One month and eight reviews later, I’ve saved the best for last. This is the final adventure of the eight day truffle trip.

The truffle trip was in danger of becoming a misnomer. Truffles popped up in a few dishes over the past few weeks’ reviews, but their impact or form was not up to our expectations. We came to gorge on truffles – we wanted decadent vulgar displays of gastronomic wealth. We got mostly after-thoughts with but a few truffle-focused dishes.

Les Ambassadeurs was a last-minute tack-on after we learned L’Ambroisie and Le Meurice (hey, I wouldn’t mind meeting Mandy Moore) were closed during our ill-timed visit. The last Les Ambassadeurs meal certainly had potential given the ingredient quality and our 3rd member was very intrigued by the endless parade of desserts. The dining room is not especially conducive to eating but we figured we’d give it a shot (in hopes of finding top-notch truffles.)

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As I’ve written before, L’Arpege can be hit or miss. At its best, it is the pinnacle of modern fine dining – excellent ingredients whose natural qualities are emphasized to unbelievable heights. There is a balance, precision, and purity of flavor – not new taste combinations or culinary technique from the future. When it is performing at this level, it is a contemplative and ephemeral cuisine, like poetry.

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Pierre Gagnaire has served me the best meal of my life. Along with Mr El Bulli, he is probably acknowledged as the most creative chef on the planet. Unlike the El Bulli derivatives and disciples, he approaches his experimental edge from a more “organic” angle as opposed to the chemicals and scientific laboratory equipment. He probably uses, or has influenced, such techniques but his end result more resembles our traditional notions of food. Unfortunately, the notions can still be challenging or uneven as I found out in my October 2006 meal.

Pierre Gagnaire is my favorite dining room in Paris. It’s formal and proper but spacious and relaxed. The waiters are friendly without being overbearing. It’s a warm experience unlike the austerity of Alain Ducasse or Les Ambassadeurs. We perused the truffle tasting menu, a look of terror swept the table after seeing the price, but ordered it anyways. Pierre Gagnaire has had well-publicized financial troubles in the past and he might have found a solution – one-up L’Arpege for Paris’s most expensive meal. Is that even possible?

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The biggest threat to fine dining may not be opportunistic government officials (or chefs), laboratories posing as restaurants, or global warming (can’t we blame it for anything these days?) – it may be greed and an ill-informed dining public. “Chefs” have discovered a formula – use your popularity, whether from Food Network or an embarrassing display of Michelin stars, and open a lot of restaurants.

What are the problems with this from a fine dining perspective?

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Laduree is the old guard on the Champs Elysees, Pierre Herme the rock’n'roll master on the Left Bank. Laduree’s macaroons are more traditional in flavor; Herme’s current collection revolves around the theme of “Fetish.” Laduree has a tea shop, no doubt a symbol of its properness; Pierre Herme launches his new dessert lines at strip clubs. Herme used to work at Laduree and apparently felt stifled.

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