There are ten 3-star restaurants in Paris. It's a privilege to dine in one. The best way to have this 3-star experience at a decent price is to go for lunch. We did that again! For 70 euros, (about 100 euros including wine), we had a really nice meal at
L'Astrance, which is r
anked #36 on the list of best restaurants in the world. We were told that the name came from a small wild flower in the mountains! Like its namesake flower, L'Astrance is a really small restaurant, located in the Trocadero neighborhood. It's tastefully decorated with bright yellow leather chairs and grey walls that have an elegant waxed finish. I particularly liked the colorful glass place settings and the wine glasses from Zalto Denk'art. The lunch menu is 5 courses, with additional amuse bouche and sweet treats at the end.
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| First course - mussels in a light coconut thai infused broth. Just delectable! |
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| Second course -Slice of mushroom/foie gras 'tart' |
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| Third Course - fish with sliced zucchinis with an amazing burnt butter/white miso mayo (top center dollop) |
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| Fourth Course - pigeon with eggplant (green piece on right) |
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| Fourth Course side dish - salad with pigeon leg and pigeon liver |
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| Fifth Course - nectarine, chocolate sorbet +++ |
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| Additional sweet treats - egg with jasmine froth, magdeleines, plums with figs |
What made this a particularly lovely dining experience is that the staff is genuinely friendly, not
hoity-toity. The co-owner, Christophe, joked about the pigeons not coming from the top of Eiffel Tower or the nearly gardens but from the south of France. The sommelier recommended a lovely well-balanced fruity red wine from Sicilly made from the Il Frappato grape - a new one for me! One would expect that a sommerlier from a 3-star restaurant in France would probably recommend a grand cru from France!!
