Pierre Reboul  

It's easier to settle the tab when you find it justified. What counts here, despite his rugby-player look, is Pierre Reboul's delicacy at the stoves and the aesthetics of his platters, at once playful and magnificent. He calls his cooking "creative and recreative, with a touch of the molecular." Last visit we took three hours to savor close to a dozen dishes on the degustation menu, a veritable festival of high-contrast marriages, most of which seduced us. Strong points: foie gras and apple-passionfruit compote; "new look" sorbets inserted here and there, pastis, olive oil, cherry; foie gras Flanby (a small marvel); frog's legs with parsley caviar; mini-hamburger of quail poised on the platter like a flying saucer.... Some decry a "gadget" atmosphere, distracted by bizzare place settings but more often by the multiplicity of flavors in each plate. For our part, we see ourselves as explorers of contemporary savors with Pierre Reboul as guide.