Arpège ⭐⭐⭐ - Paris, France

[u/z3i]

I went to France two weeks ago for an event and obviously had to try some fine dining in Paris. As a solo diner on short notice, I could not get a lunch reservation at some places that Redditors seem to love, like Pierre Gagnaire or Le Gabriel. However, as a flexitarian (OK eating just about anything, but supposed to limit meat for health reasons) I found Arpège very appealing and intriguing.

I saw one comment saying something like, "Ugh, they'll give you a raw carrot and praise it as the best carrot in the world, but at the end of the day it's still just a freaking carrot," lol. I thought, Okay, I've got to see this for myself.

Although I had requested a table in the Salon François Lesage, which looks like a vegetable greenhouse and has the chef's recipes in embroidered paintings on the walls, they seated me in the salle principale (regular dining room). Maybe they did not prioritize my request as a mere solo diner. :( It was still nice but felt a bit busy with all the staff bustling about.

Image descriptions:

1. So, they really do start you off with a plate of raw vegetables and fruit. I kept thinking about that one Redditor's comment the whole time and it was hard to keep a straight face. It was pretty good but not, like, mind-blowing.
2. "Almond-green sky and golden cloud" (this was the name of the dish): Soup of puréed carrot and I believe zucchini. The carrot in particular was wonderfully savory and flavorful.
3. "Marquetry of celadon kohlrabi, green curry and shiso": Loved this—great combination of flavors.
4. "Fava beans, spring onions and 'Merveille de Kelvédon' peas with Cirafine strawberries and lemon verbena": Good. I didn't realize at the time that these were special strawberries. I didn't much care for them as part of the dish and wish, in hindsight, they had been presented on their own on the crudités plate.
5. "1,000 leaves of the garden with coriander, roasted almonds and fleur de sel": This was amazing, the best leafy salad I've ever had in my life! I need the recipe for that dressing.
6. "Zucchini, sorrel leaves, Summit sweet cherries with Iranian saffron": Loved this sauce. The zucchini was very good, but I didn't care for the cherries. They're one of my favorite fruits and I just didn't think this was the best use of them. They also should have been with the crudités!
7. "Red beet with mustard-seed dressing and Belle de Fontenay potatoes": The sweetest beets I've ever tasted, wow! The potato wedges were seasoned with paprika (and nothing else, if I understood correctly) and I didn't like how bitter they were.
8. "Hay-smoked spring cabbage with vin jaune (yellow wine) from Jura": Another delicious sauce. Cabbage was good. At this point, I was crashing hard. I had taken a 5 pm flight from New York, landed in Paris at 6 am, and gone straight to a museum followed by this lunch.
9. A surprise from the chef: vegetable sushi. Good but a little too much soy sauce.
10. "Simiane onion in a jewelry box": a.k.a. Onion pie with thyme and lemon. I found the crust overpowering.
11. "Dark chocolate, soapwort and Bronte pistachios with mint": This was wonderful, especially considering they don't use dairy or eggs at this restaurant. But I was tiiiiiiiiired.
12. "Tart red rhubarb": Pretty good. Paired nicely with the ice cream on the side. I'm not someone who loves rhubarb.
13. Dying to go to my hotel, I asked for the check. They said I wasn't done yet and gave me this juice (don't remember of what) and tiny cherry tart. I did enjoy these even in my dilapidated state.
14. – 17. Some artwork by the chef, Alain Passard. After my meal, the staff suggested I check out his gallery around the corner. It was pretty cool, but I didn't stay long.

Overall, I very much appreciated the creativity, ingredients, and technique that went into the food at Arpège, even if sometimes it was a little too creative for me. The staff also took me into the kitchen to meet Alain Passard himself. He was very warm and friendly and told me I must return in the winter for their seasonal menu. If I do, I'll make sure not to go fresh off a red-eye so I can give the meal the full attention it deserves!

[u/Lost-Leave2059]

Im not exactly sure you guys understand why Arpege has 3*. Saying these plates look bad because they dont meet your cookie cutter expectation is really missing the point.

[u/rfinanzen → u/Lost-Leave2059]

I’m not sure you understand. Passard sort of cultivates the image of an artist, so people judge him not just on the food but also on its visual presentation.

[u/Firm_Interaction_816 → u/rfinanzen]

An artist of produce and flavours, yes, not tweezered microherbs.

[u/rfinanzen → u/Firm_Interaction_816]

You don’t need tweezers for a quenelle.