Advent calendars for the child with a discerning palate are now available. For the first time, both La Pâtisserie des Rêves and Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse are producing custom designed advent calendars stuffed with gourmet treats.
To save the 13 million travelers who visit Notre Dame each year from the 13 million terrible restaurants that surround it, we present you with our favorite places to eat near the great cathedral.
Alain Ducasse’s flagship at the Plaza Athénée remains one of the bastions of French gastronomy. Since autumn 2014, the restaurant has reoriented its cuisine around fish, cereals and vegetables. The quinoa doesn’t come cheap here: expect to pay more than 1000 euros for 2 people at lunch.
The king of French fine dining has opened the first bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturing facility in Paris in an elegantly redone auto body shop. A second shop is now open in Saint-Germain at 26 rue Saint-Benoit. Don’t miss the salty-sweet hazelnut praline stuffed chocolate bar.
Le Marché d’Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée
Alain Ducasse, who is is often described as the “most Michelin starred chef in the world,” lost some twinkle when his eponymous restaurant at the Plaza Athénée closed last year for renovations. It will reopen on Monday with a revamped décor by designer Patrick Jouin and a dramatically re-envisioned menu that celebrates fish, cereals and vegetables. No meat, or rather less meat.
The headlines have been rather splashy. The Guardian told us on Friday that “France’s top chef bans meat from the menu” after free transport rag Metronews reported on Thursday that “Avec Alain Ducasse, le Plaza Athénée devient végétarien.”
Open since 1912, this picture-postcard Paris bistro is part of the Ducasse group.
Address: 228 rue de Rivoli, 75001
Nearest transport: Tuileries (1), Concorde (1, 8, 12)
Hours: Open Monday-Friday for breakfast, lunch and dinner; Open Saturday and Sunday for breakfast only
Reservations: Book a day or two in advance for breakfast; Book a week or two in advance for lunch & dinner
Telephone: 01 458 00 21 19
Average price for lunch: 60-100€
Average price for dinner: More than 100€
Style of cuisine: Haute cuisine
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The Ducasse group runs this longstanding address for Lyon-style cooking.
The sepia-toned dining room at this historic bistro remains the same, but Alain Ducasse and protégé Laëtitia Rouabah have taken over the kitchen and the accompanying carte of classic Burgundian dishes. Reviews are mixed.
The first bean to bar chocolate manufacturer in Paris now has its first offsite location.
We used to say that “it’s impossible to be a top chocolatier and not have a shop in Saint-Germain. Except for Jacques Genin in the Marais.” That was later amended to add Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse when it opened near Bastille.
And now both of these outliers are opening shops in Saint-Germain.
The wonderful site Painrisien recently tweeted a picture of the storefront window at 26 rue Saint-Benoit, advertising the imminent arrival of Ducasse. That means you’ll soon be able to buy a box of bonbons and eat it while standing in line for Le Relais de L’Entrecôte.
Alain Ducasse wants to be a blogger. According to Le Monde and L’Express, D and his minions will be launching a food website in May that publishes recipes, video tutorials, restaurant addresses and information about ingredients. A few elements will be free – the rest will require a fee of 4-5 euros per month.
They’ve already acquired the free recipe website cooking 750g. and we at Paris by Mouth are just waiting for our offer 🙂
Three-star restaurant Le Meurice has announced that Alain Ducasse will be taking over its kitchen in September.
It's that time of year again...the foodie frenzy over the annual San Pellegrino restaurant rankings has begun.
