Taillevent *** (8ieme)

15, rue Lamennais, near Arc de Triomphe down Avenue Friedland

Many people, including the collected wisdom of Zagat reviewers, rate this as the best restaurant in Paris, which by extension would make it one of the best restaurants in the world. No-one doubts that it has one of the best wine lists in the world. With a set up like that, we were bound to be disappointed.

But we weren't. The food was excellent, the service was friendly and casual, and the decor was uniformly elegant and just modern enough to prevent the place from feeling either fusty or fussy. There was a certain lack of spontenaity about the whole thing, but I suppose that is what happens when you have held your three Michelin stars for 30 years. If it ain't broke ...

We had the menu Degustation for the table, after deciding that was probably an easier way to sample most of the entrees and plats than ordering everything and passing plates. After a perfect tomato gazpacho, we had a foie gras creme brulee that was as unique as it was fantastic, then a tasty red snapper. Main course was a perfectly done round of lamb, possibly the richest I've ever had. Dessert was a combination of perfect rich chocolate fondant, a kind of raspberry parfait (without question the wrong word, but you get the idea), and a separate plate of petits fours for each person at the table. ("petits fours to make sure" chuckled the waiter as he placed the plates)

Throwing ourselves on the mercy of the sommelier, we had a Meursault premier cru to start, then switched to a Bordeaux St Emilion for the lamb, both perfect choices.

Taillevant is almost the perfect splurge restaurant (about 200 euros per person including nice wine). The only tiny nit I'd mention is that the crowd feels a bit like bankers out for deal closing dinners, which lends the room a different kind of feel from a place like Astrance, where everyone is clearly there to ogle the food. I guess that is just the price you pay for being number on the Zagat, Michelin, and every other list!