lizziee

First dinner at Georges Blanc: Georges Blanc is still a gourmet destination. The hotel is beautifully outfitted and very comfortable. The town of Vonnas is "Georges Blanc-ville." The Blancs, as an enterprise, dominate everything, but they are totally unpretentious and absolutely charming. We had aperitifs (deux coupes de champagne) in the lounge. They present the menus here as well as the wine list. This is a great system. You order in the lounge. The sommelier helps you chose the wine. They seat you in the dining room when the kitchen and staff are ready. You arrive at your table; your white wine is chilling and your red is resting on your table with the label carefully positioned for your reading pleasure. Note also--the sommelier smells and tastes, if necessary, every bottle of wine. It is rare that a really bad (corked or worse) bottle will get to the customer. There is absolutely no pretentious handling of the wine. The sommelier never holds the bottle in his hands to open it, there is no shaking of bottles; it is opened on the side board (guerridon) and placed carefully in the appropriate spot for service. Nothing is designed to establish the superiority or greater knowledge of the sommelier--it is clear that he is there to be of service--he understands quality wine service. Amuse are presented in the lounge with your champagne. There were 3--a deep fried frogs leg with a puree of parsley and garlic mousse, tartar of bar and an escargot in a parsley, butter sauce served in an egg cup--you know you are in BURGUNDY! 1st course--consommé glace au suc de tomate, huile vierge petits legumes croquants et crustaceís. This was 5 perfectly cooked shrimp served cold in a green olive oil, tomato nage with carrot slices, spring onions and celery--light and delicious. 2nd course--embrouillade de grenouilles au vert a l'epice et poudre d'ail--tiny pieces of boned frogs legs in a large bowl with a soupy sauce of lemon, parsley and garlic. The unusual component of this dish was shelled peas which added wonderful flavor and crunch. 3rd course--royal de foie blond au corail de homard et puree de morilles au vin Jaune. With this course a major service error occurred. We had noticed that as we were in the middle of eating our second course, 2 dishes covered with silver cloches were wheeled close to a table near us where they sat for 10 minutes. Just as soon as the 2nd course was removed the 3rd course [those same silver cloched dishes near the other table) was presented to us. Not only had we seconds before finishing our second course, but this course had sat for 10 minutes waiting for us. We pointed out the error and they willingly took it back. What surprised us is that this was an unusual service mistake - service at George Blanc has always been the hallmark of the restaurant. The dish itself, when it arrived, remade and on time, about 10 minutes after we had finished the 2nd course, was excellent but very rich. It was a quenelle of lobster roe with morels and a sauce made from Jura wine. 4th course--I won't bother with the French description of the dish as it doesn't really describe it well. It was lobster poached in lemongrass sesame oil served with peapods and tomatoes. The Thai taste was over-powering - not a good dish. 5th course--lamb marinated in savory, then roasted. This was excellent, well-seasoned and served rose. 6th course--cheese from the cart As usually happens around this time, note-taking was becoming tedious - wine plus notes don't mix very well. We decided to take coffee and mignardises in the lounge and forgo the grand desserts of Vonnas. My husband found room for a cigar and armagnac and I forced myself to have Chartreuse Tarragon MEV- (I was reserving my favorite Chartreuse Tarragon for the second night.) Wines: 99 Pernand-Vergelesses, Gabriel Muskovak--excellent, one of our favorite areas, much more reasonable than the neighboring Corton Charlemagne. 99 Volnay, Domaine Marquid d'Angerville--drinking perfectly - great with the lamb and the cheese. Note to e-gulleters : Have any of you seen or used a sheet of plastic that takes the labels off perfectly? If so, what do you think? Has any restaurant you go to used this? Georges Blanc--2nd meal--lunch With our champagne, even though other diners were getting the same amuse as we had last night, we were served different amuses on a rectangular smoked glass plate with 3 square indentations: a small slice of foie gras, a small bite of lobster with peas in a cream sauce and a bite of serrano ham with asparagus. Fabrice, our friend/sommelier consulted on our choice of Raveneau, Chablis Primeier Cru 1995, Butteaux. Raveneau is one of our favorites. Fabrice told us that Georges Blanc has 130,000 bottles in their wine cellar. Fabrice said he has 2 computers for the inventory, but really prefers a pencil and paper. The Raveneau was nice but not as good as what we've been enjoying from our cellar where we have the 95 and 97. 1st course--we split a minute de bar nappee d'une mariniere d'aromates--this was a thin slice of bass in a richly seasoned, aromatic sauce, enriched with butter. 2nd course: This is where we go our separate ways because each of us has an absolute Georges Blanc favorite. My husband--Crepe Parmentiere au salmon et caviar. This is one of the signature dishes. A crepe made from potatoes envelopes a thin slice of salmon with caviar embedded in the crepe. Me - Frogs legs in the traditional garlic, parsley, butter sauce. The dish is served in two portions to keep the frogs legs hot. Second Dinner With our coupe de champagne in the lounge, we were presented 3 new amuse on the glass plate--small Vonnas pancake with a slice of carrot and a slice of tomato, marinated salmon--similar to gravlax, and one deep fried escargot with parsley cream sauce--a nice start. 1st course--foie gras de canard en ecorce d'epices. The foie gras was served with an apricot conficture, plum quenelle, pistachio tuile, toasted bread and a small salad - a very nicely prepared and presented dish--3 star all the way. 2nd course- I had pre-ordered the specialty de maison--the Poularde de Bresse cuitre en croute de gros sel "Selon Alexandre." This dish must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance. There is no way that words do this dish justice. This is when both smell-o-vision and taste-a-vision is essential. Imagine the best, moistest, most delicious roast chicken you have ever eaten and then imagine it 100%+ better than that. The chicken is brought to a table set with cutting boards and a large boning knife. The chicken is encased in an intricately decorated pastry shell. The captain cuts around the bottom of the shell and carefully lifts off the top in one piece. Picking up the chicken with his knife, he empties the rich golden juice from the chicken - it just oozes out. Deftly the chicken is carved table-side. It is served in two servings--first breast and wing alone and then thigh and leg with a salad. The color of the chicken is golden, the meat so moist and tender, the juice rich, the preparation simple and perfect! George Blanc happened to walk by our table as we had begun eating. He smiled at this wonderful dish, said, "the best way to eat chicken" and then suggested sprinkling a little sel de mare on the chicken. Perfect. 3rd course--cheese from the cheese cart We adjourned to the lounge for digestifs, coffee, small pastries and my husband's cigar. I couldn't resist and had the 1973 (a full order) and the 1956 Chartreuse (just a small taste) Jeune Taraggon. Wines: 97 Trimbach, Gewerztraminer Vendages Tardives - a glass with the foie gras 88 Chambolle -Musigny 1er Cru--Les Charmes, Domaine Des Chezeaux Both wines were excellent. The Alsatian matched up wonderfully with the foie gras--sweet enough but not too sweet. The Chambolle-Musigny was excellent--a special treat because Fabrice went to some trouble to select it for us--it was deliciously full bodied, showing a little age so not too forward, but delicious with a hint of raspberry and a very very smooth polished finish. Over-all impression of Georges Blanc-- if you order carefully and don't get sucked into the G-7 Chicken dish, the food is done with care and precision. Presently, the front of the house (their GM, Patrice just left a week ago) is not as strong - there doesn't seem to be that one person with the "watchful" eye and the "deadly" stare that keeps all the staff in line. Georges Blanc is still 3 Star--one service mistake our first night did not destroy that. It is nice, familiar, comfortable and convenient. However, they should leave the Thai spices alone and stick to what they do best. Sure there should be change and innovation--but, for me, Georges Blanc should be wary of introducing too many "international notes" to his cuisine.

pirate, The potato dish resembled Potatoes Anna in that it was thinly sliced layers of potatoes, carefully layerd in a circle. Embedded in the layers were the duck giblets that might have been simmered in the red wine reduction sauce. I am guessing here, but it is also possible that instead of butter, duck fat was used, but I don't know. It is hard for me to describe this dish, but the taste was extraordinary - crunchy, flavorable potatoes, intensily rich giblets - some retained a crunch, others soft - a sublime dish. jaybee - You are right that they are affiliated with Pommerey, but they were featuring Tattinger. I haven't a clue why. We did not have breakfast as we were eating 2 major meals a day and this was day 19 at Boyer. As an interesting aside, when we returned to the States we had another 12 days of traveling due to family obligations. After 46 meals in France, I didn't gain a pound. But, once in the States, I gained 4 on mediocre, huge portion-size meals. We were very surprised by Boyer's charm, wit and friendliness. Even with non-French speakers, he posed for pictures, shook hands etc. I have food-related, high-school French ability so I was able to "communicate" a little. Earlier, I had mentioned to him that most French chefs when invited into someone's home for "non-chef homecooking" always request roast chicken to be served. He agreed and later when he saw us eating the eggs, he said,"Just another form of poulet, right." Quite a change from what I had remembered in the past.

Mark, Do you remember if the mashed potatoes had shavings of chocolate or a chunk the way I described the ratte cappuccino? Also was he using syringes in the egg dishes that you mentioned? I noticed on the front of the menu that he is describing his cuisine as food for the next century. I wonder if he is "pushing the envelope" more than he has in the past. Also, as I noted, we had eaten 2 meals before a couple of years ago and although I didn't love every dish, I found the food exciting and generally palate pleasing. I completely agree with you re the staff - the service couldn't have been better.

Cabrales, As I remember it the pasta strands were not parmesan, but more like Gruyere. If the sorbet had been better tasting, the dish would have worked - almost like a Les Halles onion soup with the stock being chicken based instead of beef based with onions. It was a clever idea and I appreciated the inventiveness. The end flavor, here I am assuming that it was from the sorbet, was just plain terrible.

