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Restaurants

New DC Restaurant: Adour

October 31, 2008 at 12:00 PM | 0 Comments

While everyone else is in the mood for cheap eats these days, DC is said to be recession-proof, since everyone there works for the federal government or one of the political parties, and none of those are going out of business anytime soon. (Well, the Republicans might be on the verge.)

For now, DC politicos of all stripes are still enjoying their power lunches and dinners, so they're pretty excited to finally get a restaurant from culinary powerhouse Alain Ducasse. The French cooking idol behind New York's Adour and 21 other restaurants around the world recently opened a second outpost of Adour at the St. Regis Hotel on K Street.

The restaurant is as opulent as you might expect, with a David Rockwell-designed interior complete with stainless steel wine vaults. Ducasse's signature French cuisine doesn’t do any new tricks here, but the duck- and seafood-heavy menu of $40-plus entrees should keep DC's expense accounts busy.

Related Stories:
· Adour [Official Site]
· About That New Eiffel Tower Restaurant [Jaunted]
· New DC Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Adour]

Restaurants

World's Best Chef Not Good Enough for Washed up Pop Star

September 5, 2008 at 9:45 AM | 0 Comments

Any food snob would give their left taste buds for a chance to dine at Alain Ducasse's eponymous restaurant at the Plaza Athénée in Paris. Sure, the City of Lights has plenty of restaurants that claim to be the best of the best, but really, when it comes to French dining, Ducasse is it.

Which is why we were so tickled by a Kitchen Rat item on Ricky Martin, which claims that when the Menudo star stayed at Athénée recently, he called down to let them know he wouldn't be needing Ducasse's services--but would instead be sending down his own private chef.

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Restaurants

About that New Eiffel Tower Restaurant

January 4, 2008 at 12:01 PM | 1 Comment

Yesterday we told you about Alain Ducasse's new restaurant at the Eiffel Tower. It has an interesting back story, and it's certain to be better than the previous tenant. But those two pluses aren't making it any more palatable to Jaunted's Paris correspondent Monica Guy:

Okay, so the view's good. But for €155 or €190 (not including wine) you'd get a far better meal--or six--in a proper modern French restaurant. Such as my favourite-of-the-moment, the canal-side Hotel du Nord.

You want proof this place is just for tourists? For one thing, it closes at 21:30, which is when most French diners are just considering an aperitif.

And for another, Ducasse claims his new place is "100 percent French...in harmony with French wines." But the French aren't interested in 100 percent French any more--least of all in the matter of wine.

There you have it. Le Jules Verne restaurant: Great for rich tourists, bad for savvy Francophiles.

Related Stories:
· Haute Cuisine Travel: Alain Ducasse at the Eiffel Tower [Jaunted]
· Jaunted Embedded Travel Guide: Paris Wine [Jaunted]
· Paris Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Restaurants

Haute Cuisine Travel: Alain Ducasse at the Eiffel Tower

January 3, 2008 at 2:05 PM | 3 Comments

After four months of painstaking renovations, Alain Ducasse has reopened Le Jules Verne restaurant, more than 400 feet up inside the Eiffel Tower. The superchef had the outgoing fittings weighed to avoid adding any unnecessary burden to the 19th century landmark, and new glass was installed to ensure that nighttime views aren't obscured by the restaurants lights.

While Ducasse has earned a mind-boggling 16 Michelin stars with more than 20 restaurants, the Jules Verne probably won't add one to his tally. Ducasse himself says it's more of a nice restaurant than a world-class one.

Still, it ain't cheap--especially for Americans spending Euros. Lunch is €75 ($110), while the two dinner menus are €155 and €190. At least you get to use a private elevator to get up to the restaurant floor.

Related Stories:
· Le Jules Verne [Official Site, in French]
· Chef Aims High with Eiffel Tower Restaurant [AP, via CNN]
· Adventure Dining: The 150 Foot High Restaurant [Jaunted]
· Paris Travel coverage [Jaunted]