Le Taillevent Paris – 2 Michelin star restaurant near Arc de Triomphe

Le Taillevent is a luxurious restaurant with the distinction of two stars in the Paris Michelin guide. According to Wikipedia, it has a history dating back to 1946. In 1948, it was awarded its first Michelin star, followed by a second and third in 1954 and 1973 respectively. Unfortunately the third star was lost in 2007, but it continues to be a highly regarded classic French restaurant in Paris.

Michelin Star Restaurant Near Arc de Triomphe

With an address in the 8th arrondissement and housed in the former private mansion of the Duke of Morny, Le Taillevent Paris is described as “… one of the most beautiful addresses in Paris, with reminiscences of an aristocratic past..”. For us it was a convenient place to have lunch after a visit to the famous Paris landmark, the Arc de Triomphe which is an eight minute stroll away. Which means that the iconic shopping avenue, Champs-Élysées is also close by.

Le Taillevent Paris Menu

At our lunch at Le Taillevent Paris, there was choice of selecting items from the a la carte menu or to go for one of the set menus that ranges from 115 to 345 euros per person.

We decided on a hybrid solution – selecting the most affordable lunch (115 euro per person) option and ordering the flambéd lobster (130 euro) from the a la carte menu as an extra second.

Le Taillevent Paris Wine

According to the restaurant website, the founder André Vrinat was a pioneer – being the first in Paris to break away from the domination of Bordeaux wines in restaurants and offer other terroirs, notably Burgundy which was said to be “a region which in this period was struggling to develop”. This is a situation that is hard to imagine considering the prices of Burgundy wines these days. With the emphasis on wines, it is no surprise that Le Taillevent has one of the largest wine cellars in the world with more than 30,000 bottles in its underground cellars.

Le Taillevent Paris wine list is literally a heavyweight. We understand that the oldest vintage in the cellar is an 1890 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou. For us, it was impossible to properly browse the list. We got tired at one of the earliest chapters – Champagne and decided to stop there. We selected a bottle we have not previously heard of – DEHOURS & FILS Champagne Brut Grande Reserve NV (130 euros). It was very good with very fine bubbles and a creamy texture.

Bread & Starters

Lunch kicked off with some bread and amuse bouche. Each of them was good and enjoyable. Attractively presented but without too much showmanship.

The first course of the prix fixe was some seafood over risotto. It was a substantial first course but no complaints from us as it was delicious.

Flambéd lobster at Le Taillevent Paris

We asked for our flambéd lobster to be prepared for sharing between two persons, so these are pictures of a half lobster which was prepared in three ways. The tail was done in a normal way and served with a dark, rich matelot (fish stew) sauce.

The lobster head was served grilled with cheese and spinach.

The lobster claw was served with some buttered shitake mushrooms in a fried batter, sort of tempura-like. Having the lobster prepared in three ways was interesting. A very good dish, but would be even better if the crustacean was not so small.

Main Courses and Desserts

From here on, the lunch at Le Taillevent Paris was more predictable. For main course, there was a choice of meat or fish. We chose one of each.

I cannot remember the details of the main course, except that both were good and by now we were feeling very full, thanks mostly to the risotto.

A simple dessert and some petit fours brought our lunch to an end.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 4
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

Le Taillevent Paris
15 rue Lamennais, Paris, 75008, France

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