18 rue Troyon,
17th. 01.43.80.40.61. Metro Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.
Open : Mon, Sat 7h30-10h30 pm; Tue-Fri noon-2pm, 7h30-10h30 pm. Closed
mid-July to mid-Aug. Average : 230 Euros. Credit : Amex,
DC, MC, V.
Guy
Savoy inspires not just
admiration but real affection from his fans. He's so likeable and
his cooking, which emphasizes the finest, freshest ingredients,
textures and contrasts, is inventive but never overworked. Bite into
his brilliant huitres en nage glacée, oysters cooked in their
own juice, made into a jelly and topped with a briny fresh oyster, and
it's just like a dip in the ocean, while his now-legendary artichoke
soup with black truffles and warm toasted brioche heaped with truffle
butter is indecently soothing. For a one-night, gastronomic voyage,
take the set menu. Sup on a cool tartare of meaty mackerel topped with
Sevruga caviar and the same fish roasted and served on a potato slice;
flinty lentils paired with earthy black truffles, plump langoustine
steeped in citrus butter, and sweet , fleshy sea bass drifting on a
vanilla sauce - a heavenly match. Then, milk-fed lamb "dans
tous ses états" : grilled with fresh rosemary, rolled and
stuffed with rocket, and souris, meltingly soft lamb shank, brightened
with twice peeled peas. For dessert, a festival of raspberries,
sorbet layered with fresh fruit, granita, a biscuit crowned with
upright berries and one deliciously caramelised fruit, followed by
chocolate sorbet and deeply rich ganache dusted with bitter
almond-tasting tonka bean, then a sliver of warm apple tart. Oh, and
mini madeleines fresh from the owen in between. The staff is generous,
service is flawless and the surroundings - a grown-up scheme of warm
wood, leather, African sculptures and Georges Autard canvases -
candidly comfortable. Most of the diners are french, and you'll
need to reserve at least one month in advance to join them and
ever-charming, ever-present Guy for dinner.