Pierre Gagnaire

I’m sorry but I have to give Pierre Gagnaire a bad review. This restaurant seems to be on its last legs. While the service was very good and the ambiance of the restaurant quite good, the food unfortunately did not live up to expectations. We took the 5 course tasting menu at $ 450 each. This high end restaurant provided a lot of show but not a lot of flavor. Perhaps it’s the French palate and I am an American, but I found the food bland and unappealing. We’ve eaten at many fine dining restaurants including The French Laundry, Chez Panisse, Quince in San Francisco, I found this food feel subpar for a high end restaurant. From talking with the wait staff, Pierre Gagnaire has expanded his restaurant empire and may be he spread too thin and can’t maintain the quality of food at the Paris location.

Love Chef Gagnaire! Very sweet man who loves to meet his clients.
Atmosphere is refined and minimal. The TT shape logo represents table for your meal. How cute!
The food is complicated and presented in highly artistic way hence the nickname Picasso of culinary world. I would say most of the time it is not for the ‘taste’ but the medley of the ingredients he proposes to mix. It is not simple in your face delicious but lingers in your memory. But they do make the best two dishes I have ever tried and I have eaten all over Europe and U.S., which are
Truffle risotto and soufflé !!!

Un régal. De la grande cuisine gastronomique. Du grand art. Mes papilles s’en régalent encore.

Parenthèse incroyable tant par la qualité du service que par la finesse des plats
Menu déjeuner 85 € ou 150 € pour le mode dégustation
Des bouteilles de vin tout à fait abordables /​proposition de bouteille à 40 € excellentes !!
Sur le menu :
3 assiettes principales et à chaque fois des mini accompagnements très variés: glacé à la betterave avec le lieu jaune sauce au cresson /​oseille, lentilles sauce au homard avec les langoustines, mini riz de veau avec l’agneau confit, …
Des dizaines d’amuse bouches /​mignardises très travaillés une sélection de pain maison
 tester pour un repas exceptionnel !

trois etoiles amplement méritées au guide michelin.
le cadre est très beau, le service impeccable.
nous y sommes allés en famille pour fêter un anniversaire et nous avons passé une très bonne soirée.
une mention spéciale pour le dessert au chocolat (que je teste systématiquement dans les restaurants étoilés)!

Comment peut-​on se permettre de noter un chef et un restaurant pareil? Pierre Gagnaire est assurément un des plus grands génies de la cuisine actuellement en exercise, et on retrouve sa perfection d’association des goûts et des textures dans chaque bouchée, chaque assiette sur la table.
J’y suis allé 3 fois pour le déjeuner, faute de pouvoir m’offrir un dîner pour l’instant. Le repas du midi est d’un très bon rapport qualité prix (si tant est qu’on puisse encore utiliser ce terme à plus de 110 euros par tête), et j’adore le fait qu’on ait environ 5 petites entrées et 5 petits desserts différents, en plus d’une entrée plus consistante et d’un plat (et sans compter les nombreux amuse-​bouches salés et sucrés). Bref, on a le droit à plein de saveurs différentes, des trucs auxquels on n’aurait jamais pensés (notamment des mariages terre/​mer à tomber), d’autres qu’on n’aurait jamais imaginés manger.
Comme d’habitude dans ce genre d’établissements, la carte des vins recèle certains des plus beaux flacons de la planète, mais aussi pas mal de références d’initiés pour des prix qui commencent aux alentours de 50 euros, ce qui reste raisonnable pour ce genre d’endroit.
La salle est assez sobre et date un peu, mais assez lumineuse, bien sûr très calme, et on est comme dans un cocon, comme isolés du monde extérieur pendant ces quelques heures d’exception.
Le service est parfaitement dosé, pas envahissant mais ultra-​professionnel, et aussi très jeune.
Pousser la porte de chez Gagnaire, c’est donc avoir l’assurance de passer un moment magique et de célébrer comme rarement la quintessence de la cuisine et de l’association des saveurs, de préférence pour une occasion exceptionnelle. J’ai hâte de pouvoir y diner un jour !

