges but nice in the middle. The lamb itself was a bit flavorless, with the crust giving it most of its taste. Good.

7. Parade of Desserts
Ididn’t record.

Overall, it was a solid meal for a lesser restaurant but it didn’t live up to the potential of the earlier courses. The earlier courses relied on subtlety (a tweak with red pepper, essence of tastes, & ephemeral textures.) The later courses took a completely different turn where the crust (tamarind tempura, caramelized juices, lamb crust) dictated the flavor instead of the ingredients. This may have been ok but the crusts overpowered the ingredients in most cases. The meal definitely dropped off hard in the middle and i did expect more from such a famed 3-star restaurant.

- chuck

We opted for the extended tasting menu.

1. Amuses
They served us a plate full of amuses in the lounge. I wasn’t in note-taking mode (two dishes noted below) but they were all very good to excellent (with the exception of one.) The meal looked like it would be quite a surprise.

a. Salmon, Dikon Radish, & Comte – all sliced very thin and wrapped together in a circle. excellent texture and taste.

b. Tower of Tomme Foam & Lime – excellent texture, acidity, & taste.

2. Foie Creme Burlee w/ Green Apple Sorbet & Popcorn
The foie coats your mouth and the savory gives way to the sweet. the sorbet, once mixed, gives it all a tang. I’ll forgive the unnecessary piece of soggy popcorn on top of it all. Very Good.

3. Bluefine Tuna / Duck Foie w/ Arugula Sorbet & Chinese Mustard Flowers & Greens
The tuna and foie were interspliced in a block w/ the sorbet & flowers sitting off to the side. The tuna was a HORRIBLE quality for a restaurant of this caliber – it was old – its color sickly, its texture watery, and it lacked any sort of flavor. I tried to give it a shot – the proportion of foie to tuna was way off – the foie overpowered this pathetic tuna. We had to send it back. (more on this later.) Poor.

4. Egg w/ Mint Foam, Nuts, Escargot, & Zucchini
This was the make up dish – the outside of the egg was watery and the inside a tad hard, preventing it from melting in the foam all the way. The escargot were killed – hard little overcooked lumps. This dish was definitely too busy – maybe it subscribed to the vietnamese tradition of “every bite should be markedly different.” Despite its shortcomings, it was a satsifying dish given the horror of the previous. Good.

5. Langostine w/ Pea “Gloop”
Langostine dry on outside, watery & mushy on inside; the pea sauce a gloop – it would have a hard time falling off an overturned spoon. Regardless, the 2 flavors didn’t mesh well together. Not Good.

6. Turbot w/ Rhubard, Mussels, & Taragon Foam
All of the ingredients were overcooked. The dish made some sense w/ turbot, rhubard, & the foam; however, the mussels had no place. I didn’t finish. Not Good.

7. St Pierre / Creme Aubergene in Sparking Wine / Coconut Foam on a bed of Eggplant
The fish was severely undercooked – it was cold in the center. The creme aubergene coated the fish and it was very cloying. The coconut foam was good but the eggplant made no sense. i didn’t finish. Not Good.

8. Egg Yolk, Potato Foam, Beet, Green Apple, & Onion Gratin
The potato foam had a weird gritty texture and the egg yolk added nothing. onion gratin lurked beneath w/ chunks of beets & apples. Weird, none of it is integrated in any way. I didn’t finish. Not Good.

9. Lamb
The crust gave it some taste but the meat lacked any substantial flavor. Not Good.

At this point, Anne Pic came to our table. The discussion below is paraphrased but she refused to admit her tuna was of bad quality.

Anne: What was wrong with the tuna?
Us: It wasn’t very good.
Anne: How come?
Us: Didn’t you look at it? It’s old.
Anne: That was a great piece of fish.
Us: No.
Anne: Did you like everything else?
Us: No. The Creme Burlee was very good but everything else was not good.
Anne: Ok, bye.

The abrupt manner in which she left left a sour (pardon the pun) taste. She didn’t care about the quality of our meal – she fled to the next table seeking congratulations.

