Gerard Boyer-Thierry Voisin at Les Crayeres, Reims

[JJS]

Hi! I have just booked Boyer ‘Les Crayeres’ for mid-October but have recently read reports that Gerard Boyer is not actually cooking anymore, having handed control of the kitchens to someone else. Is this true? Should I reconsider my booking? I am going in mid-October to get the game, mushrooms and truffles from Italy but would not want to feel that I am eating somewhere where the name is now just a name. Georges Blanc for example is a restaurant which although good is not that special anymore and its reputation seems to rest on past achievements. Any help and advice would be much appreciated.

[MartyL]

I'm npt sure how official this is, but I understand that for quite some time, the actual work in the Boyer kitchen has been headed up by Thierry Voisin, although Gerard Boyer does hang around and supervise periodically.

Based on a recent meal I had there, I would strongly encourage you to go. The restaurant is still suffused with the famous Boyer warmth and hospitality and the food is still terrific. I believe the restaurant is in very good hands and it would be a shame for you to deny yourself their decadent truffe en croute. Go and enjoy!

[PaulaJK]

Salade Pere Maurice w. champagne

half order of Lobster

the pigeon

cheese cart

skip dessert

[JJS]

Thanks - this what I was hoping would be the case. Will report back when I return. Apart from the truffle en croute any other reccomendations? Does the carte have seasonal offerings too? Thanks for all the advice

[porkpa]

Its been a few years since I've been to Boyer les Crayeres. The experience - both the hotel and dinner there were extraordinary. I was told that the charming older gentleman who used to sit down with you in the bar and discuss the food and wine options and then take your order while you enjoyed a glass of champagne has now retired. Is this so? If so has he been replaced? Hopefully the tradition remains. The discussion added a degree of charm to the overall dining experience. I hope to get back sometime in the near future.

Porkpa.

[cabrales]

Thanks - this what I was hoping would be the case. Will report back when I return. Apart from the truffle en croute any other reccomendations? Does the carte have seasonal offerings too? Thanks for all the advice

JJS -- I agree that Boyer is worth visiting, despite his inclination to tour the room/outdoor aperatif area (as applicable) instead of being in the kitchen. Thierry Voisin is more than able with respect to cuisine. Elaine (spelling likely different) Boyer also tours the room at times. The truffe en croute is marvellous, but I have always wondered how Boyer sources French black truffles before the applicable season later in the year. I suspect he must freeze and/or vacuum pack. The item was approx $100 (it is now likely 97.50 euros) for a whole truffle, and, in my mind, is worth it. If budget were relevant to you, note a half-order (without the whole truffle inside, but a large enough chunk) would likely be 1/2 price. When the ball of pastry is cut into, consider placing your nose very close to the item to take in the whiff of intensified truffle-ness. Here is Charlie Trotter's description of the dish:

http://metromix.com/top/1,1419,M-Metromix-...il-5567,00.html

Below are comments on some of the items from the below linked indicative menu I have sampled. Do not hesitate to ask about 1/2 portions of dishes, as they are often available with respect to a la carte ordering (at 1/2 the price). Dishes listed in declining order of subjective preference. Note I have not yet sampled the Pere Maurice salad.

Un homard en carapace, cuisiné en cocotte fonte, aux trompettes -- Boyer's lobster dishes are wonderful. They usually contain more butter than one might imagine, but they are luscious. I have sampled this precise dish, now on the indicative menu, and it was worthwhile. Note that, when Boyer, Bocuse, R Verge and Ducasse were asked to cook a special meal at Le Cirque (prior to ADNY's creation), Boyer prepared a lobster dish (not necessarily this one). Interestingly, Michelin does not include a lobster dish in its list of dishes for Les Crayeres.

Le saumon fumé à la minute, pommes de terre en robe des champs, Crème de caviar, petite salade au cumin (Limited-cooked smoked salmon, potatoes, caviar creme, small salad of cumin) -- This dish was very delicate.

