Practical information
Address: 52 rue de Richelieu, 75001
Nearest transport: Pyramides (7, 14)
Hours: Dinner, Monday-Friday
Reservations: Reservations accepted for first seating only, later tables available to walk-ins; book weeks in advance.
Telephone: 01 42 97 54 40
Website
View larger map View a map of all of our restaurants here.
Average price for dinner: 50-100€
Style of cuisine: American
Special attributes: vegetarian options (with advance notice), open Monday
Type of crowd: foodies, neighborhood locals, tourists, expats
Interior: charming & traditional
Atmosphere: casual
Reviews of interest
- Emmanuel Rubin (2012) “on sort d’ici le portefeuille délesté avec charme et l’appétit lesté d’une cuisine mignarde, d’un chic transparent, battant des ailes de libellule sans jamais vraiment décoller.”
- Alexander Lobrano (2011) “…all of the usual role play incumbent in dining out had been rather refreshingly jettisoned…This was, in fact, dinner party food, or the dinner party food of powerfully talented cooks, because it was so much more immediate, fragile and personal than restaurant food…This was a deeply imagined and magnificently executed meal.”
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food was quite good but the portions were “hummingbird” sized.
My wife and I wanted so much to enjoy our dinner at Restaurant Verjus, especially after exchanging friendly e-mails with Laura Adrian to arrange our reservation and meeting her in person at Verjus bar à vin before dinner. Unfortunately, while we would enthusiastically endorse the wine bar (the wine recommendations at both bar and restaurant were perfect and Laura was a wonderful host), we felt that nearly every aspect of the restaurant needed improvement. Above all, the food just didn’t live up to the positive reviews we had read. The portions were tiny, even by Paris standards, and some of the combinations simply didn’t work. Even for adventurous eaters, which we think we are, the amuse bouche of chocolate-covered celery root was literally hard to swallow. Nothing had been done to transform the ingredients or to make this unusual combination work. Things did not improve after that. Nearly every dish suffered from some temperature problem, from seared foie gras that arrived cold to lamb that was underdone (I like my lamb rare, but not borderline raw). Part of the problem might have been our server, who seemed to see her job as some sort of penance for past sins. I don’t think she smiled once. She never asked us about ourselves or showed any interest in our dining experience. Not so much as a “Bon appetite!” or an “Is everything okay?” passed her lips. Her entire interaction with us was limited to delivering our plates and quickly reciting a memorized list of the ingredients with the enthusiasm of a child making her first confession. I did try to break the ice by asking her for butter to go with our bread, but all I got was a shocked look, as if butter with bread were unheard-of in Paris. Perhaps she thought I was joking, because I had to ask her a second time before the butter appeared halfway through the meal. With each new course, we hoped for a dish that would redeem the evening, but it never arrived. Another thing that never arrived was the chef. I don’t always expect to meet the chef, but it does add to a good dining experience, and on the previous two nights we had enjoyed chatting with Daniel Rose at Spring and David Toutain at Agape Substance. At a brand-new restaurant like Verjus, a little schmoozing with the customers would go a long way. This non-appearance by Chef Perkins seemed to confirm what we had experienced on the plate: Things were not going smoothly in the back or the front of the house. If I were to act as a consultant to Laura Adrian and Braden Perkins, as they have done for others, I’d suggest a quick retooling to address these issues: (1) Food – quantity and quality (and temperature); (2) Service – our server needs to be trained, because it truly seemed that she had never worked in a restaurant before that night; (3) Prices – until 1 and 2 are addressed, you need to charge less; (4) Decor – a painting or two on the walls and maybe some kind of window treatment for the wonderful, tall windows wouldn’t hurt. Despite this disappointing experience, we really hope Verjus can, with some work in all of these areas, live up to its potential in the future. It’s clear that Laura and Braden have the dedication and talent – they just need a little more time and perhaps a better supporting cast.
I don’t know when that last review was written, but I just ate ate Verjus tonight and I must report that my experience was exceptional, and completely the opposite of what was described above. The food was phenomenal and I am delightfully full. Each dish was lovely to behild and had the most intruiging aromas, and they tasted divine! The service was friendly and casual. I noticed the waitstaff going out of their way to accommodate a guest who had an emergency. The prices were high, yes, but I ate a lot and drank some very excellent wines. The decor was lovely. The airy lightness of the room is a nice change from the typical masculine bistros, and the view from my seat was just charming. To top it off, the chef visited our table and everyone else’s during our dinner service. If you can afford it, I highly recommend a visit.