Annecy at Marc Veyrat's L'Auberge de l'Eridan-- Our room was absolutely beautiful. There was enough closet space for a two week stay. The designer used Savoyard elements like a wooden cart and an old barn style armoire. The ceilings throughout the hotel feature panels that are filled with dried plants and seeds--unique, to say the least. The bathroom is magnificent--bathing in a tub overlooking a panoramic view of the lake merited at least 3 baths in one day. When we arrived, we were escorted to our room by Rita. Her husband, Pascal, (both young-30ish) brought the baggage. A few minutes later Rita arrived with champagne in hand to pour us a "welcome glass" out on our patio over-looking the lake. We thought we were in for the ultimate Michelin 3 Star experience. Instead, we were about to embark on a culinary nightmare reminiscent of our third meal at El Bulli 2001. The situation is best described as one where presentation was more important than taste. Innovation and novelty did not provide culinary pleasure. At one point during the long, tortuous meal, my husband was ready to give up on France all together. We were lucky--the weather was fantastic and we had our aperitif on the beautiful terrace over-looking the lake. It is very important to note the fine detail and absolute elegance of the place while "digesting" the dining experience and the Chef's attempts to create a cuisine. 4 amuse were presented on a large wooden plate--a wild moss mousse, a sandwich of smoked bacon, tomato and cheese (this one would have been delicious if the bread had been fresh--it was stale and soggy--obviously these amuse were made ahead of time), a crouton of cheese, tomato and basil--encore for the soggy bread and a "shot glass" of genipe plant brandy topped by grapefruit puree(the acidity of the grapefruit clashed with the champagne). We were shown to our table by the open doors over looking the patio. A huge wooden farm cart piled high with various wonderful looking breads to be carved table side, arrived to launch our dinner. Veyrat has achieved something that we did not think possible--he is significantly more expensive than Ducasse--320 euros for the large tasting menu and about 220 for the smaller tasting menu. We chose the smaller of the two tasting menus--12 courses plus desserts. 1st course. A slice of cold foie gras terrine with a plum/grapefruit conficture and a tiny mound of sel de mare on the side. This was a delicious start. 2nd course. Strands of squid with an herbaceous, lukewarm jelly, cucumber bits overlaid with a pistachio encrusted tuile. The jelly was said to be an "arome of lichen"--this was totally overpowering. 3rd course. On a large (about 18 inch) rectangular plate we were presented with a florist's conception of an herb garden. Literally a huge herb garden display sat on the plate. Nestled in one corner of the garden was an egg shell filled with 1/2 scrambled and 1/2 soft boiled egg. The server then took a syringe (big enough to inject a horse) filled with "oxalis"(aroma acid) and injected the egg with this mixture. On the top of the egg there was a foamy frothy nutmeg and egg white mixture so the needle was going down into the egg through the foam--the resulting flavor was absolutely awful. Perhaps we just don't get this type of flavor--maybe it is an "acquired taste." 4th course. Another large rectangular plate was presented with 3 mounds of vegetables--a slice of artichoke with a truffle-type sauce, a celery tasting mound and a slice of carrot with anise. Veyrat call this "sushi en folie"--we did not get the visual joke and the taste was so flowery that you end up "eating" herbs instead of food. 5th course. Again a big plate with a small square of sardine on a sweet bell pepper mixture, a small square of mackerel on a fennel mixture, a tomato mousse with Spanish olive oil, and a parmesan encrusted deep-fried log of corn. The flavor combinations and ingredients were simply out of synch. 6th course. This could have been the tour de force. A large soup bowl is presented with a glass test tube filled with strands of "stuff" that looks like pasta. It is actually cheese. You are asked to eat one strand to establish the flavor of the cheese. The soup bowl is empty except for a cold foie gras sorbet in the bottom. You are told to "dump" your "spaghetti" into the hot chicken consommé that your server pours over the sorbet and then swirl the mixture. Voila, the cheese melts, the sorbet dissolves and the soup is ready--chemical magic--truly clever and interesting as theater of cuisine--nothing wrong with it, but again the dish simply missed--the flavor was sweet, cloying and awful--we had to guess that the sorbet contained some more of Veyrat's patented herb-flower tastes. 7th course. A small piece of fera (a lake fish from the salmon family) with the skin served with an ice cube of Alpine Avens flavor. To the side was a pool of "flavors of mushrooms and cloves" The fera was delicious but the green ice cube and mushroom/clover pool destroyed the dish. 8th course. We were not eating much--one bite of each dish. The staff noticed and must have said something to the chef about the "Americans" who just don't get it. (As an aside, they had remembered us from an earlier visit when we had had two meals at Veyrat and we had enjoyed, although not loved the cuisine.) As a "special gift" we received an extra dish not on our tasting menu. A langoustine in the shell with a large frozen pile of basil. Without the frozen basil which we pushed to the side, the langoustine was quite good. 9th course. Another very unique presentation was brought to the table. A large Moroccan tagine was presented. There was a funnel of paper sticking out of the top of the tagine. The server poured a liquid of lime and extract from the gentiane plant. The top was ceremoniously lifted and there lay a small (1" square piece of morue (cod) encrusted with saccharine [yes, truly saccharine the stuff that the FDA ruled a carcinogen years ago in the USA--sweet, cloying, strange, horrible.) 10th course. A small cup of cappuccino of ratte (potato) with a small truffle in the bottom and a walnut size piece of chocolate on top. The large piece of chocolate overwhelmed the flavor of the ratte. At L'Arnsbourg we had been served a cappuccino of sweet peas topped with just a bit of finely grated bittersweet chocolate that was wonderful; at Veyrat the large chocolate piece that was to melt in the ratte left you with an overly sweet tasting, wrong note dish. 11th course. A large cart was wheeled to the table with a dough-encased saddle of lamb. The top of the dough casing was carefully cut off and the lamb was carved table side. This dish is very similar in appearance to the one we had a few nights before at Regis Marcon that we had loved. (Marcon is another upcoming post). The lamb at Veyrat was so heavily spiced with serpolet sauvage (a spice between thyme and rosemary that you ended up tasting spice not lamb. On the plate there was a small pile of sautéed mushrooms and a small casserole of potato gratin. 12th course. The cheese service at Veyrat was incredible. A huge wooden farmhouse cart with 4 shelves (remember the bread service--a different bigger cart is used here) was wheeled to the table heaped with large wheels of cheese. The top shelf was decorated with flowers, plants and herbs (beautiful, natural, nice). The second shelf was a huge selection of goat cheeses. The third level featured cow (vache) cheeses and the bottom shelf was decorated with pine cones and tree branches. Since we had not eaten much, the sight of the cheese cart was most welcome. At this point, we adjourned to the patio for 10 different types of chocolate desserts and pastries. My note-taking ground to a halt as I had had it by then. Wines: 2000 Chateau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Pierre Perrin--excellent white Chateauneuf. 95 Cote-Rotie, La Landonne, R. Rostaing, Ampuis This is a perfect example of maturing Cote-Rotie--great flavor, intense, long finish that enhances the total drinking experience. We were headed to bed when Pascal said--what time do you want your breakfast--we said just coffee and baguettes. At 8:30 am Pascal arrived at our door (one of the interesting things about the French country places--every employee wears at least 5 different hats--all day they work at different jobs not necessarily related to their dining room jobs and then at night from 6PM-1AM or later they are "standard employees." In any case, here was Pascal pulling a huge cart with a huge board--cheese, soft boiled eggs, breads, smoked salmon, meats, coffee etc. I am not a morning person and really only wanted coffee. Petite Dejeuner at Veyrat costs $60.00 per person and I have now set a record for the most expensive cup of coffee ever. In retrospect, the Veyrat experience shows the influence of El Bulli in the worst possible manner. A friend recently visited El Bulli. He reported a solid, if unique, experience and cuisine that a normal person can eat and enjoy. El Bulli's 2002 menu is a retrospect of great dishes from the past 20 years. Four years ago Veyrat's food was unique, different and challenging. This year it felt like a parody of himself and El Bulli at its worst.

