Dinner in Paris with Francois Audouze

via Lufthansa First and Air France Business

December 2024

Off to Paris

Today I’m off on a quick 36 hour solo trip to Paris for a very special dinner with master wine collector and connoisseur Francois Audouze. And back in Lufthansa FIrst Class again to Frankfurt connecting to Paris. And something new for me today, the Denver Airport RTD train. Since I dropped my car off for service, it was faster, cheaper and more convenient just to take the Union Station to Denver Airport train. Cool pic from years gone by.

Just a bit different.

Pretty basic and hardly any other passengers.

35 minutes and no traffic later...

Level 6 check in counters...

South Security mob scene.

Fortunately, hardly anybody at PreCheck.

Since the United Club is garbage, I opted for the much nicer Capital One Lounge.

Cool sunset views from the lounge.

Lufthansa First Class to Frankfurt

Lufthansa First Class Denver to Frankfurt

My A340 to Frankfurt for the second time in a month or so.

The usual Lufthansa gate lice cluster. At least tonight the gate agent announced First Class first. However, I was almost run over as about 5 seconds later, she then announced Business Class boarding. LOL.

Denver DEN to Frankfurt FRA

Lufthansa LH 447

A340-600

6:45pm-11:35am +1

December 10, 2024

Departed 6/8

Once the Business Class passengers walked thru the First Cabin to their seats and things calmed down, a most pleasant cabin and experience. And with an empty seat beside me.

My seat 2A.

And two very nice champagnes tongiht, even at the gate for pre-deparature.

Tonight's menu and wine list...

Once in the air, wonderful Lufthansa service began very shortly after takeoff.

Yummy spicy tuna amuse-bouche.

Showtime Lufthansa First style.

Love it when our flight attendant just leaves the bottle.

Starter trio...

Although the wine list pretty mediocre, this South Africa red was very nice.

My Pork Loin Chop with apple Calvados sauce was delicious.

And the warm Pecan Pie was fabulous ending to an excellent meal.

Since 2D was unoccupied, it was my bed for a nice 4 hour sleep.

And with a gate Z62 arrival, it was a long, long trek to passport.

My Instagram video of today's Luthansa First Class experience.

Lufthansa First Class Terminal

Lufthansa First Class Terminal

After clearing immigration, I headed outside for the 4 minute walk past the taxi stand to the First Class Terminal.

Outside view of the main upper level entrance.

FCT check-in. I was asked to wait a couple of minutes since all the PAs were busy, so I was able to get some pics.

Still love the classis decor.

First stop was a sleep room where I got a nice 90 minute nap.

And a refreshing and much needed shower.

Time for a late lunch,

Yummy veal schnitzel.

At T-25, I headed downstairs...

... to join three other passengers in a packed and not so luxurious van ride to our Paris flight. Clearly this is not La Permière.

How the rest or the plane arrived.

Frankfurt FRA to Paris CDG

Lufthansa LH 1040

A320

4:55pm-6:10pm

December 11, 2024

Although we arrived before the bus, our driver decided to wait until the bus passengers started to board.

The best of a bad lot of Euro-fraud "Business Class" seats.

Fortunately, no one in 1D so I had the entire row to myself.

Gorgeous sunset on the way to Paris.

Taking one for the team and the photo op.

Almost there.

My Instagram video of my visit to the FIrst Class Terminal and the LH flight to Paris

Hotel du Louvre Paris

Hotel du Louvre Paris

Since the Park Hyatt was not available on points, I decided to try Hyatt's Hotel du Louvre. Nice smaller property in a great location across from the Louvre, as its name suggests.

Lovely Christmas decorations.

Cute but slow glass wall elevator.

Nice Globalist upgrade to small but pleasant Junior Suite.

Dinner at Michelin star Comice

Wonderful Dinner at Michelin star Comice

What a wonderful meal tonight in Paris at Michelin star Comice, a beautiful and new-ish restaurant in the 16th. Comice is owned by Canadian husband and wife team, chef Noam Gedalof and sommelier Etheliya Hananova. Noam’s impressive pedigree includes stints at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry and in Montréal where the couple met while Ethelyia was a sommelier. Brilliant tasting menu and perfect wine pairing at a surprisingly affordable price for this caliber cuisine, and with nothing but Zalto wine glasses!! Comice is intimate, modestly elegant and very comfortable. Service was impeccable from the entire team but especially from amiable Etheliya who took the time to chat as time permitted. What an enjoyable three hours.

