Jean Imbert au Plaza Athénée

We came here on a date night in the city and do not regret it. The only part that I regret is the timing in which we came. I was a few weeks pregnant then and could not eat all of the beautiful things I wanted to eat, which was disappointing.

I see a few comments here that have had not-so-great experiences, and I cannot relate. We had a fantastic experience here, and I loved every moment. The staff was amiable, the food was excellent, and served with such beauty! What makes it Michillen star is the presentation, which is partly what you are paying for. The service was excellent. When we arrived, we told them we were expecting and expressed some concerns over the meal items that I could and could not have. The chef was more than amicable and made offerings and other suggestions for food items, making the experience even better. They offered me non-alcoholic wine and were so friendly and helpful for the changes that we needed for the pregnancy. I would recommend this location and go again after the baby; I need that wine pairing.

HATE THE COMMUNAL TABLE! Hence the fewer stars. This kills the legend.

Not a fan of the NEW nighttime set-up. Not an improvement.

I've dined here (as Alain Ducasse) many MANY times. First Alain got wierd w/ the beef and now this new chef and his reimagined dining area. Ugh! Not better. I suppose "the new guy" wanted to make his mark? Will Michelin bless this guy w/ stars? I have liked the staff here for 20 years so I'm torn. The chef is doing things I don't want to become a trend but "his people" are so nice.

Gone is the perhaps the most beautiful cascading crystal
dining area in the entire world. "New" doesn't mean "improved."

Our famed (and impressive) host Denny, and the wine steward, and assorted crew are STILL top notch. (Some of the new additional staff seem weak and wouldn't have lasted here a few years back. Standards ARE slipping.)

The food is all presented w/ great flair.

The desert "show" was amusing and the after diner drink selection was other worldly! Ancient vintages that could only be found at a place w/ this history.

Breakfast? (See attached photos.) I would give just the breakfast 5 stars but this is a review for the entire resturant.

Anticipating a lovely evening my wife, we arrived with two other couples. Six menus followed, only one had prices. That led to some uninformed choices. My party wasn't fluent in French. That fact, combined with the servers unintelligible English, led to other comical moments.

One appetizer was cold lobster at $169. The presentation was stunning, four slices of lobster meat on the back of a large spiny lobster. While the presentation matched the price, the meat itself was ordinary. Those who ordered it were disappointed.

The main courses were acceptable but nowhere near Michelin Star quality. The chef has earned stars in another of his restaurants but that seems unlikely here. I shared Turbot for two, which was ok if bland. Another ordered the Rabbit, which was meat ground into a meat loaf and the diner, who orders rabbit frequently, was unimpressed. Two others had the baked chicken which they liked.

The description of the dessert options was opaque, leading four in the party to order the "Grand Desert" what they heard described as a sampler of all the deserts on the menu. Unfortunately it was actually full sized portions of all the deserts, a glutton's delight but beyond anything that should be offered in the civilized world. Clearly the server should have explained that one order for a table was more than sufficient.

On exiting the dining room there was a ten minute wait for the coat check attendant. And then the hat of one member of the party was curiously missing. After an extended search it turned up in the host stand, stashed their for safekeeping while the host was busy in the dining room.

The dinner provided ample belly laughs but not the quality of service or food that we had anticipated.

I cannot begin to describe the absolute marvel and beauty of Alain Ducasse's flagship restaurant in Paris, but in short, just look at the hundred of thousands of crystal on the two towering chandeliers and you'll know why this is a michelin 3 champion.

The service was top notch, the chrome plated chairs mesmerizing, and every bite of the tasting menu was rife with creativity, love, and imagination. The menu, of course, changes from season to season, so I can't state with certainty that you may get the same dining experience. Like all michelin 3s, there are tons of desserts, so please keep your belly full and avoid the temptation of eating too much bread. Also, you may get a special farewell gift at the end of the event, so I will not ruin it for potential visitors. Our only regret is that Chef Alain was not there...but that was more of a wishful thinking than realistic expectations.

Food/service/ambiance 5 stars
Price: n/a

This restaurant is difficult to dine at for a non French speaker.
The waiter we had was unclear as to what each dish was like.
For example the lobster was five half dollar size pieces of mediocrity for $165
The Grand dessert had some excellent items, but the server did warn us that it was huge.
Much too much money for the quality

There is nothing I can say to prepare you for an experience like Alain Ducasse. If you're fortunate enough to get a reservation, just try to savor every moment.
For starters, it's the most beautiful dining room I've ever seen. Gorgeous chandelier surrounded by crystals that throw off hypnotizing light in every direction.

The somms waltz over with enticing recommendations. We start with a pink champagne from Louis Roederer of Reims, a 2010 vintage. I thought I didn't love champagne, but I've just never had good champagne.
It goes well with the amuse bouches, starting with a earthy cracker-like thing of seeds, to be washed down by fresh basil juice. A prune sorbet in elderberry juice follows. The fried sea bass skin if a melt-in-your-mouth favorite, and I love the meaty morsel of mullet on top.
A Fried Sardine shimmers in tarragon sauce gives me a new appreciate for sardines, and an earthy Chickpea Mousse is just amazing with sea bass tartare and lemon caviar.

The chef's choice menu officially starts with Schrencki Caviar, shimmering black pearls that pop inside buckwheat crepes.
Then, an impossibly tender Grilled Swordfish sits next to a tangy roasted tomato. Their cooking technique is very different here. The fish is barely cooked - basically half raw, and it gives it a very tender texture that I've never had before.
The Gamberoni (shrimp) are the sweetest crustaceans I've ever tasted. That half-cooked method gives them a gooey texture and it's sooooo good with all that ripe melon.
I was a bit worried when they served us a bowl of Black Rice, but it's infused with an entire stick of butter and delicious squid. It's not "just" rice.

