This service provides a chef who cooks and services meals at the home. This chef service comes highly recommended by members. It's a very nice way to discover French cuisine with friends at home!
Laurent Veyet, graduated from a famous catering school in Paris, worked 14 years in fine dining restaurants and spent 6 of those years in London and also in U.S. Because the chef particularity is to put his knowledge at the service of individuals, he created Chef Service. From the purchase of fresh products to the creation of courses, he invites you to experience and share his cuisine at your home and takes care of every detail.
At your service, he will not only suggest menus but will also adapt himself to the desires of his customers and will give professional advice for the choice of wines. Laurent Veyet brings all his kitchen material with him and adapts himself to the different places, leaving the kitchen the way he found it. The chef speaks English, and can explain all the steps of the preparation of the menu to the Members.
Please ask your host for more details about the price and the menus.
La Cagouille 10 Place Constantin Brancusi Metro: Gaîté (line 13) 75014 Paris 01 43 22 09 01
Don't expect to find meat at this temple of seafood -- owner Gérard Allamandou refuses to feature it. Everything about La Cagouille is a testimonial to a modern version of the culinary arts of La Charente, the flat sandy district on the Atlantic south of Bordeaux. In a trio of oak-sheathed dining rooms, you'll sample seafood prepared as naturally as possible, with no fancy sauces or elaborate techniques. Try such dishes as fried filet of sole, grilled John Dory, or warm cockles. Red mullet might be sautéed in oil or baked in rock salt. The name derives from the regional symbol of La Charente, the sea snail, whose preparation elevates its namesake to a fine culinary art. Look for a vast assemblage of wines and cognacs.
Alain Ducasse Every indicator points to Alain Ducasse having an extra helping of talent under his hat. He cooks dishes no one else could and serves them in ways no one else would.
Chef Alain Ducasse reveals what tastes best during the Autumn. The results are almost always the same. Wherever he opens a restaurant, crowds and critics flip out. Ducasse comes by Michelin stars the way most people come by tires. His work has changed the world of eating as well as the lives of many of his proteges.
It looks like talent -- but Ducasse says it isn't. In fact, the chef says he doesn't really believe in talent.
"Sixty percent is the quality of the product," said Ducasse. "Thirty-five percent the technique, 5 percent if you have just a little talent. That's my base. And not every day -- we don't have talent every day. That's the key, that's the key of my business."
With restaurants across the globe, Ducasse is the only chef to be awarded three stars in the Michelin Red Guide in three cities. The classically trained French chef now heads the Plaza Athenee restaurant in Paris, the Louis XV restaurant in Monaco, a restaurant bearing his name at the Dorchester in Londonand two restaurants in New York, among others.
Restaurants: - Plaza Athénée , 25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris - Le Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower , 75007 Paris - Spoon, 12 rue Marignan, 75008 Paris
Joel Robuchon From the legend of cooking Joel Robuchon whos empire stretches from Paris to Hong Kong comes his classic recipies that every home canmaster – The Complete Robuchon.
Robuchon is the most influential French chef of the post-nouvelle cuisine era. Since the mid-eighties, he has been called the primus inter pares of Paris’ three star chefs for his work both at Jamin and at his eponymous restaurant.
He is renowned for the relentless perfectionism of his cuisine. His food was seen as instrumental in leading French cuisine away from the excesses – and excessive reductionism – of nouvelle cuisine. In particular, his cuisine is seen as harkening back to a more authentic, even bourgeois French cuisine – cuisine actuelle – which focuses on making each ingredient taste of itself. He has mentored such distinguished chefs as Gordon Ramsay and Michael Caines and his signature dishes include a cauliflower cream with caviar and potato puree.In “The Complete Robuchon” he offers us his recipes (over 800), secrets and tips: from the perfect omelette to vegetable soup, leg of lamb to marinated mussels, to his renowned potato puree every dish is described in detail starting with the ingredients, he tells you how to clean and prepare them down to the way to hold the pan and precise cooking times. It is all here – a catalogue of the basics of French cuisine and a broad sampling of dishes that have earned the author his titles of glory and his truly imaginative recipes from L’Atelier.
