We took an early flight to Paris this morning, and immediately got settled into our rooms at the Hôtel Lenox Saint-Germain, and then we hit the road running. Well, actually it was more of a stroll than a run – after all, we are in Paris. We had a leisurely lunch under the arcades in les Jardins du Palais-Royal, and then we headed over to the newly refurbished Musée des Arts Décoratif in the 1st arrondissement (107, rue de Rivoli). It has only been re-opened for two weeks, and was highly recommended by several friends. The museum is all about home furnishings and objets d’arts, with a chronology of decorative arts from the middle ages up to the present day, taking up 6000 square meters, on nine levels, in the Marsan wing of the Palais du Louvre. My favorite displays were the complete rooms of some well-known figures from the past, which were decorated with furniture, wallpaper, mirrors, paintings, carpets, glassware, ceramics, candelabras, etc., in the style of that particular period.
La Tour Eiffel – Restaurant Jules Vernes
We splurged on dinner tonight at the Michelin one-star restaurant, Le Jules Verne (tél: 33 (0)1 45 55 61 44), on the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower. It has a private elevator at the Tower’s south pillar, which zips you up 125 meters above the City of Light. I’m not sure why, maybe because we reserved the table back in March, we had an excellent table right up against the window, with all the monuments of Paris brilliantly aglow below us. Although, on our previous visit, the view was still extraordinary, even from our table in the middle of the room. Overall, it was an amazing dining experience tonight, and every course was delicious, with the exception of the desserts (the last two courses on the menu below). Also, conspicuous by its absence was the cheese course. Lingering over our digestifs at the restaurant’s bar gave us a chance to enjoy another perspective of the view below us. NOTE: Check the prices of the menu before you go. You could be in for a shock. Tonight's menu was as follows:
RESTAURANT JULES VERNE ***** TOUR EIFFEL ***** CHEF DE CUISINE – ALAIN REIX ***** MENU DÉGUSTATION
SUPERPOSÉ DE JEUNES POIREAUX,
ANGUILLE LÉGEREMENT FUMÉE ET FOIE GRAS DE CANARD,
CHUTNEY À LA TOMATE VERTE
*****
LANGOUSTINES MARINÉES ET CAVIAR D’AQUITAINE,
FINE GELÉE DE CONCOMBRE
*****
PETIT PAIN BRIOCHÉ AUX GROS TOURTEAUX,
JUS DE CREVETTES GRISES
*****
DOS DE ROUGET BARBET EN COMPOTE DE COURGETTES,
SUC DE VERDURE
*****
POITRINE DE POULETTE DE BRESSE,
GNOCCHI DE POMMES DE TERRE ET GIROLLES
*****
MACARON AUX GROSEILLES,
PERLES DU JAPON AUX CRANBERRIES
*****
GELÉE AU CHOCOLAT PUR CARAÏBE,
ÉMULSION À L’AVOCAT
*****
Ce menu ne peut être servi que pour l’ensemble des convives
Comments