The French art of living

Ledoyen is situated in the heart of Paris's business district between the Rondpoint des ChampsElysées and Place de la Concorde, and near Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg StHonoré. Chef Christian Le Squer, formerly at the Grand Hôtel Intercontinental and with Robuchon, is quite conscious of this: ''Ledoyen is a very Parisian estab¬lishment, a place to be. And everyone is familiar with the name, whether they have been there or not.''

In 1791, PierreMichel Doyen rented a cabaret on the ChampsElysées and turned it into a restaurant. Then, in 1870, the architect Hittorf designed an elegant Napoleon III style building there, in the middle of a patch of green¬ery. That unique location is part of the reason for its suc¬cess. Inside, the tone is that of discreet luxury, between the majestic staircase and the period décor with a painted ceil¬ing. On the 1st floor, the wide bay windows open onto the foliage in the surrounding gardens, and in the evening, onto the lights of the ChampsElysées.

The setting is absolutely ideal for enjoying the dishes proposed by Christian Le Squer in his classical menu with a twist: grosses langoustines bretonnes croustillantes, émulsion d'agrumes à l'huile d'olive (large crisp prawns from Brittany with a citrus fruit emulsion in olive oil), blanc de turbot de ligne braisé, pommes rattes truffées (braised turbot and small potatoes with truffles), nois de ris de veau en brochette de bois de citronelle, jus d'herbe (veal sweetbreads on lemon grass skewers with herbflavoured juice), croquant de pamplemousse cuit et crû au citron vert (cooked and raw grapefruit with lime).

''My goal is to have flavours etched in the memory of those who dine in my restaurant. They must always remember the meal they enjoyed here.''

The chef's tasty cuisine, both authentic and inventive, features highquality products picked for their ability to please the palate. Prepare to be delighted in this restaurant with a wellestablished reputation.

Ledoyen isn't just one of the best restaurants in the cap¬ital; it is a true symbol of the French art of living.

Carre des ChampsElyes, 1 Av.enue Dutuit, 75 008 Paris, France

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 05 10 01 Fax: +33 (0)1 47 42 55 01

Practical Information

Lunch is served TuesdayFriday, 12:302:00pm; dinner is served MondayFriday, 8:00-10:00pm.

Closed: July 28 - August 26.

Capacity: 45 place settings in the main dining room and 1215 place settings in the private dining room.

The restaurant is listed in the "Michelin Restaurant Guides" series.