Paris, Pierre Gagnaire and Perfection

We stepped warily over the tattered, dusty carpet remnants, past the cement rubble and ragged plywood at the entry to the Hotel Balzac. This was about to be one of the more expensive lunches of our lives, and certainly the most expensive of our trip to Paris, and it looked like we were entering a live construction site. Gulp.

But when we passed through the doors and entered Pierre Gagnaire’s eponymous restaurant, our worries vanished instantly with a warm welcome by the maitre d’ and the quiet, sedate, rich furnishings of the bar, covered as it was by a giant gleaming silver bowl filled with bottles of Philliponat ‘Le Reflet’.

We stepped down the short stairway into the restaurant proper, a small place with only two levels and perhaps twelve tables. We were late, yet early: a few minutes late for our official reservation but still the first diners there, and were given pride of place at the premier table location (not something I’m used to at starred restaurants, I can assure you). We were also assured that time really didn’t matter, as there was only one seating for lunch anyway, and we had all the time we wanted; indeed, we were encouraged to take life at our leisure while at Gagnaire, and so we did.

The a la carte menu was profound (and profound in price as well, I’ll admit), yet I’ve always thought the Chef’s ‘menu du jour’ showcases the spirit and style of the restaurant, so we ordered accordingly. I expected the standard four course menu, although a spectacular example of same, considering this was such a highly regarded temple of haute cuisine.

Spectacular. What a pitifully inappropriate word that is, so lacking in scale. Pierre Gagnaire served up, over the next three hours, one of the finest meals I have ever had the sheer joy to consume and appreciate. From beginning to end, the experience was an astonishment of delight, with every single detail of service, style, beverage and food executed with absolute precise perfection.

Once we placed ourselves in the Chef’s hands, we still had to make a choice of wine from the superb wine list. I could have easily defaulted to my usual carefully calibrated balance of quality and price (there was always the Belliviere Jasnieres, for instance, as well as many others), but for this occasion an exceptional wine was required, and I could not resist the 2002 V. Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses. The sommelier nodded his approval.

Then came the first…and clearly not the last…of our many delightful surprises. The amuse bouche, usually a single bite of something interesting, under the whim of Gagnaire was transformed into a wonderfully crafted presentation of six different taste sensations to delight our palates. There was the selection of enrobed nuts, each noted coated or shellacked with a different blend of spices and flavors. Then there were the contrasting wafers artfully arranged in opposition to each other in a yin/yang of waferdom: the white, almond scented wafer, resting on a leaf, with the quiet little surprise of a dot of intensely flavored jam underneath the wafer. Then, of course, one looked for the surprise of the dark chocolaty wafer with its underside of a different jot of jam. Then there were the strange little upright noodles, like little strange maccheroni on end, stuffed with curious pale orange filling: with little bursts of flavor, the noodles revealed themselves to be more Asian than Mediterranean, with subtle curry flavors, spice without heat, in the filling.

And thus we learned the style of the meal: an endless array of delightful surprises of vision, texture and flavor, highlighted by small intense explosions of precise design on the palate. Gagnaire obviously loved to play with all the global intricacies of foods and cultures, constantly pushing the edge without actually going over it. A dangerous game, but he played it faultlessly that day for us.

With a jolt, we realized we were still on the amuse bouche, and had not yet entered into the meal proper! That was remedied quickly with the arrival of our first “course”, the appetizer, or as described by the menu,

“L’abstrait!!! (à vos de deviner)
Bourse de filet de bœuf français composé d’avocat, concombre et lisette
Ricotta au raifort, céleris dorés au sel et tomates vertes confites
Toast rouge et choux rouge, venus et amandes coquillages, olive taggiasche
Pulpe de poire au yusu ; patate douce, Brie onctueux à ka coriandre fraîche

If you need translation, the best I can come up with is
1. a superb lustrous beef tartare molded around avocado with minced cucumbers. The beef was a morsel as fine as ever I’ve had, and the center of intense buttery avocado was startling in its freshness. There was also, as part of the ‘abstract’ a delightful beef consommé, shimmering and rich, but with a tang of Asian soy to set it apart from the traditional.
2. the ricotta was a marvelous mélange of flavors, each distinct, and the confite of tomatoes was in keeping with the cascade of veggie flavors on the table.
3. The red cabbage…marinated…was a dramatic counterpoint to the delicate precision on the other plates. Meaty and dense and rustic, and balanced by the cured black olives that were rolled in a mix of brown spices. (!!!)
4. The pear and yuzu was a revelation of purity of flavor: the yuzu balanced out the sweetness of the pear pulp, then that was dramatized by the contrast of sweet potato puree, then that was further dramatized by a blotch of half-melted Brie de Meaux. Each flavor was distinct and precise, yet the layering built to a crescendo of flavors. Epiphany seemed an all too appropriate word here.



This course was eventually followed by “Créme de petits pois au cerfeuil, pascaline de poularde de lait; legumes de printemps à l’étuvée »…or a delightful selection of fresh spring vegetables heaped around a delicately creamy/mousse-y pascaline, surround by a foam hiding achingly fresh spring green peas that were al dente crunchy/springy on the palate, and topped with a large bunch of fresh chervil.