This was one of our many Michelin restaurants we tried on our trip to Paris and sadly this was the least favorite and it was the one I picked! =(
Came here for lunch. Overall décor was very beautiful and modern. I actually think the décor was the best thing about this place. It’s not a huge space, probably 10 tables or less. We all got the prix fix and some got it with the wine pairing. The food here is very beautiful too like it’s surroundings and creative. They say you eat first with the eyes, well it still has to satisfy the palate and nothing tasted that great to me. I kept thinking, OK interesting, not bad, just a big fat AVERAGE. For the price I want a more wowed dining expereince and I did not get that here. My taste buds were left wanting for more.

Food was imaginative, but not necessarily delicious. The presentation is amazing and beautiful, and you get so much food as well, but I don’t think that this restaurant blew me away. What did blow me away is that chef Gagnaire was walking around the restaurant and was extremely friendly and eager to meet his guests. I took a tour of the kitchen and he was gracious enough to take plenty of pictures with me. Such a sweet man!

Bien content d’etre de retour à Paris… chez Gagnaire; bien sur !
La seule lecture de sa carte est un doux plaisir. IL y a tant de poésie. On salive à l’avance. On excite nos papilles pourtant habitués à la cuisine thaie. Avec un tel génie créateur (n’ayons pas peur des mots !), c’est normal. Le repas choisit comporte: du foie gras de canard aux ravioles, avec des herbes de France … Quel retour au pays ! Le navet s’appelle: KABU; MERCI d’avoir répondu à nos questions lors du tour de table. Originale la crème glacée aux… petits pois ! On connait son établissement à Hong Kong. On reviendra à celui de Courchevel. A bientot à Paris. Mr BILLY Pascal CEO H.F.

I was sadly disappointed in this meal. I might be too spoiled from my experiences in Napa (French Laundry) but I found a lot of the flavor combinations here to be confusing and unappetizing. A lot of the food was presented as a work of art. But the flavor was not there. Lots of use of gelatin which is never really a pleasant texture to eat. Dishes started out colorful and pretty and halfway into it turned a muddy brown. The staff was so formal that they came off unfriendly and it made the atmosphere uncomfortable. The décor, plates, linen’s were gorgeous. But in the end the food did not leave a positive impression.

Nous avons pris le menu Pierre Gagnaire à 290 Euros même si le garçon a dit qu’à la carte ce serait plus représentatif de ce que fait le chef aujourd’hui, mais qui aurait doublé la note! Pain et beurre excellents, amuse-​bouches un peu moléculaire et savoureux. Carte des vins regorgeant de bons vins abordables, quelle aubaine.
Qualité des ingrédients top, bien entendu. Une cuisine complexe, il est vrai, ou il n’est pas toujours possible de déceler TOUS les parfums, mais harmonieuse et subtile. Des légumes inédits tels la feuille de datte, la cordifole, les feuilles d’aubergines.
Seul un des nombreux petits desserts né nous a pas plus: la granité de moka avec des morceaux d’avocat.
Somme toute une cuisine plus riche que je n’aurais cru, vu les sauces au beurre versées sur plusieurs plats.
Décor à revoir!!! Pitié!

I’ve read that Pierre Gagnaire can be on and he can be off when it comes to cooking.
Well when I went he was off. If he was on, then he sucks. Jk. He was just okay.
The food didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t so un-​palatable, that I couldn’t finish my meal.
Definitely not as good as Ledoyen. Although, Pierre Gagnaire was more creative with his dishes.
Pierre Gagnaire presented us with a lot more plates, but I can’t say I enjoyed more than half the plates.

Food in Paris is generally pretty good — even the tourist trap crêpe places are suprior to 98.62% of the creperies in the U.S. We had high expectations going into Pierre Gagnaire and PG definitely delivered.
I can of course write a super long review given it was a 3+ hour dinner experience — but many other talented Unilocalers have already written a thorough description of many dishes, so let me just share with you some of the memorable aspects of the experience
Menus — it is very cute that the men got menu with prices on them and the ladies just got the menu… While I am all about gender equality, there are moments in life when I am more tickled by the tradition and this is one such moment — especially appropriate as I am on a weekend gateaway/​date with the hubby
Presentation — while not all the dishes are memorable — the presentations of each dish was impeccable. I think there’s beautifully presented food that’s appetizing but PG took it up a notch and created edible art. The carefully selected plates/​dishes made each item so visually appealing. And you can tell the care and thought that it went into each dish
Service — I had expected the snobby French services but it turned out everyone was friendly but not in a cheesy kind of way. It was just overall very pleasant.
Desserts — everything else was delicious but it was the 3 course dessert that really made the mark for me. The petite bites combining different flavors — from coffee to different kinds of fruits to more traditional chocolate truffles… yums!
So — was it expensive? Yes — the most expensive meal I have ever had in my entire life… was it worth it? Yes — and I would do it in a heart beat again next time I am in Paris

