Myndi D.
Yelp
Where shall I begin? Le Pressoir d'Argent is a Guide Miche one star in the process of earning a second, so every one and every thing is exquisitely presented. The room is gorgeous, in a classic style with tables set elegantly far apart, a ceiling high enough to permit indoor kite-flying and a staff as skilled as the kitchen. If every resaurant followed this formula, Murghk could give up cooking - assuming he actually holds last Saturday's winning Powerball ticket. The tariff is definitely not for the weak of heart (or faint of pocketbook), but worth every Euro the human male spent. (How often have you heard me say that?)
We were greeted and shown to a lovely table against the far wall in the first room. Quiet and unobtrusive, with a good view of the rest of the room, it boasted a wonderful serving staff. After a polite inquiry about cocktails (which we declined), the carte des vins was promptly offered to the male. As one should expect in the absolute heart of wine country, it was heavily weighted towards local vineyards, and carefully curated to prevent oenophilic anxiety; though the number of bottles not requiring a second mortgage on the nest was limited. We chose a 2005 from an unfamiliar chateau, but either the sommelier thought it appropriate or completely off the wall because he smiled as he said "Excellent" and scurried off to the cave to retrieve it. For the record, it was superb - full, rounded with tannins that became velvety as the wine opened and released dark red fruits with a hint of cedar and earth on the extraordinarily long finish.
Starters were exquisite. As we were puzzling through the menu, a lovely amuse-bouche was presented, and included macadamia nuts dusted with gold (literally!), a long, crisp and very thin breadstick stuck in an almost mustardy mayonnaise, and a lobster mousse dollop on a slightly savory macaroon. A second amuse bouche, a tantalizing taste of red mullet with vegetables in a broth was so good it gave Milady second thoughts about her main course - fortunately it was too late for her to change her mind. Milady ordered the fois gras; marinated in white wine, roasted and served with country bread. I ordered the scallop carpaccio which is served as two scallops covered with an overcast of foie gras then kissed with a flame, on crispy rounds of mango. It is finished with a drizzle of Xerez balsamic vinegar. The contrasts of soft and crisp, sweet and sharp, hot and cold are simply perfect. [Slurp]. To ready you for the main course, a delightful palate cleanser of blood orange sorbet topped with a froth of Tahitian vanilla. At this point one begins to think that the rest of the meal must necessarily be a letdown, but one presses valiantly on to the main event.
The speciality of the house is the world famous blue lobster of Brittany. It is priced in 100 gram (about 3 1/2 ounces) increments to prevent sticker shock; you choose your own lobster (lobsters are integral units, so you must order a whole one), call your broker to arrange financing, and wait while it is pre-prepared. It then arrives at the table with a saucier of broth and the presentation begins. The waiter takes everything but the tail and claw meat, adds the roe, places it in the "pressoir" and extracts the juices. She (or he) does this three times and then adds the extract to the broth, spoons in a dollop of heavy cream, a dash of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and expertly whisks the mixture into a sauce which is gently pour over two towers of artfully arranged tail and claw meat. There is simply no way to describe how incredibly delicious the dish tastes. One forgets everything but the taste - "l'addition" will be of no consequence, one's children will simply have to forego private school for a public education, the car will last another decade - there is nothing in the world like this meal.
Dessert was almost anti-climatic; but it wasn't. A hollow dark chocolate shell filled with litchi sorbet which surrounded a pingpong ball size scoop of Tahitian vanilla ice cream. The combination was a knockout - whatever disappointments you have ever experienced when you ordered a tartufo will be forgiven. Milady ordered a praline souffle. Laced with amaretto, blanketed with chantilly and bedded on the previously mentioned litchi sorbet, it surprised and delighted with a combination of textures and flavors that is completely unique.
On our very first trip to Paris we ate at the Jules Verne. We had dinner at Stone Barn at Blue hills last winter. At each of those fine restaurants we dined well - and spent nearly as much. The gastro-theater at Stone Barn was first rate, the view at Jules Verne was unique, the food at Le Pressoir d'Argent was better.
