Le Train Bleu and L'Assiette Champenoise

One of the most memorable dinners while my family was in Paris was Le Train Bleu, a 114 year old restaurant located inside a busy train station. It's so ornately decorated that my parents kept asking, 'are you sure it's not a palace?' because their visits to actual castles involved admiring similar interiors to this place. For how fancy it is, it's rather practical - you can even order a to go meal from the restaurant to eat during your train ride.

My family was busy taking photos, of both the interior as well as the trains arriving and departing by the window they were seated.

The food itself, while beautifully presented, is actually not that great for the price at 30-50 euros per dish. But it's decent enough and most guests generally come dine with the idea that you are paying for the atmosphere.

Crab inside cucumber

Foie gras with mango

LAMB!

Delicious.

Golden chocolate praline tart

Choux with ice cream and unsweetened chocolate sauce

Mille-feuille with raspberry

Speaking of memorable, I want to mention one place in particular. Back in Champagne region, I had a dinner at the restaurant of my hotel L'Assiette Champenoise. The restaurant is of the same name and has 3 Michelin stars to boast. An old mansion refitted to a true 5 star hotel, the stay was as impeccable as the restaurant. I slept so peacefully here.

Entrance

Large garden

Contemporary sculptures

Lobby with fresh flowers in champagne glasses

Lobby

The restaurant faces a garden. Cozy lighting, cozy music, even cozy walls - they were lined with cushions - everything felt very inviting and comfortable for a high end restaurant.

Inside the restaurant

Seating

We did not look at the menu and asked for the chef to prepare for us. At the end of the meal, we were surprised to receive the full menu and its price - in a good way. The 9 course menu was half of what it would have been in Paris, about $200 per person even with caviar and lobster. In some 1 star in bigger cities, it's not unusual to find a $500/person bill at the end of the meal. Not a bad deal at all!

Savory tarts to start with, herb and cheese.

1. A type of vegetable broth. Good, but forgetful.

2. Tomato salad of all kinds. Fresh, mashed, marinated - explosion of flavors! My favorite. 

3. Caviar with celery jelly and celery root cream. Everyone's least favorite, celery jelly was all you could taste.

4. Crab salad with cabbage foam. Delicious.

5. House specialty, langoustine. Texture was perfection and apparently very difficult to achieve. Everyone's favorite.

6. Lobster with lobster sauce. So much flavor!

7. Cod fish with mushroom sauce. This was also very good, clearly seafood and fish are his specialties.

8. Duck with fried artichoke. I really liked it a lot, but everyone else said they've had better.

9. Cherry dessert! Tart with cherry sorbet in a candy. Fresh and light.