"We arrived with the help of GPS promptly at 12noon today, simultaneously with two or three other French couples and families. The location is unprepossessing, in the middle of a row of car dealerships, of all things! The maitre d'hotel and other staff were already stationed outside and gave us a really warm and sincere greeting. It was unbearably hot and humid, and while the outdoor seating was appealing, we opted to sit in the pleasantly air-conditioned interior. It's a lovely spacious airy room, with generous tables generously spaced, with good table linen and attractively set. There is tasteful background music which, after noticing it once, truly receded into the background, for once. We declined an aperitif and began examining the menu. We opted for the daily €25 menu, which offered some choice, though we both ended up ordering the same thing: an excellent tuna tartare piled into a shallow bed of tomato gazpacho and topped with minislices of poached peach, of all things! Sounds strange but it worked beautifully. The starter was followed by a delicious main course of fork-tender filet of veal on a bed of girolle mushrooms, cameralized carrots, and potato mousse. To top it off, one is invited to head over to an over-the-top dessert buffet, created by the chef de cuisine who is a pastry specialist, with no fewer than two dozen choices. We each had about five mini-portions which were divine. The €25 menu is served at weekday lunch, when it includes a quarter-liter of wine, a beer, or a half-bottle of mineral water. Next time -- and there WILL be a next time -- we intend to explore the more elaborate menus, all of which looked fantastic. Service was among the best we have ever experienced, and I go back to the days of La Cote Basque and Café Chauveron and Lutèce! It was friendly and smiling, without being obsequious or false, and very efficient, without any obnoxious over-hovering or pretension. The pace was perfect. Franck Séguret, the chef de cuisine, made the rounds of all the tables -- many guests in the restaurant, which began shortly to fill up, were clearly regulars -- and he proved to be a truly charming and accommodating man who surely sets just the right tone for all of his numerous staff. We are already eagerly planning our next visit to the Clos des Lys."
