Do I feel like a sucker for having blown our 3-star wad at Lucas Carton in Paris, only to see the "pompous restaurant" close and refashion itself as the livelier, youthful, edgier, and lower-cost (yet hardly economical) Alain Senderens?
A little. I spent weeks agonizing over that decision. But once we were seated at Lucas Carton thoughts of Guy Savoy and L'Arpege vanished, and I wouldn't give up the memory of that lobster with vanilla sauce for anything. I didn't find Lucas Carton to be exceedingly stuffy; the service from Pierre et al. was amazingly attentive and not overly-meddling, and the fanciful art nouveau room – still intact, thankfully – struck a balance between formal and relaxed.
But I can't pause for too long to mourn the passing of yet another haute cuisine traditional stalwart. Some will always remain. And dripping chandeliers have never been my thing anyway.
bdwiener@yahoo.com
IP: 69.230.237.13
URL:
DATE: 03/11/2006 07:26:11 PM
You made the right call with Lucas Carton over Guy Savoy and Arpege. I still fantasize about the $150 bowl of polenta I enjoyed chez Senderens. Savoy's signature soup wasn't memorabe. And his Poulet en Vessie with liver sauce was downright gross. Arpege hasn't been great in years.
If you're having second thoughts, you'll be able to have the Guy Savoy experience at Caesar's in Vegas this Spring.
Posted by: Ben Wiener | February 07, 2008 at 03:05 PM