Unauthorized

This restaurant, located near both the Opera and the Louvre, was a wonderful discovery. We enjoyed a superb terrine of foie gras, perfectly grilled langoustines, a spectacular dish of whole truffles incased in bacon and other meats, steamed and served with a rich sauce, and a superb mashed potato dish of sweetbreads and rich sauce.

The wines started with an excellent 2002 Saumur that was dry, crisp, and pleasant for palate cleansing purposes. I have had perfect bottles of the 1953 Lafite Rothschild, but this was not one of them. Although it revealed terrific aromas and was very complex, it seemed to be cracking up on the palate, and was not as ethereal as it can be. We then moved to two blockbusters that are unquestionably the finest wines made in the Languedoc-Roussillon, the two cuvées made by wine broker Jeffrey Davies from Château de Negly with the assistance of famed oenologist, Claude Gros. These Syrah-based wines are both super-rich, intense, full-bodied, and capable of lasting 20 more years. The first vintage, the 1997, is still a baby. Whenever I have had them they have received rave reviews, but they are relatively expensive for Languedoc-Roussillons, so consumers tend to overlook them. However, they are spectacular, world-class wines that should age for another 20-25 years.