GUY SAVOY Takes It to Another Level

[imagebrowser id=1655]

Towards the end of our  “Innovation-Inspiration Menu” at Restaurant Guy Savoy, we asked Chef Mathieu Chartron if this new menu was a lot more work for him and his sous chefs. With typical French understatement, all he gave us was a hint of a smile and a silent nod of agreement.

Smiling and agreeing pretty much sums up what any gourmand worth his or her salt will do for the entire time it takes them to weave their way through the sights, smells and sensations of this sensational, fifteen course meal. It ain’t cheap ($348/per), but when you consider it represents an exalted chef taking his game to an entirely new level, it almost seems as if you are experiencing a leap of delicious culinary history in the making.

But make no mistake, this is not a menu for the history books. This is food for the 21st Century — a menu that combines the best of Guy Savoy‘s classicism, with the lighter touch he practically imposed on Parisian cooking twenty years ago, with just enough post-modern (dare we say molecular?) tweaks to keep the geeks interested.

Best of all, it tastes out of this world — intensely flavored, using the best ingredients on earth, but almost weightless beyond measure. If  it weren’t for ten breads, fifteen cheeses and twenty petit fours* we stuffed ourselves with (like we always do at GS), we might even say the whole experience was downright healthy.

The meal began innocently enough with Savoy’s signature artichoke and black truffle soup, served, as always, with their addictive, truffle-studded brioche:

[imagebrowser id=1667]

Neophytes to this cuisine need to be warned that they’ll be tempted right then and there to just ask for a quart of the stuff, and a loaf of the brioche, and call it a night.

But of course, that would be a big mistake.

After the usual flurry of bread service (helpful ELV hint: just eat everything they show you here), out comes a little tiny oysters in a cool bath of salty seaweed, dressed with a fresh lemon granité:

[imagebrowser id=1668]

Kapow! is the effect achieved — both waking your palate from it’s gorgeous, soup-induced slumber and getting the salivary juices flowing. Like everything on this menu, it is deceptively simple, almost Japanese in form and function, and a perfect piece of the mosaic of flavors soon to leave their imprint on your taste brain.

Next up is the eye-popping “Santa Barbara Spot Prawn “caught” in a Sweet and Sour Fishnet” — in this case, a blanket of mesh-cut daikon poached in a sweet and sour bath.:

[imagebrowser id=1656]

Again, the Far East influences are present, with the almost gaminess of those beautiful shrimp being set off with with a very Japanese, subtle, sweet and sour tang.

How can food get any better than this?

Well, you won’t have to wait long for the answer, because in short order, out comes a hollowed out spear of white asparagus, filled with osetra and finished with a smoked sabayon served from — get this — the inside of a pristine, empty eggshell:

[imagebrowser id=1657]

White asparagus sometimes get knocked for being subtle to the point of invisibility (much like Japanese food), but these stand up well to the flavors they (literally) carry on their back.

In another nod to packing a punch into a small package, next comes a “Marinated-Grilled Hamachi with aged sherry vinegar, eggplant puree and radish gelée“:

[imagebrowser id=1669]

…just two bites of the purest seafood you could imagine — with plenty of piquancy provided to the surf by all of that turf.

Like all great chefs, Savoy and his troops love to play with their fish. Which explains the slightly gimmicky, but no less great, treatment salmon gets by being “cooked” on an iceberg table-side – the iceberg in this instance being a slab of dry ice that turns the fish into a density heretofore not experience with this swimmer:

[imagebrowser id=1659]

The dish is finished with a variegated lemon sauce poured over a bed of bok choy and garnished with cubes of gelatin-ized sorrel cubes:

[imagebrowser id=1661]

…and serves as a modernized homage the classic “salmon in sorrel sauce” made famous by the Troisgros Frères in Roanne.

If you’re like ELV, you will notice that none of these dishes is even remotely filling. This is a good thing. Portions are sized at a bite or three of the main ingredient with a couple of accents used sparingly, but effectively. If you’re also like ELV, you will have tried at least seven different breads by this point in your meal — each slathered with enough butter to sculpt a cow, and tasting as if a milk maid delivered it that morning.

It’s about then that it suddenly dawns on you that nary a piece of foie gras has been offered. Don’t panic pilgrim, the best is yet to come.

Two small cubes of horseradish-topped foie gras show up over poached celery stalks, dressed with a “potato chip bouillon” that tastes exactly like it sounds:

[imagebrowser id=1663]

Is it a lot of foie? No, but it’s probably just the right amount when it’s being sandwiched into a fifteen course meal.  And if you’ve never had fatty liver with horseradish and potato chips (who thinks these things up?) you are in for a treat.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a trés luxe meal without lobster, and once again, just when you think you can’t be astounding anymore by this kitchen, out comes “Lobster Bordelaise”:

[imagebrowser id=1664]

…Savoy’s treatment of this meatiest of crustaceans as…well…meat…might not be revolutionary, but it is a revelation:

His Bordelaise sauce is just that — rich and red-winy — but treated the lobster with respect; the dish melding perfectly with sommelier Phil Park’s choice of a premier cru Beaune** as a match.

But wait, there’s more.

