Lasserre - Restaurant gastronomique - Rating  4,5

Just off the Champs-Élysées, this Directoire-style townhouse is an unmistakable landmark. Il is also the address of Lasserre a Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant located at 17, avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt, on one side of the small golden triangle in the Champs-Élysées district of Paris' 8th arrondissement.

This establishment was founded by René Lasserre in 1942. He bought a barracks where fries and beer were sold during the 1937 World's Fair, and transformed it into a restaurant. René Lasserre (deceased in 2006), who came to Paris to learn the trade as a teenager, made his restaurant a symbol.

For over 80 years, the dining room has boasted a luxurious decor: columns, planters of orchids and green plants, silver tableware and trinkets, crystal chandeliers, Chinese porcelain... Another element that adds to the magic of the place is the famous sunroof that illuminates the tables as the seasons change.

To set itself apart from the competition, René Lasserre organized gala dinners at which doves are released, each bearing a number on its leg, corresponding to prestigious prizes. Customers leaved with the gift corresponding to the dove that landed on their table.

Chef Jean-Louis Nomicos refines tradition with a zest of personality: stuffed macaroni, black truffle, celery and duck foie gras in a light gratin; André Malraux squab, French peas; grand cru chocolate soufflé tart...