Trump and Macron to Dine at Michelin-Starred Restaurant Inside Eiffel Tower

While in Paris for Bastille Day celebrations later this week, Donald Trump will dine with French President Emmanuel Macron at chef Alain Ducasse’s Le Jules Verne on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. The restaurant, which has one Michelin star, was chosen from among several that were proposed by organizers, according to Paris Match.

Le Jules Verne, which originally opened in 1983 but was completely revamped in 2007, normally serves a prix fixe menu that costs $216 (190 Euros) for five courses or $262 (230 Euros) for six courses. The current menu listed on the restaurant’s website includes dishes like blue lobster served with tomatoes and black olives; roasted chicken with toasted chickpeas and sorrel; and sea bream with zucchini and lime. There’s no beef on the restaurant’s current menu, though it’s possible the chefs will make an exception and serve well-done steak — at least if they want to cater to Trump’s questionable tastes.

Ducasse and his chefs de cuisine, Pascal Féraud and Eric Azoug, will serve the presidents and their delegations on Thursday, July 13, according to the Local. The restaurant will be closed to the public that day.

Trump is in Paris this week because he was chosen by Macron to be the guest of honor at the French government’s Bastille Day celebrations this year. It’s the first time an American president has been honored at the event since 1989 when George Bush was invited by the late François Mitterrand. Macron has faced significant pressure to justify his decision to honor Trump, a controversial figure who has fallen out of favor among European leaders in light of his recent decision to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement. According to a recent poll, Trump is less popular than Vladimir Putin among the French public.

Since taking office Trump hasn’t done much dining out — with one notable exception: In February he ate at the restaurant inside his own hotel near the White House, BLT Prime.

• Macron and Trump will dine at the Eiffel Tower [Paris Match]
• Macron to treat Trump to blue lobster in plush Eiffel Tower restaurant [Local]