Our room was a small double, but beautiful with a large terrace overlooking the extensive, well manicured lawns and gardens. The color scheme was blue. There was a canopy bed with fabric covered headboard, antique looking desk and tables, high ceilings and toile papered walls - elegant. 1st dinner at Les Crayeres: The lounge and dining areas were totally different since we were here in 89. The lounge area looked like an aviary with plush couches and large arm chairs. They feature 96 Tattinger Comte de Champagne as the aperitif. Luxury is the by-word at Boyer. We decided to order a la carte--the chef's menu is nice but over- loaded with heavy food and none of the chef's real specialties are on it. The amuse was a demi-tasse of mussel soup. This is where simple becomes ambrosial. No embellishments, no wrong notes, just a perfect mussel soup. Chef Boyer walked around the room greeting every guest with a handshake. Boyer never did this in 89, preferring to stay in the kitchen. There are 3 dining rooms--the first is very formal done in white, gold and gold leaf. The middle is less formal with blue tablecloths. The third is like a library with green table cloths, very high ceilings and beautifully paneled walls. We got stuck in the middle room which ended up feeling like the Indianapolis Speedway as the "traffic" was awful--waiters going in every direction, at high speed, all the time. We asked for a change, but they were "stuck" as all three dining rooms were full. The Maitre d' was very accommodating, though, he said we had our pick of any table we preferred for our second evening at Boyer. Boyer serves no amuse at the table. Your order commences immediately. 1st course--oeufs brouille's aux caviar oscietre--perfectly scrambled eggs in a hollowed out egg shell topped with a generous spoon of caviar. I have made this dish, but sometimes it is so much nicer to just relax and savor it, then to make and serve it. The egg shell was perched in a silver holder featuring a little boy with a cluster of grapes in each hand--perfect and charming! Boyer again made the rounds. I asked him if he used the special Japanese egg cutter as the shells were perfectly sliced. He said yes and commented that I must be a "good cooker." Again, quite a change from 89 when he was aloof and stiff. 2nd course--My husband selected a half portion of filet de bar, cooked in the oven served with sliced ratte potatoes in a butter based sauce with a zest of orange. I selected a half portion of St. Pierre roasted with girolles (a mushroom from the chanterelle family) in a creamy girolle sauce. The fish was perfectly roasted, crunchy, flavorful with the girolle sauce as the perfect counterpoint. Note - these dishes were listed on the menu as full portions, but when we inquired if we could have demi portions, they were completely obliging. 3rd course--La Fameuse Truffle en Croute, avec la sauce perigueux. As I mentioned in the Haeberlin thread, we had splurged on the truffle dish there so we were interested in trying Boyer's version. Boyer's version was significantly better. It was lighter, more flavorful, more sophisticated. The croute coating had more of a pastry feel. The whole truffle was more flavorful and less vegetative. I am not sure what sort of storage method Boyer used to retain the freshness of the black truffle, but it tasted as if it had been harvested recently. The foie gras inside the pastry was placed above the truffle so as it was cooked some of the foie gras melted, coating the top and sides of the truffle. The perigord sauce was light, speckled with truffles and absolutely perfect. Boyer's Fameuse Truffle truly deserved to be FAMOUS. Our server was stuffy and supercilious and condescending. (On our second night, I noticed he was relegated to carrying trays and not acting as front server. I think this was a case of the middle room getting the B Team). 4th course--cheese. After the cheese course we adjourned to the lounge for coffee, small pastries and my husband's cigar. It was nice to get out of the speedway. One problem with Boyer is that it has had a lot of publicity--recently it was rated # 1 Hotel in the World. As a result of Boyer's high visibility and BUZZ, the tourists have really begun to flock in; they come as if a Michelin 3 Star was another attraction at Disney Land. They tend to be clueless -meat and potato types who don't know a red wine from grape juice and who have no concept of service, ordering, and the 3 star dining process, but they can say, "Oh, yes, I dined at Boyer--the famous Michelin 3 Star place in Reims, Ma and I had a fabulous stuffed lobster thing." This must sound very snobbish and I apologize in advance. Boyer night # 2: We were shown to the lounge again for our champagne and amuse. The amuse was a croustillant filled with a langoustine--not very memorable. Boyer does not seem to make an effort with the amuse and there is no second amuse at the table. As requested, we sat in the small "library type" dining room away from the hustle and bustle. The room is beautiful, 20 foot high ceilings, wood paneled walls, a large mural on one wall, lamp sconces, plates that look like a patchwork quilt, green tablecloths with a burgundy underskirt, and an oriental rug on the floor---just quiet and comfortable. We ordered a la carte. We did not want to get sucked into eating dishes that were not of great interest. It actually cost less for our "tasting" than for the chef's menu. 1st course--La Salade du Pere Maurice--a wonderful salad of haricot verts,small lobster medallions, cubed artichoke hearts, cubed foie gras, black truffles in a very light vinaigrette. It was "tossed" table side. Wonderful. We waited over 40 minutes for our next course which seemed strange because they were no where near as busy as the night before. 2nd course--smoked salmon "a la minute" with 1/4 inch sliced potatoes enrobed in an oscetra caviar cream sauce. The salmon smelled as if it had been in a 3 alarm blaze (not unappetizing, just distinctive) and it tasted great. This is not avant garde, new fashioned food--no bells and whistles. It is classically prepared and perfect. 3rd course--My husband had to have the scrambled egg with caviar again and we had one order for two. 4th course--wheeled to the table we were presented a small wild roast duck - beautifully sliced rare pieces of duck meat along with "fruits of autumn" (potatoes, chanterelles, chestnuts, and surprisingly for France--corn.) The sauce was a red wine reduction flavored with duck juice poured from the cavity of the duck at table side. There was also a galette --pommes ana stuffed with giblets - the most extraordinary potato dish. The second service of duck was duck leg whole with mixed green salad. Wine: 92 Nicholas Feuillatte Palmes D'Or--very nice and sort of "reasonable". It is fun to have the champagne through the first two or three courses. 85 Ch. L'Angelus--we see little of this wine on the West Coast. I like the St. Emilion bouquet and solidity. It was perfect with our duck in two servings. 5th course - Cheese After cheese, we again went to the lounge for coffee, pastries and the cigar. General Observations: Most of the diners were English speaking. There were only 2 of 10 tables in the "library dining room" that were French speaking. Chef Boyer was charming as he made the rounds. One table wanted a picture with the Chef--he was most gracious--vanity prevailed as he took off his glasses. The one picture lead to 4 more around the room--at all times Gerard Boyer was the smiling, gracious host. Summary: Boyer is steady, unsurprising while still "elegant" and enjoyable. It felt fresh. The service the second evening was spectacular - great humor, a few jokes, and over-all a respect and friendliness that made the green library room a real pleasure. There are times when you don't need the Chef to reinvent the wheel--just wheel it to the table and let you enjoy--there is nothing wrong with tried and true.

Tony, He warmed up and was extremely helpful after that first glich, but if I hadn't studied the menu beforehand, I would have been in trouble. I loved L'Arnsbourg, just outside of Strasbourg, but Haeberlin's food is firmly rooted in Alsace - the heartiness, the richness of the ingredients, local dishes raised to haute cuisine, even the portion size reminds you where you are. Comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges --- they really have to be judged on their own merits as each chef's approach is completely different. Also, Serge is one of the finest sommeliers we have ever encountered and the pride of the Haeberlin family is so evident that you get caught up in their quest for perfection.

