Let%26#39;s keep this one succinct. I have done my research online, so I mostly want to hear from people who have actually taken a meal here in the past six months or so (no second-hand reviews, please). My hubster%26#39;s heart is set on it, we have a reservation, and we%26#39;re ready to strap on that Oh-So-Elegant feedbag. I am concerned because we%26#39;ve already made this %26quot;Life Experience%26quot; dining mistake at the French Laundry. Give it to me straight...
P.S. It%26#39;s a %26quot;minimal investment%26quot;...only lunch. ;)
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My recommendation would be to wander by the day before and take a look at the menu - just to make sure you find it appealing. Don%26#39;t rely on the web menu. Then you can decide whether to confirm or cancel your reservation.
We enjoyed three dinners there. Dinner prices (not including the decline in the dollar) were lower than the lunch prices of M. Ducasse. We would arrive in the daylight, enjoy our dinner while the sun set, then ask to have our dessert and coffee served in the cocktail lounge. In between, we%26#39;d go outdoors and walk the perimeter as the lights were being turned on all over. The best views are from the cocktail lounge. Views from the dining room are toward Palais de Chaillot and the Arc de Triomphe, whereas from the cocktail lounge you%26#39;ll see Pont Alexandre III, Place de la Concorde, Hotel de Ville, Notre Dame, Eglise du Dome, the Pantheon, etc. At dinner, there was a piano player in the lounge (not sure about lunch). The same gent was there at the piano each visit. At some point, the Chef, Alain Reix, would come out of the kitchen, visit with guests, pose for photos, sign cookbooks and menus. We thought the food was superb. And, this was one of the very few %26quot;worth every penny for the experience%26quot; dining destinations we%26#39;ve experienced. So, it was our tradition to spend our next to last evening in Paris there.
We visited another of Alain Ducasse%26#39;s restaurants in Paris - Au Lyonnais. Prices here are much more modest. We didn%26#39;t care for the food - at all. Now, prices are much lower there, but one would still expect the food to be appealing and delicious. Just not satisfying in the least. And, perhaps the staff is deliberately trained in the art of perfunctory service.
alain-ducasse.com/public_us/cest_aussi/fr_au…
On the other hand, our dinner at Thomas Keller%26#39;s Bouchon in Las Vegas last month was one of the most enjoyable meals ever for us. (At very modest prices!)
I don%26#39;t much rely on the opinions of others. I think many rave, just because the spent their money and time. Others rant when it probably wasn%26#39;t that bad, except for the price.
But, you may want to check Fodor%26#39;s. And, there are lots of reviews with a web search. Curiously, nearly no one is raving about anything except the view. On Zagat, everyone has been underwhelmed with the food and with the service.
Here, there were raves before, but not since, the changeover
www.thisisthelife.com/en/julesverne-paris.htm
Of note - cooking with gas is not allowed there. I cannot even imagine the challenge this presents for professional chefs!
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We ate there in February, and found the food to be lackluster. We ordered the tasting menu, so we had a bit of everything. The views are stunning, the wine list is impressive, and the service is impeccable. The food was forgettable. I would suggest you contact the restaurant and state you want your reservation to be for a window table. You have to request it: there are several tables in the dining room where only one diner has a view. Their dining companion faces a wall. There were several people at our seating who came in with reservations thinking they%26#39;d get a nicer table, only to be told the window seats were reserved...
We had a great time, but we looked at as an experience, who doesn%26#39;t want to dine in the Eiffel Tower? However...if you are looking at it as a meal, it might not measure up. To put a plain face on it: we were in Paris for nine days; when we ranked our meal at Jules Verne, it was near the bottom.
Good luck!
Erica
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In my (not at all) humble location:
Because of its location, Jules Verne seems to aim to be a ‘general crowd pleaser’ ie. it is NOT catering to people interested in food, it IS catering to people who want to see the charming but touristy bits of Paris… and are a bit hungry and have money.