Like others, this was also my first time eating at a 3* michelin restaurant but I came out feeling quite disappointed.
For a Thursday night, the service was appropriate, with waitstaff helping the two of us order appropriately from the menu. But the atmosphere was overly stuffy and pretentious. The two of us were slightly underdressed, and the constant attention by the waitstaff at the beginning (when we were the only ones in the restaurant) made the atmosphere feel very stuffy.
What made the evening even more disappointing was the food. For some reason it didn’t hit our palates the right way. Yes, I could see the care taken in creating these dishes (and marvel at the complicated techniques) but the wow factor only hit me in 1 course. The others were interesting and unique, but the flavor profile didn’t inspire us to go back.
Seeing that our main meal was lacking, we decided to try to end the evening on a happy note by choosing from their dessert menu. What saved the day was a 40 Euro pistachio soufflé.
Chez TJ (back in the States) was a much more memorable experience… along with other non-​Michelin rated restaurants in Paris.

We went for the 115 euro lunch menu. It was a bargain for what we got. The 50 euro glasses of champagne were not, I would skip them next time.
It was supposedly 5 courses, but each course had multiple dishes and some courses had more than one round. I won’t get into everything, but my favorite was a combination of sea bream and mushrooms.

Ate last night with my family at Pierre Gagnaire & it was one of the most incredible dining experience I’ve had.
First, the waitstaff: From each waiter, to the head waiter to the Matir’d, all impeccable. Service was flawless. Our glass of champagne, wine or water were constantly being attended too, never had to wait for them to be refilled. Our head waiter was most helpful. Right away he brought us our menu in English & then proceeded to tell us how to order. He suggested we only order the main entrée because there would be many amuse bouche & appetizers before hand and was he ever right! Also, Chef Pierre came out to greet us and when I told our waiter that I didn’t really get to talk to him because I didn’t speak French, he had Chef Pierre come out again & speak to us in English and then they took us to the kitchen to see the sous chef and chefs in action.
Before we even started our actual entrée. We had several amuse bouche & what I could only call a petite dinner of appetizers, which was amazing!
Then the actual dinner came out and everything was prepared to perfection. I had the chicken & prawns, my daughters had the duck & my husband the veal. My chicken breast was filled with foie gras which I am not a huge fan of but the chicken itself tasted like Thanksgiving dinner. The prawns had a Caribbean flavor to them and were served on a separate plate & were light and delicate. Also had a side of spelt which is a whole grain and it was very tasty. There was also a side serving of cold gelatin with chicken in it that I didn’t care for. A serving of three different types of bread were served with the meal as well.
After, consuming all of that food. Our desserts started to arrive and again before actually receiving the soufflé we ordered we were presented with a display of several petite, amazingly delicious assortment of sugar heaven. By the time our dessert arrived we were stuffed, yet couldn’t resist in consuming at least some of the beautiful presentation displayed in front of us. I had the chocolate soufflé, which was filled with a chocolate ganache & then topped with a delicate pistachio ice cream. Along side the soufflé you receive a chocolate syrup with golden raisins & a goblet of coffee gelatin bits with a praline & chocolate cookie sitting on top of it all.
All in all, this gastronomic experience was amazing and I know our family would definitely return here but only for a special occasion, like being in Paris. :-)
The cost of this meal is steep but worth trying at least once in your lifetime or once while you’re here in Paris.