Arriving in Illhaeusern, we looked for the Relais and Chateau flags to point the way to Hotel Berges and Auberge de I'Ill. There was no signage what so ever; it was as if they were hiding the restaurant and the hotel. I did notice a lot of cars parked in front of one building and voila this was it. When we asked Joelle, the attractive, English speaking manager of the hotel why "the secret", she explained that they had a problem with bad mannered tourists who walked all over the private grounds, kept staring in the hotel windows, annoying the guests. We booked the Fisherman's cottage, a free standing, 2 story cottage right on the water - the I'Ill River. Imagine a ski-chalet lodge with pine walls and deep down comforters, wood floors, etc. Downstairs a small living room, bath and nice closet space. Upstairs a great bathroom and a comfy bedroom. Right outside our door, to the left of our little porch was a wood-fired Japanese hot tub. The porter asked if he wanted to try it and he immediately got some wood and started the fire. (At midnight, after dinner, the hot tub was ready and we soaked under a beautiful Alsatian sky along the I'Ill River.). The walk from the Hotel [which is set up as a separate business, a partnership with Marco, his brother-in-law who used to work at La Marmiton, a small French place on Montana Avenue near our home.] to the restaurant is across a beautiful lawn and up a few stairs into an elegant, and surprisingly large restaurant. On Saturday night at 8 PM the dining rooms were packed with an international assortment of French, Germans, English and Americans. The main dining room has huge picture windows over looking the gardens and the river. The setting is truly magical - during the day gondolas glide by on the river, ducks swim lazily and hearty tourists canoe by. The banks are strew with flowers and shrubs - everything is immaculate. We were shown to a table by the window, a bit off to the side. We knew we were going to be eating 3 meals here and realized that we would have to pace ourselves and try not to eat the whole menu in one sitting. Champagne and Amuse 1. a small piece of smoked herring on a crispy baguette toast 2. a cheese puff similar to a gougere 3 a crusty crisp of parmesan We spoke at length (half French and half English) to the Maitre d' about how to orchestrate our 3 meals. He more or less said, OK, take it one meal at a time. I had reviewed the menu, read up on this historic place and knew the signature dishes so I had already begun to figure out how to pace our adventure. 2nd amuse--filet of St. Pierre in a sauce of cumin with small haricot vertes served in a black iron casserole. 1st course--brioche de foie gras de gelee. The foie gras and gelee was encased in the brioche with the gelee in a strip above the foie gras--absolutely perfect in every way. 2nd course--a Paul Haeberlin signature dish (Paul is the father who is now around 80)--La Mousseline de Grenouilles. On a Bernadaud plate they presented a mousse of pike --you cut into the cooked mousse and inside was spinach, frogs leg meat, fine herbs in a butter cream sauce--this was a truly different, special, wonderful dish. The cooked set lightness of the mousseline encasing the frogs legs was a culinary marvel. This was hearty food - not for the meek or for those who are concerned about cholesterol or who forgot their Lipitor prescription. 3rd course--la volaille de bresse "Mieral" rotie a la broche accompanee d'un petit baeckaoffa aux truffles (cuisses roties sur salad au 2nd service) They wheeled a golden roasted whole chicken (roasted on a spit) to the table. The captain deftly carved with the legs removed for second service. The breast was napped with a perigord sauce with truffles. The baekenofe, which literally means "baked" turned out to be a small casserole of diced potatoes with truffles and small bits of pork. The casserole had been baked sealed with pastry around the rim. The skin of the chicken was crispy and very flavorful, however, the breast meat was a bit dry. Second service with the roasted leg meat and salad was perfect. The crisp skin made it "chicken heaven." As we knew we had 2 more meals to go and portion size is a word Marc Haeberlin sees as only "huge" or "huger" or "humungous", we skipped dessert and had coffee. Wines: We established a rapport with Serge immediately by mentioning Hubert and Chantal. It turns out they are oldest friends. We learned about their younger days. and enjoyed hearing of their exploits. In fact, Marc Haeberlin, Marco, Serge, Hubert and Chantal Keller - Fleur de Lys- all went to school together and have all remained close friends. 96 Pinot Gris, Jos Meyer, Vieilles Vignes--a perfect choice with the early courses. 88 Chapelle Chambertin, Jean Trapet. The wine was very nice, mature Burgundy, perfect with the Bresse Chicken. Lunch: Lunch on Saturday and Sunday is a bargain at 106 euros--a special menu which features 4 of the signature dishes. I think this was one of the reasons that the dining room was almost all French families with large tables of 8 and 10. It was a gorgeous day and we had our champagne and amuse on the patio right at the edge of the river. The amuses were the same as the night before with the addition of a beef tartare on a crusty baguette. After our amuse, we were shown to a beautiful table right next to the window in a spot in the center of the dining room where we could observe the whole room, have a full picture window overlooking the river, but away from the high traffic areas. 2nd amuse--at the table--a marinated slice of salmon with a chive sauce and trout mousse topped by a touch of caviar. On the side was a tiny mound of frisee lettuce and half of a lightly hard-boiled quail egg. 1st course--La terrine de foie d'oie truffee. Again Chef Haeberlin's idea of a tasting menu size portion is a bit outside of reality. A mid-size terrine of goose foie gras is wheeled to the table. The server scoops out two enormous oval spoonfuls of the foie gras and sets them on the plate. He then spoons enormous "quenelles" of gelee next to the foie gras and then he waits--he waits for the perfectly toasted pieces of freshly toasted brioche to be delivered from the kitchen. The foie gras was less compacted than the en croute version the previous evening. We liked it better, but agreed to eat only 67% of the portion--control had to be exercised because we had a lot of food coming on the wonderful luncheon special menu. 2nd course--Le Salmon Soufflé--another signature dish from Paul Haeberlin. A mousse de brochet (pike) encased a piece of salmon with a bit of tomato confit in a Reisling cream sauce. Haeberlin's use of mousse in all its forms, cold, cooked as an encasing, savory, sweet was extraordinary; the mousse used in both the grenouille and the salmon was so light that it was almost ephemeral. Again portion size was huge. 3rd Course--I did not taste my husband's dish but it was 3 beautifully cooked pieces of lamb (rose) wrapped in cabbage leaves with mashed potatoes with tons of butter, the whole thing perfumed with black olives and thyme. Delightful, not overpowering at all and just enough to eat 67% to save himself. Me--This was a dish from the Gods. Encased in feuillete, a multi-layered dish--starting with the flaky pastry casing, cabbage, foie gras, truffles, supreme of pigeon, more truffles, foie gras, cabbage and pastry. Imagine a small football intricately decorated and filled with this wonderful "stuff" then all covered with wonderful truffle sauce. This was one of the finest dishes I have ever had and even though I was suppose to be saving myself, I ate every bite. We skipped the fromage but wanted to see Haeberlin's signature dessert--Peche Haeberlin. A poached peach was served with a champagne sabayon and pistachio ice cream. At lunch most of the clientele was French as I stated before. They were very well dressed and appeared to be knowledgeable diners. They might have been tourists. But, they were upper class tourists. The main room was packed. Service was 100% professional and on top of it all the way. Wines: 99 Dageneau Silex, Puilly Fume--wonderful, familiar old friend. 70 La Lagune--an extravagance, but not crazy--it is a real favorite, drinking very well. There is both a look and "feel" of age, but well worth drinking now. 3rd meal-- Dinner Unlike lunch, The clientele at dinner were mainly Germans with a sprinkling of Americans and French. The groups were mainly twos and fours rather than the eights and tens at lunch. The room was more relaxed and leisurely. By now we were feeling "at home" . Serge the sommelier, our server and the maitre d' greeted us warmly. We were shown to "our regular table" by the window. We had planned on a two course meal as we wanted to taste the famous truffe dish. The same amuse were presented with the champagne. 2nd amuse--a pot-au-feu terrine with a horseradish sauce. The terrine was triangular in shape consisting of (from the top point down) carrot, turnip, pigeon, carrot, pigeon and zucchini--a colorful and delicious start. There was also a small bit of frise with a partly hard boiled quail egg--no caviar--but delicious. 1st course--mille-feuille croquant de bricelets et d'oeuf poche sur un tartare de saumon mi-marine mi fume aux oeufs de harengs fume. This again was one of the best dishes we have ever had. It was a multi-layered presentation - starting from the bottom ["first floor" according to the waiter] was salmon tartare, then a light layer of creme fraiche, then a crisp, next a poached egg dotted with herring eggs and topped with another crisp. Around the plate there was a small quenelle of red salmon eggs and 2 small quenelles of black herring eggs. 2nd course--La Truffe sous la cendre. This was a totally decadent, obscene, over-the -top dish. The presentation was deceptively simple. The waiter plated up a baseball size pastry "thing" on some truffle sauce at the serving table. It turned out that the baseball had a center core--100% black truffle-- a whole black truffle about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The truffle was surrounded with forcemeat [pork, pigeon, and foie gras] then covered entirely in pastry dough. Rich truffle sauce was spooned on the side. September is not truffle season, but there was abundant pungent truffle aroma in the air and plenty of flavor. What would it be like at the height of truffle season? This dish made you feel that you were Louis the 14th at Versailles eating in the most decadent way surrounded by loyal serfs --who could just look on. Later on the trip we had the famous truffe dish at Boyer (to be described in a later post) and in retrospect we liked Boyer's version better. Wine: Serge had suggested a 1983 Hugel late harvest Reisling. He said it would be perfect with both dishes and it was. The Alsatian white, late harvest wines at Haeberlin are presented in a glass, especially created by Serge for the wine--it is called GRAND CRU SERGE DUBS. Later we were presented with two as a gift. To say we were full is an understatement - no dessert, no cheese, we did have coffee and trudged back to our fisherman's cottage in the heavy rain. One funny comment--just before coffee our waiter crumbed the table--he knew and we knew that were no crumbs--we laughed --he said "crumbing for my conscience" - a perfect example of the fine humor and relaxed atmosphere. Before we left Marc Haeberlin came out of the kitchen to thank us for coming to his restaurant and hotel--what class.

jaybee, I had booked Ledoyen way in advance - all tables were booked - one of the few places in Paris that was full. For example, there were 4 empty tables at Arpege for lunch, Faugeron had empty tables, Elysees de Vernet was half empty. I don't think, however, that it is a hard reservation as long as you give yourself some lead time.

I am not a rissoto expert so is it possible to slow the cooking process or speed it up depending on when you want to serve it? The reason I used the scrambled egg analogy is that I can do that quite easily and produce a dish at the moment. The chef was completely aware of where we were in a given course. (He came to our table at the beginning of each dish and as it is a small restaurant there was constant contact between the front and the back). My assumption was that he "fired" the rissoto, but then adjusted how fast to finish it off based on when we finished the dish just preceeding. This could be way off - it is based on assumptions not fact. But, the rissoto was perfectly prepared and much better than I have had in Italian restaurants that feature the "best".

ajay, Thanks for your thanks. Yes, I have had the frogs legs beignet at Troisgros 2 years ago. My notes are somewhat sketchy but as I recall the sauce was simple and composed of vegetables cut into 1/16" cubes in an olive oil mixture. The Ledoyen version was more a take on the classic parsley/garlic rendition but used the potato puree in place of the garlic butter sauce. It is not a matter of which was better for each one was equally satisfying. I would say, though, that Troisgros's version relied more on the "crunch" of the frogs legs while Ledoyen emphasized the parsley/garlic potato puree to highlight the dish. Both are 3 star dishes and for me, what I find most exciting, is that two chefs can call a dish frogs legs beignet and end up with equally exciting, unique dishes.

