Maison Baccarat restaurant opened in Moscow

At the end of February 2008, on the Nikolskaya Street of the Russian capital, the Maison Baccarat - "Crystal Palace" opened, promising to be the loudest restaurant project of the year.

The background is as follows: the Baccarat brand has been known for three centuries for luxurious crystal products; its craftsmen supplied glasses and candelabra to the courtyards of Louis XV and the Russian emperors. Over the past few years, Baccarat has partnered with the mega-star of modern design, Philippe Starck. In 2004, their joint project appeared in Paris - Crystal Room Baccarat, a boutique restaurant with "Stark" interiors, which immediately became an extremely fashionable place.

In Moscow, the Baccarat & Starck duo is represented by Mercury (restaurants Avenue, OPIUM). Formally, this is a design project separate from Paris, but the stylistic kinship is felt: the same bare walls cleaned to bricks, the same waterfalls of crystal chandeliers falling from the ceiling.

In Moscow life, the "crystal room" has grown to the size of a "palace." On the ground floor there is a boutique with vases, candlesticks, decorations and furniture. Everything can be bought. But prices are not tactfully indicated. Climbing up the front staircase past the burning red windows, the guest enters the restaurant and ... right into the arms of Philippe Starck. From the pen of Sir Philip came an architectural fantasy on the theme of ancient Roman terms (terracotta columns, busts of emperors, stone "mouths of truth" in the form of a fireplace), which, as is usually the case with Stark, got things from a completely different era - pink sofas, curved chairs, lace wraps. And the mirrors. Huge, everywhere. No decor items are repeated. All recognizable elements of "luxurious chaos" are there.

Actually, Stark’s design is itself a reliable bait. But, as the experience of the first Moscow Stark restaurant Bon showed, in the absence of other components, the duration of this bait is limited. Bon recently bought and reanimated - with the help of a distinct kitchen and entertainment program - restaurateur Arkady Novikov. The “crystal house” of Baccarat, I think, will not need resuscitation in the foreseeable future.

Restaurant chef David Emmerle has established himself in the Carre Blanc kitchen, his senior colleague is David Desso, who oversees the cuisine of all Mercury projects, and the figure in restaurant circles is almost legendary.

It's too early to talk about a specific list of dishes in Baccarat, the menu is still in test mode. As a test drive, the restaurant arranges something like dinner parties, among the invited - the “cream of cream” of the capital's elite. According to the results, the final touches are added to the menu. This approach is extremely intriguing to the chosen audience, at the time of opening the restaurant was temporarily turned into a kind of closed club. However, now it is already open to all comers and solvent.

But the general gastronomic mood is clear today. Contrary to the fashionable temptation to supplement deconstruction in the interior with deconstruction in the kitchen, they will not lay out food into molecules in Baccarat. And there will be French classics in the author's performance, as well as the most luxurious French products. “We are interested in exclusivity and quality, the price is secondary,” David Emmerle categorically states.

There will be culinary complexities characteristic of haute cuisine. For example, the leg of a lamb - gigot - is stuffed with liver and kidneys here, languished for several hours until creamy softness, then also slowly browned on a spit. The theme “bio” (salads with organic sprouts) and Russian motifs (balyk salmon, pearl barley risotto and Kamchatka ubiquitous today’s ubiquitous crab today will be finally and irrevocably announced). There will certainly be recognizable copyright hits by Emmerle. And to top it off - lightweight Asian touch in sauces and decor.

"We will not sell air, we intend to feed our guests, and to feed deliciously," Emmerle concludes. In general, food at Baccarat is treated as food, and not as a complement to a design concept. Over time, they promise a separate gastronomic set menu and seasonal updates. What is the price? So far, the check has been declared at the level of 180-200 euros, but it is worth waiting for changes. And most likely, upward.

Who was? What did you see?

The opening ceremony of the restaurant was original, to match its designer and the audience present. Among Moscow celebrities, actress Renata Litvinova, singer Olga Orlova, restaurateur Arkady Novikov, and other representatives of the "high" society were noticed. The welcoming host of the evening was Philip Stark himself.

"Crystal House" Baccarat in Moscow is open. So if you are going to visit the Mother See on business or are planning a vacation, drop by 19. Nikolskaya Street, everyone who is not going to leave the sultry Emirates, welcome to the Tanagra chain of stores, which presents the best Baccarat collections, including Philippe's black crystal Stark.

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