Lunch was artfully presented and “modern” in style, eliciting mostly sighs of pleasure and satisfaction. We liked the well prepared dishes, each one cooked in a way that brought out the natural flavors to their best advantage.
Our meal was worth repeating thanks to warm and attentive service, a pretty setting, including a side view of the Seine River from our table, and not least, a tasty and well served meal. Maison Blanche will be on our neighborhood shortlist for an informal yet upscale ambiance.
The memorable dining room, elegant setting and amenities and attentive and friendly service enhanced our experience. The next time we visit Paris lunch at Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse will be on our wish list.
Babel, a farm to table restaurant within a working farm in the Wineland region of South Africa, was an unexpected surprise. I went there following the recommendation of the property manager at La Cle des Montagnes, where I was staying in nearby Franschhoek. The experience was as the promotional materials promised, fresh, local, and “an adventure and a rediscovery of the honest essence of things.”
While I was a guest at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, South Africa I had an opportunity to dine at Bosman’s, the hotel restaurant, named after Hermanus Bosman. In 1717, at the age of 24 he traveled to the Cape on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. While there he became the first owner of the farm where the restaurant is now located. It was an unexpected pleasure.
We liked that the restaurant butchered all its own meat and sourced all produce, mostly organic, locally. From the soup amouse bouche to dessert our meal was delicious and the attentive and friendly service a perfect match. Should we return to Dunedin The Black Pearl will be at the top of our list of fine dining restaurants.
Arriving in the early evening at Ryan’s Kitchen I felt instantly drawn by the casual atmosphere. Lana, who I later found out was the chef’s wife and restaurant co-owner, welcomed me in from the chilly outdoors with a bright smile, and seated me right away. Her warm reception was in evidence all through the meal.
By the time my dinner companion arrived the food smells that permeated the restaurant had awoken my appetite. We selected the tasting menu with wine pairings. I appreciated the chef’s versatility. He was able to prepare venison with the same apparent ease with which he prepared fish in spicy coconut milk in a bag. The South African wine pairings kept up the pace.
Sitting in a corner table in the newly redone glass enclosed veranda I marveled at the beautiful view of the Buitenverwachting Estate’s vineyards in the foreground and the Constantiaberg Mountains in the background. It was true to the property name which I’m told translates to “beyond expectations.” Even if the meal had been disappointing, which it was not, I would have enjoyed my time there.
The first time were went to Rech, part of the multinational Alain Ducasse culinary portfolio, we had a most pleasant lunch. On our return visit we had an equally delightful dinner. The modern understated yet warm décor with blond woods and a convivial ambiance were a good match for the well prepared tasty meal, aesthetically pleasing presentation, and friendly and efficient bilingual service.
Although we were the first to arrive the two room upstairs dining section filled up as the evening wore on. Yet we never lacked for anything at our table. Attentive eyes glanced by en route to the second room, and at the most discrete indication from us someone would immediately attend to our request. The table side dish preparation, including fish deboning, enhanced the experience.
While we had dined well at the same venue a number of times in the past that was our first meal since Chef Yannick Alleno had taken the reigns of the newly named Alleno Paris. Our multi course tasting menu was a most pleasant surprise.
Lunch was a blend of classical French cuisine yet modern at the same time. From the Krug by the glass to the final bite of sweets at the end the meal was a success. Delicious, refined and beautifully presented dishes paired with attentive, warm and detail oriented service matched the elegant setting in a historic building steps away from the famous Champs Elysees.
The chef’s enthusiastic back to basics sauce centered culinary style was simultaneously rewarding and refreshing. Each dish was a journey of discovery far enough from the norm to be intriguing yet still close enough to our zone of comfort to be pleasurable and fun. We congratulate him and his team on their success, and look forward to following them in the new restaurant at the Ledoyen Pavillon.