This is the hardest review to write for a number of reasons. Pierre and Chantal Gagnaire are special friends in a way that goes beyond owner-customer. We feel that we would enjoy them as social friends, if we spoke French, they spoke English and we lived closer together. They are both exceptionally charming. Also, Gagnaire's food is so improvisational that from day to day, from customer to customer, a dish can undergo numerous changes. In speaking with a chef who knows Gagnaire well, he mentioned that a chef who does a stage at Gagnaire rarely comes away with a repertoire of dishes to replicate as everything is subject to spur-of-the-moment altercation. For us, Pierre is a leader on the world culinary stage. He is not always perfect. He can be scattered. He can be out of joint. There are misses, but there are also highs; it can be a culinary coaster ride. This time, there were more misses than we have ever experienced before. In spite of this, Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, has been and will be a favorite. We have been rewarded for our loyalty with superb service, special wines, good value and always some "gifts" during the meal. Other places charge us (often a lot) for our champagne--at Gagnaire it is always "offert"--FREE--a rarity in France this year--that's for sure. With this caveat, in mind, is the personal relationship an excuse for praising bad food--no way! We try hard to be objective and have a "trained" approach to dining. We also are guilty of judging the "total experience" which Pierre, Chantal and the staff go out of their way to provide. First night in Paris--Pierre Gagnaire It is our tradition to have our first and last dinners on the trip at Pierre Gagnaire. Chantal and Pierre treat us as if we ate there regularly instead of 2-3 times per year. The excitement and "color" of Gagnaire is on the plate--the room is minimalist, simple, in soft muted tones. We decided on the September tasting menu. As an aside, it is very difficult for us to take extensive tasting notes as some of the time is spent catching up on the latest news from Chantal and exchanging "updates" from their friends in the U.S. With our champagne aperitif, Pierre is not serving an extensive array of amuse. He presented 4 different types of "chips" beet, nori, parmesan, and foie gras imbedded in potato. This is a change from the past and we missed the excitement of his extensive array of small amuse plates. First course-fondant de foie gras de canard aux amandes fraiche, jus natural de persil simple, coriandre et estragon. Corres dí ambondance (dark brown wild mushrooms) and cebette (a vegetable similar to a leek)--just saying it makes you hungry--the amazing thing about this dish is that as you mixed the multiple ingredients up in your dish, the foie gras acted as the "sauce" for the dish and unified the ingredients. One of the things we have learned about eating Gagnaire's cuisine is not to treat each ingredient separately, i.e. as if you were eating a composed salad. His food is meant to be mixed, it is meant to be enjoyed in its entirety. Every ingredient is necessary for the whole. This held true for each dish in the tasting. 2nd Course--Fleur de courgette (zucchini) huitres plants du belon (oysters) et girolles (chanterellees) et aigne doux. The oysters tasted as if they had just been plucked from the sea and the mushrooms added a pungent earthiness. 3rd Course--Marmelade de tomates et jeune fenouils (fennel) gelee au citron. Bouquet díecrevisses (crayfish) pattes doux au curcuma (tumeric) pousse de pois et trefle (clover) blanc. Tender bites of crayfish were placed in a rich tomato "marmelade" stock that was enriched with a tumeric infused butter and scattered clover on top. The clover did not add much to the dish and in fact was a distraction, rather than an enhancement. Again, this dish had to be mixed to be enjoyed, it was served in a bowl with a spoon. 4th Course--Croustade de truffes blanches de fin díete pesto díartichauts crus epineux. This dish just did not work for us. The truffles were bland (as most summer truffles are--our friend who was dining with us the next night is a French Chef at a major U.S. hotel--he does not buy summer truffles for just this reason--they just aren't up to the flavor that you expect from truffles). The taste was of cardboard and the grilled eggplant and artichokes just didn't add enough flavor or help at all. 5th course--salpicon de rouget de roche and capres la wicchia, lard blanc colonnata, feuille de bar de linge mi-fume, deux variete de carottes. This was one of the best dishes of the night--smoked bar underneath the rouget (a layered sandwich effect) with the smokiness of the bacon, the slightly sweet drippled carrot sauce--just amazing in conception and taste--Gagnaire at his very best. 6th Course--declinaison de cepes radis noir aux mirabelles et cuir de veau croustillant. With this course Chantal came to the table and we got into an involved discussion on France's economy, the effects of 9-11, and their new venture in London. I do not have any tasting notes. 7th Course--Aiguilleette de printade chaponnee "rotie braisee en cocotte aux aromatiques, petits oignons doux aux olives vertes et noires, mousserons au poivre sarwak. The guinea hen was presented in its cocotte at the table, then plated in the kitchen. The aroma of this dish was an overwhelming, intense assault that had us salivating just on the aroma alone. The hen was perfection, but at the table, the waiter over-whelmed the dish with some sort of "special oil" that destroyed this dish. We were able to "save" it by pushing the oil to one side of the plate and eating around it. 8th Course--fromage--3 different composed cheese courses--just did not work for us--definitely a way of saving $$ by not having a huge cheese board--not a good concept. 9th Course (s)--many many desserts. Again, no tasting notes that I can blame on serious jet lag, a lot of wine plus a lot of blah! blah! with staff and our guest. There are few chefs as committed as Pierre and few "front -of-the-house" wives as active and as charming + elegant as Chantal. Even when Gagnaire misses, his food is worth trying. He is not far out or weird, but he is pushing the envelope. His food is definitely not for everyone (most people would not pay the price $175 each + wine). But, for those who are committed to trying, learning and knowing great cuisine from the leaders of the world's kitchens, Pierre Gagnaire consistently impresses with new, innovative, exciting, and generally delicious food. Repeat visits are mandatory to see the development. In many ways Gagnaire's evolution is as interesting as the food. He is a true leader. Wines: The sommelier at Gagnaire is very good. Over the years as they have prospered in Paris the list has expanded significantly. This year the prices seem to have shot up, along with everything else. My husband selected: 98 Pernand Vergelesses -this is a favorite, right next to Corton Charlemagne - very fruity, young and full bodied - perfect with the cuisine of fish, vegetables, etc. 97 Monthelie Les Duresses - light and savoury, nothing fantastic, but certainly good and fairly reasonable cost. LAST meal --Pierre Gagnaire Going to Gagnaire for our first and last meal on a big France trip is a tradition. Although we were not exactly blown away by our first meal--tradition prevailed. We worked with Claude, the Maitre d' to find two "small" dishes that we could enjoy after so many meals at so many restaurants. These were to be une pour deux--that is one for two--very small tastings With champagne we were presented with 5 amuse--we should have seen the evening developing even then.. 1. deep fired oyster with eel done in a sushi bar style 2. beet root and mackerel with a raspberry on top 3. mussels with coco beans with a small melon ball on top 4. in a Crochet Cup (a unique egg-type cup set on a cock-eyed angle attached by a small magnet to the plate)-- he presented a melange of cut up vegetables --it was a sort of ratatouille. 5. a glass cylinder of green on the bottom (cucumber), red (tomato) and white (described as sorbet of sheep)-- All very nice. Approach to the menu-- On our first visit, we felt that the "tasting menu" was disjointed and lacked harmony and direction. Many of the dishes, taken individually, were excellent, but there didn't seem to be a cohesiveness. We have always ordered the tasting menu so I have never really studied the over-all menu carefully. This time I did and seemed to detect (after we tried two dishes) a direction in Pierre's menu. For example, what appears to be happening is that each menu selection is structured to give the diner a new way to enjoy an entree (remember entree in France is the first course). Pierre does a series of small dishes based on a theme. For example: Oriental theme, Pays Catalan theme, Langoustines theme, Rouget theme, etc. With Claude's help we selected Plein Mer. The "dish" consisted of 3 individual presentations on this "sea" theme. 1. tempura-like scampi and squid in a sauce of the juice from a green crab 2. spider crabs and periwinkles with seaweed, sea fennel, a touch of almond all in a creamy sauce --served cool. On the side, Pierre presented Maladon salt to be added by the diner. 3. small abalone in strips served with a beer mousse presented on the side in a shot glass. The tempura was extraordinary, but I hated the beer mousse idea to be eaten with the abalone. By itself, the abalone was superb. My husband is not a big fan of periwinkles and found the dish too fishy. For our main course, we ordered the duck. Again, Pierre, chose to present 3 distinct approaches to the duck. This was a wonderful, creative dish. On one small plate he put a crispy wonton wrapped around lettuce and topped by a triangle of "Pekin Duck" crispy skin. It was described as "duck sushi" and we could have eaten a whole plate of this. Another small plate held a round (about 1 1/2 inches) of compressed duck leg confit with a touch of glazed sauce--intense, perfect, super flavorful. The larger white plate held chunks of boneless Pekin Duck breast meat which had been roasted with some cinnamon and a "salmis" sauce based on wine and the natural juices pressed from the duck. This is where you see Gagnaire's genius - taking a dish which you have had many times and changing it in such a way as to be both inventive and more flavorful than most other duck presentations. Wine: Since moving to Paris about 7 years ago (from St. Etienne where he first received the 3 Michelin Stars) Gagnaire has had two sommeliers. Jean Luc the original wine master was in his early 30s when he left two years ago. His able assistant continued the careful, smart approach to an ever growing list. My husband has found that the sommelier at Gagnaire always has a "hidden treasure" that he wants to present to frequent, interested diners like us. These treasures are generally unknown or little know wine makers in odd or different locations. Usually these treasures are unbelievable bargains also. This night was right on-- 2000 SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru Les Frionnes, Hubert Lamy 350 ml bottle Lamy is a familiar name. This 1/2 bottle was a perfect choice with the seafood. St. Aubin is a favorite of my husbands. You don't see a lot of it in the US, but it is usually a good value. This time 31 euros. Nice, crisp, clean finish that felt perfect in the mouth. 98 Cotes Du Rhone Villages, Domaine De L'Oratoire Saint-Martin, Haut-Coustias, F & F Alary, St. Martin. Full bodied Rhone, perfect with the duck. Solid, dense, not overly tannic, but certainly a lot of potential to age. Could have mistaken it for a Cote Rotie - a very good value at 73 euro. Were these the best meals we had in France - no if taken as a whole. However, some of the dishes were extraordinary, innovative, creative, delicious and truly reaching culinary heights. Within that context, when you hit a miss or a low, it stands out like a sore thumb. Gagnaire's cuisine has always been challenging and unique. His style is anything but safe. But, as I stated earlier, if you are committed to trying, learning and knowing great cuisine from the leaders of the world's kitchens, Pierre Gagnaire is still a must even with some of the disappointments.

