The name Fauchon has been synonymous with culinary excellence since 1886 when Auguste Fauchon launched a luxury food store across from the Madeleine church in Paris. Architect Richard Martinet, known for phenomenal Parisian palaces including Hotel de Crillon, Hotel George V, The Peninsula Paris and Hotel Shangri-La, created a carefully curated design in partnership with Atelier Paluel-Marmont and transformed two Haussmann buildings into the ultra-luxe, 54-room boutique Fauchon L’Hôtel Paris. It opened in 2018 at Place de la Madeleine in the swank 8^th arrondissement, with its original architectural style enhanced by stylishly bold décor in the signature Fauchon palette: black, white and a distinctive hot pink. The accent color appears on velvet chairs; carpet; awning; and custom-created, pink-enamel Roche Bobois Gourmet Bars in bedrooms, which stock complimentary sweet and savory gastronomic Fauchon delicacies.

© Fauchon L’Hotel Paris

Cuisine is a major mandate for this Leading Hotels of the World affiliate. Baptiste Limouzin, appointed Chef de Cuisine this year, brings his joie de vivre, creative talents and expertise gleaned in the kitchens of notable chefs like Hélène Darroze, Guillaume Goupil and Julien Roucheteau to the 152-seat Le Grand Café Fauchon. The all-day restaurant comes alive from breakfast, through lunch, Glam’Hours (gourmet happy hours featuring wines, tea-based cocktails, and upscale light bites) and through dinner. Chef Limouzin’s inventive dishes are also served on the adjacent terrace overlooking the Madeleine church and in the more intimate Jardin des Thés.

What’s unique about the menu is it features items printed in pink, which indicate they are accompanied by gourmet Fauchon foods such as fig compote (alongside the duck foie gras), strawberry and rose petal jam (with smoked salmon), mango chutney (with roasted asparagus and Basque bacon) and zucchini spread with goat cheese (aside snails in black garlic butter).

© Fauchon L’Hotel Paris

According to Chef Limouzin, “FAUCHON products represent an infinite source of new and explosive flavor combinations and pairings which will become the essence of the new cuisine at The Grand Cafe Fauchon.”

Additionally, Chef Limouzin sources the best ingredients and highlights these products with simplicity, which may account for the fact he created my favorite “plat” in Paris: a tender veal cutlet from southwest France, sliced for two and served with vine shoots.