In this day of economies of scale, the popularity of fusion cuisine and a seeming infinite variety of imported products, a restaurant striving to serve local meals in the true sense of the word seemed to stretch the imagination. Intrigued and drawn by Vinland’s approach to cooking rooted in the land, sea, and traditions of Maine, and the culinary and nutritional wisdom of indigenous cultures with all local ingredients, we went out of our way to sample their food. We also wondered how the influence of new Nordic cuisine (especially restaurants Noma and Faviken where the chef had worked) would translate across the Atlantic to Maine’s similar bioregion.
By local the restaurant meant no citrus or cane sugar, plenty of yogurt whey, rhubarb, sumac, cranberry, maple, honey, and dozens of other ingredients, including herbs, fruits, nuts, roots, and mushrooms. While the wines were all imported they offered the most natural and organic wine list we have come across.
As soon as we entered we focused our attention on the restaurant’s partial decorative transformation since our last visit. Armed with a glass each of well chilled rose champagne we set out to discover the reincarnation of Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee. A server brought us complimentary carrot, celery and apple juice with an ice cube, setting the tone for the rest of the healthful meal. Hors d’œuvre bites followed on the heels of a staff person who explained the menu’s cereal, vegetable (produce were brought from the garden of the Chateau de Versailles through an exclusive partnership) and seafood options. While it was possible to order some meat products they were not listed on the regular menu because they were discouraged.
Our dinner at Le Jules Verne restaurant was magical. From the moment we rode the private heated elevator with an escort from the ground floor of the South Pillar, up 125 meters to the restaurant reception half way up the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, we felt special. Although our expectations were high, based on previous visits to the restaurant at France’s most iconic monument, we were delighted with the evening.
We were pleased to have been assigned one of the few coveted window side tables. Below us, thousands of lights twinkled, bringing to mind the words City of Lights as Paris is also known.
It wasn’t until restauranteur David Turin opened nine restaurants that he founded the restaurant he had wanted to open for many years, his opus. That led to the restaurant’s name. Although entering through David’s Monument Square, the restaurant’s larger sister eatery, was a bit jarring, dinner at this restaurant within a restaurant was the most upscale dining experience we had in Portland, Maine.
After strolling around a gray, dreary and rainy Camden, Maine during a chilly autumn day, and a disappointing lunch in town we were loathe to drive back in the rain for dinner. We had heard good things about the restaurant and had hard to come by reservations so we moved forward as planned. As we drove down the dark two lane slick road from Lincolnville Beach south toward Natalie’s we wondered whether we would be better off returning to the dry and warm comfort of our inn.
The Old Mill Room was the historical heart of the Boar’s Head. Built from the timber of an abandoned 1834 gristmill originally located along the banks of the Hardware River, it was moved piece by piece to be integrated in the construction of the inn’s main building in the early 1960’s in an effort to preserve and repurpose a valued piece of local history. The gristmill was famous for having survived the ravages of the Civil War and gone on to operate a whole six decades after it.
My evening at the Chef’s Counter of the Clifton Inn Restaurant was not a mere dinner, it was a culinary jam session where the virtuosity of the performers came through with every bite and pairings of unexpected flavors and texture were the norm. I had just been escorted through the intimate dining room with its tables formally set on white starched linen tablecloths. I had even caught a glimpse of an antique grand piano in a corner. It was the sort of place that spoke of classic fine dining with every detail. I paused at the door of the kitchen to take in the rather theatrical décor. A long row of immaculate copper pans were lined high against a coral wall and a gilded mirror was strategically placed on the far wall of the room to reflect the sparkling crystal chandelier that hung above the pale polished concrete counter. I scanned the room for television cameras and found none. I settled into my tall bar chair and got a full view the “real” kitchen, a working kitchen with state of the culinary art equipment and the organized clutter that ensures that not a single movement is wasted.
For years I have liked the elegant dining room of Restaurant le Meurice in the eponymous hotel facing one of the city’s best known tourist streets. In 2013, famed chef Alain Ducasse was invited to oversee the food service at the hotel and restaurant. On our most recent trip to Paris, we had lunch there and were left with the impression that the restaurant has much promise.
