Maison Dubois, Paris *

We went last week and had a great time. I wasn't able to find a lot of information online or reviews, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. There are two tasting menus and an a la carte menu. We were advised to try the shorter menu, which turned out to be the right choice.

Starting bites: I didn't upload all the pictures, but there was quite a few. There was a clam with champagne granita, potato chip with thyme, langoustine with mayonaise, onion tart with shrimp tartare, and kohlrabi with ginger (pictured). We were also given a tiny croissant stuffed with black olive filling. Overall fairly standard and a decent way to start the meal. Bread was freshly baked and very good.

Next was a langoustine with lettuce cream. I thought the langoustine was well-prepared and the veggies were fine. If I had to be picky, there was a bit too much sauce, but the unripe strawberries hidden in the leaves added an interesting touch. We had a dish of gently cooked trout next. Good flavors and textures especially with the addition of roe on top.

The John Dory dish was probably one of my favorites prior to dessert. Fish was beautifully cooked with a surprising combination of kiwi and clams. I really liked the salinity and acidity along with the sea asparagus. Our final savory dish was sweetbreads with an orange and beet sauce. The sweetbreads were perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It came with a sliver of tongue on the side (not pictured) that was decadently fatty. We were getting pretty full and did not have the cheese, but it did look excellent from across the room.

Desserts were next and this is where I fell absolutely in love. Desserts are by Yu Tanaka (previously from Epicure). There was a delicuous aloe sorbet with mint and mergine. I could have eaten about 5 of these as I had now forgotten how full I was. We then had a rhubarb with red shisho dessert with yogurt. Good textures and flavors and overall light and refreshing.

Next was probably one of my favorite desserts of our entire week in Paris. Rice pudding with vanilla with just the perfect amount of salted caramel running throughout the entire dish. This was absolutely incredible. I've never really liked rice pudding (I think it's like sweet risotto), but the rice grains were stunning with just the right texture. This puts all rice puddings I've ever encountered to shame.

This was followed by a chocolate sorbet with coca ice cream. Decadently rich and a very generous portion. Last was more chocolate (somewhat like a mousse) with shortbread and meringue sticks to dip.

We were absolutely stuffed by this point. Service was great; very friendly and personable. It is a small restaurant with maybe 5 tables in all. Chef Dubois came out multiple times during the meal and even chatted with us afterwards. It wasn't a perfect meal, but it was a very very good one and certainly hits above the level of any one star restaurant I've been to. It was clear to us how much effect and dedication there is from each and every single member of the team.