Le Lulli in the Grand Hotel du Palais Royal in the 1st is a place Colette and I have much affection for and apparently our love is mutual because as I entered and smoothed my hair up in the mirror after shaking what's left of it out of my black 2 E watch cap, the wait-lady said "You're beautiful" in English. No one has said that to me in over 75 years. Why is this not a one star I think? The menus arrived; I can't understand much of mine; "what language is this, think I, snob that I am?" although it is in idiomatic not Google-translated English; "A French one please." I plead. "Certainly." 39 for 2 courses, 46 E for three = "beautiful." But tough choices. Why is this not a one star?
As we are perusing the carte, I order up a Bordelais - "le Bordelais Monsieur" I say in my impecable French. "Oui Monsieur, le Beaujolais." "No, le Bordelais" Like a Marx Brothers film, this goes on back and forth for a while and then we do get the Bordeaux (and plot spoiler, they run out after 3 bottles, and we finally are "forced" to have the Moulin a Vent which was damn good). Bordelais, Beaujolais, who cares? Oh, there is/are the amuses, 4 lovely bits of salmon, mackerel, a tiny cromesqui of beef and a foie gras ball - and wait - a mussel, cream and other thing concoction Jean-Yves Bournot dreamed up. Why is this not a one star?
For firsts some of us had the beets in three colors with oranges and ginger, boring-sounding, ehhhh (that's the Canuck in me), unh-unh (that's the Brooklyn in me), they were terrific; the rest of us had a rock-fish soup that I won't pretend to sound or be boring, just to say it was slightly North of spectacular. Why is this not a one star?
So for mains, several of us ordered what was called cod (yah, I know - over-fished and over-boring) but wait; several of us had chicken, chicken mind you, cooked with foie gras - ah there you go - and one of us ordered off the carte some scallops - and incredibly the cod came wrapped in thin noodles and had several scallops aside - WHOA! - and the chicken was about the best of the decade. Why is this not a one star?
The desserts were nothing short of spectacular:
- an "exotic" Mont Blanc with a marron pate
- a deconstructed Saint Honore (just imagine such and eat your heart out)
- a Granny Smith/Calvados/confited pear with caramel
Why is this not a one star?
Mignardises - what can I say? Coffee - ditto. Bread - double ditto. Why is this not a one star?
Our bill with 4 bottles of wine and their water, came out to 146 E a couple.
Why is this not a one star?
I fear that it will. This has become our "go to fancy place" ever since we visited it together back in Oct., 2013.
Posted by: Laidback | December 30, 2014 at 07:29 PM