Friday, our last day, gave us the best weather and most unique food experience of our vacation. We started the day with some browsing in the Marais under sunny, 80 degree skies. Late in the afternoon, we eagerly made our way back to the apartment, chilled bottle of Sancerre in hand, to prepare for the evening.
L’Arpege was the destination for the evening and destination was indeed the correct term. Pim was our inspiration for this restaurant and again she did not fail us in her selection. The restaurant sits in an unassuming building close to the Musee Rodin in the 7th. We approached the door with high expectations and honestly some trepidation. Upon entering, it was apparent this was going to be an entirely different experience than our other three star excursion. We were promptly seated for what was to be a five hour dining extravaganza.
Pour yourself a glass of wine and read on. We hope we do justice in words to what the meal provided us.
First, before getting into the details of the meal, we think it’s important (and interesting) to give some background on the chef and his philosophy. Alain Passard is the mastermind behind L’Arpege and its owner. His origin is northern France, hailing from Brittany. Through various moves in Europe’s restaurant community, he eventually purchased (1986) what was to become L’Arpege from his mentor. It took only a single year to earn one star, a second star was added the following year. In 1996, the restaurant earned and has maintained its third star. Of particular interest, is his passion in vegetables. For a time beginning in 2001, he removed all red meat from the menu to explore his intense interest in vegetables and while red meat has made its way back, vegetables are the noticeable focus. Said legumes are taken from his “gardens” outside of Paris where not only are only organic practices used, but machines have been banned in the farming process. We feel understanding the above lends to the experience and elevates the simple act of eating to something indeed special.
Before going any further, we do want to note that a meal at L’Arpege is a milestone event not just in terms of the food but also the impact to one’s wallet. It would be inappropriate to divulge the price of the meal. However, we’ll divulge a some of our conclusions here. We consider this meal an investment not only in dining experience but also as an indelible memory for us.
Five hours is a significant amount of time for one to spend eating. Yet, the time passed effortlessly. Of course, being our last and highly anticipated dining event, we selected the chef’s tasting menu. Over the course of five hours, 13 dishes were brought to the table including amuse bouche, chef’s surprises, and those that were actually on the menu.
As we settled in to await our first sampling of the kitchen’s skills, we sipped our coupe de champagne (Billecart-Salmon) and took in the setting. At first glance L’Arpege, while very nice, doesn’t immediately come across as special. It is a well appointed establishment, but doesn’t have the visual punch that other establishments offered. That is, until you know some of the details of the interior. For example, the walls are paneled with pear wood; honey blond, rich and deep. Inset are glass panels custom made for the restaurant by Lalique. Even (some of) of the table stemware is made by the famed glass maker exclusively for L’Arpege. Furniture is understated with chrome framed chairs with deep burgundy cushions that are quite comfortable.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that the space is somewhat cramped inside. Diners are relatively close together, not as bad as other establishments, but closer than some of its competition. One other small detail that we found bothersome was the preparation cart (used for serving and desserts in our area) that regularly pinned us in. However, after the food began to arrive and we took our first bites, any shortcomings of the physical space and other diners quickly evaporated.
To begin, we were served a caviar of petit tomatoes in sherry vinegar. Upon initial inspection, this looked too simple – a bowl of tomatoes? Yet tasting these simply elegant delicacies reminded us of the caliber of restaurant we were in and was the perfect prelude to the rest of the dishes to follow. The tomatoes were unexpectedly hot but maintained all the texture of an uncooked specimen. The vinegar added a touch of tartness to the tomatoes and, as James remarked, despite the concentration of acidity in the dish it simple worked. Presentation was again elegant, served in a deep silver bowl sporting a highly polished interior reflecting the contents – perhaps to give the illusion of a more generous quantity than was actually provided.
Following the simplicity theme of the tomatoes, came a dish of candied red onions. This was served in a rustic white individual size casserole. The onions were treated with nothing more than butter, parmesan, and pepper then baked until a tender consistency was achieved. The first bite elicited some confusion on my part. Too simple, perhaps? However, each bite revealed pure flavors of the scant number of ingredients used to prepare the dish. Again, this focused on the vegetable and demonstrating how interesting and enjoyable a lowly garden offering such as the onion can be elevated to something to contemplate.
The next course increased in complexity. A quintuple of vegetable stuffed raviolis in a celery root consumme arrived at the table in the a silver bowl like that used for the tomatoes. Each ravioli was no more than 2 inches in diameter and the shell transparent. A different filling was used for each pasta and they were in a word, sensational, giving a new definition to the word delicate. Flavors flirted with taste buds teasing you as to what they were before slowly vanishing leaving you disappointed another of the same type wasn’t available to sample. Memorable.
Moving on, we were brought what was possibly my favorite course of the evening. Lobster with turnips in a honey and vinegar dressing. The presentation for this dish was lovely with the turnips shaved and draped carefully over the shell fish in such a manor that one could steal brief glimpses of the red flesh beneath. Interestingly the dressing was the same color as the turnips (intentional?) and while a monochromatic execution such as this could tend toward the boring, this was quite the opposite. If the presentation impressed, the dish itself amazed. In every dish it became more clear Chef Passard’s skill with vegetables. In this case, he takes the plebeian turnip, often tough, and pairs it with the aristocratic lobster. The turnip is so tender that it’s hardly recognizable as the vegetable of that name; however, the taste removes any doubt. Both James and I agreed the lobster was probably the sweetest, most tender example we’ve had. Not to forget, the honey vinegar dressing was a perfect balance of sweet and tart. James made an excellent observation on this course, referring to it as a nouveau rendition of “surf and turf”.
