Arnaud Nicolas

Arnaud Nicolas is a haute-couture delicatessen and restaurant on the Right Bank of Paris that offers "gastronomic charcuterie" in a refined way such as deli meats made of poultry and foie gras, sausages of Lyons, "terrine grand-mère" and more.  We ate here for our last dinner in Paris, as it was near the river boat drop-off point, and we wanted to do a champagne boat tour on the Seine as a final summary of our trip.

The storefront has a deli case that displays the daily charcuterie offerings, so we took a peek before entering the restaurant.  I knew my meat-loving companion would love this place, so was excited to see what the night would entail.  We ordered a bottle of French red wine that was a bit funky on the palette, but grew on me by the second glass.

We first ordered two foie gras that caught our eye in the window.  Le Pâté en Croûte Richelieu was a pork and foie gras pie with pistachio.  It was so rustic and full of flavor and textures.  Le Foie gras de Canard mi-cuit au Naturel was a natural duck foie gras with salt and pepper.  This was more smooth and classic in flavor that I am used to. A dollop of cherry puree helped cut through the fattiness and accompanied the meat with a tart pop. Both foie gras were incredibly rich and was perfectly paired with our wine. 

For his main course, Keith ordered Le Dos de Biche doré - browned veal loin with cooked Jerusalem artichokes, and served with fresh vegetables.  The gravy was a bit sweet and peppery.  The meat was so tender and probably the best cooked veal that Keith has ever had.

I chose the vegetarian option of Vegetables. It was cooked fine, but just a bit plain compared to everything else.  Nevertheless, I didn't mind having a lighter break for a change.

Lastly, as a dessert we ordered the cheese plate - L’assiette de Fromages affinés de la Maison Griffon.  We had not had any real French cheese yet, (shocking, I know) so took advantage to order it when we saw it on the menu.  Plus, we still had red wine to drink and thought it would be a great ending to our French dinner.

Overall, we had a wonderful final meal at Arnaud Nicolas.  The attention to detail and service was on point. With our check, we were presented with madeleines as a final sweet ending.

Total Rating: 4.23
Food: 4.5, Price: 3.5, Service: 4, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5