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Taillevent Restaurant, Paris, France

NOTE Our most recent review can be found here.

Overall impression:  We were disappointed. The food left us uninspired and wanting more. Expecting to enjoy delicate, creative and delicious food, we found these qualities elusive at best. Perhaps a long-standing reputation has made them lazy. Many of the dishes were mediocre and lacked harmony. The wine selection was fabulous, and seems to be the strongest point of this restaurant, although the sommelier did not seem adequate for the cellars. The dining room, china and glassware were more beautiful than the food. The service was mostly professional but at times inattentive, smug and even surly.

Metro:   Line 1 - George V or Charles de Gauelle Etoile

Location: Off the Champs Elysees area in the prestigious 8^th arrondissement

Owned: Jean-Claude Vrinat

Chef: Alain Solivérès

Chef’s background: Alain Solivérès arrived at Taillevent after nine years at Les Elysées du Vernet in Paris. Prior to that, he worked at the Negresco Hotel, l’Oustau de Baumanière, Lucas Carton, and Louis XV.

General manager: Jean Charles Chareyre

First head waiter: Jean-Marie Ancher 

Sommelier: Nicolas Bonnot

Year opened/renovated:1946

Class of restaurant: Gourmet

Type of food: Classical French

Special menus/pricing: 130 or 170 Euros

Ease of reserving: Advance reservations necessary

Preferred reservation method: Phone, fax or email 

Days/hours of operation: Week days

Language spoken: French, some English

Style of décor:  Modern décor with wood paneling. The dining rooms were on two floors and include

Conference facilities/private meeting rooms: Two small meeting rooms

Wine and spirits details:: An especially good selection of wines and champagnes. We were pleased with their champagne by the glass options.

Other:  Though we were under the impression that there was a fixed price menu of 70 Euros available for lunch, when we arrived we were only offered two options that were double and triple the price we were expecting.  Closely affiliated with the Taillevent Caves wine cellars in the nearby Fauburg St. Honoré street.

Service:  When we were there we found the service to be adequate and even accommodating to special requests. At the same time, we perceived a surly attitude, especially toward English speakers. We found that interesting in light of the significant number of tables where we heard English spoken. One of the diners did not like the lobster dish at all and left it nearly untouched. The waiter asked about it, and she told him she did not like it. From this point forward, our service became less attentive and almost hostile.

Number of visits: Two

Most recent visit: 2003 2008

Would you dine there again? It would not be our first choice.

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