Since our last visit we noticed subtle changes. For example, access to the restaurant was via the entrance foyer of the hotel rather than from the lobby lounge where it had been before. A new embroidered panel graced a section near the restaurant door, and Baccarat crystal art was in evidence in the dining room.
As we approached the Eiffel Tower we realized we were in for a treat. The days long pattern of gray cloudy weather had broken. In its place, puffy clouds contrasted against a cerulean Parisian sky. Two uniformed staff members greeted us at the restaurant’s dedicated ground floor entrance past its understated brown awning. Once they confirmed our reservation for that day, we had to pass through a metal detector while one of the staff searched our personal belongings. The restaurant’s heated elevator, manned by another uniformed staff member, led us directly to a reception area where additional personnel greeted us, whisked away our winter coats and led us to a window side table with a metal bar in the middle and a striking view to the northeast.
The employee wearing a rubber apron and processing shellfish at the entrance and the bistro style ground floor dining area belied the refined ambiance we found once we climbed a narrow staircase to the first floor of Rech, long known for its seafood in a city preoccupied with eatable treasures from the seas. As the first to arrive for lunch we were thrilled to have the dining room to ourselves for a few minutes until the next guests appeared.
We liked this restaurant’s intimate casual style, retro modern décor, and complex, unique and adventurous cuisine. Well presented dishes were accompanied by a small amount of table side showmanship.
The ambiance was reminiscent of dining at the home of an acquaintance who happened to be a gourmet food lover. Each course was a mini world unto itself.
Over time this restaurant in a wonderful location a step off of the ultra famous Champs Elysees has made loyal fans out of us. A beautiful dining room with an elegant meal service, quiet interior, and attentive and detail oriented service matched the superlative meals prepared by Chef Christian Le Squer. Over the years his Brittany influenced culinary style has remained light, innovative, refined, flavorful and satisfying.
Every time we have dined there we have had an enjoyable experience. We return because of the restaurant’s reliable, expertly prepared, pretty and well served meals.
As is the case in most densely visited area anywhere, Italy’s Amalfi Coast abounds with local eateries eager to introduce hungry tourists to the local fare. On a recent visit to the area, it quickly became obvious that although the quality of food and service could vary wildly, menus were virtually interchangeable from one restaurant to the next; until I reached the Santa Caterina Restaurant. Located in the legendary five-star hotel that gave it its name, this superb formal restaurant welcomed its guests with the same flawless service, exquisite décor and eye popping views of the Amalfi coastline that have made the property famous for over a century. And best of all was Chef Domenico Cuomo’s menu: classic southern Italian cuisine, created from the freshest local ingredients and fish just out of the Tyrrhenian Sea. There were also sublime pasta dishes, homemade of course, the likes of which I hadn’t tasted since my Tuscan paternal grandmother made them for me when I was a child.
Le Jardin des Violettes had it all: a secluded yet easily accessible bucolic setting, an inviting dining room, and the ultimate trump card, an outstanding young chef. Located within the Romantik Hotel and Spa Les Violettes at the edge the lush forested foothills of the Vosges Mountains, the restaurant overlooked the farmland of Alsace’s famed Route des Vins . Its spacious dining room was lined with broad picture windows and French doors that gave the room an airy atmosphere and let in the tranquil country vistas. In season, it opened onto a terrace and lawns that provided a lovely stage for al fresco dining. However, I especially enjoyed the room at night when the indirect lighting subdued by crimson silk shades bathed the space in a faint rosy glow. It enhanced the formal table settings and provided just the right touch of romance to showcase the exceptional cuisine of Chef Jérôme Jaeglé
It all began some 40 years ago when a talented chef with a vision and an eye for a privileged location rented the first floor of a medieval building with a terrace overlooking the River Lauch in Colmar. Before long people were queuing to enjoy Gilbert Bomo’s jambon à la broche (ham roasted on a spit) and other Alsatian specialties. Fast-forward to the present. In the intervening years, Chef Bomo acquired the gorgeous ancient building on the riverbank, then the three adjoining ones, and gradually turned them into a multi-starred boutique hotel. But the restaurant retained pride of place, by now occupying the entire rear of the property’s first floor. L’Echevin (French for high-ranking medieval magistrate) was born. There, it welcomes guests who now come from far and wide to experience what has evolved into an award-wining menu of imaginative gastronomic offerings based on traditional Alsatian specialties; and to enjoy the romantic candlelit atmosphere of the riverside dining room.