A gazpacho of tomato with mustard ice cream followed. This was an interesting dish, but honestly (unfortunately) it followed such a stand-out that my focus on it was somewhat diminished. Again, the abundance of flavor provided by the tomatoes was outstanding. The mustard ice cream, while flavorful and well paired, was a bit overpowering. The mustard offered some heat coming from the ice cream making for an interesting dichotomy.
Next was perhaps the most creative dish of the entire meal. A veloute of yellow pepper with pimento and a Speck ham whipped cream. This was the first dish that used some form of “red” meat in the form of the whipped cream. The veloute was flavorful having the ability to distinguish easily between pepper and pimento. The whipped cream added the appropriate amount of seasoning and the smokiness from the ham was a nice complement.
What was probably James’ favorite dish of the meal arrived next. This was a plate of garden vegetables prepared in Moroccan argan oil. Without sounding repetitive, the simplicity of this dish was nothing short of miraculous. I’m more of a true mid-western “meat and potato” kind of eater but this dish of (mostly common) vegetables impressed mightily. This included potatoes, beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, and others. Presentation was was direct with a seemingly scattered arrangement of legumes of varying shapes, sizes, and colors adorning a white plate. Texture was perfect with each of the vegetables cooked to the point where they were agreeably warm without destroying their natural texture. I believe James will write later about how this impacted our thinking about food and simplicity, but this was a singular dish for both of us. It taught us that for something to be excellent and memorable, it doesn’t require a cornucopia of ingredients. James remarked that if he could grow, harvest and prepare vegetables this well, he’d be vegetarian.
Fish was our next course, consisting of a turbot in a yellow wine cream sauce with cabbage mousse and smoked potatoes. Presentation was uncomplicated with a well filleted piece of turbot on which was drizzled a line of sauce. A small portion of cabbage mousse accompanied the fish, along with two fingerling potatoes. While no complaints could be made about the fish and sauce, it was once again the vegetables that took center stage. On the subject of the fish, it was all of the typical adjectives one can use to define it. The sauce was harmoniously integrated into the dish. The mousse was exceptionally interesting exhibiting the flavors of its namesake but in a wholly new form and texture. However, eliciting the most conversation were the potatoes. That two small and (yes again) simple potatoes could elicit so many comments was surprising. The “pommes de terre” were firm in texture (i.e. not overcooked) and held the most intense, yet not overpowering, taste of smoke that after taking a single bite it prompted both of us to say “more please”.
A chef’s surprise followed in the form of lightly curried langoustines served in the shell. Nothing more, nothing less. Three of the crustaceans were placed in front of each of us on a basic white platter. The shell fish was prepared to the best it could be. However, I think the operative words in this paragraph are lightly curried. Yes, subtleness was the theme to much of the food, but the curry flavors were too ephemeral overpowered by the taste of the ocean coming from the langoustines.
The finale before desserts (yes plural) began was lamb. When ordering, we were given the choice of having the lamb prepared with herbs or in an emulsion of oysters. We both chose the oyster method. The plate set before us contained only lamb and onion rings – basic but amazing. The cuts of lamb included both a single rib chop and generous portion of loin. Intense can be used to describe the flavors of oyster, especially in the rib chop and less so in the loin. Tender and bursting with juice should be sufficient description to impart how well prepared the meat was – the first true red meat of the dinner. A handful of onion rings were stacked next to the lamb and I never want another onion ring again after having those as they have ruined me for life. Crunchy yet tender, sweet yet tangy, a mixture of opposites. Again, let us stress this was simple and that’s what made it excellent. To our delight (chagrin?) our server said the chef wanted us to have another portion of the lamb so we reluctantly and quickly agreed, but this time opted for the herb preparation. This time more of the lamb’s flavors were apparent as the herbs were more delicate than the stronger flavors of the oyster – two completely different dishes.
Speaking of the service, like the rest of the meal it was perfectly executed but in a wholly different way than our other three star experience. Where service at Le Meurice was flawlessly choreographed, this was simple and more personal. The wait staff at both restaurants were fluent in English but at L’Arpege two of our servers imparted stories of favorite dishes, personal travels, and the chef’s history. A platoon of wait staff wasn’t the intention at L’Arpege. Instead, we think that their intention is a professional yet simplistic approach accented with a personal tone.
Excellent cheese. I’ll say no more.
Finally, we moved to the dessert courses. Yes, there were three desserts including the sampling of macaroons and chocolates. First was an apple tart in the form of a “crown”. Each of the points on the crown was made of pastry. Yes, this was basic but we think it was the correct dish to serve as the principle dessert. A plate of chocolate treats accompanied by three macaroons made of vegetables was brought to the table; James partook of them but I abstained. Honeydew sorbet was the final plate brought to the table. Best described as essence of the melon, with only the sweetness of the melon and no apparent added sugar. An appropriate ending to a meal lasting until 1:30 AM.
Upon reading the review, it sounded to us like platitude heaped upon platitude. However, this meal proved to be an education in food and how even in simple forms it can be astounding. While L’Arpege may not have the opulent interior of other establishments or the choreographed service, it far excels its brethren in terms of astounding food. Which is the main reason we dine out, is it not?
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3
Overall: 4.5
Dean and James
