(Links to my other recent reviews from this same trip [with more to come!]:
Artist Point
Tutto Italia)
San Angel Inn
Rose & Crown
Kouzzina breakfast
Kona Cafe breakfast
Coral Reef lunch
Mama Melrose lunch)
And to think I *almost* cancelled this ADR because of recent poor reviews here!
We had always wanted to try Bistro de Paris, but because we go with the DDxDP it never worked out (that iteration of the restaurant didn't accept the dining plan while we were there). I have been to France 3 times, with time in Paris each trip, and I love French food. DH has gone along on one of those trips, and DS (15) is an adventurous eater who loves fine food.
This turned out to be one of our favorite meals of the trip (we were in WDW for a week -- I'll be doing dining reviews one-by-one because I think it makes it easier for people to find reviews of the specific restaurants they are interested in).
Anyway, I think the management at Monsieur Paul has been alerted to the poor reviews -- the paper placement that irritated so many are gone, replaced with white linen tablecloths. There was no bug trapped on the glass of the display menu out front. CMs at the hostess stand and our server were all friendly, courteous, and professional. The the food was absolutely fabulous.
We had a 7:30 ADR and were seated right on time. We thought the room was absolutely lovely.
I forgot to take photos of the bread basket offerings -- the bread is brought to your table by a CM who describes what is available and offers to give you as many as you'd like. We all tried and enjoyed different breads -- DH had a mini baguette and I had a roll with rosemary (forget what DS picked). The amuse bouche (small, complementary offering from the chef) is still the little cheese bread puff; this is one place where a little lift is still needed. If the puff had a soft cheese filling, or were replaced with a non-bread item, it would make a better impression given that this comes on the heels of the lovely bread basket and is essentially another little piece of bread. But this was our only, very minor complaint of the evening.
Our appetizers:
I had the Raviole d'escargots, creme au persil - Escargot raviole, cream of parsley. I can never pass up escargot! This was a refreshing break from the usual escargot presentation (they serve the baked-in-garlic-and-wine version downstairs in Chefs de France). If I were going to make a suggestion, I'd say that maybe several small raviole rather than one large one might have been more elegant, but I appreciate that this was easier to prepare (and that's just a pretty small suggestion!). I'd order this again in a heartbeat, if I hadn't tried a bite of DH's:
He had the Homard forestier, oeuf de cailles mollet, bouillon creme aux truffes noires - Maine lobster with sauteed mushrooms, mollet quail egg, creamy black truffle bouillon. We live in the Boston area, we visit Maine regularly -- we know from lobster -- and this was ethereal. Flavors that just sang in your mouth, a buttery texture -- we agreed that a larger version as an entree would be fantastic.
And DS went with:
Soupe aux truffes V.G.E. - Beef broth, oxtail, vegetables, black winter truffle, puff pastry. I almost advised him against this, because I've seen an unfavorable review here, but luckily I kept my mouth shut and he loved it! The soup was very rich and dense with ingredients (the review I'd read seemed to indicate there wasn't much in the broth), he loved the puff pastry top, and he really enjoyed the oxtail and truffle combination. He declined to share and declined to taste our choices because he enjoyed this so much!
My entree:
Pot au Feu de St. Jacques, creme de choux fleur, consomme de homard au gingembre - Seared scallops with vegetables, cream of cauliflower, ginger lobster consomme. I took the photo the moment before a server came over with the hot consomme that gets poured into the dish. This was so incredibly flavorful, and the scallops were cooked perfectly; seeing the photo is making me truly want to get back down there and order this again! Nothing could improve this dish of heaven.
DH went with:
Ballotine de Poulet, puree de carottes et de topinambour, cassolette d'epinards - Free-range chicken ballotine, carrot and sun choke purees, creamy spinach. Well, that is the description from AllEars; I can see that this version is slightly different with the asparagus in place of the spinach. This was rich, moist, and flavorful; DH had wanted a lighter meal and was thrilled with his choice.
DS ordered:
Filet de boeuf grille forestier, puree de pomme de terre, sauce Bordelaise - Grilled beef tenderloin with mushroom crust, mashed potatoes, Bordelaise sauce. He ordered the steak medium-rare and it was done perfectly. We are laughing at the "mashed potatoes" in the description -- the creamy, sublime dish in the upper right is the potato presentation that was so amazing we all had to dig in. We would have all loved a side order of these! The mushroom crust was delicious as well.
I forgot to take a photo of the bottle of wine we ordered; it was a splurge, and chosen with help from our server (who was friendly, always there when we needed him, and the wine he picked was fantastic).
We weren't sure about desserts only because we were so full, but our server encouraged us all to try the La barre au chocolat - flourless chocolate cake and said that once we tried it, we'd all want our own. He was so right:
This was one of those best-things-I've-ever-had kind of experiences -- very light, a great combination of crispy and chocolately and rich and velvety. And were we glad that none of us had to share!
The place is expensive, no question about it. But this is one of the reasons we go with the DDxDP -- it frees us to make the ADRs we want to and to order whatever we'd like. It was an exceptionally fine French meal, and we all agreed that Monsieur Paul is now on our "must do" list for each trip.
The moral of this story: enjoy reading the reviews here, but always try the places you want to try. People's expectations, experiences, and taste buds vary! Our other big surprise of the trip was Tutto Italia -- another ADR I almost cancelled and another "first time" for us that we loved (I'll try to write that review soon!).
) I am trying Monsieur Paul in October with my girlfriend to celebrate our 6th year. Can't wait to try it now! Happy 4th!
We are in Southborough -- happy 4th to you, too, and I hope your October trip and visit to Monsieur Paul are all wonderful! (October is definitely one of the very best times to go!!)