The service is extremely profession and food is well executed however it is boring. The menu is not designed to excite or inspire, it’s designed to placate whinging 12 year olds, burger-and-fries-loving 40 year olds and 70 year olds who don’t have their own teeth. If you read online reviews, you’ll find most people who enjoyed it will mention their 10 year old was treated well and could cope with the food; they were there in a big group and everyone was reasonable well catered for; or they will rave on about the view and the excitement of being in such a famous location (ie for them the food was always going to be secondary).
If you want to sit in an unforgettable location and have a well executed but safe meal then go. If you want to experience the forefront of French cuisine and you’re not too concerned by location then go to somewhere that is a ‘restaurant’ rather than a ‘monument’.
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I would be hesitant to make a recommendation to you if you didn%26#39;t like the French Laundry!
The old Jules Verne, I was there last year - I%26#39;d take a pass on this - too many other great restaurants to try.
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%26lt;%26lt;I would be hesitant to make a recommendation to you if you didn%26#39;t like the French Laundry!%26gt;%26gt;
I know! That makes me sound as though I am one of those curmudgeons who is incapable of being pleased. lol I DID love the food at the French Laundry...it was the overall experience that did not live up to the hype, IMO. Too stuffy, hushed, and uber-reverent...I felt like I was eating in church. I want to talk and laugh with my friends when I dine without getting the %26quot;hairy eyeball%26quot; from the waiters.
I am getting the general idea that I might have an inverse experience at Jules...very cool ambience and relatively forgettable cuisine. I appreciate everyone%26#39;s insight...thank you! We will likely keep our reservations, because how many chances will we get to sip wine in the Eiffel Tower? Still, I will keep my expectations realistic.
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Hi. I%26#39;ve had lunch at the Jules Verne. I loved the atmosphere, going up the Eiffel Tower in the private elevator to the restaurant, the view, the wine, the company. But, I really don%26#39;t remember the food! The experience of just having been THERE is great, though! So, why not try it?
Have a wonderful time with your hubster!
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Thanks, sophiemay! I just got off of the phone with him...I read him some of these comments (most of which I was expecting to hear) to make sure that he is certain that he wants to drop that much change on lunch considering the feeback, but he promptly went into denial and reaffirmed his intentions. Okey-dokey.
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%26gt;%26gt;My hubster%26#39;s heart is set on it%26lt;%26lt;
If he%26#39;s happy to pay the price then just go. I%26#39;m sure there are things you%26#39;ll do on the trip that he isn%26#39;t that into either, regardless of cost.
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%26quot;If he%26#39;s happy to pay the price then just go.%26quot;
I think so, too.
When we go to those places, we just resign ourselves to the huge tab and hope for the best. But, once there, we%26#39;ve learned NOT to economize. We order what looks most appealing. It%26#39;s when you pick something else because it costs less that you%26#39;re sure to be underwhelmed.
For example, we went to Le Grand Vefour, determined to stick to the prix fixe lunch menu. But, when we saw what was being served all around, we could not resist. It ended up costing three times what we planned, but we didn%26#39;t care a bit, and were thrilled with the entire experience.
When we went to Maxim, there were three different foie gras starters and we couldn%26#39;t tell the difference, so ordered the least pricey. Our waiter said, %26quot;No, No! If you enjoy foie gras, THIS is the one you want.%26quot; I have no idea what the other two were like. But, the one he brought us was incredible.
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DJK hit the nail on the head. If you are going to splurge at the best place, then order the best on the menu, or at least what you truly desire. I love lobster and it%26#39;s always the most expensive thing on any menu but when I order it I%26#39;m so happy I did. Quite frankly, I admire you all for doing this, there%26#39;s no way in a million years I%26#39;d spend that on a dinner anywhere, anytime (unless on a company expense account!) Just give me a big bowl of pasta, a glass of wine, and lots of bread. Oh, wait, maybe I should be visiting Italy this summer! :)
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