Rosi A.
Yelp
I was looking for an elegant but not over-the-top spot for a dinner in Paris, and came across a recommendation for Boutary. Overall, it was a lovely experience, with a few small caveats [more on that below].
The food itself was really, really good - with attention to detail both on the taste and the visual side. Their specialty - the caviar - that they cultivate at the Black Sea coast was quite pleasant and reminded of childhood flavors (before it became the "extravagance" it is today).
The service was a tad distracted at times, with a few faux pas that they fixed quickly and readily. While the service all up might need a bit more polishing for the place to qualify for a Michelin star, I have to say that, compared to my subsequent meals in Paris, the team at Boutary was by far the most friendly and accommodating, especially Frédéric.
The place is small but elegant (with lots of red, which I don't mind but it might be not to everyone's taste), and is tucked away in a side street off the main tourist tracks in Saint Germain des Pres, so it is quiet and cute.
Circling back to the food, among the things that stood out to me on the 7-course version of the tasting menu was the dessert: between the two options, I decided to go with the Cuban-themed chocolate one that may have sounded exotic but turned out to be delightful. I was not sure how I felt about the promise of an infusion of Cuban cigar smoke and mojito in a dessert but was beyond pleasantly surprised. Quite a high note to end the dinner, and clearly showed the chef's mastery in this department.
All in all, it was a pleasant evening.