I had a similar experience. A few weeks prior to a visit to Paris I called to make a reservation for two, only to be politely denied a table for any time. It didn't help that the restaurant had just come off of it's annual August break.

A call to the American Express Platinum concierge — which claims to always keep one table set aside for Platinum Card members at Taillevent every night as part of their Fine Dining program — also proved to be useless.

Contacting our hotel's concierge (at the Four Seasons George V) was all it actually took. Not only did the concierge manage to get us a reservation when mere civilians and Amex concierges were turned away, he managed to get us the exact time and date we requested. It only took him five minutes to secure our reservation from the time we asked.

The question, it would seem, isn't whether or not there are any tables available at Taillevent, but rather if they are willing to make any available. If you don't have access to a concierge with a decent amount of clout, you should reserve as far in advance as possible.

In reality, there is always extra room at Taillevent. In fact, the night we were there a smaller table for two lay untouched for the entire evening. While it's certainly possible that a cancellation was the reason for the absent diners, it's more likely that it was kept open to allow for flexibility. I remember that most couples are seated side-by-side at oversized tables that could easily seat four people. In some instances, these large tables are joined with the adjacent tables for the parties of five or more. With the extra table and the vast expanses of elbow room for each guest, their would have been an enormous amount of flexibility for accommodating last-minute VIPs. The waiters are seemingly able to place the arriving diners into a multitude of seating combinations at an instant.

Thanks. I'll see what I can manage. It might be tough though, so I may have to try it on another trip.

By the way, how was the meal there?

The meal was quite good actually. Very memorable. The food isn't exactly groundbreaking. But, it was true to haute cuisine in that everything done exactly as it should be. I think its 3 Michelin Stars are well deserved. But as good as it was, there are perhaps a few better restaurants in Paris.

I'll give you a run through of what to expect if you decide to go.

The most impressive thing about Taillevent is probably the waiters. Hands down, one of the best waitstaff teams in the world. The efficiency and precision of the staff allows them to work like a finely tuned machine ready for anything.

At one point during the evening I noticed two businessmen that had walked in and I can only guess that they didn't indicate it was a business dinner when they made the reservation. The intimate side-by-side seating that the restaurant had laid out for them had to be swiftly rearranged into an appropriate face-to-face business seating. The guests were never kept waiting. Signals were instantly sent to the other side of the room, and the alert staff picked up on the mishap without missing a beat. By the time the two men reached their table 15 seconds later, the table had already been instantly transformed into business mode. In fact, the two men were completely unaware that there was ever even a problem. At Taillevent, this is how things are done—the service is shockingly flawless.

Each section of the ground floor has only a handful of tables and is manned by a small platoon of servers. The servers are nearly always in motion and are constantly keeping you in mind with everything they do. But they never manage to feel like a bother.

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In general, most tables are scheduled to only seat one party per evening. And, depending on how much you order, your meal could easily take three and a half hours. So, your table is essentially yours for the entire night if you wish.

An apéritif is properly offered once you are situated, and a large four page menu—entirely in French—is provided that contains every course, including dessert. The full wine list, with very fair prices, is also neatly contained on the inner two pages.

Even if you don't understand a single word on the entirely french menu, the waiters will patiently translate every single line on the menu without any hesitation. By the end of the evening, five tables—including ours—received detailed translations on the various intricacies of the menu.

Of the two tasting menus, we settled on the Menu Saveurs et Decovertes, which we decided offered a slightly wider range than the Menu Degustation.

A delicious amuse-bouche consisting of a cool potato-based soup with a light olive oil was promptly offered only seconds later. It was accompanied by a rich white Burgundy wine we had them select for us.

Fresh country baguettes were delivered with a rich and flavorful salted butter made especially for Taillevent in Western France.

The first course was crab meat in a Rémoulade with Radishes served over a creamy citronnée sauce. The presentation was beautiful and it had exquisite flavors.

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The second course brought roasted Langoustines with a barigoule of artichokes. The Langoustines, were infused with a warm and robust seafood broth that gave them intensity of a lobster and the delicate texture of a shrimp.

For the fish course, a Saint-Pierre (John Dory) was served with basil and soupe de roche safranée. It was a very simple dish. Almost ordinary at first glance. However, the quality of the fish was outstanding. Extremely fresh, very light and a perfect soft texture.

Our glasses of red were poured precisely just before a warm, soft, foie gras appeared that proved to be rather light and quite large in size. It held a very simple, but wonderful flavor that wasn't the least bit overpowering. It was served with a feuille of fig and practically melted in your mouth.

The cheese course might have well been ice cream. Very sweet and light, yet extremely smooth.

Dessert was over the top. There was something that resembled a sweet plum pot pie which had traces of alcohol in its broth and was served warm—very flavorful. There was a sorbet of Jurançon, which tasted exactly like, well, Jurançon wine.

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And there was the fantastic feuille à feuille aux trois chocolats, topped with gold leaf. Not shockingly, the petit fours were really too much at this point.

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From the moment you walk in the door and are seated at your table, a multitude of servers and sommeliers are constantly making sure everything is in order. The timing of everything throughout the entire evening is impeccable.

Luckily, they are able to achieve all this without making the place feel stuffy. If anything, it's just the opposite. One of Taillevent's main attractions is its ability to pull off such perfection and still make you feel as though you can relax and joke around with the waitstaff.

[quote:Trabzon:]I think its 3 Michelin Stars are well deserved. But as good as it was, there are perhaps a few better restaurants in Paris.[endquote]

I heard that they lost a Michelin star this year for the first time since 1973. It's a shame because I believe the experience is worthy of that third star. But, as you said yourself, it's not the best restaurant in Paris. Still, I wish they hadn't demoted them.

Extravagantly priced European restaurants are not uncommon. Just to get an idea, was this feast priced in French Laundry range, or above?

Unfortunately, I've never been to the French Laundry. It's on my list, however.

I'm checking their website now. It looks like the Menu Saveurs et Decovertes is 190€ per guest.

The Menu Degustation is 140€ per guest.

http://taillevent.com/

They also have a nice selection on their à la carte menu as well.

One of things I didn't mention was that the wines were an excellent value. And now that I'm looking, I just noticed that they have their wine card on the website, so you can see for yourself.

http://taillevent.com/Carte%20des%20vins.pdf

Of course one of the reasons why most of the wines are of such good value is that the restaurant has their own wine shop nearby. It's in their best interest to keep the wines affordable so that you'll buy them at their store. They also give you the business card of the shop when you get your bill.

A little hint for those who know their wine. If the sommelier, Marco, determines that you're worthy enough with your knowledge of wine, he might just offer you access to his unlisted wines. Economist writer Bruce Palling recently wrote about his experience at Taillevent to see what changed after they lost their third michelin star. It's an interesting read.

Unfortunately, Jean-Claude Vrinat, the owner of the Taillevent restaurant in Paris, passed away just a few days ago, on Monday, January 7th, 2008. He was 71 years old.