<a target="_blank" href="http://www.lapyramide.com/">La Pyramide Patrick Henriroux</a>

14 Boulevard
Fernand Point

38200
Vienne, France

Tel. +33 4 74 53 01 96

Food:

The season’s bubble
followed by salty becs (Le bubble de
saison suivi par les becs a sel)

Carrara marble duck
foie gras and Syrah wine with a carpaccio of pepper strawberries and hibiscus fruit
paste (Marbre de carrare «&nbsp;foie gras
de canard et vin de syrah&nbsp;», carpaccio de fraises au poivre, hibiscus
comme une pate de fruit)

Zucchini flower
stuffed with&nbsp; asparagus risotto, and a
basil accented minestrone of legumes (Fleur
de courgette farcie d’un risotto de puntalettes, minestrone de legumes au
basilic)
«&nbsp;Mr.Berger&nbsp;» selection hubel pigeon leg and supreme, spicy daikon,
lemon semolina and coriander pesto jus (Supreme
et cuisse de pigeon hubel selection «&nbsp;Mr.&nbsp;Berger&nbsp;», daikon aux
epices, palet de semoule au citron, jus perle au pistou de coriandre «&nbsp;Mr.
Berger&nbsp;» selection hubel pigeon leg and supreme, spicy daikon, lemon
semolina and a coriander pesto jus)
The cheese from our regions (Les fromages
de nos regions)
After eight chocolate Manjari and chartreuse mint with cocoa sorbet (After eight chocolat Manjari et menthe
chartreuse, sorbet au cacao)
Sweet becs (Les becs a sucre&nbsp; Sweet
becs)

Wines:



















<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1999 Philipponnat Clos de Goisses
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2001 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Chaillées
 de l’Enfer &nbsp;
 </td>
 <td>
 97
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2000 Méo-Camuzet Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Murgers – 1er
 Cru
 </td>
 <td>
 88
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

There are restaurants and then there are Restaurants, with a capital “R”:
the latter are those that have single handedly written the history of fine food
in a specific place, or at the very least, have contributed to the culinary
identity of a city or an entire region, if you will, by transcending the eating
experience and elevating it to a historical reference point. Examples include
Paul Bocuse’s place in Collonges au Mont d’Or, New York’s original Le Cirque
(and Le Bernardin today), Ferran Adria’s El Bulli, or Gualtiero Marchesi’s
original Milan restaurant at the now mythical address of via Bonvesin de la
Riva, where modern Italian cuisine was born.<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1443195678246-Foie+Gras.jpg"> 

Carrara marble duck
foie gras and Syrah wine with a carpaccio of pepper strawberries and hibiscus fruit
paste

The two Michelin star La Pyramide in Vienne, just a stone’s throw away
from the Rhône’s beautiful Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu wine areas, is another such place. For it was
long the reign of Fernand Point (1897-1955), arguably the greatest chef of
modern France, or at the very least, the father of modern French cuisine. Anyone
who cooks anything in France today is, to some extent, indebted to him. Among
his many achievements, the book Ma
gastronomie, a collection of roughly 200 recipes, reportedly quoted by the
likes of Charlie Trotter as “…the most important cookbook”. Point and his
restaurant also won three Michelin stars right from the day they were opened
(in 1933), and held on to them non-stop until 1986, when his wife, Madò Point,
also passed away. Today, the talented Patrick Henriroux mans the stoves and
does, by all accounts, a superlative and highly professional job. For example, La
Pyramide has just been named one of the five finalists of the “Best hotel
restaurant of the year” award along with the likes of the Hôtel
Plaza Athénée, the Hôtel Le Bristol in Paris and the Capri Palace Hotel &amp;
Spa in Capri. Henriroux is seemingly successful playing away from
home as well, having recently also earned one Michelin star at Crown, the
restaurant of the Palace Hotel in Tokyo. <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1443195687909-Wines.jpg"> 

I can’t think of too many better ways to begin a meal than with the
glorious 1999 Philipponnat Clos des
Goisses, a marvelously perfumed Champagne that is deep, flavorful and
chewy. To be sure, not every famous house got 1999 right, but there were no
such problems at Philipponnat. The wine has real extract and is quite rich, but
is also balanced and vibrant, with an extremely long finish and a juicy, lemony,
floral aftertaste that lingers for most of the meal. Nobody produces better
Condrieu than the talented Christine Vernay, one of the world’s top winemakers;
and though the top of the line Coteau de Vernon Condrieu is justifiably the
most famous wine in Domaine Georges Vernay’s portfolio, I find the 2001 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu les Chaillées
de l’Enfer one of the many vintages of this wine that gives the top dog a
run for its money. At 15 years and counting, this magnificent Condrieu is still
very much alive and improving, with a memorably rich yet refined texture and
highly concentrated aromas and flavors of peach, apricot and white pepper complicated
by hints of orange oil and spicy herbs. On this night, its glyceral mouthfeel
allowed it to stand up to the foie gras dish quite well. <img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1443195700053-PigeonFinalandCover.jpg"> 

Hubel pigeon leg and supreme,
spicy daikon, lemon semolina and coriander pesto jus

Last but not least, I chose one of the few older red Burgundies on the
wine list. If I have just one caveat with La Pyramide is that a dining spot of
this repute really should offer a few more older vintages across its otherwise
very fine wine list. I am normally a huge fan of Méo-Camuzet’s wines, truly one
of the world’s great wine addresses, but it’s likely the 2000 Méo-Camuzet Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Murgers will not be
remembered as this venerable estate’s finest hour. Underbrush and spices
dominate the slightly fruit-challenged aromas and flavors, while the finish is
a little dry, something to which the less than stellar 2000 vintage no doubt
contributed to. Happily, the wine did pick up a little sweetness when matched
to the juicy, flavorful pigeon dish. 

When all is said and done, putting all the awards, quotes and media buzz
aside, La Pyramide is one of the best, most professional and smoothly run dining
spots in France today, something my most recent visit easily confirmed.

- Ian D’Agata

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