Restaurant Paul Bocuse for dinner

We took a taxi to the restaurant and as we got close, it felt like we were approaching Disneyland. PAUL BOCUSE lit up the night sky and the building was painted in gaudy colors. It worried me a tad.

There were men in elaborate uniforms who opened the car doors for us. We were seated immediately in the nearly full dining room. The service was impeccable. We got wines by the glass to complement the foie gras and the sommelier recommended a very reasonable wine to go with dinner, since we had a fish and chicken course, we wanted a light red.

Then the food started coming. And coming.

Amuse bouche. Very good.

Foie gras. Got a bite in before I took a picture. Phenomenal!

Then truffle soup. You can remove the puff pastry like a hat or add it to the soup. Rich and delicious! With beef and foie gras in addition to the truffle. The truffle flavor seemed a tad lost in all that richness, but perhaps it actually did enhance it. Either way, we finished them off!

Then a fish and pasta course. In general, a dish I wouldn’t order, but this was fantastic. Creamy with perfectly cooked fish. I find most restos in US overcook the fish, but not here. Two angles of same dish.

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The sauce was so rich, I was convinced there was cheese in it. I asked the waiter and he said no cheese, but that the sauce was like a hollandaise, but then placed under the broiler.

The amazing thing about all the dishes was that though each was rich, each was also distinctive tasting.

And at last, the chicken in a bladder!

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This was insanely delicious - the moist chicken with the truffle under the skin, the cream sauce loaded with morels! In spite of it being a lot of food, we both finished our chicken. Then they asked us if we wanted the rest! Since it was a whole chicken, we had been offered either white or dark meat. Then they whisked it away. I didn’t realize they would offer you the rest of the remaining chicken! We were so full, and with two courses left to go, we had to say no to more chicken. I did think that if I lived in Lyon, I would come in occasionally and just order the chicken and devour it!

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Then the cheese course…

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We each got different cheese so we could sample more. All delicious! I don’t think I’ve ever met a cheese I didn’t like.

Then the desserts.

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I tried to just get one, but that seems unacceptable. We each had to have 3 before the waiter would stop pressing us.

Husband got the baba au rhum, which he loves, and it was the only, the only less then delicious thing about the meal.

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Then a dessert tray!

We were the last to leave the restaurant and asked to see the kitchen. We got a full tour!

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There is a table in the kitchen where the waiter said patrons can ask to sit. He said some people like to dine in the kitchen.

It was an amazing dining experience. Not inexpensive. But everything, from the food, to the waitstaff, made it a truly exceptional meal.

As we waited for the taxi, the footman stood and waited a distance away. The taxi driver said he works with the restaurant, in case anyone leaves anything in his car, they can be assured of getting it back. He was also a very good driver. The dining experience does not end at the door!

shots of the empty restaurant

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Mon Dieu. Those morels…

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The chicken in a bladder! And that soup. What an incredible meal.

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Some French butters have so much flavor one might easily mistake them for cheese.

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One more reason to move there!

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Looks wonderful!

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