From the formal, but personable instructions of which bite to eat when to the 10-​course dessert tasting following our tasting menu, I was smitten with Pierre Gagnaire. The frog legs were warm, buttery and wonderfully satisfying. The fish and shellfish were impossibly fresh, and the sauces (oh, the sauces!) rivaled the most decadent desserts in richness.
Three of the desserts — yes, three from this restaurant and single meal alone — were among my favorite desserts I’ve ever eaten. From the petit fours tasting to the dessert we dubbed the raspberry fondant fruit rollup and the chocolate hazelnut plate, I was literally laughing I was so happy.
Needless to say, when Chef Pierre Gagnaire himself came into the dining room and started making his way around to tables to say hello, I nearly fell out of my chair. As he got to our table, I started thinking about what I would say, how I would compliment the exquisite meal… and I decided nothing would be sufficient, but the bigger my smile, the better. He matched my smile and seemed to appreciate the sentiment I attempted to express. What a guy. He’s just so cool!
This was a truly incredible meal. I highly recommend the experience of enjoying the tasting menu. It’s worth the price and the all night commitment.

Service impeccable avec un personnel aux petits soins. Excellent déjeuner rapide et pourtant efficace (malgré le menu dégustation qui comporte de nombreux plats). Le grand chef en personne (Pierre Gagnaire) vient saluer ses clients. Moment très agréable.

J’ai déjeuner chez Pierre Gagnaire j’ai pris le menu à 110 euros et tous étais mémorable des amuses bouches aux desserts, sauf peut être un dessert à la figue un ton au dessous, la ou peut parler d’art c’est vrai que les appellations des plats sont complexe set qu’on se souvient pas de tout ce qu’on as manger mais au niveau du palais c’est l’explosion de saveur, quelques légers reproches toutefois c’est tellement bon qu’on aimerais plus de quantité, sans doute est ce fait pour nous inciter à prendre le menu le plus cher ou à la carte, le service est très pro et pas trop guindé mais à vouloir bien faire il devient un peu envahissant, on leur pardonnera le léger louper lors de la réservation téléphonique rien de bien méchant, bref à part le léger manqué de quantité du menu pris c’est un vrai voyage et un vrai moment de rêve que nous avons payer.

Aller chez Pierre Gagnaire, c’est forcement un moment d’intense excitation tant l’homme est reconnu, adulé, vénéré par son public et par ses pairs.
L’experience né nous a pas déçus mais n’était pas à la hauteur du génie que l’on espérait, en fait il a manqué ce petit grain de quelque chose qui aurait permit de nous extasier à chaque étape du repas.
Au final, nous retiendrons que c’est surtout les mises en bouche qui nous ont vraiment amusés, le reste du menu dégustation (que nous né conseillons pas) était plus plat. Certes de l’audace, du caractère, mais sans ce je-​né-​sais-​quoi qui rend l’expérience vraiment inoubliable.
La salle est sans âme, presque vieillotte. Le service relativement décontracté — parfois un peu trop pour un 3 etoiles.
Le sommelier très professionnel et passionné. Une belle découverte d’un Jurançon: le domaine de Souch, et la belle histoire du vigneron Yvonne HEGOBURU. Bouteille revue à plusieurs cartes, dont la cour jardin du Plazza ou au Jules Verne (les deux appartenant à la galaxie Ducasse, je né suis pas étonné)

Mon meilleur resto
Que dire de ce déjeuner chez Pierre Gagnaire, pour 110 euros prix du menu vous avez le droit à un vrai voyage tout en restant à Paris, une assiette parfaite à part peut un dessert à la figue qui avait peu d’intérêt sur les 5 desserts que nous avons eu, c’était vraiment exceptionnel, dans les moins ce qui fait que ma note n’est pas maximale les quantités un peu light peut être pour nous inciter à prendre un menu plus cher ou à la carte et le service très pro, très sympathique mais un peu envahissant cela doit dépendre des goûts mais moi j’ai préférer le service à l’astrance, mis à part ces détails la seule chose qu’on se dis en quittant les lieux: quand vais je revenir?

J’ai déjeuner chez Pierre Gagnaire j’ai pris le menu à 110 euros et tous étais mémorable des amuses bouches aux desserts, sauf peut être un dessert à la figue un ton au dessous, la ou peut parler d’art c’est vrai que les appellations des plats est complexe et qu’on se souvient pas de tout ce qu’on as manger mais au niveau du palais c’est l’explosion de saveur, quelques légers reproches toutefois c’est tellement bon qu’on aimerais plus de quantité, sans doute est ce fait pour nous inciter à prendre le menu le plus cher ou à la carte, le service est très pro et pas trop guindé mais à vouloir bien faire il devient un peu envahissant, on leur pardonnera le léger louper lors de la réservation téléphonique rien de bien méchant, bref à part le léger manqué de quantité du menu pris c’est un vrai voyage et un vrai moment de rêve que nous avons payer

Une table élegante
Une dégustation dans le salon de Pierre Gagnaire où les assiettes ont défilé avec un parfum et des visions de bonheur. La cuisine est engagée, les légumes sont très bons et se marient à merveille avec les poissons et viandes cuites à point relevés de sauces savamment dosées.

