In a surprising move, legendary French chef Alain Ducasse says his Paris-based restaurant Plaza Athénée — which was undergoing a refurbishment — will reopen Monday with a vegetable-centric menu. According to the Guardian, the restaurant will not be totally vegetarian, but it will focus on "largely organic produce." Fish, seafood, and "some meat" will still be served, but Ducasse is focusing on the concept of "naturalité" or naturalness. The chef reveals in an interview: "The planet has increasingly rare resources so we have to consume more ethically, more fairly."
The Local writes that the new menu "draws heavily on organic cereals, vegetables grown in the gardens of the famed chateau of Versailles." Diners can expect dishes like black rice baked with shellfish, squid, and octopus, a tagine of Mediterranean fish with bulgur, and Anjou grown quinoa and seafood. The new menu also "banishes cream" and butter and sugar will be "used as sparingly as possible." Ducasse notes that his current "obsession is to remove sugar" which means that "desserts too will take on a new twist." Though the new menu is lighter on meat, it does not come with a lighter price tag: Dinner for one, without drinks, will cost €380 ($492 USD).
· Alain Ducasse Reduces Amount of Meat [Guardian]
· Godfather of French Gastronomy Bans Meat [The Local]
· All Alain Ducasse Coverage on Eater [-E-]