As with all classic French meals, this one moved right up (and through) the food chain, leaving only a premium cut of fowl or meat to be served. Since Savoy loves American beef (he doesn’t serve any beef at his Paris flagship), it was no surprise that two, beautiful slices of saffron-marjoram-crusted wagyu loin appeared next:

[imagebrowser id=1665]

…over a cannellini bean purée, garnished with puffy wisps of brioche “sponge cake.”

As with the lobster (and the foie gras, and salmon and the hamachi, and the…) the tastes on the plate were riveting, never too much, and always leaving you wanting a little bit more.

Desserts then followed:

[imagebrowser id=1666]

…each demonstrating the uncommon intensity for which Savoy is famous.

Unlike some of his compatriots, Savoy has always been a bit of a minimalist. As the gastronomic globe has left the conceits and excesses of the late 20th Century behind, he has shown an amazing ability to adapt his cuisine to the changing tastes of his customers (and the world) while never forgetting the lexic0n of Escoffier and the fundamentals upon which his cooking (and reputation) are built.

We see his new menu as a statement for the future of fine dining. (Much as haute couture and Formula One set standards for design and excellence in their fields, so do the world’s best restaurants provide a glimpse of what tomorrow’s plate will hold.)

The restaurant world has gotten much smaller just in the past decade, and the mixing and matching of ingredients, techniques and presentations no longer results in fusion confusion; it is simply the way things are. Savoy has figured out a way to move the catechism of a formal, French dinner into the realm of the modern world without sacrificing any of his (or its) immense integrity. He has seemingly done the impossible (found the Holy Grail?) of making a formal meal at a fine, French restaurant seasonal, light, cerebral (for us food nerds***) and fun.

It is a remarkable achievement in modern gastronomy.

RESTAURANT GUY SAVOY

In Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino

3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

702.731.7286

www.guysavoy.com

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

* “Petit fours” being French for: I can’t believe they’re serving us more food.

** Here are the rest of the wines he paired with the meal:

[nggallery id=1662]

*** Our loyal readers.

15 thoughts on “GUY SAVOY Takes It to Another Level

  1. Ok Professor, let me see if I got this right. You started with a little artichoke soup garnished with a black mushroom, followed by a minature oyster in some lemon sauce, then one scrimp cover with a sweet and sour radish, one white “aspragrass” with fish eggs covered with egg yoke,sugar and wine, then a yellow fin whitefish chunk with wine and vegtable puree, followed by a small slice of “frozen” lox served with lemon sauce,then duck gizzards paste, one lobster claw,some cubes of beef and ending with an egg served “sunnyside up” ! All for a measly $348 clams san tip and I hope included the wine pairings. If not then whoa boy nice meal there brother! I acknowledge your filling up on the bread and butter to round out the bill of fare. But I think you would have better off just heading to IN n Out Burger for a more satisfying meal. I admit to maybe trying this out for a special occasion. But it is alittle bit to ask those not on an expense account or seeking to impress a young lovely for a nite that has a “happy ending!” Always very interesting to read your reviews. Thanks

  2. I love these reviews ELV!
    This is the type food embodies my passion and inspiration for this industry, and the reason for going to culinary school and becoming a chef.

    Every dish is so well thought out, keeping the integrity of each ingredient using classic flavor combinations and French technique, while still being original. It’s a true testament to the chef that can make an innovative dish that not cluttered or overdone while not being too trendy or gimmicky.

  3. “But I think you would have better off just heading to IN n Out Burger for a more satisfying meal.”

    LOL!

    Sorry artswanson, I know it’s hard to believe, but not everyone in America gets all hot and bothered at a burger joint. I would gladly pay the full price for this menu. But then again, I have enjoyed his restaurant before. But I’m sure your expertise and perspective of NEVER HAVING BEEN THERE certainly puts you in a great position to critique it.

    Enjoy your fast food…

  4. As some of you know, I haven’t been generous in my reviews of Guy Savoy in recent years. I felt the menu and service had become tired and lacked the modern creativity and focus to detail that one expects from a restaurant at this level. And then came ELV’s photos and reports on the new menu.

    The food looks wonderful, but I’m more impressed by the fact the staff realized the need for change and took on such a daunting challenge.

  5. Mark, you must not read ELV’s reviews or you would notice “alittle” humor in my commnents to the Old Gourmet Professor’s review of this fabulous resturant. But let’s keep it real, $348 for a meal is not an everyday affair, unless ofcourse Mark you have more money than….a young hot honey to squire around town to impress. But then again you might be like one of ELV’s Doucebag’s with Hot Chicks who would like a Savoy experience! Keep smiling brother its all good until its time to take that dirt nap, then you dont need to worry about anything anymore.

  6. artswanson, I never said it was an every day affair. But if you actually think you need bread and butter as “filler” for a meal like this, then either you’re full of bs, and have never had a tasting menu like this, or you have a serious food issue. This many courses over the amount of time the meal takes… if you’re actually still hungry when you’re done, you have serious problems.

    Regardless, once you pulled out the pathetic line about In n Out, all credibility was lost. Between that and the bread and butter bit, it’s clear you are but one of the masses who regards quantity over quality. So, with that in mind, check out CET’s “buffet of buffets” special and go nuts….

Comments are closed.