Great restaurants to get dressed up for.

[whittaker]

TVD

I defer to your knowledge and memories of the Connaught. My own experiences have been limited to the past 2 years and are tainted because the staff are uncommonly accommodating to my young daughter. I must say, though without the ability to compare to past glories, I still hold Angela Hartnett's lunch menu in reasonably high regard.

Wilton's sounds splendid. I will make sure to dine there in the next few weeks.

You mentioned Les Ambassadeurs at the de Crillon. That's quite a place. I took my wife there for a celebratory dinner in the Spring. A truly memorable experience that I am sure she will want to replicate when we visit Paris in late September. Talking of which, what would be your first recommendation in Paris for a sublime dinner?

[whittaker]

Check the London chapter room for details.

And if you guys ever want to have a London chapter meeting in the City of Lights, there are a few places to eat here too. Of course we could skip Paris altogether and just go out to Reims.

Splendid. I'll look out for an announcement in the London chapter room. I am keen to attend an inaugural meeting and Bellamy's would be a new venue for me. Hopefully it will not coincide with mt imminent trips to Paris and Dorset.

[TVD]

Whittaker

I fear I do not go to Paris as much as I should, and certainly Michael (Alden) is far better qualified to advise. Over the last few years I have been to Ambroisie, Guy Savoy, Lucas Carton (sadly now changing), Les Ambassadeurs (Crillon - but a new chef since gained an additional Michelin star), Grand Vefour, Atelier de Robuchon, plus a host of lesser places.

For the room my preferences would be in this order Ambassadeurs, Grand Vefour, Ambroisie. For the food, Lucas Carton (now irrelevant, but their Lievre a la Royale last autumn was superb) , Ambroisie, Guy Savoy, Grand Vefour. Atelier de Robuchon has great food but the bar seating does not appeal to me. There is a Table de Joel Robuchon that allows you to dine at proper tables, at a significant mark-up.

I love the courtyard at the Hotel Costes for summer lunching (the food is adequate), and the courtyard at Pershing Hall (and yes, some will throw up their arms in horror for it is very modern, but then also tres chic) for drinks.

There is a whole list of Paris institutions such as Taillevent, Tour d'Argent, Jules Verne, Pres Catalan and countless others I have not been able to visit so far but merit exploration. The most difficult restaurant to get into right now seems to be Astrance. I am certain all the grand hotel dining rooms such as L'Espadon at the Ritz, and those at Meurice, Plaza, Bristol, Georges V etc will be exceedingly beautiful and grand, some with unequalled food.

My one observation would be that two and three (Michelin) star dining in Paris is exorbitantly expensive. Unless you do not mind spending €300 a head (and likely more if you do not wish to stay teetotal), do not go anywhere near the prestigous places. Much better to explore one and two stars on the up in the countryside, and little places in Paris. Unfortunately, I am completely clueless about the hidden gems.

The other method explored in "How to travel incognito" I have not tried so far.

Michael, please come to my rescue here.

[whittaker]

TVD

Thank you for your comments and suggestions.

My meal earlier this year at Les Ambassadeurs was certainly extravagant but, on balance, the experience was worth the outlay. More than I can say for many other premium restaurants.

However it is always so much more pleasurable finding a little place tucked away where one can dine almost equally well without the stiff bill at the end of the meal.

London has one such hidden gem in the form of Patterson's, off Conduit Street. The family who run it have acquired a super chef and turn out two "Michelin star quality" meals for £45 a head. Just don't let too many people know.

[BirdofSydney]

Took a meal for my birthday about two weeks ago at the private room in the five star restaurant at the casino. It's built in a restored fin de siecle sandstone building which once served as the Queensland Treasury. String quartet wafting gently over the partition of our room, views over the city, rain on the rooftops, rather sublime.

-Eden

[Cufflink79]

Eden:
That sounds like a happy birthday to me. How was the food and drink? Also what did you wear?

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[iammatt]

Uppercase

You know I come up to London from Paris just for the food! OK, seriously now, we should try Bellamys one day. Next meet day is just around the corner. Check the London chapter room for details.

And if you guys ever want to have a London chapter meeting in the City of Lights, there are a few places to eat here too. Of course we could skip Paris altogether and just go out to Reims and eat here http://www.tablethotels.com/Hotel/fr/40 ... ion_l10n=1

Cheers.

