Atomic Italy at Dilia (Paris)
With his brilliant compositions, the young Farnesi chef (almost) made us forget about his predecessor in just a few weeks’ time. The menu of the 31st isn’t completely ready yet, but the following is certain: there will be five “passages,” with lacquered eel and oriental citrus, veal sweetbreads, risotto and a dessert with clementines, dried fruit and panettone espuma. With, as always, beautiful bottles to pop open! Menu €82.
1, rue d’Eupatoria, 75020 Paris, telephone: + 33 9 53 56 24 14.
18 carats at La Bijouterie (Lyon)
What party favors does our 2016Fooding d’amouraward-winner have in store for us this New Year’s Eve? A handful of little gems, of course! Amongst the eight dishes, our mouths are already watering just thinking about the lacquered quail with a tamarind glaze, shallots, garlic, sesame and lemongrass; the scallops cooked in milk with pain d’épices, chestnuts and katsuobushi; or the cream puff with bay leaves, black olives and orange craquelin. Menu €85 with a glass of Champagne.
16, rue Hippolyte-Flandrin, 69001 Lyon, telephone: +33 4 78 08 14 03.
Upside down at Dersou (Paris)
Taku and Amaury, the duo running Le Guide Fooding’s pick for Best Restaurant of 2016, thought long and hard about New Year’s Eve dinner. The proof in sixes, with plates that parade out of the kitchen accompanied by their faithful cocktails. Like, for example: smoked eel broth and browned butter; a raw oyster with kale and stracciatella; foie gras marinated with apples and turnips; pan-fried scallops with a carrot-orangejusand chilies…. All-inclusive menu €150, with a glass of Champagne as well.
21, rue Saint-Nicolas, 75012 Paris, telephone: +33 9 81 01 12 73.
Surprise at Isi (Nice)
There’s no point in asking; Isak Oldenburg, the chef at Isi, Le Guide Fooding’s Best Restaurant of 2016, won’t reveal anything. Not even a hint about the dishes on the surprise menu that he will prepare live for eight guests on the evening of the 31st. All we managed to squeeze out of him was the number of courses: seven! So go in with your eyes closed, but don’t trip on the stairs leading to his kitchen… Menu €80 (+ €60 for food and wine pairings).
8, rue Mascoinat (upstairs at La Rôtisserie), 06300 Nice, telephone: +33 6 18 98 54 94.
No invitations at Trois Fois Plus de Piment (Paris)
On New Year’s Eve, chef Cheng will do things like normal at his Sichuan café: homemade wontons with chaoshou sauce that ignite a fire, noodles with ground pork and a grilled chili sauce that’s been stewed for a long time, beef and noodle soup…. Spiced depending on how much you can handle, on a scale from 1 to 5. The perfect plan for all those without plans. Dishes €6.90 to €12.
184, rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris, telephone: +33 6 52 66 75 31.
Back to the future at Anecdote (Montreuil-sur-Mer)
Cream of coco de Paimpol beans with garlic and parsley; quail with crayfish or monkfish with Champagne; a vanilla-passion fruit vacherin, crêpes Suzette…. On December 31st, 2015 at Anecdote, they’re heading back in time to 1979, the year when Roland Gauthier, the father of the great Alexandre, inaugurated La Grenouillère. A very ‘70s menu, savored in an utterly 2015 dining room designed by Patrick Bouchain. Menu €75.
1, rue des Juifs (place de l’Eglise), 62170 Montreuil-sur-Mer, telephone: +33 3 21 86 65 80.
Over all the frills at Clover (Paris)
For a taste of Jean-François Piège’s cuisine without all the extra fuss, head to his Saint-Germain-des-Prés neo-bistro. At Clover, the maestro has promised to provide “a symphony of flavors and colors”! And he’s not joking around, so open wide: oysters with a horseradish-lemon sabayon, foie gras cooked in a borscht bouillon, etc. Menu €150 (+€75 for food and wine pairings).
5, rue Perronet, 75007 Paris, telephone: +33 1 75 50 00 05.
Clever tricks at Le Dauphin (Paris)
Plan on a lively 31st with a burst of tapas for 55 bucks at Le Dauphin. And since Inaki doesn’t like doing things like everyone else, he’s got a little bonus gift in store for you: the freedom to delight your taste buds à la carte and at the bar, without a reservation!
131, avenue Parmentier, 75011 Paris, telephone: +33 1 55 28 78 88.
Julie Gerbet
© Loïc Thebaud