This was my first time eating at a 3*michelin restaurant and it surpassed my expectations.
It was a truly «gastronomic» experience… amuse bouche followed by amuse bouche followed by appetizer followed by amuse bouche followed by entrée followed by amuse bouche followed by dessert… to die for. Each plate was focused around a single ingrédient and then interpreted several ways. I had the lobster for my appetizer then the beef for my entrée. Every bite was delicate, delicious, well thought out and complex. I was full to the brink of explosion by the end but I didn’t regret a single bite.
I would agree with the previous reviewer that the wait staff did seem a little «green» considering the talent behind the kitchen. I was with only english speakers who had difficulty communicating with the waiters, however they did have some bilingual staff who helped explain when I couldn’t translate. They were very kind and the fact that communication was sometimes difficult did not affect our meal one bit.

Service parfait: guindé avec les coincés, blagueur avec les comiques, rassurant avec les intimidés, le tout avec les plus belles manières.
Salle un peu vieillotte, mais alors dans l’assiette, la perfection absolue: les plats s’enchainent pour vous emmener vers l’infini et au-​delà comme dit parfois mon fils (pour l’instant il né cite que Buzz l’éclair mais je né désespère pas de lui apprendre le latin avant son entrée en CP.) Chaque assiette est une oeuvre d’art, chaque nouvelle bouchée un ravissement.
Ajoutez tout le reste: le chef qui vient vous saluer avec modestie, le beurre Bordier, des pains à tomber par terre (à consommer avec modération au risqué de né pas avoir assez d’appétit pour la suite), des mises en bouches avec l’apéritif, des mignardises en veux tu en voilà, une carte des vins exceptionnelle et pas complètement inabordable, l’eau gratuite…
Et ce jusque sur le pas de la porte: pendant qu’un serveur récupère vos manteaux au vestiaire, un autre infuse devant vous, deux petites tasses d’un thé bleu rarissime dont seuls 40kg sont récoltés chaque année dans le monde. Comme la pilule pour sortir de la matrice et revenir à la réalité.
Des produits d’exception du début à la fin, travaillés et servis à la perfection.
Le prix ?
Un diner chez Pierre Gagnaire, c’est un rêve encore plus grand après qu’avant. Et ça, ça n’a pas de prix (enfin, prevenez quand même votre banque avant d’y aller si vous né voulez pas vivre un grand moment de sollitude, ou mieux, faites vous inviter.)

Fantastic! A great meal (in every way) in a world class restaurant. Plus, the wine list was surprisingly affordable (although the totel price tag was world class a s well).

This was our first dinner and it did not disappoint. Had the tasting menu and every dish was inventive, well executed, and remarkable. Service was impeccable. Truly one of the best restaurants in Paris

Un moment inoubliable. 15 plats tous plus magiques les uns que les autres. 2 heures de poésie; en sortant on né sait plus si l’on a rêvé ou si c’était réel…

Supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Paris. Had to see if the food was worth the hype. Left not so impressed.
I had made a reservation a month in advance, received confirmation of my reservation, spoke to a woman at the restaurant by phone when I got into Paris to confirm my reservation as requested only to find out that she cancelled my reservation because she didn’t understand English very well. Luckily, which I thought at that moment, they had a table available and so we were seated.
Don’t get me wrong, the chef is really well known and is supposed to be innovative as far as gastronomy in the culinary world and we had eaten at Taillevent the night before so our expectations were really high since this was the MUST GO restaurant at that time.
Unfortunately for us, we felt like he was trying to do too much with the courses that were served. The ingredients that were used didn’t really blend in a manner that we had expected. Many of the dishes were salty and had lost the true essence of the ingredient featured in the dish.
The worst part of the meal were the servers that we had at our table. A couple of early 20 somethings that hadn’t had much experience were our servers for the night. When they would bring out each course, they were unable to fully describe and explain the dish. And when they would come to take away our dishes one of the servers would just stop and stare at my friend every time and just listen to our conversation. It really made her uneasy and aided in ruining our dining experience.
I guess since we got the leftover table, we got stuck with the leftover staff. When I’m paying over $ 1000 for a dinner for two with only one glass of champagne each, I expect much more than what we got. At this rate I would prefer to eat at Taillevent twice for the same price. Oh wait we did do that.