This urban gourmet restaurant won us over with its bustling ambiance, friendly service, and elaborate gourmand meal. We arrived in the early evening to find a sparsely filled dining room. A reservation error had nearly cost us our table on our last night in Cape Town so we were delighted to discover we had been seated at the Chef’s Table, at an elevated counter immediately in front of the executive chef and the open style kitchen.
As we sat on the lawn in front of the gourmet restaurant looking out onto Camps Bay with glasses of chilled South African bubbly in hand we realized what a special evening was unfolding. We were surrounded by a dozen or so tables of couples, families and groups, each absorbed in their conversation while the gentle light of the waning sun, all that remained of a sunny and hot Cape Town day, dimmed slowly. A handsome man wearing a dark suit, a bright pink tie and a radiant smile had welcomed us when we arrived and escorted us to our aperitif spot a short distance from the restaurant door. Just as we were thinking about food he reappeared to escort us to our indoor table at The Roundhouse.
Named after the founder and first owner of the farm where the Steenberg Hotel was built, Catharina’s Restaurant provided a dining venue for hotel guests and local residents. During our four night stay at the hotel we enjoyed several meals there including breakfast daily as well as lunch and dinner.
Lunch at this iconic Paris restaurant was, in spite of a near full dining room, excellent. A beautiful setting within an elegant winter light filled salon, attentive staff, and delicious dishes, cooked and presented to their best advantage, combined to leave us glowing with pleasure.
Our sampling of classic seafood favorites of langoustines, lobster and scallops, duck foie gras and a seasonal game pie specialty afforded us a broad range of flavors that remained exciting and vibrant without crossing the “interesting” line.
When businessman Isaac Van Horn set out to build his summer residence in 1904, he created an elegant country manor that reflected his English heritage. Nowhere was this more evident than in the cozy Van Horn Dining Room of what is now The Manor on Golden Pond. Leaded French doors and picture windows lined the front and far side of the room to offer a relaxing view of the verdant grounds. The elaborate oak wall paneling and ceiling beams gleamed with the patina of age, enhanced by inlays of rose and green flowered chintz to create an old world country atmosphere. It was a perfect setting for Chef Peter Sheedy’s cuisine, as he wove together European culinary traditions with the best of locally sourced ingredients to create a refined yet unpretentious New American menu.
During a stay at the Hotel Le Meurice we had lunch at its eponymous lobby level gourmet restaurant. I had dined there with a friend years earlier and remembered the striking dining room and formal ambiance. In the intervening years the hotel had renovated the common areas and I was unsure what to expect. As soon as we entered the restaurant we took a liking to the opulent yet cozy dining room.
When I first heard the name Via Veneto I thought of the famous shopping street in Rome, Italy and wondered what kind of cuisine the restaurant served. Soon I discovered the restaurant offered a contemporary interpretation of Catalan dishes within a nostalgic setting designed during the Italian Dolce Vita era.
For years we have visited this well situated restaurant in one of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods and been rewarded with outstanding meals. On our most recent visit to Paris we returned to rediscover the well known restaurant which had a new chef and a new manager.
As in past visits we much enjoyed the beautiful Louis XV style dining room. Although the building facade was under renovation and the windows facing the famed Place de la Concorde were covered the dining room is so lovely we scarcely noticed the absence of the view even though we were seated at a window side table.
