Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Temples of Gastronomy
135
Guy Savoy
At the Top of His Game
Paris, France
The year 2002 was a banner year for Guy
Savoy. His eponymous restaurant on the
Right Bank, close to the Arc du Triomphe,
finally won its third Michelin star, and his
fellow chefs in Paris added the crowning
touch of approval: They voted him chef of
the year.
Savoy, who'd first opened the restau-
rant 15 years earlier, in 1987, had already
garnered the French Legion d'Honneur for
his culinary prowess; the fact that Michelin
was so slow to confer the third star seems
inexplicable. Guy Savoy may not be fuss-
ing around with foam and liquid nitrogen
like the molecular gastronomy crew, but
there's no question that his intricate, art-
fully composed small portions are just as
innovative and exciting. He's intrigued by
sensory contrasts (he even offers a set
menu called Colours, Textures, and
Savours), and can go off on delirious tan-
gents, like during autumn mushroom sea-
son, when a dozen different types of fungi
may crop up all at once on his menus.
While he makes extravagant use of truf-
fles, the ultimate luxury ingredient, he also
seems fascinated by lentils, the earthiest
of peasant food.
Savoy's signature dishes include the
silky artichoke and black truffle soup, iced
poached oysters, butter-roasted veal
sweetbreads, a roast suckling lamb with a
spinach-and-mushroom gratin, or deli-
cately spiced crispy sea bass. His famous
Colours of Caviar appetizer is a perfect
example of how refined Savoy's culinary
artistry can be: It's a layered parfait of
caviar cream, caviar vinaigrette and green-
bean puree with Sevruga caviar, and hot
sabayon with Sevruga caviar.
The restaurant's decor reflects the sub-
tlety of his cuisine—a tailored, deliberately
understated study in sleek tonal woods,
white stone, decorative leather wall insets,
and frosted glass panels, with Japanese-
like moving dividers to change the dining
room layout. (The trademark design was
closely replicated for Savoy's only non-
Paris outpost, Restaurant Guy Savoy in Las
Vegas's Caesar's Palace hotel.)
Like a handful of other top Parisian chefs,
Savoy has spun off a number of less-expen-
sive satellite bistros— Les Boquinistes
near the Pont-Neuf (53 Quai des Grands
Agustins; & 33/1/43-25-45-94 ), Le Chib-
erta off the Champs-Elysées (3 rue Arsène
Houssaye; & 33/1/53-53-42-00 ), La Buitte
Guy Savoy has earned the French Legion
d'Honneur and three Michelin stars.
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