Born in Poitiers in 1945, Joel Robuchon became the official chef of La Tour de France, where he learnt a variety of diverse regional techniques. At 28, he became head chef at Harmony-Lafayette, overseeing 3,000 meals a day. In 1981 he launched Jamin in Paris and within three years had received three Michelin stars. In 1996 he left his Parisian restaurant, establishing L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Tokyo. He opened another L’Atelier in Paris in 2003 and has since established Ateliers in Las Vegas, New York and London.
Restaurants: - L'atelier de Joel Robuchon, 5, rue de Montalembert, 75007 Paris
Christian Constant Christian Constant learned his craft from his mother in the south-west region of France. He began his apprenticeship in a local restaurant when he was 14.
Later he worked at the prestigious Ledoyen Restaurant in Paris. Seven years later, having worked every station, his aunt welcomed him to her one-star Michelin bistro “Chez Les Anges.” After working at The Ritz, Paris, Constant became Executive Chef at The Hotel Crillon’s luxurious 2- star Michelin restaurant, Les Ambassadeurs, now undergoing a full restoration to be completed at summers’ end. It is hard to see how the new owners, of the hotel, the Starwood Capital Group, can improve on the magnificent dining room, which was the former ballroom of the duc de Crillon’s palatial home and under the watchful eye of chef Jean-François Piège. (Hotel de Crillion) During eight years tenure Constant created a new generation of talented young chefs, proud to have worked under him.
Constant decided that although he loved The Crillon it was time to realize every chef’s dream; to open a restaurant of his own. In 1998 his dream came true and the 60 seat Violon d’Ingres opened its doors. The name, pays homage to Jean-August-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), the French painter born in Constant’s home-town of Montauban.
All of this might not have become a reality if he had not met his wife Catherine, a Scot, who was Assistant Crew Chief Steward at the time that he was giving cookery classes on the QE2. She is now helping the Maitre d’hotel at the Violon d’Ingres’ by taking bookings, hiring staff and dealing with all the administration work. They also own Les Cocottes and Café Constant. Restaurants: - Café Constant, 139 Rue Saint-Dominique 75007 Paris - Le Violon d'ingres, 135, Rue St Dominique 75007 Paris - Les Cocottes, 139 Rue Saint-Dominique 75007 Paris
La fontaine de Mars 129, Rue Saint-Dominique Paris 75007 01.47.05.46.44 Metro: Bir Hakeim line 6 Area: Eiffel Tower
When U.S. President Barack Obama visited France in honor of the anniversary of D-Day, he stopped at La Fontaine de Mars to dine on leg of lamb and a dessert of île flottante---and joined the ranks of the many guests that have been served at one of Paris's oldest bistros since its opening in 1908. The restaurant's old charm makes it ideal for a business lunch conducted in a quiet corner, or for a family meal on the terrace where one can listen to the calming noise of the fountain, which was once used as a water trough for horses. In typical bistro fashion, there are square tablecloths, leather banquettes and waiters outfitted in long black aprons. The owners are from the Southwest, so it is no surprise that foie gras and cassoulet are found on the menu, along with daily specials and weekly classics such as Monday's bavette à l'échalote and Tuesday's pot-au-feu. The wine list emphasizes Bordeaux and the Southwest region of France.
L'epigramme 9 rue de l'Eperon, 75006 Paris Metro Odéon Area St Germain des Prés
The recently opened L'Epigramme is a pleasantly bourgeois dining room with terracotta floor tiles, wood beams, a glassed-in kitchen and comfortable chairs. Like the decor, the food doesn't aim to innovate but sticks to tried and true classics with the occasional twist. Marinated mackerel in a mustardy dressing on toasted country bread gets things off to a promising start, but the chef's skill really comes through in main courses such as perfectly seared lamb with glazed root vegetables and intense jus. It's rare to find such a high standard of cooking at this price, so be sure to book. Open noon-2.30pm, 7-11.30pm Tue-Sat; noon-2pm Sun.