honnete

One of my least favorite dinning experiences in Paris. Beautiful restaurant. Incredible service. The food was too complex for me and it was too much of an ‘experience’ for me. I liked it when the chef, Mon. Gagnaire came to our table. That was almost as amusing as the prices…

Génialissime !
Un des meilleurs repas de toute ma vie ! Encore fallait-​il pouvoir payer la note. En résumé, c’est un festival de saveurs et de subtilités. Chaque bouchée est une découverte. Dans une ambiance feutrée, propre à la dégustation, en prenant tout son temps (il faut bien quelques heures pour tester le menu).

I would like to write a full review, but it’d be too long. supposed to be one the best, most inventive meals type of places, but I didn’t find the flavors that awe inspiring for the price. too delicate and subtle for me overall. dishware were cool and the artisan bread was amazing.
basically, fancy level dining at this price is only available in NYC.
the lunch menu is 105E but once you start ordering appetizer and entrees, it easily goes over 250E.
the lunch menu was:
*pan sauteed petit gris snails with black olives de Nyons, slow-​simmered rhubarb and Guernica peppers, grenailles potatoes soup with szechuan pepper
*poached cod steak, shallots cream a la Nantaise, stems of green peppers and leeks, young hake jelly cooked as an aioli, albacore tuna, braised heart of lettuce, and shredded cauliflower
also tried an app and entrée
Each dish is a series of many dishes:
Spring Flavors
*Summer white truffle artichokes and parmesan dumplings
*cabbage beef heart to flower pollen (probably butchering the translation)
*Royal duck foie gras with Banyuls, tomato juice with fresh almonds
*Shortcake broad beans, peas, carrots and turnips
*tops seasoned with a juice of cider chives thai
*water red Campari (beet and onion petals), in knots of pigeon something
followed by: Lobster and Spider Crab
*langoustines sienna, zucchini, julienne crisp snap
*toast chips Iberian
*smaller macerated something daikon
*Bavarian spider crab seaweed
*fresh watermelon with pink peppercorns
ok now that i certainly didn’t translate everything properly,
I’ll cover the amuse, which were pretty visually and tasty
*salpicon cake and celery browned almond shells
*puffed bread stuffed with a mousseline of broccoli young nettle garden
*variation of Mediterranean sardines
*timbale of mushrooms in miso
*creamy burrata, mortadella and shredded red orache
so I only really, really enjoyed a few things, and have discovered that this dining is probably not for me.