La volaille de Bresse en demi-deuil, riz basmati au foie gras et aux truffes noires -- Not a lot of truffles, but tender, well-prepared chicken and a nice cream-based sauce (the use of cream being similar to Pacuad's version and being in contrast with the original Mere Brazier version -- there is an old thread on the France board on this "chicken in half mourning" dish, which is a dish I always order when available, based on my subjective preferences).

Un pigeonneau rôti sur sa carcasse, son jus relevé -- Pigeonneau is fairly good, but not as good as at least two of the preparations at Lameloise. Note that is not a criticism of pigeonneau at Boyer, but praise for that at Lameloise.

La palette de 5 foies gras d'oie -- If I remember correctly, most and possibly all of the preparations were cold/room-temperature. While not bad, I would not re-order this dish. Note I like goose foie gras (included), but also like duck foie gras.

Desserts -- These are generally not at the level of the savory dishes at Boyer, in my assessment.

Boyer has at least one prix fixe menu daily that is a good deal relative to a la carte prices, as of 2001 at least. Consider checking that. I forget, but there might even have been champagne by the glass pairings (highly uncertain, as I don't have notes with me). Perhaps Paula could confirm these vague recollections.

http://miseajour.apicius.com/boyer/uk/carte.asp

(indicative carte that does not describe prix fixe menu)

Also note, if you are visiting the nearby Pommery caves, at least residents of the hotel can have Boyer personnel call and provide a "card" for a free visit. (Pommery normally charges a nominal fee). Note that Pommery caves are not for any members (without any connotations as to JJS, to be clear) who cannot walk UP roughly 30-40 steps. There is no elevator that guests can take. Nonetheless, there are beautiful carvings on some of the walls of caves, including of the young woman (some Pommery relative) who is depicted on the label of the premium Louise label.

[MartyL]

Cabrales gives some good advice above with respect to ordering half-portions at Boyer. I highly recommend doing so as it will enable you to try twice as many things. The half-portion of the truffe en croute is definitely large enough (and on my last visit I believe it was more than half the size of the full-portion I had on a previous visit).

I also had the "saumon fumé à la minute" dish that Cabrales mentions. The thick piece of salmon had an amazing silky texture that, along with the rich cream, was perfectly balanced by the briny caviar and the crisp acidity of the champagne. A simple but lovely way to start the meal.

Boyer has a terrific and reasonably priced list of champagnes, and the food is generally well-suited to champagne matching. They also generally pour a different "prestige cuvee" by the glass each week. In making your selection, you might ask to speak with Gerard, the sommelier. He is easily identifiable as he will be the tallest man in the room.

[PaulaJK]

Oh what savory items you recall. When I was there in

June, all of the items you mentionned where on the menu.

I totally agree about the lobster. Seeing it prepared everyday,

I still don't understand what made it so delicious! The lightly

smoked salmon is special...and since I am a great fan of

pigeon, I enjoyed the 'summer preparation' which was

sans cabbage and foie gras but included the pigeon leg

surrounded by couscous and wrapped in a phyllo pouch/a

very attractive presentation. There also were some wonderful

veal tenderloin nuggets/medallions topped w a sage leaf,

au jus....and a similar lamb medallion offering. There was an

excellent fish dish with a herbacious sauce/ sorrel based.

By all means, enjoy a half order of this fish or the lobster

before your main course.

In addition to the Pere Maurice salade, there was a green

& white [poached] asparagus first course, served w. asparagus

sorbet --both of which were excellent.

I agree about the variety and pricing of the champagnes but

simply don't know about a meal pairing them.

I don't know the precise gentleman to whom you refer but there

are mature gentlemen servers--attentive and gracious to the max--

and maitre d's who discuss the menu with you as you sip your

aperitif, answer questions and take your order. I think Boyer is

a fabulous class establishment and "inn".

