I discovered Voltaire at the age of fourteen. Odd when I was hardly high brow.
I discovered Voltaire at the age of fourteen. Odd as I was hardly high brow. And remain permanently grateful for how the French philosopher dynamized a Catherine the Great school project. True, Voltaire was guilty of toady behaviour – in his correspondence to the Russian Empress, he greeted her as "the star of the north" and other marvels – but via monumental wit and wisdom he sure knew how to entertain. And, in quite a different way, the same could be said about Le Voltaire – the restaurant which is named after him. (Appropriate, considering he died upstairs in 1778.)
I refuse to get into a roll call of the establishment’s regulars. Still, whatever the casting, whether it’s society, literary, fashion or Hollywood, Le Voltaire defines civilized. In fact, whenever invited there to dine, I think one word: SCORED! Granted, the food sums up delicious. Chomping through their curled homemade toasts never stops me from diving into Le Voltaire’s crab salad, kidneys and skinny chips, chocolate mousse and freshly baked raisin biscuits. There’s also the inner chic atmosphere of the place. Not only does it have the best lighting in the world – sit there and bathe in the gentle, becoming glow – but the waiters are both fun and welcoming. It is impossible not to warm to Thierry with his conspiratorial eyebrows and ‘ooh la la’ facial expressions as well as the suavely handsome Pascal who is equally droll. And then there’s the owner’s son: Antoine Picot. Slight and bespectacled, he is not given to giggles. Since he masterminds the seating plan of the twenty tables – potentially choppy waters, particularly in Paris – this is probably just as well!
Le Voltaire Restaurant – 27 Quai Voltaire 75007, Tel: 00 331 42 61 17 49
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Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is a Paris-based British journalist who covers fashion and lifestyle as well as being the author of Sam Spiegel – The Biography of A Hollywood Legend, Understanding Chic, an essay from the Paris Was Ours anthology and soon-to-be released Chanel book, for Assouline's fashion series.
Robert Beck is former New Yorker currently based in Paris. Also known as C.J. Rabbitt, he is the author and illustrator of several children's books, including The Tale of Rabbitt in Paradis, Un Lapin à Paris and the soon-to-be-published A Bunny in the Ballet.