it has been about a month since the hubby and i dined at pierre gagnaire, but the image is still vivid and fresh. a little creature moving towards me… instinctively lifting my legs… whispering «omg. what the heck is that?!»…closing my eyes in disbelief…
it was a f*cking MOUSE!!!
we saw a little mouse appearing from a corner and marching towards our table with its tail wiggling. we had just finished the amuse bouche, and were waiting for the first course to be brought out, with champagne glasses in our hands. i know some people think mice are cute and all that (sorry, disneyland is not reality), but i for one hate those rodents. then i saw a pair of eyes observing the scene. they belonged to one of the head waiters who by then chased after the mouse, and they both disappeared into the kitchen.
dumbfounded, i expected him to come over and apologize in person. when the first course was served to us, i quietly brought up the issue to our waitress whose response was even more bizarre and slightly condescending.
«yes, i heard that you saw a mouse, but do not be worried, madame. our kitchen is very clean. i invited you, madame, and monsieur to check out the kitchen, if you must. this happens all the time in paris. the city is old, and mouse live in old cities. americans don’t get that. parisians don’t make a big deal about mouse. we see them all the time. madame, americans like you don’t know how old our city is…»
are you kidding me??? the hubby and i looked at each other in amazement. we should’ve gotten up and left the restaurant after hearing this bullsh*t, but i admit that i was a bit intimidated. perhaps i didn’t want to look like an unsophisticated american who didn’t understand the greatness of mice filled, old paris. i convinced the hubby to stay and finish the degustation menu since he had gone through a lot of hurdles to make a reservation in the first place, and we weren’t sure when we will come back to paris again.
the rest of the night was just as eventful in a very positive way. anyone who is remotely interested in culinary universe knows who pierre gagnaire is, and therefore, illustrating wonders created by the master would be the same as reiterating how beautiful (now dirty and old, thanks to the waitress!) paris is. although not every dish we had that night suited us (there were some ingredients we didn’t particularly appreciate), a few were BEST things that ever touched our mouths, without a doubt.
* grilled sole with beans, leek, celery and green pepper in miso broth flavored with squid ink — orgasmic! words cannot describe this dish.
* thinly sliced, roasted duckling with medlar, spring onions, carrots seasoned with cumin, in vintage port reduction juice — the rare baby duck was phenomenal. never has au jus like this in my life.
* les desserts — endless sorbet, cookies, candies. some of them are so small and cute you’d wonder how they even made them with adult hands.
one disappoint was the substitute they provided for the cheese course. we decided to forgo 3 differnet cheese plates to appease our troubled stomachs and let the kitchen bring us a lighter course before the desserts. what they gave us was a romaine salad that was no different than costco’s $ 4 chicken caesar salad sans the protein. we laughed at it for lack of imagination, quality and value.
service was great throughout the night. the staff were very mindful of surroundings whether a celebratory event or an intimate affair, and paced everything in timely manner. they were not overly friendly, yet were genuinely happy to attend to whatever the guests’ needs were.
the restaurant is quite classy, organic and understated. like the food, nothing is out of balance, creating very harmonious mood packed with subtle punches and a bit of asian influence.
264 euros per person for the 8 course degustation menu, including tax and gratuity for an unforgettable experience.
a mouse, an insincere apology and 38 euros per glass of krug champagne… sorry, mr. gagnaire, this american cannot give full 5 stars no matter how fantastic your food was.

I am sorry to learn of your restaurant ranking down to the 16^th this year…
Meanwhile, you have others and my cheers~!
Thank you for maintaining excellent quality and services!