Then the “plat principal” arrived: “Dorade royale saisie à la peau, beurre noisette « cuisiné, Gnocchi à la romaine, pâte de cresson » or…..a filet of dorade (sea bream), first grilled, then roasted skin on, topped with a freshly made mix of chopped tomatoes, garlic and herbs in a Mediterranean/Provencal style, accompanied by a separate plate of fried gnocchi sandwiches stuffed with sundried tomato preserves and romaine and sitting on a delightfully bitter bed of wilted water cress. Description fails me here; words are paltry next to the oohs and aahs and low moans of pleasure emanating from all and sundry (moi most definitely included in the sundry).

A simple but superb dessert, I thought, to wind down the meal. Superb I had right. Simple? Hah! We proceeded to have three separate courses of varied desserts served, with, respectively, six, three, and two separate dessert items included.

The first dessert course was a small blob of white goat cheese covered with some sort of red spicing (never figured out what it was) contained in a transparent little cup dusted with white powder. Whatever the hell it was, it caused a controlled nuclear explosion of pure flavor in the mouth. I waited and watched my wife obliquely while she popped it into her mouth, so I could have the pleasure of experiencing it again through her delighted eye-popping physical response to the flavor blast. Remarkable.

Then there was a cylinder of dark chocolate stuffed with dark mousse suffused with hazelnut. Followed by a reconstituted cherry, wherein cherries were shredded, mashed, marinated, pulped, rendered into a dense mass of pure cherriness, then remolded to look like a cherry, with the stem reinserted for verite. Again, focus was on the intensity and purity of flavor expression. Then the counterpart chocolate, a white chocolate cylinder with an au lait/caramel mousse inside. Finally, a fantasy of pastry, with a graceful swan neck of firm pastry crisp anchored by a tiny little meringue snowman dusted with cocoa powder. Oh, wait, then there was the center well of the dish, with a fruit-based mousse!

Second dessert course. Only three items here, but the chef is getting more whimsical on us. First a mélange of apples in flaky pastry crusts, with apple caramel ice cream in the middle and a liquid compote of apples pooled around it. Then a delicately mandolined pear slice sitting in a fruit consommé of pear and spices. Then, the most whimsical of all, Chef’s version of an edible Mojito. Since every bar was serving Mojitos as the drink of the moment, Chef decided to make his version: a glass filled with a lime and mint semi-liquid/semi-jelly and topped with a soft meringue foam of mint and lime. But the little surprise at the bottom of the cup, once you spooned down to it, was….finely minced cucumbers! Wow!

Last course (we were reassured by the waiter) of desserts. Only two this time. Chef must be getting tired. A tall mousse of milk chocolate with a pure and criminally dark cocoa truffle embedded in the heart with a strange little green lozenge perched on the rim (never figured out what it was, but it was a burst of flavor that nicely balanced out the richness of chocolate). Then a bowl of coffee and chocolate flavored ice-cream cake studded with pretty little pastels of colorful meringue.

Coffee (superb, dark and bitter), obligatory chocolates and truffles (Who has room left? Well, maybe just one, eh? To be polite.)

Mind you, while all this repast was going on, watching the precise, quiet, totally competent service performance was a joy all too itself. It was, in all truth, like watching one of the finest symphony orchestras performing with absolute, uncompromising professionalism and personality. Never a false step, never a single hesitation, never anything but perfection expected and delivered. And but of course, Chef Gagnaire himself came out and made his gracious parade of the room, stopping and chatting with each of us.

Check time. Pay the piper. But even though I’m a cheap bastard, and have to work for a living, I didn’t wince at all, and happily payed. Would’ve payed more, if you want to know the truth. A truly memorable meal. No, a truly memorable experience.

And as we left, our waiter hurried out to the bar, to escort us personally out past the renovation construction, and down the steps, and stood with us for a few moments, enjoying the late afternoon sun, then wished us a bon voyage through Paris. And we walked back along the Champs-Elysees, through the Place de la Concorde, and into l’Orangerie to enjoy more of our moveable feast.

Hoke, this is why I dined at Gagnaire for my 50th birthday in 2005.

It took you a while in your writeup to use the word "whimsical", but that is the best word I know to sum up Gagnaire's approach to dining.

My dinner there was a marvel, though it appears your lunch may have surpassed in terms of numbers of small dishes. Yummy. I want to return.

I can understand your desire to return, Bernie...we want to go back as soon as possible too!

Whimsical, yes, absolutely. But such precision of flavor too.

The overriding impression we both left with was of how happy and pleased and joyous and charmed the customers were. Wasn't a sad or somber face in the bunch, as everyone was thoroughly delighted in their senses. You don't normally think of a temple of haute cuisine as "fun"...but this place certainly was that.

Here are my notes from the Gagnaire dinner (excerpt from a 10 day memoire):

That evening, only about one-third of the tables were occupied, along with a large group in the back room close to the kitchen. The service was extraordinary in all phases. I asked about taking pictures, and was told about Pierre’s policy. Nevertheless, Lori explained in fluent French that we were only going to keep some pictures as mementoes and were not involved in the industry, so I was permitted to take a few discreet photos. I’m choosing to not show any of Pierre’s signature dishes as a respect for this arrangement, but I will show some desserts.