We had eaten at Christian Le Squer's Ledoyen when it was a 2 star and felt that we had ordered badly which accounted for a nice, but not memorable meal. This year we went for lunch, this is Le Squer's first year of being a Michelin 3 Star. To answer the most important question--yes it deserves to be a 3 star. Le Squer's cuisine is innovative, without forgetting the essentials of fine French Cuisine. The restaurant is historic, in a park on the Champs-Elysees between Place Royale and le Rond-Point. The present building dates back to 1842 when the architect Hittorff was commissioned by Louis-Phillippe to beautify the Champs-Elysees. In the 90's the decor was restored by famed decorator Jacques Grange. To say that Ledoyen is opulent is an understatement. The building itself is over-the-top with ornate Neo-classical pediments and Grecian colonnades. You ascend a curving, wide staircase to the restaurant which is as glamorous and opulent as the outside of the building. Somehow you have the feeling you should be holding court in this setting with large picture windows, well-spaced large tables overlooking the park land behind the Petit Palais. (It should be easy to find but it took help from 3 Gendarmes for us to locate the right building.) Although the setting is posh, the service is definitely 3 star as well as warm and not at all stuffy. Most of the diners at lunch were French businessmen; we were the only Americans in the room. However, the sommelier did try and "upgrade" our selection of wines-- 96 Puligny Montrachet, Jules Belin 350ml 95 Cornas, Durard Both were very good - nothing special, but in accord with our policy of keeping costs down, especially at lunch, we are willing to be very middle of the road. The Cornas was quite good with the duck which demanded a big flavorful wine. It is the food which makes Ledoyen worthy of being a must do destination restaurant. With our coupes de Champagne, we were served four small amuse--a small rectangular "egg roll", a cherry tomato filled with foie gras mousse, a toast point of foie gras terrine, and a sesame dotted pastry filled with a sharp cheese. The second amuse was a martini glass filled with cold cannelini bean puree, whole cannelini beans, sliced sardines and topped with cannelini foam--small croutons added crunch--absolutely delightful. Entree: My husband--a cepe mushroom soup with small cepe mushrooms and a quenelle of mushroom. This simple description does not do justice to the soup--sensational. Me--5 frogs legs done beignet style on top of a parsley/garlic potato puree with garlic chips for crunch and a touch of the puree as a foam - wonderful!! Main: We both had duck--instead of thin slices of duck, we were served 2 thick "duck steaks" rare with turnip and fruit slices, julienne of orange with a rich orange infused duck sauce--the dish is reminiscent of the classic duck a la orange, but much more contemporary in presentation and taste. Pre-dessert: Hazelnut in a sugar caramel coating with a cigar shaped chocolate-covered tube filled with coffee pastry cream. Dessert: A millefeuille of fromage blanc on top of black raspberries with very rich vanilla ice cream. Over-all a superb experience--quality all the way - not cheap, but quasi-reasonable for France, 2002. We did not feel that we were short on value, probably 20% more than a similar lunch would be at a good restaurant in NYC or San Francisco--but there are a lot of extras, amuses, pre-dessert that you don't see in the U.S.

One of the reasons that I focused on the service issue is that our experiences at Ducasse in the old location were extraordinary. We were taken aback by the difference. Also, as Fat Guy noted when "you get to the top of the three-star heap (and there are several restaurants in this category), you reach a state where the food couldn't conceivably get much better, and so the differentiation must occur in the non-food realm." I couldn't agree more! Miguel - Ducasse is significantly higher in price than the other three stars particularly if you want to try some signature dishes i.e. the langoustine dish. Also, this was our third day being in France and we were just beginning to experience the significant increases in price plus the relative strength of the euro versus the dollar.

Bux, I haven't practised for years so if I used to know why you do what you do, I don't now. My abilities, now, center on putting fork to mouth.

I am going to take Bux's advice and rather than add this post to an older Ducasse thread, start a new thread with up-dated information. On our last night in Paris before going on the road to the countryside, we decided to try Ducasse at his new location. By the time we got to Plaza Athenee, we had seen a demonstration of grid-lock Paris style--what a mess--people blocking streets, nothing moving, no gendarmes to be seen anywhere, and this was 7:45 at night--our 15 minute taxi ride took 35 minutes. Our friend was waiting outside for us--fortunately he was late due to traffic also. Ducasse is undoubtedly the most expensive restaurant in all of France--we can't imagine anyone having the nerve to charge more. Plan on mortgaging your house and your neighbors, too. Eating soup for a week might help also. Is the food 3 star?--absolutely, although not innovative. It is cuisine based on the finest ingredients. Is the service 3 star?--questionable. The room has been Ducasseized--lots of little kitchie stuff--chandeliers have been encased in cylinders, lined with light gray gauze to minimize the effect of the Louis the 14th look. The windows have the same gauze effect. The colors are muted, starched white table cloths over gray underskirts. We had to wage the "table battle" as we were among the first in the room and, as usual, the desk people wanted to "sell" their worst tables first-- i.e. by the service station, the bathroom door, the kitchen door. The menu is presented on parchment in a gray aluminum frame set in a "sign holder" type of aluminum device. It is placed in front of each diner so immediately after you sit down you can no longer really see your companions--conversation becomes very difficult. The menu itself is very confusing; it is hard to figure out just what this meal is going to cost. Figure on a lot. His signature appetizer, langoustines with caviar is $ 130.00 with a "real bargain" of a 1/2 portion for $ 65. After much discussion, we decided to create our own tasting menu. The head waiter/captain was helpful with this. Amuse--a crayfish and mushroom soup with a mushroom cappuccino foam on top. Very nice--well executed. We got a first mortgage and dove into the menu--the langoustines (1/2 orders) rafraiches nage reduit, caviar oscietre. This was an amazing dish--the langoustines were served as rectangular strips about 3/4" wide on top of a square of deep yellow lemon flavored nage mousse. Strips of caviar adorned the length of each langoustine. One thing about this dish--it got better with each bite--and we for sure took it slow and enjoyed our champagne with the bites--figure about 15 bites--a little over $ 4.00 per bite-- Sorry if we sound very mercenary or overly concerned with cost--it is just that the price of everything hits you in the face--and it stings. One of the major problems in the service was that as each dish was presented there was absolutely no description of the food by the server. It was sort of --you bought it--you own it--eat. Not quite as nasty as that, but very much--"my job is to bring it out and put it in front of you." That's it, no passion, no enthusiasm for the food. Generally, then, service was robot-like, correct, professional but no sense of pride or passion concerning the food. 2nd course--sole de petit bateau. Again an absolutely wonderful dish. But with no help from the server, we were left to our own devices to understand the elements of the dish. Eventually, the captain did provide some help - the sole was served as a "log", beautifully set on top of chanterelles, crushed almonds and a sauce based on wine from the Jura--lemony and sweet but not cloying--spectacular! 3rd course--tian dí agneau a la Parisienne - With this dish there occurred one of the worst service errors we have ever experienced in a Michelin 3 Star restaurant. We ordered the dish--rose. For 2 people the lamb was perfectly done, but my husband's was overdone. We called over the waiter, showed him his meat, he apologized and took his dish away. We decided to wait and not eat our lamb, until my husband had his, otherwise we would have been finished, drunk most of the red wine and he would have to eat alone. About 10 minutes later, the waiter noticed we had not eaten our meat. He said, "You better eat or it will get cold." We said we will wait. Finally a captain came over and said, "I'll hold your dishes in the kitchen." I had visions of a heat lamp. When the 3 lamb plates were re-presented we were told by the Captain--the chef made you 3 new dishes. Considering the price, I would hope so. After finally getting the lamb properly presented in front of all 3 of us--it was delicious - 5 perfect strips of rare lamb with an aubergine tian underneath, served with truffle de noir, parsley, basil and garlic. 4th course--a gift from the chef--an attempt to apologize for the lamb mess up--slices of mushrooms that were under-seasoned on top of salad greens--the whole thing tasted like cardboard. 5th course--Cheese. The cheese cart was wheeled to the table, the glass lid lifted and our server gave very minimal descriptions and asked, "What do you want?" Selling dessert--early in the meal Some time after the menu signs are removed a smaller version is stuck on the table--you can see over this one. It is designed to help the waiter give his sales pitch for desserts (around $ 40 each--did not ask what the commission rate is) We decided to pass on dessert and have the mignardises with coffee. Wines: Champagne, 1988 Pommery "Cuvee Louise" 1998 Puilly Fume "Silex" Didier Dagueneau 1997 Ch. Certan de Gay (Pomerol) The Bordeaux provided an example of real quality service and personal attention. By the time we got to ordering the wines, working our way around the menu signs and getting the tasting organized, the sommelier (head guy, Laurent--big time without a question) had realized that our friend had been in the wine trade for many years in Europe and that my husband was also a knowledgeable wine consumer. Our friend deferred to my husband's ideas, but when the sommelier and he were working on the red wine--Laurent very politely asked if he could make a suggestion--this is the time for anyone, regardless of their level of experience to be quiet and listen--we did. Laurent suggested the Bordeaux because, although the Meo Camuzet Cros Parantoux that my husband had in mind would be good with the lamb--he felt--and it turned out to be absolutely correct, that the Pomerol from 97, a very wet year, would drink more successfully right now with the exact preparation of lamb - a perfect choice. Looking at the totality of the Ducasse experience leads to the following conclusions: This is definitely fine cuisine at the highest level. Food is generally perfectly prepared (discounting the mushroom salad). The flavors are delicate, the preparation perfect, the ingredients superb. However, is the cuisine unique, something special, imaginative and creative? Not really and the bottom line becomes is it worth the unbelievable high prices? The service, as I have said, is correct, professional yet robot-like. The staff has very little regard for the intelligence, sophistication or dining experience of the guests--I don't think this is just an attitude toward Americans as they seemed uniformly disdainful of the customers. Unlike Ledoyen, Gagnaire, and Faugeron (those posts will be forthcoming) the room was mostly non-French. Probably, the French either can't or won't pay the high prices.