I was under the impression that Boyer had retired.

It is truly sad to see a generation of French chefs that participated in the complete overhaul of Haute Cuisine age. Many of the great restaurants of the 70s and 80s have become shadows of their former selves. Obviously, they have been replaced by other worthy chefs, and new ideas in food have come about. Some of them are truly excellent, while others are differnt just for the sake of being so.

I would like to mention a couple of my favorite of the old guard in this thread. Some are still wonderful and fresh, some are great if you stick to the well known dishes, and some have become amusement parks for adults.

Michel Geurard- Incredibly, this restaurant is as good as it ever has been. In the summer there is nothing more elegant than taking your aperitif outside and dining in the beautiful rooms of Les Pres d'Eugenie. Nothing, except the knowledge that come morning you can have a breakfast of the famous Cuisine Minceur and still go about the next day in a productive fashion. I never visited his Pot au Feu outside Paris, but have always enjoyed Eugenie.

Paul Bocuse- This is still a place to soak up the history of la Nouvelle Cuisine. It is also a great place to have a succulent roast chicken. I do not know if I would go much further than that at this point in time.

Georges Blanc- The last time I was at Georges Blanc, I had the meal of my life. I understand that things have changed. Monsieur Blanc has taken a small sleepy town and turned it into a Disney Land for food lovers. Once you are inside the restaurant, the ambience is that of a beautiful farmhouse. If the nougat glace is available for desert, it is a must.

La Cote St Jacques- This is not one of the better known three star restaurants in France. It is, however, one of the best. The dining room is less than beautiful, although it is better than it once was. The hotel leaves a bit to be desired. The food is magnificent. The younger Lorain has picked up and surpassed his father in the kitchens. We ate at LCSJ this summer and had a wonderful tasting menu that was both satisfying and light. This restaurant is not close to anything, but, as Michelin says, it is worth a detour.

The chefs of these four restaurants were major parts of the new, lighter French cuisine. Blanc and Lorain the older have given up the stoves in favor of their sons. Hopefully the younger Blanc will make the name proud. Bocuse is now more a figure head, but a grand one at that. Michel Geurard keeps chugging along, but he was the youngest of his generation. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of eating at Alain Chapel during his lifetime. I hear that he, Robuchon and Girardet were the three best of the last fifty years. It is sad to see Lucas Carton change, but Alain Senderens has many lives. Who ever thought that a menu so devoted to wine would have been so good. One must also not forget Taillevent, which still may be the best restaurant in the world. I remember the truffled pigs feet like they were yesterday. Unfortunately, they were seven years ago.

[TVD]

Boyer handed over the reigns at Les Crayeres to his ADC some two years or so ago. Have not heard any first hand reports yet, but I believe there have been no significant changes.

[Cufflink79]

Greetings all:
I need to make a correction about one of the restaurants I had listed. I had mentioned a place called Goodfellas in Minneapolis I must of been thinking of the movie. It is really called Goodfellows, and I am very sorry to say that it has closed. I found there web site and that is how I found out about the closing. www.goodfellowsrestaurant.com I hate it when things I like close.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[Robert Watkins]

Dear Ianmatt:

I think you will find, next time you dine there, that Taillevent is still a superb restaurant. The chef des cuisines, M. Soliveres, has been working with the owner, M. Vrinat, for three years to subtly modernize and lighten the menu. House classics such as the boudin de homard share the menu with new dishes such a spelt risotto (one time garnished with wild mushrooms, another with exquisite, miniscule frog legs). My meals there during the past year fully equalled the food turned out by M. Deligne and M. Legendre.

The greeting, service, and presentation remain gracious and elegant. The dining rooms (in the former hotel particulier of the Duc de Morny) retain their antique boiseries highlighted by new artwork and lighting.

M. Vrinat's record of three Michelin stars for the past 32 years is a tremendous accomplishment- especially considering that the majority of the restaurants in Paris to which Taillevent is compared are now run as expensive loss-leaders by the grand hotels and champagne/luxury goods firms.

Definitely worth the trip!