[jaybee]

We have had nothing but extraordinary food, service and care everytime we've been there. Staying at the hotel is exquisite. Mme. Boyer is charming and might take you on a tour of the kitchen during slow times. Don't miss a tour of the Pommerey cellars across the street. Our charming guide poured us liberal amounts of the house product.

[lizziee]

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.

[pirate]

"There was also a galette --pommes ana stuffed with giblets - the most extraordinary potato dish."

Pommes de terre Anna is a classic preparation. Please explain "stuffed with giblets". The roast duck if cooked as described would by far be my choice from the menus.

[marcus]

I believe that Gerard Boyer has completely turned ove the kitchen to his protege Thierry Voisin and this may well account for his relaxed demeanor. There have been rumors now for several years, even when I last ate there in 1999, that he would be retiring, but evidently it hasn't happened yet.

[Gary Marshall]

he certainly seems to have changed his view on guests since my visit last year!

Only his wife did the rounds, he stayed in the kitchen and even when i went into the kitchen he barely gave a flicker of recognition!

[jaybee]

They feature 96 Tattinger Comte de Champagne as the aperitif.

Interesting. I thought Pommerey was his partner and backer.We were treated to a very personal and interesting tour of the Pommerey cellars across the street.

We stayed in a similar room and enjoyed the whole experience. At that time, Boyer's wife was a most charming hostess, he was visible but seemed uncomfortable trying to relate to people who spoke only English. It is quite a contrast to the original Boyer's country restaurant where he made his reputation.

Did you breakfast at the hotel as well?

It is a wonderful place, isn't it?

[lizziee]

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.

[pirate]

Thank you for the explanation. This is the one dish that seemed worth a special trip to me.

[KathyP]

Please tell me where this place is. It sounds wonderful. Thanks.

[cabrales]

This place is in Rheims aka Reims. It's called Boyer "Les Crayeres", and the name chef is Guerard Boyer. To access the facility, one can take a (non-TGV) train (less than 2 hours, very generally) from Paris directly to Rheims, which is in the Champagne region.

[fresh_a]

www.gastronomie.com/afp/gastronomie/030628093532.1qvey1cc.asp

[Schneier]

According to The New York Times "Dining Out" section yesterday, former chef de cuisine Thierry Voisin is in charge of the kitchen.

Boyer "Les Crayeres" was the first three-star restaurant I ever dined at, way back in (I think) 1986.

Bruce

[sumac]

We stayed and ate there last Saturday (October 18th), both lunch and dinner, even knowing Boyer was not there. Thiery did a wonderful job, we had our all time favorite lunch: Salad Meurice for the appetizer, which is haricot vertes, foie gras, lobster, artichokes and truffes tossed with a light vinagrette and then for our main course the whole truffe en croute with sauce perigourd, champagne throughout, and what is better? It was my husband's birthday and our favorite romantic place to stay. So far I would say they are doing really well and this is about our 8th time there. Thiery made a point of meeting us after dinner, which we really enjoyed. We wish them well and will return, definitely.

[Schneier]

That's good to hear. I expect I will be back there a third time, eventually.

[Croque Monsieur]

We went to Boyer a couple of weeks ago, and I can't think how the experience could have been better. Welcome, seating, surroundings, service all defined the "three star" experience. The staff really seemed happy that we were there.

And the food--without covering every detail, we ordered from the "today's market" portion of the carte, and three of the dishes are going on my all-time list: the amuse, a lightly-crumbed langoustine tail perched on a shot glass of celery root cream/foam; the veal chop with cepes, illustrating how great a "simple" dish can be; and the dessert of the absolutely best raspberries, sandwiched between a little Champagne sabayon and Champagne granite. There was a market special Champagne, too a Dom Ruinart ('93 or '96, I'm not near my notes) for only 73E, a real bargain.

Writing this makes me anxious to get back.

[Fat Guy]

There was a small item about this in the most recent issue of Food Arts magazine. I was all set to post the news, but it seems as though the France board has been all over it since July.

[Schneier]

Getting the news before the news gets the news is one of the reasons I like this board.

Bruce