Allard — Restaurant in Paris

Ok, so this was going to be my most looked forward to meal of our trip to Paris. I was so excited when I found a reservation for a party of 9 on a Saturday evening at a Michelin star restaurant. Maybe they lost their star and I was mistaken, but whoever is responsible for rating this place needs to have another look, because almost everything about it was terrible.

If you are reading this review, my first piece of advice is, this place is NOT WORTH YOUR TIME or MONEY, don’t waste either on this restaurant.

First, the service. Service is not just about being attentive, it’s about being polite. I don’t care who you are serving that night. If you don’t like the look of us (our party was primarily Asian) it shouldn’t impact how you treat us. We walked in, and every other table around us got a wine menu, and had a drinks waiter come up and take their order. We did not. We had to flag down the drinks waiter, who was more interested in taking care of tables of 2, than a party of 9. Then our food server, the entire night was sighing at us like she was exasperated before we even opened our mouths to order and When we tried to order our food, she gave us a hard time about ordering individually. She told us she would like one person to give her all of the tables orders and gave us an attitude when we told her we weren’t doing that. Who does that at a high end restaurant? Your job is to serve your customers, not make requests of them. This was all throughout the night, just people constantly buzzing around us, paying more attention to other tables than to us. Another example, EVERY table in the restaurant got fresh butter carved from a block with their bread, EXCEPT us. This continued all night, this place should be ashamed of themselves.

Now let’s move on to the food, which was not terrible, but was definitely not worth the reputation or the price we paid. We got escargots and frog legs as appetizers, both those dishes were good. Drowned in butter and garlic, so you can’t really mess that up.

Entrees were a hot mess. Their steak, was a 6oz overcooked steak for 45Euro. The sauce that came with it was ok, but you shouldn’t need sauce if your meat is top quality. Their signature dish, the whole duck with olives. For this to be their signature dish, they should have done a better job. The breast meat was unevenly cooked. My order was medium( which is way over cooked for duck) and the other order we got was medium rare, but parts of it were undercooked. The breast meat was heavily sinewed and tough, and while the dark meat was tender, they didn’t render down enough of the fat on the skin. Overall I felt like this was poor execution for what is supposed to be your signature dish.

Lastly was the sides, baked fingerling potatoes were good and the truffle Mac and cheese was good, decent amount of truffles. Roasted season vegetables were a joke. Basic buttered Beets and carrots, in a small metal tin for 12Eur? You’ve got to be kidding me.

Then the ambiance. When we got there right at the open it was nice, but as the kitchen started to fire up, the restaurant reached unbearable temps. 80 degrees inside a high end dining restaurant, when it’s 65 degrees outside. That’s just poor management and poor air conditioning. You are charging 100Eur per person, get your act together.

I know it probably won’t make a difference but I hope people read this review and never come here, because maybe that will force the chefs and owners to make some changes. This was by far our worst meal experience in Paris. I would rather go to the tourist trap corner brasseries than come back to this place.

I spend my life finding good restaurants in NYC and all of the other places I visit in the world. If I like a place, I will write rave reviews and hope people flock to the restaurants, but this place was awful. Just...

We have now been to Allard three times, and will likely return in the future. The first two times were a year ago, the third time just last night…it was almost an entirely different restaurant, and yet still a warm and pleasant experience. Last year, we went first for lunch; excellent food, creative, subtle, precise yet fulfilling meal served in warm, modestly upscale traditional setting, by attentive, intelligent, engaged and welcoming but not pressing waitstaff; likely the best meal of that trip, and we booked a return before we departed, which was consistent with and perhaps even more hospitable than the first visit.

Last night was far less formal, almost self-consciously slightly raucous, service, at a breakneck but not unacceptable pace. Our server was, as our friends said, like a forceful Gallic grandmother who loves you but demands compliance with her edicts. My wife felt she perhaps was too personal when she slapped my hand for picking up the water bottle and insisted on letting her pour, but it was fine or even endearing for me — in essence a concession that she should have noticed the need first. But that’s exactly my point, a year ago our water glasses never came within a half inch of touching empty…

The food continues to be excellent in preparation … the frogs legs equally wonderfully sauced though the legs themselves seemed smaller and fewer and less eager to be eaten, cowering a tad in their brown butter coating. The sweetbreads were as wonderful as the best i have had anywhere, far better than at Daniel Rose’s NYC Le Coucou. But more importantly, the range of choices on the carte was very limited, and it really should not have been allowed, even on a Sunday night, to run out of one of the options when there were only four to start with…if there was no more pigeon in the kitchen it should have been time to apply creativity to the available resources…

The food runner mixed up which of us had which level of doneness among the four of us who had beef, but they rushed to sort out what they could; the vegetable portions seemed tiny in their little cocottes but there was surprisingly enough to satisfy us all…we ordered extras based on our eyes, but our stomachs left some unfinished. The penne with comté was an echo of last year’s Mac and Cheese, from the chef’s recent experience at another Ducaisse helm in the USA — her tongue in cheek ‘American food menu’ that sadly had no other remnants this year…i still recall her take on corn chowder with affection and gusto.

Over all i thought the pricing was very fair, and would happily have paid 50% more to get back last year’s ambience (and amuse-bouche of simple but exquisite cucumber salad). On the down side perhaps the change was a result of inflation in the cost of ingredients and staff but on the plus side perhaps it is a conscious desire to capture in amber the memories — in equal parts satisfying, cozy, and abrasive — of the seemingly humble but culinarily grand and utterly irreplaceable bistros...

Went for dinner party of 3. Lots of little things were either off or not pleasant. As the evening went on, we decided we wouldn't recommend others to go here.

The waiters were very rushed and sloppy. A spoon was dropped on one of my companions while clearing their plate, then bread was dropped when it got served, we saw them drop a credit card reader on someone at the table in front of us. A third thing was dropped at our table, I cant remember what, but remember commenting that this is the third time.

Speaking of the bread, that wasn't served to us, until we asked two times, and yes, other tables were being served refiled as they ate. Ours was never refilled when we finally got it. When the main course was brought out, our previous dishes weren't cleared yet, so there was a huff and puff by staff while the serving dishes were placed temporary on our table or held and someone cleared the table, and dinner plates were placed. No mention of the dishes. The food just placed and they left. Two of us ordered the same meal, and it was brought out in one serving plate; we had to ask to confirm this was both our portions combined (this was NOT, one of the menu items listed as 'for 2 people').

Our bill had an item we didn't order, which we had to point out.

Finally the position of the table was very tight and awkward, more than once, my guest was bumped into by staff or other diners and their purses. I understand tight old restaurants but the orientation of some of the tables is just bad. This shouldn't have to be an issue when your bill is that expensive. We actually shifted the wine and water away from that end of the table to prevent any accidents.

The wine that was recommended for us was nice so that was good. Otherwise, I'd avoid...