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Taillevent Knows Its Food (and Water)  Although Taillevent is not a water bar, we really did have a fine waters experience there. Not only was it a fabulous meal, but the water also complimented everything nicely.The Access Paris guidebook (8th Edition) says Taillevent "...is as close as a restaurant comes to perfection" and it is "...one of the best dining spots in Paris." We haven't sampled all the Paris dining spots (yet), but my husband and I agree that it comes close to perfection. According to the Taillevent description of its own history: "Guillaume Tirel (1310-1395) was the cook to the Court of France at the time of the first Valois kings and the Hundred Years War. When he began his career as an 'enfant de cuisine,' or kitchen boy, for Jeanne d'Evreux, he received the name 'Taillevent.'" Chef Taillevent is best known for his work entitled Le Viandier, a collection of his recipes as requested by King Charles V in 1379. Le Viandier is considered the founding text of French cooking. "To his outstanding qualities as a cook, Taillevent added a creative spirit, for he is thought to be the inventor of the saulcisse (sausage) and a delicate pastry called the Mirliton du Pont-Audemer," adds the restaurants historian. We Go with the Chef's Choices When it came to ordering lunch at this three-star Paris restaurant (ranked by the famous Michelin Red Guide to hotels and restaurants), we put ourselves in the hands of professionals. Using the assumption that the chef knows best, we ordered the recommended prix fixe lunch. It's our favorite way to dine because we have more courses with smaller portions and get more tastes. Plus would the chef recommend anything that he didn't think was outstanding? I doubt it. The next assumption was that the wine sommelier also knew best, so we asked him to pair the wines with the food. Not only was this an excellent dining choice, but it was also a good financial choice. As it turned out, we paid about the same for our glasses of wine specifically paired to the foods as an expensive bottle of wine that would have to work with all courses. We started with a glass of champagne for an aperitif and then had half-bottles of three different wines - a sweet white wine, a white Burgundy and a red Burgundy. But, when it came to ordering water, we took a bold step and ordered our own. We had two choices, sparkling or still. Having just had and enjoyed the sparkling Chateldon 1650 (France) that morning at Le Bar a Bulles in the Galeries Lafayette, we requested it to go with our meal. Fine Water Served in Style I didn't realize until later when we dined at another fine Paris restaurant that the Taillevent also knew how to serve its fine waters. Before ordering, I noticed the water bottles were sitting out on a table in the dining room, thus indicating that they were close to room temperature. A good sign because water is best served at 54 - 62 degrees Fahrenheit or 12 - 17 degrees Celsius, depending on its FineWaters Balance(TM). Also, the bottle was uncorked, or in this case, uncapped and breathing. Our Chateldon 1650 (at 5,00 Euros) was served in a stemmed glass of the same quality as the wine glasses, and although I don't know for sure, they felt like Riedel glasses, a good choice for drinking fine wines. Because the bottled water was at room temperature and opened, it had just the slightest fizz. It was the perfect complement to the meal and to the carefully chosen wines. The experience all around was perfect. Restaurant Taillevent 15 Rue Lamennais (between Rue Washington and Ave de Friedland) 75008 Paris, France Tel: (011) 33 1 44 95 15 01 Metro: Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile or Strasbourg-St. Denis E-mail: mail@taillevent.com Fine Waters & Stemware Chateldon 1650 (France) FineWaters Balance(TM) Riedel -The Fine Wine Glass Company References Access Paris, by Richard Saul Wurman. Harper Collins Publishers Inc. Michelin Red Guide (Europe Main Cities), by Michelin. Michelin Travel Publications
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