Kabocha Squash Soup.

Yummy Sea Scallop Carpaccio

Amazing Homemade Potato Gnocchi Forestiers

Fabulous Carnaroli Risotto with French Black Truffles

Organic Corsican Veal from Jacques Abbatucci

Yummy cheese course although I ate the goat cheese before I remembered to take a pic. Oops.

Seasonal Sorbet

OMG... Chocolate Soufflé to die for!

Walking off some dinner calories.

My Instagram video of my wonderful dinner at Comice

Newly renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Happy to be walking over to Notre-Dame this morning with a coveted 9am ticket in hand.

Apparently I wasn't the only one with a 9am ticket. LOL.

About an hour later, almost there.

The newly renovated and rebuilt Notre-Dame is stunning. The walls are brilliant white, the murals and stained glass windows restored to their original resplendent colors. A new altar and golden cross bring a modern touch to the nearly 900 year old cathedral. If you can get a ticket, it is well worth the visit.

My Instagram video of my visit to Notre-Dame

Christmas in Paris

Christmas in Paris

After visiting Notre-Dame, my first stop was the always stunning Christmas display at Galeries Lafayette and then up to the rooftop Terasse for a great view of Paris. After a wonderful croque monsieur lunch at Buvette, over to Trocadero and then a leisurely walk back to my Hotel du Louvre via Avenue Montaigne, Champs-Elysées and Le Jardin des Tuileries.

Beautiful Galeries Lafayette Christmas display

And great views from the rooftop Terrasse.

Heading off to brunch in the 9th.

Buvette, home of the best croques in Paris.

Then over to Trocadéro.

The over to Avenue Montaigne. The classic Plaza Athénée.

Dior with the best decorations.

Risking life and limb for the middle of the Avenue des Champs Elysées pic.

Over to Place Vendome,

Christmas market at Les Jardins des Tuileries.

And the Louvre before heading back to the hotel.

Instagram video of my afternoon walking Paris

Special François Audouze Wine Dinner

François Audouze Wine Dinner

What a special treat tonight to meet François Audouze and participate in one of his incredible wine dinners. A retired French industralist, he began collecting wines in 1976, and quickly fell in love with older wines. François has one of the world's largest wine collections, with over 40,000 bottles, some as old as 1690. He loves drinking vintage wines and sharing his collection with friends old and new at his memorable dinners. And this was the reason for my trip to Paris.

Tonight's dinner is at elegant Michelin star Restaurant Astrance in the 16th.

What a spectacular selection for tonight...

The lovely private room upstairs at Astrance, with just a few wine glasses.

Francois opened all the wines some 3 hours before our dinner.

And so it begins...

Tonight's tasting menu with the wine pairings.

Scallop carpaccio with black truffles.

Astrance chef Pascal Barbot explaining some of the dishes.

The master at work.

Wonderful sea bass with and koshihikari rice and beurre blanc soja sauce.

Wow...

Two wines to go with the sensational rouget (red mullet).

And the wine highlights of the evening including an out-of-this-world 1976 Romanée-Conti.

And fabulous 1976 Echézeaux Domaine Dujac

Paired perfectly with the rable de lièvre doré (saddle of hare).

Merci Pascal and Francois for a memorable evening.

And the Instagram video of my memorable dinner with Francois Audouze.

CDG is miserable without La Première

Miserable Paris CDG... without La Première

Time to head home after a wonderful 36 hours in Paris. And today speed is king as I passed on the usual La Première connection so I could get home just after noon Denver time. And what a shock to the system as, sans La Première, what a dreadfully awful airport Paris CDG is.

Despite having checked-in online having my digital Boarding Pass, I was sent back to check-in for the stupid US security gong show.

And we wait for passport.

This is just cruel... having to walk by.

Banished to the Business Class Lounge. How bad could it possibly be?

In a word... dreadful. Crowded and way to warm.

The mezzanine level was quieter but another 5 degrees warmer.

Breakfast.

Get me outta here.

I gave up after 10 minutes and decided to wait in the much more comfortable and pleasant gate area.

Air France A350 Business Class Paris-Denver

Air France A350 Business Class Paris-Denver

Not a very Priority boarding experience as the gate area layout was too crowded for Group 1 boarding. But once on board, very impressive Air France Business Class service. My A350 seat was comfortable, service was excellent and food was very good. And amazingly only 50,000 Flying Blue miles.