Don’t pay any mind to the white tablecloths, fancy silverware or mahogany enclosures, as Solstice’s stuffy setting doesn’t prevent Eric Tronchon (the associate chef of Semilla and Freddy’s) from letting loose in the kitchen! The other night, the “four course” menu (which actually included five courses) for €75 featured: Battaglione cucumber with green tomato sorbet and a mint oil, full of fresh, vivacious flavors; Saint-Jean-de-Luz tuna tataki exalted by roasted umeboshi plums and their jus; tender suckling veal with chanterelle mushrooms and gnocchi in a cloud of Parmesan and an intense jus de viande that had us practically licking our plate clean; before some graceful desserts from pastry chef Camille Pelé (ex-Semilla), including little wild blackberries with a fig leaf ice cream and meringue chips, then a raspberry-basil sorbet served with a lemon cream and meringue.
FEELING THIRSTY? There’s a selection of naturalist wines: a Burgundy white from Fanny Sabre, a Vacqueyras from the Domaine de Montvac (€10 a glass), a Muscadet from Jérôme Bretaudeau (€42 a bottle), a Côte-Rotie from Jean-Michel Stéphan (€49)…
PRICE: Prix-fixe menus €34-45 (lunch), €75 and €90 (dinner).
