Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse  

What's new at Louis XV? An imperceptible shift in the kitchen with Pascal Bardet at Franck Cerutti's side, the latter having been made executive chef and supervisor of the hotel's restaurants. Just a retouch. While this is Ducasse's Mediterranean foundation, change is not ruled out - never mind the molded golds and curtains of the dining room. For the second season we've found this tiny gem of risotto called "riso". It's lost three letters on the way but has reinvented lightness in a dish that is often clumsy and ubiquitous but exceptional here in a version with first asparagus, acidulated jus, and Parmasen lace. We welcome a spring dish which enjoys taking on different tones according to the season. Coquilles Saint-Jacques, zucchini flowers, artichokes and small carrots, uplifted by plaited arugula, opens a vivacious menu; mesclun with black truffles and olive oil and truffled tartine is freshness itself in winter; delicate local-caught sole, blette with greens, lemon condiments, olives and capers avoids being insipid; an air of graceful delight comes through in Pyrenees milk-fed lamb with Espelette peppers, fennel, and sweetbreads as you'd find in a Basque or Tuscan auberge. The naturalness of all these is confounding. Olivier Berger's desserts bring a note of sunlight. The rest is a luxury of details: confident service led by Michel Lang; penetrating advice from chef-sommelier Noël Bajorm; cart of breads and cheeses. At 22, this table's youth is intact.