Stella Maris

We were kinda psyched to close out Paris with one last great dinner. We chose Stella Maris. Walkable from Mon Hotel and a stone’s throw from the Arc d’Triomphe, the location on a street just off Champs Elysees, Stella Maris had the chic interior bathed in light pastel greens and ceiling light panels resembling shoji screens. We were shown to our tables right away and had great seats. There was seating for forty or so diners. Small, intimate and pretty. Now the food and wine.
We opted for the Menu de Saison Three-​course menu. At 70 euros, this was a reasonable price. I started with a tuna tartare which was quite good. Lili had foie gras with pickled carrots served with banyuls coulis and figs confit which she rather enjoyed.
Now the wine list… wow. The prices were way out of line with the menu prices. Very few bottles were under 100 euros and the average would seem to be above 350. We were amazed at the discrepancy. We ordered a bottle of what turned out to be mediocre red from the south of France. It accompanied our entrees… lamb for Lili and goat for me. Something about the goat didn’t seem right. Perhaps it was the vaguely foul odor. Nevertheless I pressed on but a quarter of the way into the dish I couldn’t continue. A few minutes later the waiter whisked the plate away… not asking how it was and taking no notice of the barely touched plate. Lili’s lamb was very good. Later that night I didn’t feel so well. There is no data to indicate a direct correlation but I have strong suspicions.
Dessert was fine. Service was indifferent (and the restaurant had a very tough time trying to get us a cab). We ended up walking in the light rain.
All in all, this should have been a much better experience, especially considering the tab. I’d call this one a pass.