As in past trips to Paris we were looking forward to visiting the Restaurant Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée. This time was particularly convenient as we were staying a block away. A few minutes before our 8 p.m. dinner reservations we enjoyed a leisurely stroll to the Plaza Athénée hotel. It was a chilly winter night and a cold breeze brought with it thin beautiful snow flakes. Most disappeared, melting before they hit the ground.
After admiring the Christmas decorations at the entrance and in the lobby of the Plaza Athénée hotel we walked back past the reception area to the restaurant.
We knew from a previous visit the view at Maison Blanche would be pretty. We did not know it would be even lovelier in the evening (we had been there for lunch) or that it would be raining that night transforming the rain drops into millions of shimmering lights, like priceless gemstones, as they dropped in front of the huge glass wall of the restaurant.
Since we first visited Ledoyen in 2005, this elegant and well situated restaurant has remained reliable and satisfying. At the same time, when we return we discover new dishes or new variations on classic dishes, keeping novel and traditional options available on the menu.
Christian Le Squer, the talented executive chef, is capable of creating light and flavorful dishes. He maintains a balance between the characteristic flavor of an ingredient and blending simple flavors in harmony.
Before entering Restaurant Le Grand for a midweek dinner we enjoyed amouse bouche and mixed drinks in the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor lounge to the sounds of live piano music. The savory bites and specialty drinks were a preview of the tasty dinner that awaited us in the adjacent dining room.
Le Grand, the fine dining restaurant at the Raffles Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia, offered a selection of a la carte dishes based on ancestral Cambodian recipes from the Royal family as well as classical French selections.
From the outside The Boathouse, named after an old painted fishing boat that stood near its entrance when it was established, looked like any other beachside restaurant. Even the interior of the open air restaurant with beautiful sea views was more informal than I anticipated. When we sat down to eat however the meal was more formal than the beach side setting implied. Each menu was distinctive and both were worthy of the special 45-minute drive each way I had made.
The family owned restaurant was hidden away on a Venetian street off the beaten track. At first we thought Fiore (Italian for flower) was the family name. It turned out to be the name selected by the previous owner when he opened the old osteria and called it da Fiore. If it hadn’t been because we received very specific directions and did a test run a day in advance of our reservations we may have been late arriving. As it was we were the first guests to arrive.
L’Escalier, the flagship restaurant of the Breakers Palm Beach resort, offered a well prepared, well served, molecular gastronomy meal in an elegant, intimate and contemporary setting. Our midweek end of season visit was rewarding. We especially enjoyed the luxury of dining in a quiet dining room with attentive and guest centered service. Dinner at L’Escalier was the culinary highlight of our three night stay at the Palm Beach resort.
Il Comandante (The Commander) was named in honor of Achille Lauro, a Neapolitan shipowner and past mayor of Naples who was a previous owner of the building where the hotel restaurant is housed. Dinner at Il Comandante was a delightful surprise. The staff were polite and thoughtful and the service was punctilious.
Although we dined in a temporary venue (the restaurant’s space was being renovated) the dinner service was fine including lovely plates, silverware, glassware and perfectly ironed linen napkins.
Although we had visited Constantia, an upscale Cape Town suburb, a number of times over the years we first heard about Buitenverwachting by chance while dining with a local foodie who mentioned that the restaurant had recently been refurbished. Lady luck was with us: we still had time to visit the restaurant before leaving Cape Town on our way to the Garden Route and the restaurant was able to accommodate us. It turned out Buitenverwachting, meaning “beyond expectation,” exceeded our expectations.
Arriving at the Bareiss Restaurant at the tail end of a two-week visit of Southwestern Germany where we had been repeatedly surprised with the quality and refinement of the restaurants, we had high expectations of this establishment. We were delighted to find the restaurant met and surpassed them with room to spare.
