EUROPE | FRANCE
Chef Alain Ducasse's Eiffel Tower venture gets off the ground
The multi-Michelin starred chef unveiled the refurbished Jules Verne restaurant on Saturday.
PARIS -- French top chef Alain Ducasse took his cooking to new heights Saturday when he opened a restaurant on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, more than 400 feet above ground.
The Jules Verne restaurant was refurbished over four months by architect Patrick Jouin, using special glass that enables diners to enjoy the view even when it's dark outside and the lights are on in the room.
Ducasse, who heads a range of restaurants around the world and has garnered a record 14 Michelin stars, told French television that he aimed to make his newest venture a shop window for French cuisine. But he said it would not be a luxury restaurant, such as his three-star flagships Plaza Athenee in Paris and Louis XV in Monaco.
At $108 for lunch and $223 and up for dinner, the new Jules Verne may nonetheless strain the wallets of Americans relying on the devalued dollar.
The Eiffel Tower presented design challenges. Some dishes are prepared in an underground "cooking laboratory" nearby because the ) 484-square-foot tower kitchen is too small to serve 120 guests. The dishes are then completed in the tower by a 17-member team headed by Pascal Feraud.
Ducasse, who recently opened the Dorchester in London, has restaurants in New York, Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Tokyo and several other places in Paris and in the rest of France.
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