Spring Restaurant, Paris

I have wanted to go to Spring for years.  We finally nabbed a reservation and went the other night.  The restaurant is quite small and intimate.  We sat in a table located right by the open kitchen which was a treat.  We got to see how Daniel Rose, the master chef behind Spring, worked with his staff.  His expectations are high and it shows in the food that is served.  The meal was....well....perfect.  Every thing was prepared to perfection, the combation of tastes were brilliant, the staging of each course sung.  You get what they serve that night and that is how it goes, prix fixe.  The meal was stupendous. 

We began with a few things to share.  Mushrooms that had been marinated in vinegar.  I really liked them but they were the only dish that Fred and Josh were not crazy about.  They had bite.  The small discs were called black pudding.  Essentially pulled dark pork formed into small cupcake forms and then coated with a light flavored bread crumbs.  I am not so sure this was deep fried but roasted at a very very high heat to get the crispiness.  Delicious.

Next course was red mullet.  Poached red mullet that is sitting over a scored piece of octopus.  The foam is a tomato broth over a green olive oil with a few briny olives.  Incredible sauce.

Deconstructed lobster salad.  What I loved about this dish is the simplicity.  Each piece stands out on its own with flavor yet the circle of the sauce (which I can't recall exactly what it was) pulls the entire dish together.  Charred halfs of small onions, a few pieces of poached lobster, charred split scallion, fresh almonds and a few pieces of fresh herbs.

Pigeon was what they were serving.  We were all sort of bummed but after we licked our plates clean was the moment that you knew how perfect this meal was.  Breast, leg, heart and liver of the pigeon that had been pan fried with slices of warm cucumber and a rich brown sauce.  Just sublime, seriously.

Cheese plate was also a winner.  That was an added bonus that we opted in on.  We might be getting a little cheesed out!

Split poached and then pan fried apricots served along side a frozen gelato although it might have been a yogurt.  Perfect for the season.  Am I using the word perfect too much in this blog post?

A combination of chocolate, mocha and whipped cream.  So good.

The next to last thing we had was a small bowl of poached cherries in a wine sauce.  Divine.

Just to make sure we had our fill of sweets out came savory goucheres stuffed with a lemon curd and squares of gooey chocolate. 

The brilliant chef Daniel Rose graduated from the American University of Paris fourteen years ago and never left.  Lucky Parisians. I got a chance to speak to him when we left.  What he has created is inspiring.  Each dish is so simple yet so perfectly composed bringing out the most of each ingredient. Even the sauces which was very French are light handed and they are the glue that hold together the dish.  I must go back again and again.  Spectacular meal.