Restaurant Lasserre
A precursor of many of today’s French cuisine luminaries, Lasserre was established by entrepreneur Rene Lasserre in 1947 in a derelict warehouse. Today it is situated in the moneyed and desirable 8 arrondissement. A simple sign on the front of the building confirmed we had arrived. Inside, attentive staff members appeared as soon as we passed the threshold of the automatic doors. They took our coats and whisked us to the upstairs dining room.
Le Cinq Restaurant, Paris, France
On our last visit to Le Cinq, we ordered the tasting menu that showcased the chef’s specialties. Although the five-course tasting menu was in some respects better than the previous time we visited the restaurant, the main course was less than stellar and the service was uneven. When we first arrived, early, the service, was as we remembered. We received a warm reception and were looked after rather well. Once the dining room began to fill, there was a frenzy of activity and the service declined noticeably. At one point our glasses were left unfilled for a long stretch of time. Because the staff were busy with other guests, we had to wait for our second bottle of wine to chill while commencing our next course.
River Lodge
A few months before we visited the property, the aptly named River Lodge in the Exeter Private Game Reserve joined the ranks of Conservation Corporation Africa (CC Africa), a well known African property management company. Although the child friendly property was still completing its incorporation into the new management company’s way of doing things, we heard about upcoming modifications and saw part of the Lodge transformation.
Singita Boulders Lodge
Singita Boulders Lodge, situated within the coveted Sabi Sand Reserve just west of the Kruger National Park, offered understated luxury in a magnificent bush setting. Singita was named for the Shangaan word meaning “The Miracle.” Boulder’s Lodge, a distinctive luxury property with an elegant contemporary style fronting the Sand River for which the reserve is named, stood out for its fabulous adult oriented accommodations (children were welcome in a private section of the property); rustic elegant décor; tasty dishes; and varied activities options such as twice daily Big Five game viewing drives, cellar wine tastings, local village visits, shopping, work outs a the fitness center and spa treatments.
Tokara Restaurant
We found Tokara 60 kilometers from central Cape Town, high atop a mountain pass known as the Heights of Hell (Helshoogte in Afrikaans) named perhaps because of how tough it was to get an ox-wagon up over the pass in the old days. It was one of those strikingly beautiful, sunny and hot Cape Town days.