Robert

[iammatt]

During my last trip to Paris, my wife and I dined at le Cinq, M. Legendre's current establishment. I found the food terrific, but the service and the room lacked the grace of Taillevent. Each time I am in Paris, I mean to go to Taillevent, but always end up trying something new. I am usually there for only a few days, so I generally get one great meal per trip. Next time I will make it back. M Vrinat is truly the finest host in the world. No restaurant has service that compares to his. From time to time I hear that it has gone downhill, but I geneally dismiss these as complaints from those who live to complain. THank you for te re-recommendation.

Matt

[iammatt]

As an aside, is Taillevent the last great restaurant that takes it's personality from the director rather than the chef. Tour d'Argent and Lassere come to mind from the past, but none do from the present time.

[sleeper]

I have enjoyed reading this thread greatly, and it has given me many good ideas. Many of my friends swore by the old Connaught, but sadly I never went, as I had other favourites at the time. I recently went to the new Angela Hartnett grill room, and thought the meal was excellent, even though I had a stinking cold. I cannot compare it with its predecessor, but it was a really good unpretentious meal, that really let the ingredients speak.

One other recent highlight was Umu, in Bruton place. This is billed as a Kyoto style restaurant, but I would call it modern Japanese. Spectacular sushi, that really melts in your mouth, and paired with interesting flavours, such as tuna with grapefruit. A really excellent meal, although the restaurant was too dark to observe my fellow diners' clothing.

In Paris, I best remember Guy Savoy, where I had an excellent lunch. I flew over for the day, and when we ordered the menu degustation, the waiter asked us if we had plenty of time. I facetiously pointed out that I had a flight at eight, and in truth, I barely made it to the airport on time. Lots of foie gras, lobster and truffles, that was cooked to perfection and really showed off the kitchen's technical skills. Excellent service too.

I've eaten at Les Ambassadeurs in the Crillon, and was not too enthused. A wonderful setting, with superb service, so there was no faulting the sense of occasion, but the food didn't make my senses sing.

[kooka]

Eden:

It's interesting I discover here another from Brisbane. How did you find the food at the Treasury? Gambling is just not my style, so I haven't been there yet. I've just moved up from Sydney, so I've no idea where the really good restaurants are in Brisbane. I have found that Sprout in Auchenflower (I live nearby) has excellent food for the price; but typically Qlder informal in style, generally. They do a good Sunday breakfast and lunch also.

With your userId, I imagine you've some connection with Sydney?


Sydney of course is full of trends and fads (not just in cuisine). The beautiful set skitter from one new restaurant to another, decamping at whim it seems. People of style and taste naturally avoid these places and people, but there is still some seriously good dining to be had in my old home town. My particular favorites there have been, '41' (with its original management), and the trio of Arun Thai, Macleay Bistro and Fratelli Paradisio in Potts Point. The latter I can definitely recommend for excellent Italian, lunch or dinner, they also have a good collection of fine Italian and Australian wines. Arun Thai is exquisite Thai in both classic and experimental forms and I love the traditional decor in the back section which I recommend to anyone staying in Sydney. I quite enjoy 'modern Australian' cuisine also. A few years ago I stayed in a resort in Coffs Harbour that had surprisingly excellent modern Australian in the restaurant -- I didn't expect such quality outside of the city.

I also regularly enjoyed plenty of places in Chinatown also, although they are very cheap and lively, I haven't found that being well dressed makes the famously cursory service any worse, at least. However I've not located quite the same level of authentic experience in Brisbane, to date. People keep telling me that Sunnybank is best for Chinese, but I haven't been out there yet.

[Parishow]

I agree with Cufflink, having just returned from London, I found that I am the only person in London who was dressed up! Well not really, but pretty close.

Being an Edwardian, (my choice) in my tastes and dress, I was always taught to respect restaurants and dress up. To me it makes the meal that more enjoyable. Having been raised in London and Paris (the 1950's), things today in both cities in just recent years have changed dramatically, when it comes to dress, I';m not talking about tourists,but by the Europeans themselves. It's a sorry and sad state.

I stayed at the Goring Hotel (one of my favorites) and althought it caters to royalty and Gov MP's and Captains of Industry, I found less and less people dressed up, even for dinner. The Americans and a few English, wore sweaters and slacks (albeit, very nice sweaters and slacks) to dinner and I was horrified.

Well, if my Edwardian grandmother was still alvie and saw that she would have asked them to leave!
Laughing

But I will still dress up as always as something I have always done since I was 13 years old and I am now, 63 years old.

Howard E Lewis