Violon d’Ingres is the French term for hobby... It is clear from the food that Constant serves in his cool, small, elongated dining room, with it’s details from Ingres in terra-cotta red on the walls, that this is no mere hobby for him. His mastery becomes immediately apparent with an amuse-gueule of thick, rich Jerusalem artichoke soup enhanced with tiny butter-fried croutons and melting cubes of foie gras, a dish at once rustic and opulent...

Sampling these and other typical Constant creations – from turbot roasted with chestnuts and truffled celeriac to foie gras pan-fried in a coating of gingerbread crumbs with quince preserves – I realize that, however fresh his ideas are, they are firmly grounded in rural French gastronomy. Constant’s cooking is elevated not by some promiscuous “creativity” that mixes every flavor under the sun but by his obvious understanding of classic raw materials and by the sure-handedness of his technique.
SAVEUR    View the full article >>

Violon d'Ingres on the rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement is everything I've been looking for in a classic French restauraunt. Excitingly vivid flavors in a creative treatment of traditional French cuisine. Very friendly staff. Quiet atmosphere in a long narrow room that gives you a sense of intimacy and privacy. I love this place.
NOTES & COMMENTS

On a short list of "Reasons to Visit Paris This Year," Le Violon d'Ingres is right up there with the Eiffel Tower and Mona Lisa. This elegant yet warmly welcoming restaurant is the baby of Christian Constant, one of the city's most talented, most trend-setting chefs. The simple chicken from the farms of Bresse is simply superb - plump, tender, and served with sensational fried potatoes the crusty cloaked sea bass with sweet almonds and tart capers play games with our tongues. Desserts are no less dazzling: a buttery apricot cookie topped with tangy Fromage blanc (white cheese) ice cream; puffy pommes soufflés with hot chocolate sauce; and a bittersweet chocolate tart that's the stuff dreams are made of. Come to think of it I'd put Constant's sautéed scallops with endive and bitter orange ahead of the Eiffel Tower on that list.
THE SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE

Chef Constant is a genius at delivering the purist of tastes in his dishes. Scallops are served in a couple of ways, but the essence of this mollusk is revealed in an appetizer cooked to a soft silky perfection and framed in salt, butter, and parsley. Give this dish an 11 on a scale of 1 - 10.
BONJOUR PARIS (Nov 2001)    View the full article >>