Automne — Restaurant in Paris

Yesterday I was at dinner celebrating my mother's birthday. We arrived at 7:30 PM with 5 other couples, after about half an hour, 2 more couples arrived. The whole place can accommodate 10 tables in total, it felt like all the delay was because each couple arrived at a different time. The restaurant is very simple and small, intimate, for the toilet there was one cubicle that was behind a curtain which was very strange. Even the chairs were not very comfortable. The food was amazing and very delicious. It was a 7-course meal. First, they served a starter and throughout the meal there was bread. In fact, the bread was on the table the whole time and was constantly being refilled, since each course came out every half an hour. After we received the third course, I called the waiter and asked if the estimated end time was 11 PM because I hadn't planned it that way. He said that the average time for the meal was 3.5-4 hours, which was already frustrating, I was hungry and tired. I wanted it to be over. The food was excellent and the price for 7 courses (145€) was not that expensive for a Michelin restaurant with one star, but this is something worth noting in advance. I kept eating bread between each course so that I wouldn't be hungry. Did I come to a Michelin star restaurant to eat bread? In the fourth course, the waitress came over and tried to explain that the chef prepares everything fresh and on the spot, so it takes time. This explanation doesn't work much, given that I've been to two other Michelin restaurants just this week, where the service was faster. It's clear to me that in a Michelin restaurant, everything is fresh and prepared on the spot, I didn't really understand the excuse. We asked for the bill before the desserts because we simply couldn't wait any longer, It was too long. I was very upset for my mother, who had this experience on her birthday. Overall, the food was amazing, but the service and speed were lacking, which should be taken...

Art on the plate, created to be eaten, is the best way to describe the dining experience at Automne. Ostensibly a neighborhood restaurant on a quiet street in the 11th Arrondissement, Automne earned its first Michelin star in February of 2019, and it has captured the fancy of the tourist brigade. At least 70% of the diners were Japanese, lovers of precise French cooking. The intimate space had maybe 10 tables and evokes Gallic charm.

Owned by a young couple of Japanese heritage, the husband cooks and the wife takes care of the "front of the house," aided by the engaging and delightful Joffrey. The kitchen produces works of art, with unimaginable flavor combinations which surprise and astound. We opted for the five course 55 Euro Decouvre (Discovery) menu. Our first dish, truly inexplicable, combined smoked eel, foie gras, and beets in a favor explosion. Close your eyes, imagine the taste, and travel through Alice's culinary wonderland. Yeah, you get it. Wow! The second course, a cream based chicken, mushroom and almond veloute, was amazing. I boorishly scooped up everything with Automne's wonderful and hearty bread. Fish and duck followed, delicious, but perhaps not as mind blowing as the first two creations. Automne's dessert, often maligned by well respected restaurant critics, was fabulous; a poached pear with a homemade spicy ice cream, that was an explosive ending to a culinary experience akin to an initial visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This meal had no flaws and thus I disagree with these local critics and align myself with Michelin.

Our meal, with two cocktails, two glasses of wine, a truffle supplement, and a bottle of water came in at 165 Euros, a veritable steal. Automne is a culinary Parisian jewel, to be appreciated by knowledgeable lovers of the...

#26 cf MichelinStarsChallenge list A small bistrot in the 11th district with a star.

Anyone should sign up for it, especially since it’s at a bistrot pricing. Basically, the lunch menu is a steal in such a up and going surrounding. Go there before the crowd starts to be mainly tourists. When we went, only one table was not French. The rest was meanly locals (meaning from the 11th). One of the one star Michelin with a Japanese chef. The food is not Japanese but you can feel the chef is fascinated and plays with French iconic dishes. Located in the « cool » district that brings a younger atmosphere than your usual Michelin. The wine guy loves his field. What I really appreciate in those one star Michelin (he’s not the only one but he’s a good example), it’s that they could make 4 times more money if they were doing a simple trendy bistrot (more table, more table turnover, less staff in the kitchen, less expensive ingredients). But no. This is not the way. They do it for the art, the beauty of it, the joy of contributing to the gastronomic art and sharing it. It’s beautiful. It’s the art instead of money. Most of the Michelin chef are like that, and it’s important to think of all the sacrifice they made to be able to bring you each plate. Go there with friends and family, or couples. I would have a business lunch with a “in the know “ partner. Dress code: perfect match would be if Carry from sex in the city season one could be update in 2021.

Well Deserved star. A great experience to be shared.

EDIT 2022: I went back 12 months later. Indeed a very seasonal cuisine as the menu changed. A bit more foreigners and less local, as the word may have spread in some communities. A still a great lunch experience. Note that the lunch menu with water/glass of wine/coffee is of...