Restaurant L’Arpège, Paris, 12/3/15

exterior
exterior

This was our third visit to Chef Alain Passard’s  3 star Michelin restaurant that emphasizes vegetables and is a delight for the tastebuds. Chef is in the kitchen actually overseeing what diners are served but later in the meal will be out working the room and visiting with all the guests.  He truly seems to enjoy his work. It is a medium sized place with light wood and beautiful glass sculptures on the walls. They offer 3 tasting menus and an a la carte option.  

interior
interior

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great glassworks
great glassworks
table set up
table set up
purse stool
purse stool

We went at lunch and got the surprise lunch tasting for 140 euros, which is a deal considering the price of their other tasting options. You can customize for allergies but basically it is whatever Passard wants to send out and it was a true bargain for this type of restaurant.  It was an amazing amount of food and great tastes, textures and colors.  A few were mild but many were flavor explosions that left you wanting more.   They don’t give you a printed menu of what they served you at the end so not all descriptions are complete but give you a good idea. I added comments to the descriptions since there were so many courses.

menu cover
menu cover
menu intro
surprise tasting menu
a la carte menu
a la carte menu
another tasting menu
another tasting menu
3rd tasting menu
3rd tasting menu
pastry with squash and turnip - amazing!
pastry with squash and turnip – amazing!
Turns out Frankie loves vegetables
Turns out Frankie loves vegetables
Amuse bouche: Vegetable tartlets including parsley and carots
Amuse bouche: Vegetable tartlets including parsley and carots
bread
bread
butter
butter
wine
wine
beet sushi with fig oil - delicious!
beet sushi with fig oil – delicious!
egg hot and cold with sherrry cream and maple syrup
egg hot and cold with sherrry cream and maple syrup
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celery root puree with red cabbage and hazelnut leaf oil – creamy with a wonderfully strong hazelnut taste
celery broth with radish, cabbage and celery ravioli
celery broth with radish, cabbage and celery ravioli
Frankie liked the vegetables
Frankie liked the vegetables
cabbage stuffed with cabbage and parmeasean cream - good but not mind blowing
cabbage stuffed with cabbage and parmeasean cream – good but not mind blowing
inside
inside
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lobster with sweet and sour sauce and their own honey – really nice, cooked perfectly with a good variety of tastes
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Parsnip velute with speck ham cream – great combo, not as rich as it looks but amazing. Nice mix of hot and cold.
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Scallop and snail butter – cooked perfectly with nice chew, a little tart and citrus tasting
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Raw scallop, couple kinds of radish, geranium oil – radish added a nice spiciness
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potato with foie gras and “everything – the whole farm” with meat juice. Potato cut thin and buttered then rolled. Amazing!!!
Frankie checks out the inside
Frankie checks out the inside
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Endive in pastry. Sauce is coral. Endive is a tad bitter but with the sauce it’s a perfect contrast in texture and taste.
nice waiter
nice waiter
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Black olive from Greece with walnuts and mashed potatoes. Not as buttery as French mashed potatoes but that made it a perfect blend with the olive taste with walnuts for crunch and texture. Very nice
fish passed around
fish passed around
Celery root and mushroom like girolle, truffle and hazelnut
Celery root and mushroom like girolle, truffle and hazelnut
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Turnip and rhubarb – rhubarb made a sweet sauce for these tiny turnips – very nice
wine
wine
cod fish, squash gnocchi, rutabega puree and turnip
cod fish, squash gnocchi, rutabega puree and turnip
chicken being shown around the room
chicken being shown around the room
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Chicken with liver sauce, bread with bone marrow, mushrooms and Jeruselum artichoke puree – rich and fun!
Apple tart with caramel - YUM!
Apple tart with caramel – YUM!
Extra treats
Extra treats
Frankie thought the treats looked good
Frankie thought the treats looked good
Charles and chef Alain Passard
Charles and chef Alain Passard
plates
plates
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Sabyon with star anise and chocolate – WOW! Rich, creamy with hint of anise and a delightful color

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