Architect Frank DURAND connected two adjoining buildings on the rue Saint-Roch to create the Chateau Voltaire and he used the existing footprint to create this restaurant that for me echoes the original Union Square restaurant with its long dining bar and dining area one step down.
I was meeting my friend Albert Nahmias who wanted me to experience Alan Ducasse-trained Valentin LAMBERT'S cuisine. Albert chose lentil soup and I opted for a raw salad of thinly sliced petit purple artichokes and fennel with shaved parmesan in a lemony dressing.
Since we are in morilles season we both jumped at the copious bowl of rigatoni with fresh morilles, washed down with a Cote de Rhone Mule Blanche from Paul Jaboulet. It was a meal in itself and I will watch the daily menu and I will also pop in as a solo from time to time.
