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Bon appetit on the Eiffel Tower

by Abha Malpani (RSS feed) on Dec 28th 2007 at 1:30PM

Taking further our kicks of eating things either made by someone famous or with someone famous, now eating on something famous takes a new turn. Friends, friends and friends, you can now dine in new style at 410-feet on the Eiffel Tower.

Called Jules Verne (after the famous French author?), the revamped restaurant on this monument is the brain child of celebrity chef Alain Ducasse that will serve authentically French food (duh!), and will seat up to 120 people. For safety reasons, there will be no gas-cooking and the food will be prepared in a kitchen underneath the Champ de Mar garden which is located at the base of the tower.

With the 6.7 million tourists that visit this monument every year, dine at the restaurant and you will be taken up in a private lift. Meals are priced at $108 for lunch and $216 for dinner, making them totally "accessible to everyone".

Anyone enticed to go?

Known for his eccentric ideas of taking cuisine to new heights, Ducasse was heard saying "I don't work, I dream...I illustrate my dreams" -- the next one being a restaurant on Mars. Now that's somewhere I would love to go for a meal.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink, Europe, France, News

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rob Brooks-Bilson Dec 28th 2007 2:12PM

Hi Abha,

The Jules Verne restaurant isn't the bran child of Alain Ducasse, and it isn't new - it's been there for a very long time. Alain was just brought on board to revamp the place.

Justin Glow Dec 28th 2007 2:21PM

According to the linked AP article, Rob, it is the brainchild of Ducasse. And while a restaurant of the same name existed before Ducasse came in, the old one was completely gutted and replaced with "his vision."

Mark Priestap Jan 2nd 2008 5:29PM

Justin - nice work bro.

Rob Brooks-Bilson Dec 28th 2007 2:57PM

Hi Justin,

Abha's post makes it sound like there was never a restaurant there in the first place:

"...now we can eat on something famous. Friends, friends and friends, you now dine at 410-feet on the Eiffel Tower."

I was simply pointing out that the Eiffel tower has had a restaurant called Jules Verne for quite some time, and that Alain Ducasse was brought in to take over the place. He may be replacing the furniture and the menu, but it's still Jules Verne, and it still serves French food.

Abha Dec 28th 2007 3:35PM

Thanks Rob and Justin. I have made the post clearer.

Rob Brooks-Bilson Dec 28th 2007 6:36PM

Thanks Abha!

Moody75 Dec 29th 2007 2:40PM

I don't understand why Abha is posting about this restaurant, it is not in Dubai.

You know, when Eiffel was building his tower most French people decried this as an example of "male testosterone gone crazy"....just like the tall buildings of Dubai today.
From Wiki: "The tower was met with resistance from the public when it was built, with many calling it an eyesore. (Novelist Guy de Maupassant — who claimed to hate the tower — supposedly ate lunch at the Tower's restaurant every day. When asked why, he answered that it was the one place in Paris where you couldn't see the Tower.) Today, it is widely considered to be a striking piece of structural art."

I guess it just goes to show you how short-sighted people can be.

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