For years Alain Passard has been recognized for his vision and culinary wizardry, especially with vegetables. Our last visit revealed a chef at the top of his game reveling in his ability to surprise and delight diners with amazing dishes that emphasize the essential flavors of the ingredients.
This is one of our favorite top tier gourmet restaurants anywhere, offering an excellent balance of charming historic ambiance, warm and attentive service, broad wine list options and delectable French world class food.
We thoroughly enjoyed our most recent meal at Le Cinq in December 2007. Every one of the chef’s creations that day was outstanding and the service was efficient, warm, and accommodating, the way we remembered it from our first visit to the famous Parisian restaurant.
Just steps from the Petit Palais and the Champs Elysees Ledoyen was a world away from the everyday. After we surrendered our winter coats with the reception staff we were escorted up one flight of stairs to the restaurant’s spacious dining room. A few moments later we were comfortably seated at a corner table and gazing at the Champs through one of the many windows of the handsome salon.
Semi hidden in the African bush, Earth Lodge is the most notable architecturally of the four luxury properties in the Sabi Sabi Reserve. Although we had seen photos before arriving, we were surprised by the stark beauty of Earth Lodge and its grounds.
On a sunny and breezy November afternoon we drove placidly through the vineyards of the Grande Provence Estate until we found the wine tasting area, restaurant and nearby gravel parking lot. Perhaps because it was our first impression of Franschhoek, when I think of that Cape Wineland village I immediately think of the delicious meal and striking setting we had at the Grande Provence Restaurant.