10. Dessert Amuses
Several small desserts including an awesome milk chocolate cream and very good assorted chocolates.

11. Strawberry w/ Creme & Pistachio
Awesome wild strawberries, sweet with acidity, a fantastic end to a dismal meal.

Obviously, I won’t be returning. Even if the ingredients were good and the kitchen consistent, the food is horribly muddled. All of the dishes had elements that, at best, added nothing at all; and, at worst, detracted from the dish. The food had way too much fuss – it reminded me of bad American restaurants that thinks more is better. It’s impossible to understand how this restaurant garnered 2 stars w/ the menu we had.

Then there’s the issue of the fish. First, anyone who has eaten a *decent* (not super fancy) sushi meal will have an idea what constitutes a good piece of tuna. How can this 2-star chef, who undoubtedly has had access to great sushi meals considering her reported influence, argue for so long over the quality of the tuna we ate?

The amuses and desserts were awesome. Our theory is they were probably done by the same person. If so, this person should be immediately promoted to head chef – they might deliver on the promise of a great meal – leave Anne to the empire building (which she has done quite well with.)

- chuck

1. Fried Shrimp w/ Basil
The shrimp was overcooked and the batter greasy. Not Good.

2. Asparagus/Pea Shooter w/ Egg (Day 1)
The pieces of egg were unncessary but the shooter had a nice deep flavor. Good.

3. Asparagus/Pea Shooter (Day 2)
They omitted the egg and it got better. Very Good.

4. Escargot
A giant heaping plate of fresh, plump escargot cooked in a parsley cream. A touch of bread was tucked deep in the shell, toasted, and soaked w/ the creme. This is the dish that made us come back twice (as well as some excellent wine.) Excellent.

5. Bresse Chicken Pt 1
White meat – not the texture of the Bresse chicken at Ducasse, but it had a deeper flavor. Good.

6. Bresse Chicken w/ Black Truffle Broth
Dark meat – overcooked sitting in the broth, rubbery, but the broth was *awesome* – the essence of chicken and black truffles. Chicken – Not Good. Broth – Excellent.

If you’re eating dinner at Lameloise, this is a nice place (with outside seating) you could drop by for lunch the day of or after. Order the snails. Anything else, you’re on your own.

- chuck

I was expecting straight-forward food, quality ingredients, and solid cooking.

1. Shooter of Tomato, Olives, & Leeks
The amuse – blend it all together – nothing new but the leeks (or licorice) shine through a bit. Good.

2. Foie Mousse & Potato
Air light, deep, and light fragrance. Excellent.

3. Almond Cream Cone
Very light, ethereal. Excellent.

4. Lobster Three Ways
a – Lobster, Peas, & Licorice Sauce
Cooked well, the lobster would burst while the licorice sauce coated your mouth and led to a long finish. Very good.

b – Lobster Poached in Butter
It is what it is. Very good.

c – Tail w/ Eggplant
Barely cooked, very pure taste. Very good.

5. Crayfish & Asperagus w/ Morels
The asperagus was good, the crayfish good, the morels good; but there was a soup (flavor long forgotten) that gave the dish a ceviche-like quality. Nothing innovative, just an interesting comparison. Very Good.

6. Sea Bass w/ Asperagus
The asperagus and the sea bass were slightly overcooked – watery. Aside from Gagnaire, it seems as if the French like their fish done this way. Ok.

7. Langostines w/ Mushroom Foam and Gnocci
The langostines were of higher quality, cooked well, and the mushroom foam was delicious. The gnocci were pasty and passable. Very good.

8. Pauillac Lamb w/ Asparagus
Cooked 3 ways, this lamb had an awesome deep flavor. This surpassed the excellent piece of lamb I had at Bouley last year. As the Bresse chicken at Ducasse was to American chicken, this lamb was to American lamb. Excellent.

9. The Endless Parade of Desserts
Including, but not limited to, cotton candy (ok, and i’m a *huge* cotton candy fan), coffee mousse (notes say excellent texture), petit fours, chocolates, and probably some ice cream or sherbert in there.

Overall, i liked this meal more than L’Ambassadeurs. Although the food was fairly straight-forward, it felt a tad more “unleashed” than the cooking at L’Amb. The ingredient quality was on par with the Paris 3-stars, the cooking generally as good. I’d put this in the “middle 2 star” category for delicious food that doesn’t innovate much. Coming from the US, I half-expected many meals to be of this quality (thus my 2-star designation) but I’m quickly learning the French are not infallible when it comes to cooking. This is an excellent restaurant choice for those in Burgundy land.

- chuck