So, we didn’t think our meal at Taillevent could be surpassed or that any restaurant could come close in terms of food and service.  We were wrong.  Guy Savoy was another culinary marvel that we were lucky enough to experience during our stay in Paris.  (The official address is 18 rue Troyon, 75017 Paris; 01-43-80-40-61.)

We started off with artichoke soup (which we later learned was made by one particular chef in the kitchen who has been making artichoke soup at the restaurant for over 15 years).

The dining consensus was that the overall artichoke soup experience was better at Taillevent (with the ravioli and the truffles), but the soup itself at Guy Savoy was better.  Not that there is much difference between fabulous and wonderful.

Accompanying the meal was a brioche with black truffle butter.  I am not a huge bread fan, but this was definitely worth eating.  Although almost anything with black truffles is definitely worth eating.

Most of the table opted for the duck, which is a house specialty.  The duck(s) are brought out before being carved so that you can inspect them.

And then they are served in two separate courses.  The first is the classic carved duck breast.  And the second course is the duck leg.

Other entrees included beef two ways (as a short rib and a strip) accompanied by beautifully executed potatoes (in only a small amount of butter, of course).

And there was a sea bass prepared with Asian spices (such as lemongrass and coriander).  Both were declared excellent.

Desserts were a tour de force, as we sampled many different ones.  There was the mille feuille, which was very light and airy.

The gaugette strawberries accompanied with strawberry ice were heavenly and tasted as strawberries should taste.  Along with the main strawberry dessert came two additional tastes of strawberry, one in whipped cream and the other in a light meringue “box.”

The grapefruit terrine was my favorite.  It was unusual and consisted of different types of grapefruit pulp served in the form of a terrine.  There was none of the bitterness that often comes with grapefruit, and the passionfruit sauce helped counter the acidity of the grapefruit.

For the chocolate lovers, there was a chocolate ball that was accompanied with pineapple ice and a chocolate ganache, as only the French can prepare it.

And, finally, there was a chocolate hazelnut torte.

In case we weren’t yet in a sugar coma, there were homemade marshmallows and a tea sorbet to finish off the meal.  The tea sorbet was a perfect palate cleanser to end the meal.  It tasted of the tea itself but without any of the bitter aftertaste tea can sometimes have.

As with our other high end dining experience, the staff—in particular, our waiter, Hubert—were warm and welcoming.  The kids each received a Guy Savoy plate that miraculously made it home intact.  Hubert made sure the kids enjoyed their food and brought out additional tidbits that he thought they might like.

We also received a quick tour of the kitchen.  It was tiny, certainly comparable to New York restaurant kitchens, rather than the comparatively cavernous kitchens in DC restaurants.

Guy Savoy also rates an A++ for the evening.  If we had to parse hairs, however, we would probably say that the food was slightly better at Taillevent and the service was slightly better at Guy Savoy.  But that is only if forced to judge between the two.  You certainly will have a wonderful experience at either restaurant, in terms of both food or service.