What are you, a psychiatrist? No, a psychologist!

ajay, There will always be one lacking quality in all of my posts - after the aperitifs, bottle of white, bottle of red, I put down my pad and stop writing. I apologize to Steve Klc in advance, but there is just so much that I am capable of with this amount of wine and food. As for the rissotto, it was from scratch. I think, he held it carefully, got the word from his server, and then "finished" it off. It is much the same as making slowly scrambled eggs - I can make them in 10 minutes or 20 minutes or even 35 minutes, adjusting the heat accordingly.

Bux, Thanks for the suggestion and I will post new threads instead of adding on to older ones. I am interested to know which 3 star you decided on in Paris and why?

John, this is definitely a restaurant worth seeking out. Now for our worst meal on this year's trip. Also in Lyon, it was La Tour Rose - The Ultimate Disaster. We had eaten at La Tour Rose when it was a one star and had a wonderful meal. This year it lost its only star and, although we were worried, Francois, the concierge at Cour des Loges had heard good reports from the guests. He had not yet recommended it. As it turns out, a good thing. The chef was so distraught at losing his only star he had to be hospitalized (only in France!) and currently there is a new chef (at least they call him that) plus new servers, manager, etc. The restaurant is absolutely magnificent. It is located in another of the 14th century hotels in old Lyon. It is as if you were sitting in a glass "cage"--the ceiling and 2 sides are all glass. You are sitting in the middle of history--colonnades and little passages are all around--in the "old days" these were used for smuggling. This particular night we should have used them to sneak out of this experience. With our champagne --amuse--strings of fennel (I think, as our server hurriedly mumbled his description). There was a pronounced licorice taste. The green stuff had been made into greasy, oily tempura strips. 1st amuse--cream based soup of small bits of almonds, foie gras (according to the waiter) and an aromatic olive oil swirled on top. There was no taste of foie gras (I doubt it was there) and after a couple of bites, it was boring to eat. 2nd course--after a long (over 30 minutes) wait, we were presented with a tart of anchovies. This was a greasy mess of mushy eggplant and tomatoes swimming in olive oil, with fishy smelly obviously tired anchovies laid over the mush and topped off with a stale, tasteless, greasy wafer. 3rd course--cold oyster soup flavored with lemon and served with 3 tiny egg-white quenelles on which were place about 5 grains of caviar. The oyster taste was there, but with no presence of real oysters and so little caviar--no texture or crunch. This was a rendition of a classic dish--mediocre at best. 4th course--lightly cooked, lightly smoked salmon served on an array of mixed greens. The salmon was old, smelly and rancid. We had one bite saying --even the cats of Lyon would reject this mess. By now we had eaten one piece of fennel, two soup spoons of the foie gras (?) soup, one piece of anchovy, and one of salmon--not a very good picture. What was hard to understand is that the room was full of what appeared to be convention types, a table of 8 American women with badges on, but also a number of tables of "locals." They were all scarfing down this stuff that we could not even get past our lips--we hope they all did not die of ptomaine poisoning that night. 5th course--we were dreading the next course, the filet of boeuf. It arrived, a stringy, flavorless hunk of beef swimming in a brown mess of sauce that had no finesse. I wondered what sort of "reduction" methods the "chef" had used on this. It also did not help that we were supposed to cut this leather stuff with butter knives--we asked for the standard steak knives that are used in every French restaurant--they were grudgingly provided and still the meat was tough--only ate our "standard" one bite. Wine--and a wine story. For wine we chose the 00 Gangloff Condrieu-- and St. Bonnet), wonderful and the 99 Gangloff LA Serein Noire, Cote Rotie. This is a wine we had not heard of from Mathilde et Yves Gangloff--higher priced than the La Barbarine that we love. The sommelier was very enthusiastic. It was very good, but not spectacular. I had to ask for the proper glasses--which did not help. Certainly a very good Cote Rotie, but not any kind of value. Now--the story. The Gangloff has a very unique label. They had just poured one glass of the Gangloff for us and we waited to enjoy it with our meat. My husband, then, sees one of the comis pouring our wine as wine by the glass for some other couple--well-what to do, limited French but we are being screwed out of 30+ % of our 130 Euro bottle... My husband took action by pointing out the mistake to the Maitre d' who immediately verified it with the comis who poured...no real apologies from anyone other than the kid who screwed up, but they eventually brought us another bottle of the same wine--making good on our money--except the new bottle was freezing cold...the sommelier had become very snooty all of a sudden--embarrassed or something--he did not present new glasses, and poured the new wine directly into the old--who knew if the new bottle was bad..but ..it was so cold we wouldn't have been able to tell anyway. Toward the end of the meal, I went to the bathroom and mentioned to the manager, Yves, that La Tour Rose used to be a wonderful restaurant with memorable dishes like the sliced potatoes with creme fraiche and caviar. He sort of shrugged his shoulders and said, "What do you expect from a restaurant with no stars?" We have eaten in many non-starred restaurants and have had some wonderful experiences at places like La Cote Rotie in Ampuis, Can Peio in Junas, Le Saint Laurent in Macon and Le Mimosa in Saint Guiraud, etc. What a mess - considering food, wine, service et al--this ranks as one of the 3 worst dining situations we have had in years. At this point we gave up entirely on the meal, even though we had quite a bit of red wine left. We decided to make sure that the "staff" did not get the pleasure of our wine and became mixologists with a new "recipe" just for our servers. Our special recipe--1 part red wine, 1 part Evian and 1 part left over white wine.

Unpacking is a truly over-rated activity. Although, that is what I should be doing, I am procrastinating by writing posts on e-gullet. Lyon--Auberge de l'lle It is hard to call a 2 Michelin Star restaurant a "discovery", but Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex (lots of hyphens in his name) just received his second star in March. There does not seem to be much "buzz" about this restaurant in the States. This is a wonderful restaurant located at Ile Barbe about 20 minutes outside of Lyon in an old country house built in the 1600s. It was a tough find for the cab driver as it is down next to the river under some bridges. We had champagne and amuse outside in a tree-shaded courtyard. The chef, himself, presented the amuse and explained to us what we would be eating. (His English is perfect as he has an ex-wife who now lives in Marina de Rey in Los Angeles). The amuse were: 1. 3 types of vegetable crisps--beet, potato and bundles of basil, parsley and cilantro. 2. baby shrimp in what he described as Japanese mustard, but it tasted more like wasabi and a touch of honey. The dish was presented in a wonton crisp. Unlike an Asian-inspired dish that we had had at George Blanc a couple of nights before, this had just the right balance of Asian flavors. 3. a canapé presented on a toothpick - the bottom layer sliced potato, then blood sausage (a Lyon specialty) and a round roasted shallot on top. We were then presented with the menu and the wine list. The menu is not a listing of dishes. On one side there was a poem by the chef describing the end of summer "terroir." On the other side it simply said 3 dishes 72 euro or 5 dishes, 90 euro with no description of the dishes. Again, the chef reappeared and he described each dish in detail. He does this for each table so it is a good thing that this is a small restaurant. He also acts as his own sommelier. WINE: His choices to accompany his food: 95 Chassagne-Montrached, Premier Cru "Les Ruchottes", Ramonet--a great choice with the early courses. 96 Saint-Joseph, Cuvee du Papy, Domaine du Monteillet, Antoine Montez (Chavanay)--a producer we did not know--the chef mentioned that he was one of Montez's first customers and that he gets a good allocation of a very limited amount of the wine. He was pleased to share his discovery with us. The wine turned out to be a perfect representative of the region. Full bodied, fruity, solid and big--delicious and well paired with the meat and the cheese. We certainly appreciated the Chef/Sommelier's guidance. We were shown to our table in a small room at the front of the 1600's house. The ceiling is planked and the floor is the original stone flooring. There were 5 tables in this area and a side board serving table in the center. The Chef has created a display case with Michelin Red guides dating back to 1919. Above the case there was a raised dining area with one large round table for 8. The feeling is that of dining in someone's home. The staff is very welcoming and excited to have you as a guest. The amuse at the table--a cold pureed gazpacho soup served in a tall shot glass with a round avocado ball and a fried oyster skewered on a toothpick laid across the top of the glass--delicious and pretty. 1st course--mushroom soup, with a cappuccino foam served lukewarm. The incredible part of this soup was the briefly sautéed small chunks of foie gras that you "discovered" as you ate the dish. 2nd course--just roasted gamba (large reddish prawn) in the shell with sweet spices, fruit chutney of apples, plums, and raisins. This dish could have been over-wrought or "too much". Instead, it was well balanced and done with restraint. The chef used the words "sweet spices" to refer to the Indian spices he used. 3rd course--sautéed rouget on a bed of potatoes that looked like potatoes Anna with cepes, a crisp bacon strip and a uni sauce. This was the least successful dish. The potatoes were somewhat soggy and needed more crispiness, both for taste and texture. The cepes were good, but no match for Regis Marcon's freshly foraged ones from the Ardeche fields. The uni sauce was not as intense as other ones we have had, maybe due to the incredible quality of sea urchin available now in Maine and Santa Barbara. 4th course - guinea hen with a cepe mushroom red wine sauce with crunchy bits of chestnuts and plump wild cherries. Absolutely wonderful!! This dish really showed off the chef's talent. 5th course--as soon as we had finished the hen, I heard our server say to the chef--they are ready--they just finished the hen. This was his notice to fire the next dish. About 10 minutes later, we were presented with large white bowls which had steel ring molds placed in the center. Together the chef and our server removed the rings and out oozed "risotto" in a red wine porcini mushroom sauce. The rice was cooked just until creamy and with some crunch--his timing was perfect. The chef apologized at this point because he had to leave for a meeting at 3:00 PM and he was already 40 minutes late. The chef, of course, did not leave immediately. He mentioned that the second Michelin star is just the starting point for his career. He is just 36 and is passionate about his profession. (As an aside, the chef can't use his right arm as he was crippled from a bad auto accident about 10 years ago.) He is also very enthusiastic about the work of other chefs. He has visited The French Laundry in each of the past 3 years and admires Thomas Keller immensely. Everything at Auberge de l'lle shows the dedication of the entire staff. They are in the process of constructing a cigar room on the second floor. A beautiful private dining room is in place. Even the bathrooms are unique. You climb a small circular staircase, you arrive at the toilettes--the only thing that distinguishes male from female is the halo of blue and pink illuminating the glass doors. After the chef left, we had cheese and an array of desserts and coffee. By this time, I had put down the note pad and spent my time savoring the desert wine that the chef offered us. All in all, a wonderful "find" for us in Lyon and a restaurant experience I would recommend highly. -

Peter, The only restaurant we have been to recently from the ones you mentioned is Trama's and that was last year not this year. BLH - more posts will be forthcoming, but with 3 huge cartons of junk mail plus laundry etc., it will take some time. Briefly, this year's trip started in Paris, then to Vonnas, Roanne, St Bonnet, Lyon, Annecy, Geneva, Illhauesern, Strasbourg, Reims and then back to Paris. Enough to say that this year's trip was way too many euros (Robert Brown is absolutely correct) plus added a lot of pounds to an expanding waist line.

