Maison Blanche Awards

Maison Blanche Restaurant Review:

Perched atop a landmark, the Théatre des Champs-Elysées, this restaurant benefits to boot from an exceptional location in this glamorous corridor of fashion, the Avenue Montaigne, which connects the Champs-Elysées right to the banks of the Seine. The all-concrete nouveau-style construction was, in 1913, an innovation of avant-garde architect Auguste Perret when he erected---upon request from the government---the theatre known for its impeccable acoustics. It was only in 1994 that the restaurant was added on the roof, though it was not originally conceived to support its weight. It was finally built like a suspension bridge. Quite a history for this two-tier, wide open and aerated white (Blanche) space overlooking this superb part of Paris, illuminated by the Eiffel Tower. Born in Southern France, the brothers Pourcel, who evoke in their field the cinema world’s Coen brothers, have conceived of a food that would reflect the warmth of their homeland but reflecting the elegance of the surroundings. Sylvain Ruffenach, formerly from Daniel Boulud in New York, fulfills this promise with his tasty and aromatic menus composed of delicate preparations meant to be savored with the tip of the fork, such as the translucent quail egg with morel mushrooms and a mousseline (a fine purée) of fingerling potatoes. Sylvain likes to confront bitter and sweet, crunchy and creamy, contradictory tastes, like in his gazpacho of French peas with peppermint and marinated sardines, or the casserole of artichokes with minted Bruccio Italo-Corsican cheese. He also researches unusual ingredients, such as the giant sea bass, also dubbed croaker, or the appreciated fera angled in the Lake of Geneva; wild oregano from Sicily; Nepalese pepper; the beef is Wagyu, of course; not to mention the goji berries from Himalaya, supposedly the oldest and most powerful antioxidant of the world, sporting the leeks and a quail egg in a Barolo vinaigrette. Dashi, a “jellified” Japanese traditional bouillon, accompanies a sashimi of bio salmon along with guacamole. Is it only an affected cooking style for the snobbish diner? Not really. It’s more a lightened kitchen with a wink to healthy food and an exploration of novelty. Sylvain can do simple, too, when he slivers raw mushrooms or steams cod, and sprinkles it with trout eggs and nasturtium flowers, served on a bed of purée. They favor wines from the Languedoc but they also carry the big Bordeaux and Bourgogne. All of this comes at a price, but this rare experience, the lightness of a refined meal in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, is well worth also lightening a little bit of your wallet.