Plenitude was the 3 Michelin Star restaurant in the Cheval Blanc hotel where Chef Arnaud Donckele has made his sauces the lead in his dishes.  The food was made to elevate the sauce rather than the other, usual way of things.   It led to strong sauces which were left on the table if you desired more and instructed to eat a spoonful of sauce before you start any dish.  Open Tuesday to Saturday, the small restaurant books about 6 months out.  The hotel has 4 restaurants and at least one of them was also under the leadership of Chef Donckele.  He made an appearance in the dining room but did not visit with each table.  The evening starts with a walk through the wine cellar which was a long glassed in hallway with wine storage on either side.  At the end of the hall was a small private room that you can book for personal events – I just love starting with a sales pitch.   You are then seated at your large white cloth covered table and snacks begin to arrive before you even get the menu.  There were 2 menu options, The Symphony which is the chef’s pick of seaonal dishes (6 courses, cheese and extras – 495€) or the Sail Away Together where you chose 3 savory, 1 sweet and a cheese course (€475, sorry I didn’t get a photo).  The Symphony offered 2 levels of wine pairings.   We ordered a cocktail to start, to go with the snacks while we looked over wine and food options.  There were about 10 tables, well-spaced in the semi-circular room and probably more servers than guests, even with all tables taken.  We chose the Symphony menu and while the menu told you the essence of the food there was a flip menu detailing what all went in each sauce.  The place had a stylish feel but was ridiculously expensive for most people and even so had some service issues.  For me it had too much an elitist feel with the sincerity – just too showy.   The food was good but heavy and I’m not sure any made me want to ‘lick the plate’ – which would have been fun just to turn some heads.  I’m glad I got to try it but you won’t run into me there a second time. Continue reading →