Oh Champs-Elysées!
by Julie Baker

avenue restaurants with panache

Paris’ millennium celebrations were centered around the Champs-Elysées. The avenue is increasingly becoming the focus for some of the city’s best dining experiences.

Cercle Ledoyen 1 av Dutuit, Carré des Champs-Elysées, 8e, M° Champs-Elysées Clemenceau, tel: 01 53 05 10 02, closed weekends.
The attractive oval room with huge windows looking onto the gardens is one of the most soothing dining areas in Paris, and thanks to Chef Christophe Le Squer, the food really does match the setting. Entrées are grouped around fresh seasonal produce, making ample use of autumnal ingredients such as wild mushrooms. On a recent visit, we loved the tender rabbit braised in vin jaune and a particularly splendid carré d’agneau. The restaurant also prides itself on its innovative fish courses, such as a filet of sea bass served with shredded courgette and cheese. Among the desserts, the shimmering chocolate dome was sensational. $$$

Le Matignon Restaurant 1 av Matignon, 8e M° Franklin D Roosevelt, tel: 01 43 59 38 70, open daily, menu 140F.
The setting is superb, with a long terrace overlooking the Champs-Elysées gardens, and an upstairs dining room with fine views and a nautical theme. Chef Vincent Léothaud’s cuisine plays with Mediterranean flavors that are bright and well-executed, with an occasional Asian note as a variation. The generous duck carpaccio with a sprinkling of roasted sesame seeds served with a delicious pasta salad was wonderful. Fish lovers will want to try the excellent pavés of roasted monkfish with garlic or tuna steak with confit tomatoes. $$

Diep 55 rue Pierre Charron, 8e, M° Franklin D Roosevelt, tel: 01 45 63 52 76, open daily.
Recent renovations have opened up the entire front of the restaurant to the street, while retaining the intimacy of the interior dining areas that have made this Chinese Thai establishment such a favorite among film and fashion folk. Start with the shrimp soup with lemon grass that has a fine spicy thrust to it, or the Madame Butterfly, toasted slivers of shrimp that are delicate yet flavorsome. The specialty of the house, Peking Duck, is superbly prepared and served, the skin fine and crispy, the flesh tender yet lean. Other special dishes include sautéed shrimps with basil, skewered lamb with satay sauce and the Thai chicken curry with its fiery hotness soothed by the caress of coconut milk. Try one of the South-East Asian beers on offer or the well-priced rosés. $$$


Spicy 8 av Franklin Roosevelt, 8e, M° Franklin D Roosevelt, tel: 01 56 59 62 59, open daily, menu 159F.
An attractive, earth-toned interior makes a perfect setting for a menu that explores international spice combinations with attractive and often playful presentations. Among the entrées, try the “false sushi” (false because the fish is marinated) served on a minimalist slate plate. Main courses include steamed filets of rouget served inside a bamboo steamer upon a bed of tagliatelle wrapped around a shot glassful of curry sauce, or crispy cod fish accompanied by caramelized fennel bulbs. There is a fine selection of international wines. $$

La Grande Armée 3 av de la Grande Armée, 16e, M° Etoile, tel: 01 45 00 24 77, open daily.
Located a stone’s throw from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the decor of this Costes Brothers’ brasserie scandalously toys with France’s love of military fetishism. The terrace is done up like a Napoleonic campaign tent and life-size soldier-cutouts standing sentry beneath faux-heroic friezes. The menu is as playful as the decor, offering everything from homemade foie gras and caviar to cheeseburgers, with brasserie staples such as oysters and steak tartare steadying the troops. $$$

El Mansour 7 rue Trémoille, 8e, M° Alma-Marceau, tel: 01 47 23 88 18, open daily.
The enormous consideration that has gone into the decor is reflected in the cuisine, which is based upon Moroccan classics and uses only seasonal ingredients. For an outstanding entrée try the magnificent pigeon pastilla, a delicate marriage of sweet and earthy flavors in a light pastry. Main courses are dominated by a vast selection of tajines or aromatic stews such as free-range chicken with confit lemons or the magnificent lamb served with prunes and almonds, an exquisite combination of spices and textures. Desserts include a bright, light orange salad served in orange flower water and a selection of traditional pastries. The wine list is extensive and offers an opportunity to try some excellent Moroccan wines, such as the Domaine Riad Jamal Beni M’Tir 1995. $$$

Pavillon Noura 21 av Marceau, 16e, M° Alma-Marceau, tel: 01 47 20 33 33, open daily, menu 168F.
This sumptuous restaurant offers a splendid range of classic Lebanese fare in a refined setting. The ideal start to any meal here is the selection of hot and cold entrées, a superb choice of classics that demonstrate Lebanese cuisine at its finest, such as little pizzas and minced lamb pastries, a delicate and smoky caviar d’aubergine and tarama, all served with warm unleavened bread. Main courses focus on charcoal grills such as the chicken kebab and lamb, and it’s imperative to leave room for the heavenly selection of delicious and delicate homemade Lebanese pastries, with their nuanced flavors of honey, almonds and pistachio. The wine list affords a rare opportunity to taste the country’s excellent wines.$$$

Spoon 14 rue de Marignan, 8e, M° Franklin D Roosevelt, tel: 01 40 76 34 44, closed Sat lunch & Sun.
With its minimalist decor and sophisticated spin on international cuisine, Spoon mixes the authentic with the playful, inviting diners to create their own dishes by mixing three lists of ingredients. Among the most successful are the gently spiced seafood soup served in beautiful earthen bowls and carrying the discreet tang of ginger, as well as the superb pan-seared tuna, served blue and accompanied by wok-fried vegetables with a sweet condiment of peppers, spices and sultanas. In a restaurant that demands choices, the hardest of all is selecting a wine from the extensive international list.$$$


Price Key: $=up to 160F. $$=up to 210F. $$$=more than 210F. Average price estimates include three courses without wine.