We have just returned from a 23 day "eating" trip to France. I have over 130 pages of notes and rather than go through all of it at once, I thought it would be best to either add up-to-date tasting notes on to previous posts or start a new thread if there wasn't an old one. L'Arnsbourg was such a highlight that I thought it deserved to be mentioned first. L'Arnsbourg was just awarded its third Michelin star in March. I immediately added it to our itinerary even though it was an-out-of-the-way stop. Finding L'Arnsbourg in Untermuhlthal provided a major navigational challenge. It does not exist on the map. All you know is that it is attached to Baerenthal. If you blink your eye, you will miss the sign to Baerenthal and be lost on some D route to nowhere. When you manage to see the sign you are directed to a tiny one lane road in the middle of a forest with no signage, no houses, no cows, just trees and more trees. All of a sudden a house appears in the middle of a clearing - this is the restaurant. By now you have to be asking, Is it worth it? A resounding YES!!! The room is breath-taking. Huge picture windows provide 360 degree visibility of fields and woods. A small stream meanders underneath the restaurant. The ceiling is paneled in a light blond oak with tiny recessed lights. The color scheme is white--starched white linens with a white Berber rug, clear contemporary style water glasses, sparkling crystal wine glasses and a stylish clear glass bud vase containing one white orchid on each table. The effect is pristine, elegant and inviting. With the champagne we were served 3 amuse. 1. a small tart with tomatoes and basil 2. a roasted watermelon in a balsamic vinegar reduction served on a tooth pick--a first for us--hot watermelon - delicious. 3. roasted pepitas with a hint of sugar Florence (the host) asked in French if we wanted her to use French or English for explanations of the cuisine. She asked in a most charming, warm way which we soon realized is the standard style of all employees at L'Arnsbourg. There is not one hint of snobbery or big shot-itis in this newest Michelin Three Star. Florence agreed on French unless I looked befuddled and then the explanation would move to English. Florence could not have been more gracious, friendly and willing to explain everything so we would get the maximum pleasure from our first visit. We decided on the Discovery Menu at 100 euros (about $ 100 each). This was one of the best values we have seen at a 3 star on this trip. When Florence saw that I was starting to take notes, she quickly got a copy of the menu explaining that it would be easier. Throughout the meal she periodically checked my notes to make sure I was getting it right. After the first 3 amuse, a surprise amuse was presented on a spoon--a slice of roasted celery in a balsamic vinegar glaze to be eaten in one bite. We were still not ready to start the menu as 4 more amuse arrived. The four were presented on a dark wooden board set vertically pointing at the diner --Florence's instructions--eat the one nearest you first--work your way up. 1. herring in a light olive oil vinaigrette in a small white square dish 2. a foie gras cold mousse in a tiny cup 3 a parmesan crisp sandwich with parmesan mousse filling 4. a plump oyster in a shallot/balsamic reduction sauce presented in its shell on a bed of rock salt. 1st course -Chartreuse de Homard a la Tomato Confite--chartreuse does not refer to the liqueur but to a composed dish in alternating colored layers. On a large glass plate we received perfect pieces of lobster interspersed with tomato pieces that resembled sun- dried tomato more than a confit. All was presented with a light lemon oil vinaigrette. At the front of the plate a triangle of toast acted as the buttress to a larger piece of shaved parmesan cheese. On the side of the dish a small plastic pipette (eye dropper) was presented with extra oil to be added to the dish if you wanted it - an El Bulli type touch, but in this case totally reasonable and certainly not impractical--it did not reek of the Veyrat syringe either just a sort of neat way to present some extra oil - clever. 2nd course--a perfectly grilled rouget with balsamic vinegar reduction and basil oil on a bed of mashed potatoes that tasted as if they had been strained (a la baby food). The balsamic and basil had been painted on the plate. Wonderful. 3rd course--on another large glass plate there were 4" x 4" squares of red topped by sprinkles of green. This was a type of terrine -the bottom layer, lightly roasted still crunchy watermelon, small diced grape tomatoes with finely minced chiffonnaded basil . Also on the plate was a balsamic reduction. 4th course--black truffles and potatoes --this is a signature dish. In a shallow bowl there were mashed potatoes made with olive oil not butter. The potatoes were topped with a bit of potato foam. Then a topping of sliced black truffles made the dish look like the most deluxe potatoes anna you have ever seen--finally a touch of sel de mar on the very top. When Florence removed my husband's absolutely clean plate she laughed and said, "I bet you would like another?" She was reading his mind. 5th course--a small demi-tasse cup of a cappuccino of small peas with a bit of olive oil and fennel topped with finely grated bittersweet chocolate that looked like nutmeg. The dish worked unlike Veyrat's dish with the walnut-sized hunk of chocolate. (I will report on our Veyrat meal in another thread. Enough to say here that it was less than satisfying). The dish was perfectly balanced without the mixture of sweet + savory. There was no sweetness at all. Wonderful--different, but it worked. 6th course--canon de pigeon releue au wasabi, legumes aux epices--2 pieces of pigeon meat, sliced thick. It was seasoned with wasabi and topped by a small thin stripe of wasabi and lemon zest. The sauce was a glazed caramel reduction with a hint of cacoa. The chef presented 4 turned vegetables--carrot, celery, beet and one mystery green one that I could not identify. The dish was absolutely wonderful, the wasabi was not over powering, but it certainly woke up your palate. This was definitely one of the best "new type" dishes we had on the trip. This is the kind of culinary innovation we would like to experience regularly instead of some of the way out stuff for the sake of inventiveness without regard to taste. 7th course--they called it Invitation to Discovery. This was great fun and an example of the great creativity that must have been one of the reasons for Michelin awarding the 3rd star to a small, totally out of the way restaurant that is 3rd generation of a local family. On 4 small white plates, there was a series of little presentations--7 tests of your palate. Other diners were not playing --but, I can never resist a challenge. We did not do too badly and Florence certainly enjoyed teasing us and playing along. 1. a rectangular pastry--my guess was a snickerdoodle -- one for us. 2. a red square with a dot of sugar - rose water and tomato--one for the house. 3. a round mound - peanut butter (2 for us) 4. a melon wrapped in a gelee on a toothpick - cantaloupe which we got with white chocolate and a honey gelee which we did not get - 2 for the house--tie game. 5-a small tart--lemon meringue pie (3 for us) 6. a square white mound with a bit of crunched almond - recognized the gelatin and sugar but didn't identify it correctly as marshmallow - tie again. 7. another small tart=apple brown betty - right! 4 for us. What fun - a very good idea. The history of the Klein family is fascinating. The grandmother started the restaurant. Her daughter received the first Michelin Star. In the current generation the kitchen role has been taken over by the son, and his sister, Kathy, is in the front of the house. There are some restaurant experiences that are fun with interesting, innovative, eatable food. L'Arnsbourg is at the top of the list. The addition of personable, friendly, highly professional staff with ambiance that is breath-taking made L'Arnsbourg a wonderful, rewarding experience. The only negative, if it can be called a negative, is that basically the restaurant could be anywhere in the world--New York, Paris, San Francisco. This is not a regional Alsatian restaurant or a French Restaurant. It is an international restaurant and a must for all serious diners. The only problem is the need for a GPS and hopefully an attached inn. Wines: 98 Beaune, Clos des Mouches, Drouhin which drank perfectly--crisp, clean and well matched to Chef Klein's food. 94 Clos Vougeot, Georges Mungeret--very nice--again well matched. Burgundy is, in my opinion, the wine of choice with this food. Making the choice again and with enough budget, I might pick a bit bigger wine, but the 94 Clos Vougeot was good.

Nick, Thank you for a memorable report. This is what fine dining is all about and I am so glad that Fleur de Lys is living up to its stated purpose. Obviously, this is a four star restaurant that deserves to be one; it seems that the chef and the staff work hard at maintaining this level. There has been so much discussion on e-gullet re old dining vs new, avante garde cuisine a la Adria, the decline of french cuisine etc,, that it is refreshing to see a top notch restaurant deliver on all counts - service, cuisine, ambience. We will be there tomorrow night for dinner, before an extended trip to France, and I only hope that our meals in France can equal the Fleur de Lys experience. Nick, thank you again for a well-written review.

THank you, Patrice.