Le 19

Frommer's Review

One of the city's finest restaurants is this high-profile, cellar restaurant affiliated with the Hôtel de la Garonne. It's 19 steps down from the street, in the high-ceilinged cellar of a medieval building once used for the storage of fish and salt. Inside, wood panels and carpeting contrast with its terra-cotta bricks. The delicate, creative menu changes with the seasons. Among delectable dishes are a terrine of deliberately undercooked foie gras, served with figs; cream of watercress soup with warm oysters; magret of duckling served with ginger and crushed apples; roasted shoulder of rabbit served in a stewpot, with polenta and baby vegetables; filet of baked red snapper with spider-crab sauce; and filet of curried duck breast with Asian-style vegetables. To end your meal, try a stir-fry of mandarin oranges flavored with balsamic vinegar, or saffron-flavored sabayon with ice cream made from unpasteurized milk.

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