Gourmets traveling to Paris need look no further than the restaurant of their hotel to find the most exciting cuisine in town. The trend started in 2000, when superchef Alain Ducasse moved his three-Michelin-starred restaurant to the Plaza Athénée. Now some of the hottest chefs in the Michelin firmament are working their culinary magic in top Paris hotels. Words of caution: reserve well in advance, diet before you arrive, walk between gastronomic blowouts — and bring lots of money.
Strings of crystal pendants gleam among the landmark chandeliers and Regency-style Corian chairs sport ball-gown skirts at Alain Ducasse, at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée (25 Ave. de Montaigne; 011-33-1-53-67-65-00). The glamorous ambiance is echoed by chef Christophe Moret’s masterly offerings, such as Bresse chicken with Albufera sauce — a sumptuous melding of foie gras, port, Madeira, Cognac and white truffles — tout à fait Ducasse.
Le Meurice, at the Meurice hotel (228 Rue de Rivoli; 011-33-1-44-58-10-55), is the newest hotel three-star, thanks to young chef Yannick Alléno’s creative wizardry. The St. Pierre fillet, sautéed with vanilla, mint and licorice and dressed with mandarin orange and dill sauce, was the highlight of my recent lunch. Due this fall: a revamp of the lobby, bar and restaurant that über-designer Philippe Starck vows will be “timeless, magic and unexpected.”
Dining in the mirrored and marbled grandeur of the Hôtel de Crillon’s Les Ambassadeurs (10 Place de la Concorde; 011-33-1-44-71-16-16) is akin to supping at Versailles. Former Ducasse protégé Jean-François Piège’s ingenious kitchen has two stars, though many consider it worthy of a third. Sample his signature starter — a boiled egg with an edible shell of buttered toast and egg white and a yolk topped with a ragout of chanterelles, almonds and crayfish — then decide for yourself.
Next door to the Hôtel Balzac, which just emerged from a $15 million renovation, you’ll find Pierre Gagnaire (6 Rue Balzac; 011-33-1-58-36-12-50). At the intimate three-star mecca, blond boiseries and contemporary art provide the backdrop for tuna with a Bloody Mary sorbet and for chef Gagnaire’s virtuoso green-pea soup, which lifts the restaurant into taste-bud heaven. The prix-fixe lunch is a bargain at $120.
At Le Cinq, at the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris (31 Ave. George V; 011-33-1-49-52-71-54), talented chef Philippe Legendre is concentrating on regaining his third star (currently he’s back to two) with delicious combinations like artichoke and black Périgord truffle tart and lobster smoked in its shell and roasted with chestnuts. Everything is seamlessly served in the palatial beige, gold and gray dining room.
Michel Troisgros, the revered chef of the Roanne three-star restaurant that bears his name, is behind the celebrated revival of the Hôtel Lancaster’s elegant one-star, La Table du Lancaster (7 Rue de Berri; 011-33-1-40-76-40-18), as a consultant. Chef Fabrice Salvador orchestrates Troisgros’s tangy seasonal menu (look for creations like frogs’ legs with tamarind and cauliflower), which blends perfectly with the serene East-meets-West atmosphere.
Despite the no-reservations drawback, my whole family adores L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, the former three-star chef’s revolutionary red and black gourmet-counter “diner” at the Hôtel Pont Royal (5 Rue de Montalembert; 011-33-1-42-84-70-00); it’s the most fun of any gastronomic experience in the city. Epicures compare notes on such favorites as caramelized quail and hot Chartreuse soufflé with a scoop of pistachio ice cream. The hotel’s Petit Bar, paneled in mahogany, is where insiders wait for L’Atelier stools.
To catch a rising star, book a table at L’Hôtel’s Restaurant (13 Rue des Beaux-Arts; 011-33-1-44-41-99-00). Chef Philippe Belissent’s inspired dishes — lobster timbale with macaroni, mushrooms and almonds, for one — have magnetized a Left Bank art-gallery clientele. And Jacques Garcia’s ebullient decor would make onetime patron Oscar Wilde feel right at home.
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