Time to start desserts. Lots of cheese, first the chef selection of four. I recall a lovely Comte and a gentle Stilton.
Then the cheese cart, from which we have an incredibly fresh goat cheese that has the texture of soft curd. There's also a beautiful chevre and a superb soft-rind goat cheese that I love more than any other cheese I've ever tasted. We end with the Camembert, and this one has some serious funk.
This isn't fair. Dessert is Figs, my absolute favorite fruit, and these are the juiciest, ripest figs ever. They also add roasted figs to the mix and a Fig Leaf Cake that is fluffy like a souffle. Both pair well with the 1997 Sauternes that somm recommends.
The Baba au Rhum is a Ducasse signature. I never cared for rum cake, but this one is a slice of heaven.
The Chocolates are the final dish, as well as a simple bowl of sweet grapes.

It took me days to fully process what happened to me at Alain Ducasse. The experience is expensive, but it's worth every penny. Every moment was absolutely magical, and I would do it all over again if I could.

Terrible experince. I've worked at a Triple A 5 Diamond restaurant. This restaurant isn't all it's cracked up to be. I tried to remove my jacket after being seated and that was rejected by the service staff. Didn't like it but I guess I understand. Things went downhill from there. The server spilled my drink with no apology.... keep in mind this is 2 min into my dining experience. We asked for the wine list and 25 min later nothing. Asked two more times and the server rolled her eyes at the guest of honor. Finally got the wine list, the sommelier was extremely helpful and helped us pick a wonderful wine. This was the best part of the experience. My wife got the sea bass and I got the lobster, both were very weird dishes and we didn't really enjoy them... when the bill came around I asked if it was possible to pay American cash. They said no and sent the guest of honor to exchange it at the front desk. In my opinion at a 3 star Michelin, spending the money I did, this should have been done for us. Also charged me about 32euro for the exchange... ouch. The front desk was even surprised that the server didn't exchange for us. I will not recommend this place to my group of restaurant friends/Sommoliers. I also do not recommend to you. I left feeling cheated

In A Nutshell:

-Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee is a Three Michelin Star (M3) restaurant located in Paris.
-This was my 2nd M3 restaurant I've eaten at in Paris (the other being Pavillon Ledoyen), so I knew what type of experience to expect.
-Eating here was a much better experience b/c the restaurant was more modern, smaller w/ hipper staff.
-We opted for the prix fixe menu vs. a la carte (why try to guess what to eat when you can have it all done automatically for you by the professionals?)
-The entire experience & meal from start to finish was AMAZING.
-The wine we selected paired perfectly w/ the seafood dishes.
-I always love the butter the French use, so rich & creamy.
-Make sure you book at least a month in advance.
-Expect to pay a handsome sum.

Overall, I highly, highly recommend eating here, it's worth the experience!

I booked through Amex platinum concierge, I wish I hadn't! They were able to reserve a spot last minute. Booking through Amex allows extra benefits at certain places, for example; we were able to tour the kitchen before we sat down for dinner.

I appreciate Amex making reservations for me and always going above and beyond in customer service; however, Alain Ducasse was not Michelin rated or a great experience whatsoever! I have been to plenty of Michelin, including 3 star Michelins around the world to know what I am reviewing.

We were really disappointed; first of all the food was absolutely disgusting, I mean so disgusting that I couldn't even eat the dessert, chocolates and most of the plates (which are small) I left hungry! The bread was cold, dry and hard, the soup was cold, most of the food seemed to have been re-heated (my extended family comes from restaurant business and I always check food quality :))

My napkin fell on the floor, no-one picked it up, I had to re-use my dirty napkin. My spoon fell on the floor along with the napkin. Water cups were never changed, I was drinking out of an old water cup the entire time. I was never given extra butter without asking over and over again. My cheese fell on the floor, I told our waiter, he never picked it up or replaced it. We had to wait over 35 mins for our check (I counted) until we finally were able to flag a waiter down to ask for our check! My table was never cleaned, crumbs everywhere the entire time. The only plus was the amazing chandelier.

I have been to several Michelin restaurants before; ranging from 1-3 star. And I had better service at a regular restaurant: La Scossa the previous night.



UPDATE* they said food is made in the morning, so I was correct, 3 star Michelin food is Re-heated at Alain Ducasse! What a joke.

"Oh you fancy, huh??" You'll want to sing Drake's lyrics when you walk in here. Cause this place is tres FANCY. Like Versailles level fancy, minus the wigs and the actual presence of royalty. Of all the fine dining we've done in Paris and around the world, nothing beats the opulence and white glove service of Alain Ducasse. They literally cut your bread wearing white gloves! Oo la la!

As you'll see in the plethora of photos online, the space is dripping with sparkly chandelier crystals above modern silver chrome booths. We didn't get to sit in the cool booths and instead got a regular table in the middle of the room, but the ambience was mesmerizing nonetheless.

I don't remember too much about the food (was too busy ogling the chandelier porn), except that it was the best food we've had compared to all the other restaurants in Paris on the World's Best 50 Restaurants list. The dishes were beautifully presented, with interesting flavors and creativity. Oh, I remember one of the dishes now--caviar tacos! Yeah it's not often you get to eat caviar tacos!

So if you have the money and want an unforgettable Fine Dining experience steeped in lavishness & luxury, get yourself a reservation here. Bon ap'!