Daniel K.
Yelp
If Parisians are willing to wait to eat somewhere, it must surely be for the kind of meal that makes you feel like you've committed a felony against yourself -- and still in full vacation mode, I felt little remorse for engaging in another act of gastronom-icide at Benedict.
My visit to Benedict saw the consumption of two appetizers and one side dish: Oeuf Poché Pané (fried poached egg), Escalope de Foie Gras Poélé (pan-seared foie gras scallops) and Frites Fraiches á la Truffle (french fries with black truffle bits). Now I know the standards of French cuisine are very high, so my scale for what constitutes 5 Yelp stars in France might not be perfectly calibrated, but for me these dishes were just about flawless. The sliced mushrooms and parmesan crisp played committed wingmen to the lightly breaded fried poached egg, as did the wheat toast, baby spinach and slightly tart, sweet sauce served with the sinfully savory foie gras.
The service was on par with what I have found typical thus far of Parisian restaurants, if not the slightest bit more on the welcoming side: all business and devoid of any errors. And I always like to give a couple of brownie points for staff making an effort to communicate in English -- which our server and host did -- as after all, we're on their home turf.
As far as the ambiance and decor, it's a very lovely place to be. Benedict's space is modern, inviting, and slightly romantic without being stuffy. It was also noisy, filled with the boisterous sounds of friends and colleagues enjoying a fabulous meal -- the type of background music that makes wine and food taste that much better, and makes time seem to lose all meaning.
Note: The burgers here are huge, even by American standards. Didn't have one, but they look appetizing and simultaneously intimidating.