THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED L'Utopie

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED L'Utopie Restaurant Review:

A "forest" of cut aspen trees provides a striking welcome to this elegant and modern dining room whose centerpiece is a glass-encased, floor-to-ceiling wine cellar. Chef Stéphane Modat, who honed his technique at Montpellier restaurant Le Jardin des Sens, sets up his dishes with a similar amount of sparse elegance and striking statements. He once surprised diners with an architectural menu whose dishes were created from 3D architect drawings in the spirit of contemporary luminaries such as Frank Gehry. Even in a freer form, his dishes are characterized by well-executed counterpoints of color, texture, temperature and taste. Spicy fried pork dumplings are served with a delicate "cloud" of red beet, miniature greens and a touch of sweet potato purée. Fish dishes are particularly well done, like grilled tuna served with a green olive and fennel seed compote, a tomato tatin and sautéed shiitake mushrooms with lemon grass. The sommeliers also like to dazzle and, sometimes, disorient guests with unusual wines from mysterious appellations like Bugey or 100-year-old vines of the almost extinct pineau d’Aunis varietal. But they can also just let you enjoy a well-balanced Mâcon, a nicely-structured Nebbiolo or a round and spicy Côtes du Roussillon, always in careful balance with the dishes. Their collaboration with the kitchen is so close that they have even devised some "bouteille" menus where a single wine is served from amuse-bouche to dessert.