I was enjoying my birthday, so did not take notes. Victor and I each ordered a la carte, and everyone else went with the menu. The scanned image below is the best I an do.

I started with the Orientale, had the sweetbreads as an entrée, and ordered a chestnut soufflé for dessert. I forget Victor’s entrée, but he had duck for his main course. The Orientale was a bizarre grouping of 5 different small plates. Maybe the chef understood the unifying concept (it may have been an homage to the cuisines of five Asian cultures), but skipping the abstract for the moment, they were inventive and delicious. The sweetbreads were tasty but fairly conventional and seemed to lack the modern spirit of the rest of the meal. Victor said the duck was the best he’s ever had (not surprising, since he doesn’t venture to the top end of his own volition). I gave the dish my approval, but would not elevate the duck to such a lofty level.

The tasting menu provided numerous small treats, which I cannot begin to recall. My overall impression is that Gagnaire is more about whimsy and surprise and less about expressing top quality ingredients. I was more impressed by ingredients at French Laundry, but Gagnaire gives a more fun experience and wins out on food artistry.

The wine list at Gagnaire could be improved (older wines, fairer prices), but I was intent on drinking well. We started with a magnum of 1989 Pommery Champagne Cuvee Louise, one of the better priced bottles. It drank really well and disappeared before we had barely gotten past the amuses. It was my birthday, so I had to up the ante. The options for dry white included a Coche Dury CC, which I was almost inclined to get since it was priced pretty fairly compared to its US going rate. But given the cuisine, I opted instead for 1990 Trimbach Clos St Hune, which showed very well. The 89 was also available, but the sommelier said the 90 would be a bit more open. For reds, I opted for 96 Denis Mortet Chambertin, a wine I was reassured would be very approachable and it was. It maybe lacked somewhat in complexity (it was still youthful), but the aromatics, balance and length were first rate. This was joined by 97 Guerin Cote Rotie Grandes Places, very refined and drinkable, with fine tannins and good balance. As luck would have it, we had finished the Riesling and still had a fish course coming on the menu, so I ordered up a bottle of 2000 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Boudriotte. This “lesser” Burgundy showed precision and nice minerality, with enough restraint on the acidity to be quite light on its feet. Not meant to impress, it served its bridging role to introduce the reds. As dessert time came, I picked a curiosity of a sweet wine—a 1997 Coteaux de Saumur. I missed the producer’s name. The wine was dark gold, verging on orange, with distinct botrytis aromas, honeyed and citrus flavors, and the unmistakable cut of chenin blanc. I would call it a fun dessert wine. But it doesn’t have the purity and transparency I prefer in, say, Baumard’s Quart de Chaume or Huet’s single vineyard Molleux.

Thanks for the notes, Bernie!

I think it's fair to say that the wine list has actually improved considerably (although, sure, the prices are still high; makes it measurably worse now that the USD is so in the toilet). What pleased me was the inclusion of some really interesting and relatively affordable wines (like the aformentioned Belliviere Jasnieres). Lots of good Loires in there. Also nicely selected Austrian wines, to my surprise. And several Spanish wines too. It was still a French playground, mind you, but there was an impressive selection from outre as well.

The whimsy is still very much there. Hard to compare foods, as I'm sure there are significant differences between the lunch and dinner fare, but I suspect Gagnaire has, if anything, even further honed his themes and explorations in flavors and textures.

The menu we had was so declaratively, utterly, gorgeously Spring in all it's glory that every element sticks in the memory, so I'd venture to say that perhaps Gagnaire has improved somewhat on the quality/freshness of ingredients. They were exceptional, in every dish (but markedly so in the petits pois and palatine course).

Another obvious theme that ran throughout the meal was Gagnaire's penchant for throwing contrasting counterpoints of roughly similar flavors. For instance, the two opposing wafers in the amuse; for another the contrasting dark chocolate curl and the white chocolate curl in one of the desserts. He also contrasted texturally, with the crisp mandolined pear and the fruit broth it was partially immersed in. In the ethnic sense, there were clear notes of Asian, Mediterranean/Provencal/Italian, and a touch of Indian flittering through.

All in all, it was an astonishing, and entirely joyous, meal. If it ever happens that you and I are in Paris at the same time, we should meet at Gagnaire, Bernie.

Oh, and by the way, don't know if he's relaxed or whether there were no "signature" designs in our meal, but there was no problem with photos. Unfortunately, I didn't realize they were okay (even encouraged when the table next to us asked), so I only have pics of five courses---and I didn't get that amazing appetizer course, darn it!

I'll post them up when I get a chance.

Thank you both for these posts. When I finally get to Paris, this will be high on the list!

This would be the third course, if you count the amuse bouche and the appetizer courses. Sorry, didn't have the camera out for those. But this is the creme de petits pois, spring vegetables and chicken pascaline.
Main course of dorade royale (sea bream) with fried gnocchi squares alongside.
Dessert course 1
Dessert course 2
[/img] Dessert course 3