L’Arpege Paris located south of the Seine and right next to the Musee Rodin. The restaurant is a very traditional and classic French restaurant.
Chef Alain Passard is the creative genius behind this superb restaurant. It’s an organic veggie-eccentric restaurant and the ingredients are locally sourced from Chef Passard’s own garden. Chef Passard’s kitchen had a number of graduates who went off and opened their own restaurants like Chef Pascal Barbot’s of Astrance and young chef Bertrand Grébaut of Septime. Here are L’Arpege Paris awards:
- 3 Michelin star in 2014
- 3 Michelin star in 2015
- #25 on the San Pellegrino 2014 World’s Best Restaurants
- #12 on the San Pellegrino 2015 World’s Best Restaurants
- #19 on the San Pellegrino 2016 World’s Best Restaurants
L’Arpege Paris service was spectacular and Chef Passard greeted us right when we sat down. The man spoke perfect English, very welcoming, charming, and down to earth person. He hung out and talked to us for a good 15 minutes. I asked for a picture with him and he was like “Let’s take a selfie”. The real lunch service was awesome and what you would expect from a 3 Michelin star restaurant. I was expecting a snooty French attitude but they actually didn’t mind us being American. Well, at least it didn’t seem like it. Hence, don’t believe the BS you read and see in the media.
Now, L’Arpege Paris’ food. Let’s say this. The dishes will blow your mind. It’s simply amazing from beginning to end. The health conscious organic vegans would go crazy for the menu. My absolute favorites:
- Beets Nigiri – The organic beets is laid on top of rice like a traditional sushi nigiri. It was simply amazing how he got the temperature and vinegar correct. The texture of the dish rivals some of the best sushi I’ve eaten in my life. It was buttery and melts in your mouth perfectly. The sweetness of the beets without the earthy dirt flavor was excellent. It’s like eating the perfectly smoke rack of ribs. The perfect earthy flavor.
Beets Nigiri - Egg – The poached egg served with cauliflower and a foam. The texture of the egg was silky and the cauliflower give the dish a crunch. The egg white was slightly cooked which made it like a sauce for the dish. The dish had me trying to get every last drop of it like the last drop of Milk Tea during a humid day in Hong Kong.
Egg - Beet Root Tartare – Yes, the Beet Root Tartare. It was easily one of the best dishes of the tasting menu. It tasted juicy and tender. It had the same flavors and textures of a beef tartare but it was completely made of veggies. The creative ways to cook and make something taste completely different totally blew my mind. It was nicely presented with vibrant colors like walking in New York’s Central Park during the beginning of Spring.
Beets Tartare
Overall, Chef Alain Passard and L’Arpege Paris was a great dining experience. From the service to the courses, it was one of the best dining experiences in my life. I don’t say that lightly. It takes one really amazing restaurant to completely change your palate and redefined my meaning of a dining experience. L’Arpege Paris has changed my palate once again. L’Arpege Paris easily ranks in my top 5-7 dining experiences in my life and it has a very strong case for top 3. There’s a lot of Michelin star restaurants in Paris and I would have to say this is the must go of the four I’ve dined at.
Check out our other Paris articles here.
- Service - 9.5/109.5/10
- Presentation - 9.5/109.5/10
- Flavors - 9.5/109.5/10
- Ambiance - 9/109/10
- Decor - 9/109/10
Summary
There are only a few restaurants in this world who can lay claim to changing my palate. Alain Passard’s L’Arpege is one of those restaurants. The whole dining experience from the service, the progression of the meals and the vegetarian menu left its mark on my palate. L’Arpege definitely sits in my top 5 dining experiences ever as of this review. The unforgettable and masterful things he does with the vegetables is comparable to what Rene Redzepi is doing with foraging at Noma.
