Restaurant Paul Bocuse
If Michelin gave four stars, Restaurant Paul Bocuse would certainly deserve it
Our meal at Restaurant Paul Bocuse at Auberge du Pont de Collonges was phenomenal, far exceeding my expectations and leaving me immediately wanting to return for more. Honestly, I would have eaten a second meal had the kitchen not closed.Everything from the moment you pull up to the colorful historic restaurant, through the gracious welcomes by the entire staff, to the visual aesthetics of the dining room, and the stellar food, wine, and service was absolutely perfect and impeccable. Everything one would expect from a properly functioning three-star Michelin restaurant at the height of its powers.
Auberge du Pont de Collonges
This was my virgin experience at Bocuse; I should have eaten there in 1993, but missed a reservation personally made by Georges Blanc after discovering his truffle eau de vie tucked away in the kitchen the night before. Perhaps I drank a tad bit more than recommended, but that is another story best saved for another time.I must freely admit, I went to Bocuse with trepidation in my heart and stomach. I knew the experience would be very costly, even by three-star standards, I had heard from several people and online reviews that Monsieur Bocuse was dated and tired. I worried if it could match my lofty expectations or simply be one of those experiences you hear so much about that fails to deliver.
Le Feu Sacré
Il ne faut pas cracher dans la soupe (You don’t spit in the soup) – Paul Bocuse
I must start by addressing the outdated and tired concerns for those facing the same dilemma I felt. Understand where you have chosen to eat. If you are coming to Restaurant Paul Bocuse looking for the current rage of a thin line of food on one small side of an overgrown plate, with multicolored gel dots, radish slices and pluches of flowers hiding the food beneath, then thankfully you are at the wrong place. You would be much better-served dining at a trendy Parisian or New York restaurant where they will tweezer your food to death. If you came to try the food that launched a young man into culinary superstardom, then you are about to experience what I imagine heaven must taste like.
The Classics
This exceptional woman… taught all of us about flavors and gave us a taste for hard work and work well done. There would have been no success for any of us without her. – Paul Bocuse on Mere Brazier
You go to Paul Bocuse to celebrate the classics, period. You go because of the divine lineage of the feu sacré, or sacred fire, that was triumphantly carried by Paul throughout his absurdly long and influential career, passing through some of the most amazing restaurants in all of modern history. The Bresse chicken cooked in a bladder, for example, is a testament to modern French gastronomy. It originated in the 1800’s by Mére Francoise Fillioux (1865 – 1925) and then moved into Mére Eugénie Brazier's (1895 – 1977) repertoire when she opened her own restaurant. Mére Brazier became the world’s first chef to hold not one three-star Michelin rating, but two three-star Michelin ratings simultaneously. A unique distinction that was held for sixty years until Alain Ducasse got his second three-star rating in 1998.
The young apprentice Paul came to work for Mére Brazier and learned her version of nouvelle cuisine – yes that’s right, Gault and Millau did not invent or even coin the phrase. They simply repeated a centuries-old, much-used term describing every time the old guard was replaced by the new guard. At Mére Brazier’s restaurant, Paul learned many things including that spectacular chicken dish that stayed part of his repertoire. Next he worked at the great Fernand Point’s groundbreaking La Pyramide and carried a legion of grand dishes into our time.This is why you eat at Bocuse.
Paul never forgot his origins and it was evident in his cooking, the murals outside the front door and even in the banquet room that he dedicated to his mentor Point. It is an unbelievable opportunity to go to a restaurant and dine on still relevant classics originated during an influential turning point and epoch in gastronomy. The experience is akin to a time travel through a small, rapidly closing window to another time.
Bocuse Going Forward
When the time is right and honor has been sufficiently bestowed upon Paul, I do hope they go the route of La Tour d’Argent and maintain part of the original menu as classics never to be removed, but also allow the chef freedom to add his voice to the magnificent choir. It is a pity to see other great restaurants lose their classic dishes to appease Yelpers who do not fully understand food but now have a platform on which to vent ignorance from.But this isn’t a history lesson. For that, you can simply google the name Paul Bocuse and sift through the millions of tributes, stories, and videos that show up in the results. My purpose is to put the meal into context and help ensure your expectations will properly match the dining experience.
The $500 Lunch
Most people cannot afford a $500 lunch every day, so you must pick and choose those splurges carefully. Going to Paul Bocuse is not the moment to get cheap and not indulge. We chose the 275 euro menu ‘Paul Bocuse’ because it was a plated journey through Paul’s most memorable dishes. I do admit I thought of supplementing with a few more I wanted to try.
Amuse-bouche de l’Auberge: Tomato Velouté with Basil Emulsion and a Parmesan Crisp
We ate here on June 26th, 2018 and I can still remember the lingering flavors of this lovely amuse. Every spoonful joyously reminded me of the scene in the movie ‘Ratatouille’ where Anton Ego is transported to his youth by a simple spoonful of ratatouille. This dish embodied summer and transported me to my youth where I spent summers in Provence with my family. We enjoyed this small bite with a flute of Perrier Jouet.
First Course: Lobster in an iced Pouilly Fuissé court bouillon, Osetra Caviar and Celery cream
Warning: Get used to me fawning over every single dish. This course was probably my favorite; every bite was more phenomenal than the last. Our sommelier, Jack Rouget, expertly paired it with a 2015 Domaine Faury Condrieu made by winemaker Lionel Faury. Lionel has bucked the modern trend of making overripe wines in new wood and produces highly perfumed, classic viogniers that sing of their terroir.The combination of rich shellfish and Viognier was epic; the perfectly poached lobster danced in the jellied poaching liquid while the celery puree added a mild sweetness that added to the flavor choir.