Arriving at the Bareiss Restaurant at the tail end of a two-week visit of Southwestern Germany where we had been repeatedly surprised with the quality and refinement of the restaurants, we had high expectations of this establishment. We were delighted to find the restaurant met and surpassed them with room to spare.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the small restaurant tucked discretely within the outstanding Bareiss complex.
Named Tschifflik, meaning small palace in Turkish, for the former property built on the grounds by the Polish king who had it constructed it, this small restaurant was the most sophisticated of several attractive places to entertain the palate at the Romantik Hotel Landschloss Fasanerie. Everywhere we ate during our two-night stay at this woodside hotel was a delight. From the breakfast buffet to the hotels’ Mediterranean (Restaurant Orangerie) and regional (Restaurant Landhaus) restaurants every meal was a success.
Passione Rossa, a small family owned restaurant set in a former potato storage shed within the Romantik Hotel BollAnt’s im Park near Frankfurt, was a gourmet surprise. The first hint of the pleasant and tasty meal that awaited us was the friendly welcome we received on our arrival at the restaurant on a quiet winter Sunday.
The refined and delicate dishes we were served contrasted with the old farm setting.
A young and enthusiastic chef whose love for and ability with fish and seafood were evident made this restaurant stand out. Our romantic window side table faced Lake Constance, allowing us a sunset view of the lake and, in the distance, the lights of nearby towns across the lake in Switzerland. A single white rose in full bloom and a tall white candle were the sole adornments on our round table, allowing us to focus our attention on the parade of pretty dishes and handsome dinnerware the staff served us. Small touches like a moist towel to cleanse our hands before beginning the meal, a diversity of pre and post meal palate teasers and the staff’s enthusiastic attitude enhanced our dinner experience.
Since our last visit to this well known Parisian restaurant in the posh eighth arrondissement the property had been revamped and the meal service improved. We appreciated the warm and cordial service and tasty meal during our recent lunch there and were pleased with the changes. In the same way, the classic dishes and attentive service worked well with the subtle modern décor and historic setting, they had just enough
The redecorated interior was contemporary, in shades of brown and gray, contrasting with the historic building.
Once again lunch at Restaurant Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée at the prestigious Plaza Athénée Hotel in Paris was outstanding. Although the last time we were there the food was excellent this time it was even better. The popular restaurant named for the famous French chef remains in the top tier of gourmet dining. An elegant dining room, sophisticated ambiance, very good service, and marvelous contemporary French food allowed to enjoy a noteworthy experience.
Les Ambassadeurs at the Hotel de Crillon is ideally situated in a prime spot on the famed Place de la Concorde. Its central location makes it convenient as much for first time visitors to the City of Lights as for city dwellers. Although the restaurant’s location is appealing it was the food that drew us back to revisit the hotel restaurant. Once inside the pretty dining room we were in a gourmet cocoon. Tables were spaced conveniently to allow private conversations and the ambiance was serious and subdued with many of us concentrating on our multiple course meals.
In July 2008 Chef Eric Briffard, formerly at Les Elysees du Vernet and before that at the Plaza Athenée, took over the kitchens of Le Cinq as Chef des Cuisines. We had sampled and liked his cooking on several occasions when he was at Les Elysees du Vernet and were eager to see what changes he had made at the well known Parisian restaurant.
We recently had lunch at Le Cinq and reacquainted ourselves with this talented chef’s style and the famous restaurant. Although the dust of a new head chef was still settling in part, the dishes themselves were artfully prepared and delicious. We distinctly remembered his gift with seafood and were pleased to rediscover his marvelous dishes at the new venue. The whole meal evoked the ocean with its flavors and aromas. Chef Briffard’s skills were very much in evidence. And, as in the past, we enjoyed dining in the handsome dining room. Sommelier Thierry Hamon’s wine pairing enhanced our meal, bringing out the subtle seafood taste without ever overwhelming the dishes.
