Eating at a 3 Michelin Star Restaurant

Okay yes, I know it very prestigious to be awarded a Michelin Star, let alone three. Not to mention in Paris, France. However, I do have to admit that I was very underwhelmed with the food itself. Upon my most recent vacation to France, my dad (knowing that I love food), surprised me with reservations at Le Cinq. Considering the restaurant was in one of the most luxurious hotels in all of Paris, the scenery was absolutely to die for. The atmosphere and service was one of the best I have ever had. What was missing? My liking of the food. Like many Michelin Star restaurants, the menu is pre selected, not giving much room for picky eaters (me). The first course came out with a completely see-through, round glob on a spoon, that was just supposed to be popped in our mouth. After doing what I was told, I felt a sudden urge to throw everything up on my table. The glob exploded in my mouth with creamy liquid tasting like oranges. It was disgusting. Next came a plate with spongy scallops (which I hate), that had a weird red cream sauce. I pushed that aside as well. The next course was the French take on a salad, which consisted of fine, RAW squid tentacles made to mimic a seaweed salad. Ew. Last came our entree. I was served a steak with white truffles covering the entire perimeter. The steak was practically white. Although this was delicious, in order to look “Michelin”, the Chef put tiny, penny sized dollops of mashed potatoes. I’m not sure about you, but I like more than a penny size of mashed potatoes. As the night came to an end and the bill came to my dad, one question remained: was this really worth it? I didn’t eat or prefer more than half of the dishes served and my steak tasted like one my dad grills from Whole Foods. To me, for now, the Michelin Star award is a big hoax. You can find good food anywhere; it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. And It definitely has more mashed potatoes.