Alain Passard, the chef & owner of L'Arpege does not look like a revolutionary - He looks more like a teacher than a chef at his famous three- star restaurant in Paris, L'Arpege. The restaurant feels more like a very elegant drawing room than the headquarters of a gastronomic inserruction. And yet , if you are lucky enough to get in and sit down at a table at one of the 12 or so tables in this temple dedicated to divine food and then open up the menu, it should not take you too long to realize just what this particular revolution is all about. At firts glance, everything seems to be as it should be. The lighting is subtle, the staff very attentive, the decor very chic, and the prices, well lets say very impressive ( be aware). But then you become serious , because this is a serious restaurant, and you want to know more about the dishes that will be wafting their way from the kitchen to your table.you can enjoy such specialties as couscous of vegetables and shellfish, lobster braised in the yellow wine of the Jura, braised monkfish in an Orléans mustard sauce, pigeon roasted with almonds and honey-flavored mead, and carpaccio of crayfish with caviar- flavored cream sauce. Although Alain Passard is loath to include red meat on his menus, Kobe beef and venison sometimes appear. He focuses on fish, shellfish, poultry, and his passion -- vegetables. These he elevates to levels unequaled by any other chef in Paris. The one time I was there, a friend of mine ( American) took me out and my choice on the menu was" Grilled artichokes from Brittany perfumed with lime blossom".

84 Rue de Varenne
75007 Paris, France
01 47 05 09 06

http://www.alain-passard.com

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