Michel Rostang

I had a whole list of restaurants I wanted to try while in Paris.  I tend to lean toward the new and contemporary.  But while in Paris, Mama H.o.P. and I were the guests of her Parisian friend who had her own restaurant recommendations.  Who am I to tell a Parisian where to eat in her own city?  So I basically tossed my list out the window and just came along for the ride.  It seems like Michel Rostang is one of those restaurants that have been around for awhile.  It has 2 Michelin stars, and lucky for us they had a tasting menu for 175 euros, inconclusive of tax and wine.  In France, you are not required to tip.  That's kind of a bargain when you think how wine pairings can run as much as the price of your meal.  

Amuse Bouche

foam pigeon, beet, parmesan chip

smoked white fish, goat cheese, macaron

wasabi, peas

It was a nice start with this little trio of bites.  My favorite was the peas and wasabi.  A smooth delicate vegetal sweet with a little bit of kick.  I think the smoked white fish was a bit strong on its own, and the goat cheese just took it over the top.

Roasted Baby Squid mango, galangal

The flavors here were surprising.  I pegged Rostang as a classically French, but the wasabi from the prior dish and galangal here really brought the East to the West.

Lobster pea mash, strawberries, vegetable consume

This dish was served cold, which was refreshing.  The lobster was all sweet suculent meaty tail meat. No corners cut here, thanks Chef Rostang.  Beneath the lobster was a sweet pea mash.  It actually got a bit tiresome to eat.  I think this dish would have been better at half the portion or maybe if something else zingy were added to the mix.  I'm not sure if I saw how the strawberries fit in here.  It was the wrong kind of zing I wanted.

Filet of Sole gnocchi, beurre blanc, lemon

During my trip, I came to learn that the French love to do table side saucing.  Almost every dish was served bare and then some nice gentlemen in a suit came in and poured a delicate dollop of sauce atop everything.  The sole was light, the sauce was creamy with just a hint of acid from the lemon.  The little gnocchi were not too heavy.  Overall, it was a nice dish and felt very classic.

Pork Loin crispy pork skin, mille-feuille of artichoke and tomato
The crispy pork skin was reminiscent of that found in the Chinese roasted pig.  It slightly missed the mark being a bit chewier than I would have liked.  The play of a mille-feuille with tomatoes and artichoke was nice but I didn't think it went all that well with the pork.

Soufflé caramel

I like a good soufflé.  This would have been one of them had it not been so sweet.  There was an extra caramel sauce served tableside of course. 

Szechuan Peppercorn Ice Cream

I guess this is the chef's attempt to keep incorporating Eastern ingredients, but I thought this flavor was odd and distracting.

Mignardises

A nice selection of treats to follow that disappointing dessert.

Michel Rostang was not the best meal I've ever had.  There were some pitfalls and I expect more from a restaurant of this caliber.  It was great that the wine was included because I drank a whoooole lot and was preeeeettty happy by the end of the meal.  Service was excellent as well.  We had such a cute young waiter and he tried speaking English for this little ole blogger.  The chef happily took photos with us.  Food wise, I wouldn't recommend Michel Rostang.  I'm pretty sure there are far better 2 star Michelins in this city.  Or stars aside, I'm sure 175 euros could buy a more satisfying meal.