Gernanium
Geranium is the collaboration of co-owners, Rasmus Kofoed and Soren Ledet, who have known each other since training, 20 or so years ago.
Head chef Rasmus won bronse, silver, and finally gold at Bocuse d'Or, the ultimate international cooking competition that make competitions like Iron Chef and Top Chef look like child’s play.
The presentation of each of the 21 plates of the Universal tasting menu were so stunning. The taste of each dish was consistently thoughtfully executed, harmonious and well-balanced. While they may appear superfluous at other restaurants, foraged items and molecular gastronomy were delicately used to enhance some dishes with special care taken to keep taste at the forefront. Even the bread is well thought out. The rolls are small and brought to the table in the middle of the meal. This is especially important for someone like me who can make a meal out of the bread, not leaving enough room for the actual food. With each dish, it was apparent why he won Bocuse d'Or.
Soren Ledet, an accomplished chef and sommelier, also serves as Head of House. I was fortunate enough to have him indulge me in conversation. There is a clear commitment to all components of the dining experience. Geranium is known to have one of the best wine pairings. Recognizing that not everyone drinks, yet wanting to offer each diner an enhanced experience, he speaks about the juice pairing with the passion of a sommelier about wine, making me feel less apologetic about not being an wine conniseour .
The dining room is stylish and thoughtfully designed. Cooking is done behind the scene, but the visible kitchen allows patrons to watch while their dishes are being plated. I can’t help but think that the kitchen was designed to serve as a culinary theatre.
Geranium is illustrative of the shortcoming of the Michelin’s rating system. Having been to several 3 star restaurants, I left confused as to why Geranium has only 2 Michelin stars when each dish at Geranium exceeded these 3 star restaurants in taste, presentation, and consistency. My meal at Geranium was as close to perfection as a meal can get. It is definitely a restaurant worth a special trip.

NOMA
I would encourage anyone who made the effort to obtain a reservation at Noma to make a little extra effort and read Rene Redzepi’s journal to better understand his thought process. He has a commitment to time and place, using food only available at that time of the year of your dining experience in Denmark. He invests significant effort in research and development in reimagining food. Not all, but the great majority of the dishes were very successful.
It is understandable that Noma is #1 in on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list since this list is judged by chefs,restaurateurs, gourmands and restaurant critics who are likely looking for someone pushing the envelope on the dining scene. Rene manages to do so, while maintaining taste.
The energy and passion at Noma is palpable. The dining experience is made more enjoyable when you realize that everyone from staff and diners have all made significant effort, and likely, sacrifice to be there. There are currently 40 sous chefs or commis, half of whom are unpaid, recognizing that they are part of a food movement.

Chateaubriand
The chef is known to be erratic. The dishes ranged from inedible (ceviche with a tiny piece of fish in a heavily acidic broth, slimy raw squid with a cheese sauce) to sublime (a glazed runny yolk sat on top of the dessert and was genius). This is not a meal that I would subject myself to again.

L'Avant Comptoir
This is a wine bar but has become my new favorite eats in Paris. Standing room only with picture menu hanging from the ceiling. Each tapas style dishes for 1-10 euro. Great taste, staff, vibe.