The Bateaux Parisiens company, based at the foot of the Eiffel tower offers all sorts of activities on the Seine River. With tours of the Seine to see the wonderful sights on its banks and excellent lunch and dinner cruises on the river, the Bateaux Parisiens is a one-stop-shop for those who want to experience Paris from the Seine.
HOURS: One-hour sightseeing tours - April to September: every 30 minutes from 10 am to 11 pm. October to March: at least every hour from 10 am to 10 pm.
RATES: One-hour sightseeing tours - Adults 11 EUR, Children 5 EUR, free for under-3's. Lunch cruises - 5' EUR, 6' EUR or 80 EUR depending on the choice of set menu. Dinner cruises - 98 EUR, 136EUR, 166 EUR depending on the choice of set menu.
Bateaux Mouches Pont de l'alma Narrated one-hour boat tours (in English) let you see the city from the Seine. You'll get great views of Paris' famed bridges as well as Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and more.
HOURS: In high season, tours depart every 20 to 30 minutes, 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily In winter, tours depart at 10:15 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the hour. RATES:One-hour sightseeing tours - Adults 11 EUR, Children 5 EUR, free for under-4's.Lunch cruises - 50
KGB 25 rue des Grands Augustins 75006 Paris Metro Odeon Area: Sain Germain
Occupying an ancient Saint Germain des Pres space that most recently housed chef Jacques Cagna’s seafood bistro, William Ledeuil’s new KGB, or Kitchen Galerie Bis, is more than just an annex to his wildly popular Ze Kitchen Galerie a few doors down. For starters, the prices are lower and the service is brisker, but most importantly, he offers a different declension of the Asian influenced contemporary French bistro cooking that has made him one of the most influential chefs in Paris. Here the menu begins with hors d’oeuvres, served as two, four or six snap shots of his vivid, graphic and absolutely delicious cuisine. I loved his crispy panko-coated shrimp-and chicken croquette with piquillo ketchup, shot of white bean soup with galangal, Wagyu beef tartare with carrot-ginger jus, and mushroom-stuffed macaroni in a chlorophyll bright broth. Next, a Cubist style presentation—Ledeuil’s cooking is intentionally graphic, of capeletti, little pasta caps that look like fiddle head ferns, with a fried quail’s egg, fine slices of Mimolette cheese, green-olive tapenade and an Asian pesto sauce, then a white china casserole of slow-braised pork ribs and griddled potatoes in a hoisin-shoyu marinade. The grand finale: apple cappuccino with ginger ice cream and a gelee of mostarda di Cremona, the best dessert I’ve eaten all year, and a perfect example of Ledeuil’s imagination. “The mating of different culinary traditions is a very ancient story,” Ledeuil told me after dinner. “Olive oil was once exotic anywhere in France outside of Provence, but today it’s an essential part of the modern French pantry. I see my cooking as part of this same tradition—I exhilirate French dishes with Asian herbs and seasonings.” True, but the main reason Ledeuil’s food is so good is that his finely honed culinary technique doesn’t “fuse” these foreign ingredients into French bistro cooking, it sublimates them.
L'Osteria 10 rue de Sévigné 75004 Paris Metro Saint Paul (line 1) Area: Le Marais
This small, discrete Italian restaurant located in the Marais is the meeting place for art lovers. Stars from the fashion, music, and entertainment worlds gather here. Many have left their dedicated autographs posted on the walls.
The decor is simple. The chef and owner, Aiman Abdel Hafez is young, friendly, accessible and impassioned by its cuisine. Aiman likes to try out new recipes and offers very original dishes which are always a true success. Insiders never ask for the menu and upon request Aiman serves you any plate that will please you.
His creations are influenced by the seasons but you will find truffles throughout the year on the menu. Everything is fresh and homemade. The gnocchi are famous and the risotto with the ginger or citrus fruits offers a unique treat for the senses. The cellar made up of Italian wines is very impressive.