Full review in blog — to date the best dining experience of my life.
#1) «Green Asparagus de Pertuis with thin round slices of squill fish, square of burrata cheese and cucumber seasoned with lemon mousseline sauce /​Black olive infusion with old balsamic vinegar, melted sorrel and dominos of Gruyère cheese from Garde /​Cardamom velvety soup with asparagus granite» was served as a troika, all unique, all excellent. This presentation was invariably the most complex of the evening and as we were instructed to «taste each separately and then explore the combinations» that is exactly what we did, each bite a new experience — at times hot and other times chilled, sometimes intense and sometimes a fleeting tone on the palate. As the ingredient list for this and all subsequent dishes was quite thorough I will simply note that while each plate was impressive on its own, the manner in which the mildly acidic olive dish acted to refresh the palate each time I came back to it was astonishing. Serving as the starting point it was this dish that served notice of what Gagnaire would serve us that night — shocking subtlety and superior ingredients in a delicate balance.
#2) «Grilled thinly sliced sole with broad beans and leek stems, celery and green pepper. Miso liebig and a veil of squid flavored with ink» was another stunner, but this time all on one plate. With snappy vegetables juxtaposed against melting leeks and savory condensed miso the most impressive aspects of this dish were the fish and the cephalopod — the first perhaps half an inch thick topped with crispy skin and the second as thin as a handkerchief, briny, and delicate as pasta. During 95% of other meals this would have been the best course of the night — at Pierre Gagnaire that evening it was perhaps the third.
#3) Titled «Fresh Morel mushrooms flavored with licorice laid on a bed of vegetables and aromatic herbs. Iced turnip and craterellus mushrooms» there were no tricks in this dish — just flawlessly prepared vegetables, a complex stock, and the very essence of the spring embedded in the earthy morel/​mushroom amalgam… an essence that dissipated almost immediately on swallowing as the perfume of licorice, not detectable on the tongue, perfumed the palate.
#4) Thin slices of black grouper seared in brown nut butter, oysters, and capucine leaves with small Palamos King Prawns flavored with amontillado” and on the other «Salt cod ‘brandade’ in a bisque with grated green apple en amertume.» With the dish heavy in protein and having already seen Chef’s careful hand with acid, sweet, and savory this course would focus more on the use of bitter — a technique largely ignored in American cooking. Starting first by layering textures — meaty grouper, creamy oysters, and snappy shrimp it was the bitter drew the lines, working in a manner I’d never expected to add focus — the extra dry amontillado making the shrimp seem sweeter, the peppery nasturtium showing off the smoky tones of the grouper, and the nearly crab-​apple tart crisp punctuating the briny cod potage.
#5) «Dog cockles, clams, and razor clams with chanterelles, spinach and parmesan cheese gnocchi in foie gras soup flavored with maniguette» would be a flash back to the morels — light manipulation of unique ingredients in unique combinations. With the briny mussels at the forefront and the piquant undertone of foie gras laying the backdrop it was the gnocchi that lent levity — vegetal pillows proving ample foil to the otherwise savory tones.
#6) «Thinly sliced duckling des Dombes roasted as a whole, medlar, spring onions, carrots seasoned with cumin; unctuous juice flavored with vintage port» I can only summarize the experience with the comment my dining partner made to Chef Gagnaire at the end of the meal: «Monsieur, I’d rather eat your duck than have sex with the prettiest girl in the world.» Rosy and pink, impossibly lean, charcuterie thin, and advantaged in all ways by the sweet port and medlar — it was the best duck I’ve ever had — so good that the vegetables became extraneous — so good that we joked with the server that there was not enough… and the server and chef were so good that a second round was served on the house.
#7) «Sorbet of pear, Roquefort cheese, eau-​de-​vie, segment of Williams Pear with ewe’s yogurt /​Shavings of Ossau-​Iraty cheese, rougette salad, cordifole and green lentils du Puy /​Soft apricot stuffed with goat’s cheese de Ginestarie» I will not purport to be a cheese expert — especially considering the man I was dining with — but I will simply say all were good, particularly the sorbet selection.
#8) A succession of two courses, the first four plates and the second two the flavors and textures were too myriad to count, but amongst the five larger servings the first three to arrive were Fraises des Bois, yogurt, curry /​Garden Strawberries, Red Pepper and Saffron /​Apple with Tonka Bean and Pollen Cracker.
…it just kept going.

Je né suis pas un fan de Gagnaire. La cuisine y est pour moi trop sophistiquée. Je né comprends plus ce qu’il y a dans mon assiette. Evidemment que c’est bon, mais on n’est plus à ces considérations. Gagnaire c’est aussi souvent de la création et parfois cela né plait pas toujours. C’est donc un peu de l’Art en assiette qui coûte le prix d’une oeuvre d’art d’un artistique très réputé!
En fait, les saveurs mises en avant né sont pas toujours non plus mes préférées en général. Mais c’est vraiment une histoire de goût pour le coup.

Pour les initiés! Spectaculaire diner ou vos mets sont cuisinés de plusieurs façons sous plusieurs saveurs totalement différentes, le tout présenté tel une vitrine du bon marché, dans une vaisselle accordée à chaque plats (franchement magique). Les deux points négatifs: les vins peut être ou le choix du sommelier; et ce mix de cuisine pour un plat qui à dérouté mon coté trop traditionnel «entrée-​plat-​fromage-​dessert», mais s’il est négatif pour moi, il sera positif pour beaucoup.
Une expérience mémorable quoi qu’il en soit. Les prix reste (selon moi) à la hauteur des prestations.

Un 3* au Michelin
Parfait
Cadre contemporain
Service impécable et pas trop formel
Les tables sont bien décorés et né sont pas trop proche les unes des autres

L’excellence de l’excellence. On a été sous le charme de la perfection et du professionnalisme irréprochable du personnel.
Chaque plat comporte 9 saveurs différentes et l’on apprécie de né pas voir passer le temps.
Ce restaurant est une ruche où il se passé toujours quelque chose.
Le brouhaha est impressionnant mais c’est signe de dynamisme et du savoir faire de ce chef hors pair.
Nous avons été salués par sa simplicité.
Un établissement mémorable par la qualité et des supers bons moments gastronomiques.
Chaque plat est supérieur à 130EUR, sauf les desserts.