One Final Meal in Paris

On my last day in Paris I made another pilgrimage to a location featured in the last John Wick film: Sacré-Cœur. 

The Basilica of Sacré Cœur de Montmartre is a beautiful Catholic church perched on a significant hill above the city. This is where we saw John Wick fight his way up hundreds of steps to the church for his final duel with the Marquis de Gramont.

Even though it was a little rainy that day, I decided to walk up the nearly 300 steps to the church. It was a climb, but the views of Paris from the top of the hill are awesome. 

Feeling a bit famished from the hike, I walked a few blocks over to have lunch at a spot that one of my fraternity brothers (shoutout Gabby!) had suggested: Le Coq & Fils. The meal started with wonderful bread and butter, some roasted vegetables as an appetizer, followed by an incredibly well roasted quarter of chicken. The chicken was beautifully seasoned, extremely juicy, and was served with luscious pomme pure (mashed potatoes). 

It being my last night in Paris, I naturally had a reservation for dinner at l'Atelier de Joël Robuchon à Paris Saint Germain. The namesake of the most Michelin star awarded chef of all time, this was set to be a special meal.

I was seated at the counter next to two others who were also dining solo; a student from USC, and a housewife from Seattle. While I was mostly minding my own business during my tasting menu experience, I couldn’t help but overhear the housewife talking the ear off of the young man next to her. She went on and on about living in Seattle, how exclusive her neighborhood was, how much money her husband made, her famous neighbors, how much money she spent on her son’s bar mitzvah and so on. It was really obnoxious and definitely distracted me from the phenomenal meal I was having. 

Dinner companions with poor conversation can honestly ruin an otherwise wonderful meal.

That being said, the food was quite wonderful. Gazpacho with mustard ice cream and basil oil, a lobster bisque ravioli situation was also a highlight, the signature mashed potatoes were actually, to my surprise, too rich for me (I never thought one could have too much butter, but alas the French have proven me wrong).

The tiny little agneau (baby lamb) chops were incredibly tender and delicious. The seared foie gras was naturally unctuous and perfect. The gyoza with white truffles was a nice twist on a Japanese classic. The plating, service, and overall aesthetic was awesome, and I can see why the legacy of Robuchon continues to hold a special place in the pantheon of French cuisine.

A perfect meal to end my first visit to Paris.